one step closer

"A passport, as I'm sure you know, is a document that one shows to government officials whenever one reaches a border between countries, so the officials can learn who you are, where you were born, and how you look when photographed unflatteringly."
--Lemony Snicket

as i was preparing breakfast early today, i heard someone calling from the gate. when i went out to check what it was all about, i was delighted to see the small package that was meant for me.

my passport!

machine readable passport

finally, it got to me! it was supposed to be delivered to me last thursday but when i called the forwarder to locate my passport last friday, i was told it wasn't released as scheduled and that i needed to call the department of foreign affairs.

so...

toot toot toot toot toot toot toot toot toot (to represent the act of pressing numbers, folks, and NOT cussing). after pressing the right numbers, i was already on the line -- my call was acknowledged politely by the person on the other end. i learned that they did not release my passport because i asked for something to be resolved first.

doinks!

i had no idea what needed to be resolved because i did not ask for such a thing. so, without missing a beat, i told the person on the other line, "sir, promise po, wala po akong kinalaman sa sinasabi n'yong pina-resolve ko last july 10. i was there 9th of july and not on the 10th of july. whoever made the transaction in behalf of me the day after that, i did not authorize it. ang alam ko lang na pwedeng maging issue ay pagiging DOST scholar ko noong araw pero po i submitted all the necessary papers to support my application and nakasaad po doon that i am allowed to apply for a passport."

"don't worry. ok na siya. na-release na at i-d-deliver na siya bukas."

saturday (that's yesterday) came and, during late afternoon, i received a text from the forwarder's rep saying he was at our company's immediate neighboring facility earlier that day to deliver my passport but since i wasn't there, the next resort would be for me to get my passport at their (forwarder's) office.

doinks!

mheeeen! how many strikes do i have to endure? my reply went this way: "sir, company address po namin ginamit ko and hindi po address ng kapitbahay namin. inasahan ko pong ihahatid n'yo sa tamang address kasi po existing naman po ang building namin and may daan naman po."

i then called the rep and sought some clarification regarding the delivery. i listened to his side and i explained my stand on the matter. then, the compromise...

the compromise? he's gonna deliver my passport to my residential address here in batangas.

so...

today, all's well that ends well. my passport is already with me! yey.

oi, i know your question. am i traveling soon? that is not for me to say. when my immediate superior told me this for the umpteenth time: "wag ka nang pasaway. kumuha ka na ng passport," ayun, nagpaka-effort* na ako. madali akong kausap, di ba? hehe.

mga friends, tulungan n'yo ko mangolekta ng mga tatak sa pasaporte ko. it's about time. travel tayo. hihi. ;-)


*pa-picture sa nearest mall dito then pila sa DFA manila (kung di pagpapaka-effort ang pumila sa DFA manila, i don't know what is. also throw in to the equation an early trip from batangas to manila, okay?)

in pursuit of more

"There will be times when you will be in the field without a camera. And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed. Don't be bitter because you can't record it. Sit down, drink it in,
and enjoy it for what it is!"
--DeGriff

anyone who's familiar with the board game ca$hflow would probably say, "doodads!"

BUT

yes, i've just upgraded my (until recently) free multiply account to premium. i have lots of albums and stuff there already and my experience with multiply has been, so far, so good. i wanted to keep all the photos i uploaded in hi-res and i did not want to risk losing any of the comments that contacts and passersby have left there. it was easy for me to do decide on doing the move -- upgrade!

you might think i've gone overboard there and that i'm crazy enough to be shelling out some money for such a thing. well... HEY, i may be crazy. when i realized i could lose the hi-res versions of the photos i have published online, it was a no-brainer for me to come up with the decision: buy the account.

i told my friends i was going to apply for a credit card -- if only so i can purchase my multiply account. "my no-plastic-money personal policy be damned." (adik! haha.) good thing, i did not quite reach that point since a good friend offered to pay the account for me (i just have to pay back in pesos.)

back in 2004, i signed up for a flickr account but i was never tempted to upgrade (read: pay for) my account there. the interaction and network options just seemed inadequate. with multiply, i am more than satisfied with the interaction and the options -- blog, photos, videos, links, reviews, music, guestbook, etc, all in one even with a free account. (with generous bandwidth at that!)

so, why did i upgrade to premium? because. i. just. felt. i. should.

pay me a visit there, okay?

p.s. if i were to pursue a different career path, i'd opt to do full-time photography. right now, except for my trusty sony ericcson, i don't have the camera. for the time being, i am making the most of what i have. as they say, it's the surgeon, not the scalpel. in the same line of thought, it's the one taking the shot, not the camera. see ya around!

growing better

"Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures."
--H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Life's Little Instruction Book

these days, i know people aren't pulling my leg when they say, "oi, tumataba ka na!"

i can see and feel the change myself. i'm growing into my clothes (i'd rather say it that way instead of "i'm outgrowing my clothes") -- my pants, most especially. before, i had no trouble putting them on but lately i've been struggling to fit into them. nowadays, i have to wriggle my way in. i badly need new pairs and all of them new pairs have to be at least a size bigger! swear.

just last weekend, the locking button of my fave cargo pants popped off. nope, the thread did not give way -- the button-holes of the dear button gave up on me!

the thing is, i am not growing a belly. i am simply growing, growing, growing.

i'm still reed thin (i dare say; and i am probably still underweight?) but...

if they see me now, people who know my history of being ridiculously thin (through grade school, high school, college, graduate school...) could tell that i've recently achieved progress with my (lack of) weight issue.

i never thought it would really happen. even those who get to see me everyday didn't fail to notice.

i have grown a bit heavier and a bit bigger. i do not need a weighing scale nor a tape measure to verify the claim. you can see it on my cheeks. you can see it when you see me.

"namimintog eh."

"hahahah... tumataba!" (sabay puna sa braso ko.)

"kung dati mukha ka lang grade three; ngayon nagmumukha ka ng grade six. oi, nagdadalaga na."

"nakakaaliw. you're looking better."

"bagay pala sa 'yo napapagod." (sabay sundot sa iba: "hiyang na hiyang. dagdagan nyo pa trabaho nito!")

:-) hehe. tama bang alaskahin ako?

p.s. i don't believe in rice shortage. picture? click here.