Tough Luck

That's what I am telling myself right now. Well, something terrible happened to my passport and I don't know how it happened and when. Okay, I'll rewind the past events leading to yesterday's revelation.

• Dec. 28 - I placed my passport inside my bag to have it scanned. The day went by without me doing that.
• Dec. 30 - Passport was still in my bag thinking I would find time to scan it. Again, failed!
• Dec. 31 - Went home and forgot about my passport in my bag. I placed my bag on the floor which I do not normally do under any circumstances. I cleaned the house, cooked and slept through 2010. Again, failed to scan my passport.
• Jan. 1 - What passport?
• Jan. 2 - Enjoyed my off!
• Jan. 3 - Extended off! Noticed the bottom of my bag to be damp so I just wiped it off not thinking of checking the contents. How it got wet is beyond my comprehension!
• Jan. 4 - I gave my passport to my hubby to have it scanned. I did not notice it had absorbed so much "beverage" (it smelled a faint sweetness, like a tea or something. I couldn't recall drinking tea during the weekend...) because I held it from the top part. Went to work and was shocked to learn when hubby gave me a ring to ask why my passport was wet! I said "what wet?" I ran straight to their office to check and lo and behold! My passport was soaking wet! The stamped departure and entry details were smeared and bled through the other pages. My personal information had been tainted by the stamp ink. My US visa (my visa of all visas!!!) had a stain in the middle. My residence visa though was the only one not affected at all.
  

So, it's really tough luck for me! I think the Lord is telling me something. I had postponed this US trip twice already. We were supposed to spend a week in San Francisco this coming 15 Jan. but I don't think that is possible at the moment. I just had my passport renewed/replaced with a "machine-readable type" which would take a month to be delivered. I have to check with the US Consulate if they will allow me to use my slightly stained visa. I have been calling their office and all I got were rude responses from some operators! If not, forget it. I think this is where the Lord wants me at the moment. I can always go back if I want to but for now, I will heed the signs.

Tough luck... and I thought Lady Luck was just peeking in the corner! What a way to start my 2010 huh?

Moral of the story: Do NOT procrastinate. Do NOT leave your bags on the floor. And lastly, do NOT ever, ever leave your passport in your bag at all cost! These are lessons I learned the painful way.

To Travel Soon

I was supposed to go to San Francisco with my hubby and daughter today for the long Eid holidays but due to lack of time and not to mention funds and leave credits; I had to bail out.

I just dropped my hubby to the airport an hour ago for his flight and I really, really wanted to go. Sometimes I ask myself, why I am always stuck here when I can go? The answer always boils down to lack of leave credits. I wish I had many!

One might wonder why at this time of recession, we can still have the opportunity to travel. Answer to that is because we get discount airfare being airline staff. We only pay minimal fee for the ticket price. Also, we get rebate tickets from other airlines and avail of their cheap flights too.

There is a downside to being a staff too. We get very low priority in check-in because of our ticket cost. Most of the time, we even get bumped-off in preference to a paying customer. Well, I have had my share of bump-offs and I am certainly used to it.

Working in the airline industry is probably the best for people who is on the go and likes to see the world like we do. We get many travel advisory from other countries and offers on various destinations guide. We may not be paid well as compared to other companies but combining all the free and discounted ticket fares and special airline staff rates on most destinations and hotels, I think it is really worth it!

So, I may just travel again this January to New York. I have always dreamed of seeing snow so that time will be the best time to travel during the cold season. Anyway, I love cold weather! Big Apple, here I come!