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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.

The Visa

Sometimes, I admire my husband's carefree spirit and spontaneity in making decisions. We are completely opposite in many, many ways and yet we click so much because those differences complement both of us. For instance, we have been planning to apply for US VISA for 2 years now and have had put it off to travel to Europe. Last December, out of the blue, he just told me "Ma, set for an appointment for US visa." I gladly obliged! I mean, US visa is the ultimate visa of all! No offense meant to other nations but ever since, I have dreamt of having one stamped on my passport. Last Feb. 3, we went for our interview. After going through the tedious process of waiting from 6:10 a.m. out in the cold up to the point of being called for the interview almost 5 hours later was worth all the hassles and time. We were granted our first US Visas! Yey! Double yey!!! New York and Los Angeles, here we come!

Thank you Lord!!!