At last! I have my new passport!

I usually renew my passport in October every 5 years.  This year, I thought of having my passport renewed earlier. Maybe in time for something in October? *wink* -- I am saving this for another post. I must wait until things are certain. :)

Anyway, I applied for the renewal of my passport last June 4. I was told to be at DFA-Baguio (located at SM City Baguio) as early as possible.  Some said I should be there at 8AM, others said 5AM, while someone said I should be there as early as 2AM (of course, I thought this was OA).  Okay, so Jason my love, arrived in the area earlier (5AM) than I did (545AM). He did so for me to get into the queue ahead of the others.  After more than 3 hours of queuing, numbers were distributed at 9AM.  These numbers indicate what time the applicants must be back for the processing of their papers.  My processing time was between 12 noon to 1 pm.  That means that we have 3 hours to wait. Jason and I took advantage of that time to have extra copies of my documents and have lunch.

And so at around 12 noon, I was already back at SM.  This time, I went straight to their office.  Jason had to leave for work and so I texted my sister, Ria to come see me.

It took about 65 minutes for the entire process - from lodging of the documents to the last stage which includes encoding of data, picture taking, thumbmarking, and affixing of signature. I was told that I can pick up my passport July 18. Last July 16, I have received a message that said:

 

I waited for their text message but I thought, I might not get one at all. So Jason and I decided to drop by DFA yesterday to check if my passport was already available.  In less than 10 minutes, I got my new passport!

Read More

First Semester Starts in August... now what?

First semester starts in August. Yes, starting this year, first semester will start in August. Well, not in all schools.  Other schools opted to start in June just like how it used to.

I have so many concerns about this change.  Since I usually travel during sem breaks, concerns regarding traveling make me feel uneasy.  For one, if first semester starts in August, that means it will end in December.  I am afraid that I won't be able to travel that much this time since airfares in December can be very pricey.  Even hotels can be very expensive at that time of the year.  Second semester starts in January and ends in May.  Rainy season starts by then.    If "summer" term starts in June and ends in July, traveling can also be very difficult at this time of the year.  Though airfares can be cheaper at that time, I don't feel comfortable traveling considering all those typhoons and strong rains brought about by the southwest monsoon.

Another concern I have with this change is the fact that most of things I enjoy doing can be best done during October and also in March and April.  I am referring to running, hiking, trekking, and swimming. Surfing in December can be fun though.

Is it about time for me to look for a different set of hobbies?

Read More