Apparently the Immigration & Naturalization Dept. here told my HR department the wrong info about my visa. The short story is that basically, I will need to RETURN TO SINGAPORE in order to get a particular stamp in my passport first before I can return back here to start work (like SERIOUSLY?! In this day and age, I can't even fly to the next nearest country and get it done there? I have to fly all the way back to Singapore?!)
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AND! This particular stamp can take up to 3 weeks to get processed in Singapore (although since it was THEIR stuff-up, immigration are now trying to expedite this processing time). But who the heck knows when it'll come through?!
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At this point, I could choose to say FML! FML! FML! FML! FML! FML!
(It's an internet geek term. There's a whole website dedicated to FML's so Google it, don't ask stupid questions!)
But instead, I have chosen to remember my mantra for this year: Joyful Surrender. (Again, THANK YOU SAM!)
The poor HR Manager was super apologetic although this wasn't her fault. Before arriving, I had asked a few times "are you SURE I don't need to go the consulate at all?" and was told every time "No need". Because immigration had told them "No need".
To top this all off (as if this wasn't enough drama at the moment)... I am supposed to be in the corporate apartment for a while until they find me a permanent space to live for the rest of my stay here (my company deals with many, many international folk so the corporate apartment is really for temporary stays when people come to & fro only).
And it seems like a more permanent spot for me has opened up sooner than they thought.
So since I will be out of the country for at least a week or two because of this visa stuff-up, they've asked if I would like to move into my (yet another) new place AGAIN this weekend before I fly out!!
***JOYFUL SURRENDER JOYFUL SURRENDER JOYFUL SURRENDER***
You know what, when this whole thing came up yesterday morning, the only thing I could do was LAUGH. I mean... what else is one supposed to do, right?
And quite frankly, I would rather move into the place that will be "mine" than stay in the transient apartment (maintained by the dirty-cleaning-person).
SIGGHHHHHHHHHHH.
Everything I unpacked the day before will now have to be packed up all over again.
Up-shot No. 1: I can get back to the shala in Singapore again (YIPPEE!) I am also here over the weekend so I can get a bit more sight-seeing in before I have to fly out again.
Up-shot No. 2: Instead of thinking of the huge carbon footprint I have left behind in the past month of travelling, I should rather focus on the number of Frequent Flyer Miles I am collecting (and I'm not paying for any of this either). HAHA!
...So I guess it's not so FML after all. ...Right?
(Picture credit here)
OH. MY. GOD.
ReplyDeleteI'm just catching up here after bbye capetown....
That is nuts. Seriously, good thing you decided on joyful surrender, right? How prescient!
I like the cat - 'this sux' hahaha...
WOW.... well at least moving now, you can feel like when you get back, you're settled, you can imagine 'home' while you're away. And shala practices, that's good! And hey, by the time you get back it'll practically be springtime!!
:-)))
I love amsterdam, been there 6 times, I think? So peaceful and compact! When all this is over I hope you have some nice relaxing times there...
And will you be hitting London at all? I'll have to be sure to keep checking here, because the way your life works, it could happen on a day's notice :-)
Hang in there!!!
oh no... I would be flipping out. I'm glad you're seeing the upside to this (frequent flyer miles are very nice to have!)- but I'm so sorry it's causing so much activity. I take back what I said about being jealous of your globe-trotting!
ReplyDeleteGreat attitude- keep it up! (like Susan wrote: hang in there)
fmylife.com is the funniest thing I have read in a long, long time. oh my god. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks guys! You're right. As I was cleaning the place this weekend, I kept thinking of what Susan said. And then I thought... Hmm... what can I bring back from Singapore to help make this place a bit more homey. :)
ReplyDeletecan't say been there done that, but will be there, will be doing that. heh. i may have to go to Cali for a similar reason as your trip to S'pore
ReplyDeleteAll the best with that Arturo! We can trade "war stories". HAHAHA. Right now, I can only say that I am seriously tripping out coz of jetlag and lack of sleep. My life feels like a surreal painting at the moment. (and just re-reading what I replied to Liz & Susan... the only thing I could think of to bring back to Amsterdam from Singapore is... a HAIRDRYER. Bahaha. Electronics in this part of the world is cheap, right. Not sure how "homey" that is!)
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