Not the Credit Card

We just got back home. There are a lot of things to do after being away for most of the winter. I will say that many of the tasks needed for our summer and fall have already been completed. However, I found a new project to start today.

   

I have just one empty page left in my 10-year passport. I blame those countries that issue visas stickers that take up a whole page!  Also, countries which require visa extensions tend to take a lot of my passport's real estate.  Although I've 19 months left on my present document, it's become time to renew. This afternoon, I filled in the application form as an editable PDF and printed it. I have to get photos taken soon, so I can drop them off with my application in Surrey this week or next.

Surrey City Centre

I'm glad I decided to go over in the morning by SkyTrain. The blustery storm that's blowing now would make walking outside pretty damp and difficult.

I'm D352. I chose a busy day.

Posted by Dennis Sylvester Hurd on Friday, October 14, 2016

Take Two

I don't mind having to get a new passport before my old one expires. I've run out of pages in my current one, you see. However, this will be the very first time that I will be able to ask for a ten-year one. Previous passports used to be valid for a mere five. As well, the system has been streamlined and a renewal requires a bit less work. It does require a substantial fee and, of course, special photographs. I had planned on renewing it later next month.

Earlier today I picked up some things uptown. When I was in London Drugs, I noticed the in-store advertisement for photos and thought, "Why not, right now?"

The new passport-photo system is really fast and within seconds after taking the shot, the clerk showed me the results. I had forgotten I was wearing a U of WA Huskies t-shirt. I picked it up in a local thrift store because it reminded me one I had in the 1980's when attending classes there.

The clear, bold W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N printed along the top of the shirt was very obvious in the photos. I felt it would be more than strange to have that inside my passport! (I'll show you by including a selfie.)

The employee was able to retake the photo immediately for free. They had a black shirt hanging nearby just for this purpose. It seems that biometric photos may not contain white clothing, but often shoppers come in that way. I wonder how many passports have people wearing the same shirt.

The Details Have Been Altered

I just wanted to you to be able to see a little concrete evidence of expediency. Last night, I visited the website of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation. The site mfaic.gov.kh offers electronic visas for tourists. I was a little surprised at how quickly the whole process went. We filled in some basic information and uploaded personal photos on the first page. The second step involved receiving preliminary approval. Then, we added more details including passport numbers. After all the information was instantaneously verified, a final step involved paying by credit card. Within a few hours, we got back our visas as an email attachment. We will need to print off two copies to take with us.

Compared to the stories we read about trying to obtain visas in Thailand or at the border, the process was a breeze. The ease was most definitely worth the $5 online processing fee. The only way it could've been simpler would have been if no visas had been required at all.


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Working on Paperwork

Today was my last work day this week. So, on the way home from BCIT, I stopped in uptown New Westminster to have passport photos taken.

Again it's time for that ritual! Canadian passports are only valid for five years. At this time, rather than just a renewal, the whole process must be completed over again. If I had the chance to wait another month, I would be eligible for the slightly relaxed procedures that are due to come into effect. But as there have been long delays, and as I want the new one by mid-September, I chose to initiate the process now. This means I still need to go through the process of having a guarantor from the professions sign the form, verify the photos, and vouch for me.

After getting the photos, I drove home, parked outside, and ran up to get my completed application form. In the morning, I had used Passport Canada's online method to fill in the data and print the forms myself. I had to run back uptown to my doctor's office to drop off the paper work, so he can act as guarantor.

Tomorrow, I hope to get it back from the doc and drop off the application at the Surrey passport office. It will mean turning in my current one. It seems a little silly to have to be without one in order to get a new one. I'm not quite sure how the country is safer because of the required procedures.

eBay, YouTube, and Passport Canada

This fall, it'll already be time to renew my passport. Happily, I don't have to start the process at the moment. Beginning from Tuesday, the rules for air travel into the United States will require a passport, and this means the Canadian offices are hopping. In a year it will be required even for travel by road. This sort of puts an end to the long-held belief about having the longest undefended border in the world, eh?

I remember being able to do a large part of the application process online in 2002. So, I looked around government sites and rediscovered epass Canada. If one takes the time to fill out everything on your computer, the completed application form can be printed on a local printer. Then, one just drops off or sends in the form and supporting documents at the nearest passport office.

I also found out that the epass can be used for services on the Canada Revenue Agency. There is further security as they needed to send me an additional code for their site. It allows residents to check on previous tax returns as well make changes to some personal data.

July 7, 1986

Monday

OK another day is almost finished. School was usual. TRON.
the movie, came today and it's a good copy. There were no letters
that arrived.

I had to go get my picture taken as my passport will run
out during the Haj vacation. Bill has said that can go down (to
the US Embassy in Jeddah) this Wednesday rather than teaching.
Delbert will take my class and I shall take a company car.
I'll write about that at a later time.

Update: No contract news. Weather Report: Fine with a high
in the 80's F. I have reserved a ticket to Italy today but
without Jay.

Nothing else, now. Just a waste of disk space. DSH

---

Yesterday's old image prompted me to look on my archive CD. Back in 90's I copied junk from 360, 720, and 1440 floppy disks in order to store the data more permanently. As I was searching through the folders, I stumbled across the journal entry above. It was written in Taif, Saudi Arabia on my first PC. It was saved in WordStar format, so I had to do a bit of editing to the copy pasted above.

Although I've not reached the three year mark in blogging, I once created daily journal files twenty years ago.

Oh my.

e-Everything

Businesses switch over first to be faster and more efficient. Shuffling paper is a waste of time, resources, and money. For example, a few of my accounts are at a financial institution that has no physical buildings. Business is conducted solely through bank machines and over the Internet.

It's good to see the continued momentum in education too. At BCIT, I used to have to fill in contracts with multiple sheets. Some went to various departments and I got to keep the canary copy! Now, the whole process is done through a universal web portal. Moreover, the step beyond direct deposit comes into effect in April when we'll no longer receive salary pay slips by post. All will be available through a simple logon.

So, I suppose I should be pleased to see Government's entrenched civil service moving to implement electronic procedures too. The screen shot will lead you to some information about epass Canada. This was just in time for a new passport.

Time Capsule, Again

Nowadays, my sister and I don't email often enough. I did, however, find this letter on my backup CD. It is proof that I used to write, back when the postal service was the only option. I'll include it here as it was at an interesting time of change in my life and in my sister's too.

I had quit working in Taif, Saudi Arabia about 6 months prior to this letter. I had immediately flown to Sri Lanka via Athens. After finding that a student visa wasn't going to work out for Jay, I reluctantly landed in Boston. My dad in New Hampshire had readied a Plymouth station wagon and we drove out west.

The destination was my friends, the Thomases who were living in Kent, Washington at the time. My father flew home. I stayed in Kent and searched for an apartment and lived for about three months practically on a runway at SeaTac. In this letter I was making arrangements to return to the other coast of Saudi Arabia and teach young Saudis in the Navy there.


Carriage House Apt# C1
3606 South 180th Street
Seattle, WA 98188
Telephone: (206) 241-7274

December 1, 1987

Dear Laurie,

I've never written a letter to Iowa before although I know that sounds rather ‘corny’. Aren't I just so funny?

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. And I'm sure you had a safe trip driving out there. How is everything?

For Thanksgiving I went with the gang down to Ocean Shores, WA. Did I tell you about it before? Joel, Lynne, their baby, Bret and his girlfriend spent the four-day weekend in a rented beach house. It was great. The weather was traditional Pacific Northwest. That means it was rather gray and it rained once. We all enjoyed ourselves. I think I ate and drank a little too much though.

I sent in my passport and other materials for the job in Saudi Arabia. I have been wondering if I'm making the right choice. But I'm not getting any younger and I'll have to get this traveling out of my system soon. This job sounds interesting because it is in a different part of the country. The city of Dammam is on the east coast, and not too far from Kuwait. Don't you think it might be fun watching all the boats going up and down the Persian Gulf? (Everyone I've told thinks I'm nuts.) But why not? I have had almost four months out here as vacation.

It will be a week's time before I hear anything about the job. It takes at least that long before the paperwork can be processed at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC. I'll be sure to keep you informed as soon as anything becomes definite. (And I have your phone number to call before I leave.)

You have got to sit down and write a letter to me and explain everything that is happening. (Neither of us can afford the telephone at this time!)

Dad sent a letter and told me how happy he was that you are getting this chance to go to Iowa. Isn't it funny, you never know how people are going to act. Even his life sounds as crazy as the rest of us. I think it will be good if he gets a chance to visit someplace far away. He has always had the right answers for everything. Maybe this will make him more open to new ideas.

I just wanted to send my greetings and remind you that I can write to you.

Your bro,

Super Carrier Pigeon

Visitors to Sri Lanka can get an automatic, 30-day visa upon arrival at the Colombo airport. We're planning to tour there in September and October, so we applied for two-month visas in Canada. We figured that would be easier as it would prevent us from having to renew in Colombo during the middle of our trip.

I sent off our applications, passports, photos, and ticket copies last Friday. It was regular Express Post and arrived in Ottawa on Monday morning! The Sri Lankan High Commission issued them very quickly and the postman knocked and delivered them at the door yesterday morning. Now that's service!


I first visited Sri Lanka in 1986 when we rented a car for two weeks and
I quickly learned to drive on 'wrong' side of the road. After finishing
a job in Saudi, I stayed there during August and September of 1987.
Then in 1988, we travelled in Lanka and the Maldives. Finally in 1991,
I spent a few days there on the way to Thailand. It's been a long time
since my last visit. Surely, things have changed a lot; I have.

Electronic Black Holes: Delayed Responses

Businesses and organizations need to practice a little email etiquette. (I even have a few friends who could learn a thing or two.) Upon arrival, an immediate message should be returned acknowledging receipt. It should state either the expected response or reference when a subsequent response will be forthcoming. Here's one for which I've been waiting for nearly a week ...

From: Dennis Sylvester Hurd
To: Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 15:45:24 -0700
Subject: Re: from Sri Lanka High Commission/ Ottawa

To: Consular Services, SL High Commission, Ottawa
Thank you for your help and previous email. I am aware that 30-day
visitor visas can be obtained at the airport. However, as stated in
my previous messages, we wish to spend about 60 days there. We've
purchased tickets which show we will arrive on September 2nd and will
depart on October 26th. This is more than the 30 days. As we expect
to travel extensively, it may not be convenient to return to Colombo
in the middle of our journey for visa renewal. It would certainly be
excellent if we were to have the necessary visas in our passport
before our departure.

The following paragraph is taken from your web site

http://www.srilankahcottawa.org:

=======================================

Visa for Tourists

Canadian Tourists visiting Sri Lanka will be given visas free of
charge valid up to 30 days at the port of entry. They should have
valid Passports, return air tickets and funds for the stay at the rate
of C$30.00 per day, per person. Those wishing to stay longer should
either obtain a prior visa from this High Commission or, having
entered Sri Lanka with free 30 day visa at the airport, get it
extended on payment of the fee of C$75.00 at the Department of
Immigration and Emigration, Colombo.

========================================

As we wish to stay longer, I would like to know if it is possible to
'obtain a prior visa from this High Commission". I certainly hope
that you can provide additional details which will make our vacation
successful and enjoyable.

Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter.