Visa

visa: noun
1. an endorsement made on a passport by the proper authorities denoting that it has been examined and that the bearer may proceed
2. an entirely unnecessary & protracted bureaucratic formality

At least me thinks so. Today I can Google someone's name and find out all kinds of thing about a person. For a few dollars, I can instantly search public government records on the Internet. Why then can't border/customs people do the same for travellers? In this day and age of instant-everything, it's silly to require a tedious, tree-unfriendly, slow process just to ask permission to ask permission to enter a country. No, that's not a typo. Barring few countries like the UK, a visa is merely a permission to ask permission to enter. Why then should one have to photocopy one's whole life story, fill out a four page form, pay a fee and wait in the dark as the mysterious bureaucratic gears turn in eerie slience?

I have spent the last three days in a state of perturbation thanks to the bureaucratic inefficiences of the government of Spain. Nothing ranks lower in a government's list of priorities than issuing visas to travellers. It's very obvious in the customer service, or lack thereof, at consular offices throughout the world. The consulate of España decided to move offices just as I finished printing a whole forest worth of paperwork for my application. So, I hauled a trunk full of paperwork to their new office the day it re-opened and got merely a promise to try to process it on time. A phone call this Monday got me a callous, disheartening response: "I've processed your visa but waiting on approval from the ministry. I don't expect to get it before Christmas". Click.

I digested this fact in horror as months of preparation, not to mention expenses were hanging by a thread. If they didn't get the approval by today, I would not make my flight on the 27th. Lots of frantic emails flew around, potential workarounds were thrown out and I finally decided the sane option would be to stay home if this fell through. I had resigned my fate to the inevitable. My friends responded with party invitation and alternate plans for New Years eve.

Today was D-day. I put on my crappy/happy face, grabbed a latte and somehow, between here & Bloor, managed to pull it together so I wouldn't punch Señora Torre in the face. I carried my sour face up to floor 12 and spelled out my last name to an oldish Spanish lady. "One moment", she said. "Ah - here it is." And right there, just like magic, was my passport with a shiny new visa!!! I conjured up a happyish face, said a polite thank you and walked out staring in disbelief at the document in my hands.

Barcelona - here I come!!!!

Migration Complete

After several weeks of constant prodding by 'the Google', I moved this blog to blogger beta. Also decided it's time for a new template. Hope everyone can find their way back here eventually.

Slump

I've been in a bloging slump these past few months. Well - I've generally been in a slump. A friend just pointed out that it's obvious from my blog entries (or lack thereof). So, I thought I'd blog about that :)

Somewhere over the past year, I've seen my carefree, jovial state of mind erode away. This year, I've actually had to apply myself at work. Also, some changes this summer led to a more focused effort on my part to be successful. Obviously this has come at the expense of my personal life & sanity. It's time to stop this and return to a more 'normal' existence - i.e. getting drunk 3 nights a week.

Just kidding. It's obvious I need to find a better work/life balance. How does one go about doing that?

Lots of questions and decisions ahead. I hope the two weeks off will help clear my head.

Light & Dark

I was told this is the reason the CN tower is practically invisible at night.

I think it's a bit over the top - akin to stopping all construction work because hibernating squirrels might suffer in the process.

Lights have been fundamental to human culture for millenia. We build things, we decorate them, we light them up. Light is scientifically proven to stimulate the mind and prevent depression. It's even more important when you're in the upper reaches of the temperate belt and average 8 hours or less of daylight each day.

Toronto also has some of the cheapest electricity in North America. Yet, we pale in comparison to most North American cities when it comes to lighting up our public spaces. Public spaces are just those - spaces for people to congregate, celebrate and feel good about life and the city they live in. Yet, we give them dour, dark spaces to call home. Take a walk down Yonge St and you might be forgiven for forgetting it's Xmas season. Where's the cheer? It's a thousand feet up in the sky with the migratory birds.

(Disclaimer: This piece was written by someone prone to SAD).

Furball

She loves sticking her tongue out like that.