GOT IT!!

I was a teeny weeny bit pessimistic that there might be some hiccups regarding our visa applications. After all, anything can really go wrong in the last stage. I filled in one entry wrongly in the application form and I used correction fluid on it. Also at the bottom of the form where I am required to sign, I used my inkan* instead for the fun of it.

*Erm.. those who don't know what an inkan is, it is also known as a seal, called 印章 (yin4 zhang1) in Chinese. Yeah you all may wonder how come I come to possess something so "traditional". I had my seal made when I was in Jiufen Town (九份镇), Taiwan. I didn't really thought about making one until I walked past a seal-making shop, and I saw they have some really cool looking seals. And the price wasn't steep at all. So I just had one made on the spot, where they carved my Chinese name in seal script and it was ready in 15 minutes =)

Yup, so today me and Franco went straight to the Japanese Embassy (located along Nassim Road, a quite out-of-the-way place) after our gym session. It's about a 10 minute walk from the junction of Nassim Road and Tanglin Road. At the guard house, we were given passes after our identifications were noted down.

The waiting time was very short, and the whole process was hassle-free. From the time we stepped into the embassy to the time we exited, only 7 minutes had passed. Super efficient =)

Our Visas!!

We can definitely heave a sigh of relief now....

Muhahahahaha...

EMS was slightly faster than I expected!

Just 10 minutes ago, the friendly, neighbourhood singpost man came to my door.

And I got... THIS!
And inside were these!!

Yep yep! Mine and Franco's COEs!!!

Martinee is super high now....

FINALLY!!!!

After sending zillions of emails demanding how long more we have to wait for our COEs, today, I saw the light at the end of my 1 month and 5 days long tunnel...

Today, like many other days, I was at home mugging my Japanese (still quite behind), when I received a phonecall on my handphone.

My first thought: "Should be the guys from G2000.. Maybe I can collect my pants today.."

Me: "Hello."

Unknown speaker: "Hello! May I speak with Mr Siow Da Ren please?" (Strong American accent)

Me: "Yes, that's me." (Feeling weird. I was expecting a Singaporean accent.)

Unknown speaker: "Aah good morning! I am Yoko Sasaki from the Support Office for International Students and Scholars of Osaka University....."

I swore my heart forgot to beat for the next three seconds.

Yes, Miss Yoko Sasaki has been the person I was liaising with for the past 2 months or so regarding university entrance administrative matters. For the next three minutes on the phone, she told that she managed to receive our COEs from the immigration bureau TODAY. And she will be sending it immediately to my address by EMS (Speedpost).

At this point in time, I felt a little panicked.

Today is the 10th of March. My flight departs on the 20th of March. I have only 10 days left. To be exact, it should be 9 days left because my flight time is 1.30 a.m, 20 March.

Of these 9 days, 2 of them are weekends. Embassy will not be available.

At fastest, the speedpost EMS will take 2 days to reach Singapore. Which means the earliest I can see my COE is this Friday. But that's if the envelope reaches early...

And it takes 3 working days for the visa to be ready for collection. Which means to say, the earliest I can get my hands on the visa is by next Thursday. Well it still sounds ok, however, Franco can only arrive in Singapore on Monday night, therefore we can only go to the embassy on Tuesday.

Yes, you've guessed it right. The day I collect my visa will be the day I go to the airport. If everything goes SMOOTHLY. Murphy's Law better not act up now...

I knew that overseas SEPs were exciting, but I thought the excitement should be confined during the period of the SEP and not before it. If you think I am exaggerating on the excitement, you can ask Franco. He told me he was in shock.

Tata... Martinee