I'm in the process of applying for a new passport, as I'm off to Melbourne in a few weeks and my current one has expired. I can't believe it's 10 years since that one was issued. I love this passport, almost every page is stamped with immigration stamps from hundreds of countries I've visited. Used to be quite amusing watching immigration officers having to flick through the pages and find a space to stamp.
I thought getting a new passport would be easy. Fill in form. Take new photos. Send cheque. Get passport. Wrong.
A new passport has been introduced here, it's an e-passport. Looks exactly like the old passports, except it has this computer chip embedded in it. It's to enhance the security of NZ passports and ensure we meet the requirements for USA "visa waiver" border entry from 26 October 2006. These new passports will only be valid for 5 years now.
So, this means a new form. Oh, and new photos too. My current passport photos I had taken last week are not acceptable. The rules for the new passport photos state that you have to have your hair up, off your face/out of your eyes. No glasses. No smiling. Yes, that's right. No smiling. Apparently smiling is bad. Crap. These are going to be the fugliest photos then LOL.
Also, the cost of the passport has doubled. Used to be $71. Now, it's $150. So, add the cost of the new photos, the passport itself and this is costing me more than my actual flight to Melbourne!
An interesting side note, I read on a statistical US government website, that less than 20% of Americans have passports. That suprised me.
On a completely different note. Day 4 of the detox is going well. I am feeling really good. No cravings. Well, I do miss my glass of wine after work LOL. It was my routine. Get home from work, dump handbag, go to kitchen, open bottle of wine, poor glass and relax. Now, I've had to substitute the wine for a cold glass of water. Not really the same thing though.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Tart at 1:55 PM |
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