At the rate that straight couples are getting divorced (the Census Bureau in the US estimated in 2002 that approximately 50% of marriages taking place right now that will eventually divorce, see here), why would anyone rush to get married? Yet in the last two weeks, thousands have flocked to City Hall in San Francisco to do just that. And these are no “ordinary” couples - they’re homosexual couples. Yes, that means gays and lesbians, the very sort of people who for years have fought against traditions and accepted social practices. The very people who for years have defended and glorified their differences. And what do they do? They’re all but turning around and embracing the very practice that have legally shackled many a straight individual in unhappy relationships.
So, yes, why? Why are homosexuals so eager to embrace this legal practice and status of “marriage”? Is this another form of protest to demand equal treatment, perverted as it may seem to me? Or are homosexuals so eager to be accepted by mainstream society that they will embrace just about anything to achieve that aim? Or is everyone jumping on one of those frenzy of a fad that sounds very good when you’re high, but will appear as a very, very bad mistake in the light of morning?
Posted on February 26th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | 10 Comments »
It’s 0927H. I’ve just wasted a whole hour thanks to my own silly oversight. I thought I had all the documents they needed only to find out when I was called (just after I had published that last post) that I cannot use the same photo as that in my (now) old passport but must furnish a newly taken one.
That began a whole hour of looking for a place to take a photo, since the service run by the Immigration Department’s Cooperative became out of service the moment I got there. Fortunately, the lady behind the application counter didn’t make me start the whole queueing process again but was happy for me to go back to her once I was done. I know of places that would make you start all over again for not complying properly to begin with.
So I submitted my documents to her, together with the instant photographs that incidentally will probably go down in history as the nicest “official” photos I’ve ever had taken of me! She took my thumb-prints, both digitally (with a biometric reader) and the “old” way. I sat back down for about 5 minutes before she called me again to pay for the passport and I was out of there at 0940H. That’s not too bad, considering.
I have to go back on 27 February to collect the new document but for now, back to work!
Posted on February 25th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: My Malaysia | 4 Comments »
We’re almost there. It’s now 0845H and they just called 2019.
But they have a funny way of going back and forth with the numbers. I wonder why they’re recalling (some) of the applicants…
Meanwhile there’s this old lady sitting in front of me who is obviously here as an applicant. But I wonder what the other SIX members of her family are doing in this place fussing over her…
Posted on February 25th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: My Malaysia | No Comments »
Oh my gawd! This is a sign. Look what my number is!?!! Bloody 2020! Can it get any more Orwellian than that?!? Or should I say Mahathirian??
I got here at 0805H and there were only two persons in front of me in the “numbers queue”. I didn’t have to wait too long until I was served, a minute or two maybe. (Mind, I had obtained and completed the application form a few days ago. I didn’t wait to do it here this morning.)
I was given number 2020 and they were serving 2007. But there are two other series of numbers: a 1000-series and a 3000-series. Oh no wait, there’s even a 4000-series. I don’t know what any of this means and I don’t care!
It’s 0825H now and they’ve just called 2014 in my series! Good! But the “numbers queue” has grown and is starting to look messy…
Posted on February 25th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: My Malaysia | No Comments »
I’m going to the Malaysian Immigration Department tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 February 2004, to attempt renewing my passport which will soon expire.
Malaysian government offices are renowned for their (lack of) service and their utter (in)efficiency. We have all heard many a nightmare story of various departments at work, at all times of the year, floundering for various reasons. Popular myths or factual accounts?
I propose to document my experience at the Immigration Department tomorrow via moblogging. While it will not result in a conclusive verdict on the state of the Department, my action-by-action on-site reporting would
hopefully serve as a interesting personal account of one man’s journey into the big morass of Malaysian bureaucracy from which we would either be
celebrating or deploring…
STAY TUNED!
Posted on February 24th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: My Malaysia | 8 Comments »
