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We all come to a point in our lives where things become a routine. I am in that phase. There’s now a pattern as to how my days go and the stuff that happen are not something you can write a good story from. Or, like right now, I’m not as inspired to write (this is why I’m not a writer and why I admire writers) as I used to be. Back when I was still actively blogging, I always looked forward to writing about my days to the point where my friends would tell me “O picture tayo, isama mo sa blog mo ha!” That was so cute.

I’ve always been open here. People see my face and I don’t use fake names. Anyone who has a crush on me can back read my posts and will surely know a lot about me and that I have a boyfriend of five years. Then that may stop him or her right there. Hehehe. But seriously, I ran out of interesting stuff to say that even I would get bored when I start to write about them. That explains the quietness.

But I’ve tweeted last week I’m going back to blogging. What happened? Well, nothing major major. Hehe. I just realized that if I have an uninteresting life, I can’t make it better by just hiding underneath that uninteresting label I’ve put on myself. I was good at this before. I remember having regular readers (na hindi naman karamihan) who would post comments on the chat box – look at how quiet it is now. Nakakalungkot. So yes, I’m coming back. Wooooohooooo!

This is another overdue blog but I thought it necessary, especially to a friend, to know. Do you need a passport but you don’t have the required documents or IDs?

On the day I signed a contract with IT, my boss in the UK told me to get a passport for future travels to Hong Kong. I’ve heard about the new DFA system and the website so I when I got home, I immediately set an appointment. Lucky for me, the next available slot was only a month away. Today, the next available slot is on December.

At one point this post may not be necessary to you because what you need to know is in the DFA Passport Appointment Website www.passport.com.ph. This is entry is for the troubles you may encounter like, what would you do if you did not have all the requirements? Not all of us have an SSS ID or maybe a driver’s license. And what if your NSO-issued birth certificate (via www.census.com.ph) has marks obscuring your name? That’s a big no-no. Mabuti na ang prepared. I went through a difficult time convincing them to let me get my passport because I did not have enough required documents. Here’s what you should know:

• ALL details on your birth certificate should be clearly readable. Don’t fool yourself saying “baka pwede na yan.”
• Laminated Postal IDs and TIN IDs are not accepted. Only DIGITIZED IDs are accepted.

As an alternative, here’s what you can provide:

• If your birth certificate has printing issues, go to your Local Registry Office and check if their copy is much clearer. No use complaining to NSO because this is their digital copy reprinted. They may be able to fix it but will take you a long time. In my case, the Local Registry’s copy was much clearer and no obscuring marks and was released within a week. I paid around 150 Php for the copy. This is also NSO-certified and should be accepted by DFA.
• You don’t have SSS ID yet? Go to SSS head office and request for a microfilm of your SSS number. Your pink form is useless to DFA if it’s not clear or have been tampered with. Request for microfilm is free but you have to wait 5 business days before it is released. Quite a hassle if you’re in hurry. While you’re there, make the trip worthwhile and apply for a digitized SSS ID na din.
• Other digitized IDs that are accepted like company ID or school ID. If you’re already working, your college ID will still be accepted. Or your Alumni card.
• Other supporting documents that you may use (which I presented): NBI Clearance valid for travel abroad; transcript of records (with picture, of course); OLD Income Tax Record (around two years old) showing your name and address.

Other things you should know:

• Be there on time and have your reference number ready. The guard will ask you for it. When you get there, around 100 people will be on queue at Step 1. But, it’s okay. Around 20 windows are open at the same time so it’s a quick wait. Plus DFA has free Wi-Fi so waiting won’t be boring.
• No need to print the form because they have it ready for you. If in case you had your name misspelled when you set the appointment, you can have this corrected here. This is the original form and the only one that’ll be accepted. Photocopied forms will be disregarded.
• Prepare extra cash. They’ll ask you to photocopy your requirements upon approval. Photocopy is a ripoff but what can you do? It’s 3 Php per page.

Now this one is very important. If you’ve previously had your passport and you lost it, you have to prepare a notarized affidavit of loss. But if your parents have acquired a passport for you when you were a kid and you could not remember anything about it (just like my case), you must prepare a notarized affidavit of denial. They have a record of it even if it was several years ago. Mine was first applied for in 1992.

There. Step 1 (verification of required documents) was the most excruciating part for me because of my lack of acceptable documents to present. I had to come back the next day, in the summer heat, to prepare what they wanted. But once you’ve passed that, you’re okay. You pay for the paspport fee in Step 2. And you wait to get your picture taken in Step 3. Step 4 is optional but very convenient – I recommend it. This is where you apply for a courier service to deliver your passport to you. They’ll tell you the date of your passport’s release (20 working days for regular; 10 working days for rush) so try to figure out where you will be that day. If you have a day job, have it delivered to your office. It’s only 120 Php.

There. When I received my passport, I was VERY happy because I went through a tough time applying for it. It was in summer at 2PM so you have an idea of the heat. I hope this helps.

This is for those who pass by or wait for a ride at the intersection of Recto and Legarda – be careful. There’s a group of men who attack unsuspecting passengers waiting for a bus or FX and take their bags/belongings.

This is in front of Mini Stop near San Sebastian. It may seem a safe spot to stand and wait because of the store’s bright lights but these men don’t care. If they think you’re not aware, they will grab you from behind and force you to give your bag.

What you should do? Be vigilant. Always look around you for suspicious eyes and actions. If you notice anything weird, act fast and move away – cross the street or take the next ride wherever it is headed and just wait somewhere more crowded. Most importantly, do not lose focus. The moment you lose touch of reality may be their cue to attack. Do not listen to music while waiting cos you can’t hear if someone’s creeping up behind you. Do not look at your phone and do not just look at the incoming vehicles. Remember to watch your back.

If you get attacked, just give what they want. Do not prolong the confrontation cos they may hurt you if they get frustrated. These men want to do it as quickly as possible to avoid being identified. If you do anything that will make them feel threatened, they may hurt you. Whatever you own that they may take is still not worth risking your life.

Report this to the police as much as possible. Tell everyone you know so they’ll be careful as well. The best way to stop them is by letting them feel you are aware of what they may do next. These criminals don’t care of witnesses nowadays – they attack whenever and wherever. So always stay focused and cautious and you are one step ahead of them.

Since I’ve recently been soooo active with Twitter, I discovered how very easy it is to be updated with the latest about people. Even grocery shopping gets talked about like hot gossip as if you have people actually doing the rounds with you. It’s much better than Facebook statuses. SPMF, please make one or make your accounts active. Tell me your account names.

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/borgymagdangal

My latest tweets are displayed at the bottom part of this blog.

This morning, for some reason, email setup of my Blackberry worked! I was finally allowed to register my GMail account and use BB’s email client. Globe must have gone through the complaint I filed with their customer service rep and realized I’ve got a point. I hope this doesn’t happen to others in the future. They should just let their subscribers use their phone for the way it is made regardless of where they bought it. To give Globe its due, I’ve always been very satisfied with their mobile phone service, signal and promos and I never thought of switching until this problem happened. So thank you thank you Globe for fixing this. I love Globe na ulit.

I’m really enjoying my new phone. I found a WordPress application for Blackberry and it’s so amazing how easy it is to use. Of course it won’t be easy uploading pictures but quick blogs like this can be done on the go. Now boring days with no PC to use for blogging is solved. Love it!

Yesterday I was finally able to get the Blackberry phone I wanted. With Lhen, I went to Makati to meet up with an online seller. After the transaction, we moved around Ayala Center to eat and shop. Thanks girl! I originally wanted to purchase from Globe Business Center because I’m a loyal subscriber of theirs and I thought it was more convenient. But the first hassle from them came when they ran out of stock at their Megamall branch.

Hassle #1:
I really wanted to buy that day so I asked them where else it would be available. The guy went inside the office to check and he came out a minute later and told me it was available at Tower One branch in Ayala. He confirmed that I could buy it that day if I dropped by Ayala. He seemed sure and trustworthy so I left. The wrong thing was I forgot to ask him to call Tower One to inform them that I was coming and to have the unit reserved for me (will keep that in mind next time). And I’m sure you know what happened next. I went to Tower One only to find out they ran out of stock as well.

Hassle #2
After finally getting my Blackberry, I registered to avail of Globe’s Blackberry service for five days. That’s 220Php which includes access to email, social networking sites and instant messenger. Sounds cool! But here’s the catch. If you didn’t buy your unit from their store, you would not be able to register your email accounts in your Blackberry’s email client. I tried to do so by going to http://globe.blackberry.com and it told me that my account was either “suspended or deactivated”. Grabe! I called their customer service desk and a girl told me about this. I could not help expressing my disappointment over it. It’s true that in the Terms and Conditions that Globe sends during the SMS registration, they say that “Globe does not guarantee that service will work with non-Globe-provided BB units. No repair/support will be extended.” But I didn’t realize they would disable the primary function of a Blackberry because I did not buy from them! I mean… I’m still a Globe subscriber after all. And I paid the fee for the service, and I have the right to buy my phone from wherever I want. And this act sounds like “Buy from us or we’ll deem your Blackberry almost useless!” It may not be any help but I would’ve bought the unit from them if only it was fucking available!

Good thing I don’t intend to use my Blackberry for work emails. And GMail has a downloadable application that I can use to send/check emails without using the web browser. But it’s still different. It’s much more convenient to use the phone’s email client and its notifications!

This entry is not intended to defame Globe. I’m not some famous blogger whose words matter and create shockwaves that reach TV anyway. This is just a compassionate post/a warning directed to those who, like me, wants to get the convenient on-the-go emailing experience with Blackberry but uses the Globe network.

UPDATE Jan 17, 2010:
Blackberry service works okay with Smart. Piglet tested this today using his Smart SIM card and he was able to register at smart.blackberry.com. He added his email accounts without a problem. But MY problem was he had to wipe everything out again including my Contacts! And he didn’t create a backup.

I’m thinking of switching to Smart because of this. I’m only hesitant cos I’ve been using my Globe number for 5 years and I don’t like the idea of having to inform evryone about my new one. Maybe I’ll do it through Facebook na lang.

LATEST UPDATE Jan 18, 2010:
Read this entry for details.

While I’m still saving up for a new phone, I thought deeply about what I need. I know I posted Samsung Omnia i900 yesterday and I like it for its wide range of features but a big downside of it is its lack of QWERTY keypad. I am impatient so texting using the numeric keypad is too much for me. I don’t text much. I know i900 has a digital QWERTY but it still doesn’t feel the same. If you don’t know, I can type fast – at 78 WPM with 94% accuracy – so I really prefer a phone with QWERTY keypad.

So I looked around and found a good candidate – Blackberry Curve 8520. It’s a cheap Blackberry phone that looks very nice. At 16K, it’s not bad at all. It’s not a 3G phone, though. But it’s okay because it’s WiFi enabled and I’m always on hotspots. The first thing I like about it is the QWERTY keypad, of course. And the demos I’ve watched showed a highly responsive OS – easy to use and straightforward. As much as I love a Windows phone, I still want my phone features to be accessible with just a few clicks. It plays video files well and has a 3.5mm jack.

Its lack of 3G support is not good but I can deal with it – I don’t use it much anyway. As long as I can easily call, send text, browse and email via WiFi, then I’m okay. Save the fancy features for Yosef (he owns a beautiful Samsung Omnia II i8000).

Go to GSMArena.com for a complete list of its features.

I still have time to weigh the pros and cons of my two candidate phones. I’m currently rooting for this Blackberry but who knows, I may find something else by month’s end.

I have lots of holiday pics I want to post but the pictures are so many I still need to select the best ones. I know Liezel and Bhu are waiting for them – I promise to put them here Plus I’ve got November events that I wish to post as well. Maybe they’ll come in one entry since they’re already overdue. Haaaay… Even in blogging I’m always half-baked. Hehe. But that’s one of my new year’s resolutions! Now I have to give my 100%! *cue Mariah: “so go on and put your ones up!”*