visa

since I got the MEXT scholarship, I was supposed to go back to London and get my visa at the Embassy there. I can't be arsed to fly 12 hours back to London and then fly from there to Japan. The stubborn and old-fashion bureuacracy of MEXT means they won't pay my outward flight to Japan from Hong Kong (even though it's cheaper and quicker to fly from here - only 3 hours!).

Anyway, I booked a one-way flight from HKG to KIX, and will be flying on the lovely Cathay Pacific Airways. Currently it's booked for 30th September, but I might change it to 2nd October. I wanted to fly on the 1st but that's national holiday in China and Hong Kong so the flights that day are all fully booked. If I have to fly on the 30th (I'd rather go there earlier), I'll book a room at the Kansai Washington Hotel, opposite the man-made island where the airport is built on. They have a free shuttle bus service to and from the airport, and charges much less than Hotel Nikko and the ANA Hotel. Plus Washington Hotel is situated near the amazing Rinku Outlet Park - if I do stay there, maybe I'll have a couple of hours to do some shopping! but then I have to watch my purse because I won't get the first instalment of my scholarship money a few weeks after I open a bank account.

Okay back to the MEXT/Embassy/visa shizzle, the Embassy in London have kindly contacted the Consulate-General in Hong Kong, so that I can get my visa here in HK instead. So yesterday lunchtime, my venture to the Consulate-General of Japan was a lift ride from the 49/F (where the law firm I'm interning is situated) to the 46/F (the Consulate) of the same building. I had scheduled a meeting with a Consulate staff, and she went through my visa application form, told me things about bank account, mobile phone, national health insurance, gaijin card etc. The process was really quick, I just gave a passport photo, my passport and the application form, and I got a receipt which I need to bring with me to collect my passport. It only takes one working day so I'm going to collect my visa and passport this lunchtime! I didn't even need the Certificate of Eligibility 'cause the Embassy in London have informed them about my scholarship and place at Handai so that was it. Didn't have to pay either (have no idea how much the visa costs anyway) - woohoo!

Yesterday the typhoon came. It was signal no.3 throughout most of the day, and then it went up to a signal no.8 by the time I was finishing work. this morning it was still no.8 so I didn't have to go to work at the usual time. Instead I iced the banana and walnut cake I made last night (for the colleagues at the office 'cause today is actually my last day at work), watched the US Open men's final (Federer lost :'( but still happy for the 20-year-old Del Potro), took a shower, then left home at 1020 when the typhoon signal went back to 3.

[NOTE: in Hong Kong typhoons are graded according to their strength and power. The scale starts at 1, then 3 (nursery and kindergarten kids don't have to go to school), 8, 9 and 10 (8-10: no school or work).]

By the time I got to the office (the lights were on - the lawyer probably forgot to turn them off last night) it was 1100. I checked my e-mail; Matt (the partner of the firm) had sent me an e-mail saying that the office is closed. Oh well, I need to get my visa at 1330 anyway so I'm going to stay here and muck around. Need to tidy my desk as well. It's just a shame I brought my cake in and no one (well there's me and a temporary secretary) is here to eat it. Might just leave it in the pretty empty fridge (except for bottles of water and a jar of vegemite).