The Jungle Book

FRACK, FRACK, double FRACK.

A few years ago (ok, more like 10) it was easy to get a US Visa. All one needed to do was show enough juice to  pay for the tickets and a reasonable proof he/she was not going to stay as an illegal alien. Usually a moderately fay paycheck was enough.

But all good things must come to an end, and after 9/11, the red tap only multiplied. Now one can no longer apply for a Visa in a week’s notice. The process crawls for months, everything must be scheduled, sometimes the face-to-face interviews are only available in 60 days.

The Visas expire really fast, too. I remember, back in the 80s, people with +10years Visas. My last one was valid for 3 months only.

Guess what? My own US Visa IS long gone. Now my Editor-in-Chief comes with an Indecent Proposal: An invitation from a big software company to travel to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, all expenses covered.

Can I go? No, because the farking show is 1/08, and no farking way I can get a Visa in such a short notice.

Frack. Fracking terrorists. Hate those guys.

At last for me.

I ordered a few hundred dollars of merchandise, from all around the globe (ok, USA and Hong Kong) right in the middle of the holidays, including my first eBay purchase. Yes, I’m not longer a virgin! oohrrah!

Only one seller replied with a shipping confirmation. Unfortunately, the cheapest and less useful (and desirable) item. I’ll not mention it, don’t want to hurt the seller’s feelings.

Now, let’s see if the Old Ninja Trick of ordering small packages and low-priced things work as a tax-avoidance maneuver. I really don’t want to pay taxes over some chinese crap, even if that chinese crap IS highly desirable.

Oh, no. My orders do not include a chinese bride. I think it’s very tempting, but I don’t speak chinese, the girls most likely will not speak portuguese. What would we do, if we can’t talk about our feelings and discuss our relationship all the time?? :):):):)

OK, chinese brides are expensive, that’s the real reason.