I took a half day leave from the office to furnish my application for a passport at the Department of Foreign Affairs. I got there at 7:30 am, and there was already a very long line. There were about seven queues: Inside the basketball court: (1) the baggage check at the entrance to the DFA compund, (2) the line to the photocopy machine, (3) the stand-up-and-advance-to-the-next-seat queue to the Window A of Requirements Checker, (4) Window B of Have-You-Owned-A-Passport-Before Checker. In the next building: (5) the looong line to the entrance of the Document Checkers' booths, (6) one the many lines to the Document Checkers' booths, then finally, (7) the queue to the cashier. Also, I opted to have my passport delivered at home by paying a fee at the Aboitiz booth. I don't want to go back in there and have to fall in line again. There are tons of fixers outside the compund, by the way. Be wary. Most of them wear semi-barong and IDs, just like what government employees wear everyday. But if you look closer at their IDs, they bear the name of their photocopying and photo studio businesses situated just outside the DFA compound. My cousin shared a story that a fixer offered to check if she has the complete requirements already. Then the fixer, being the "good" Samaritan that he is, told her that she doesn't have the correct passport size pictures. He said that the white background in her pictures isn't white enough, and led her to the instant photo booth. She declined the suggestion and immediately entered the DFA compound. So.. don't trust anyone outside the gates. If they offer help in assisting you in any way, just ignore them. But at some point, ignoring won't drive them away. There was this guy who pestered me into buying a green passport plastic jacket. Shaking my head while walking away didn't work. He still walked beside me, and when he held his wares at my face, that's when I shouted "Sinabi nang hindi ako bibili eh!" And he let go.

I went to the Toy Con in Megamall for another SWP Rebel Legion and Pinoy 501st Trooping. Drummer Chris and I were the only troopers at 1:30pm. After about an hour, Ron, Oneal, and JP came. At 3pm, I left the con and met with PHP people Prof. Frances, Joan, and Liz. Then we headed over to Fandom Cafe for the weekly Accio, PHP. I went at home at past 1:30 am, tired from the busy day and after cataloguing dozens of books in the NWA Library.

Toycon again. This time, a lot of us came for trooping. Jedi's Beej, Aids, and JP; Darth Manny, Stormtroopers Oneal and Chris, Sandtrooper Jerome, TIE fighter pilot Ron, and Biker Scout Rej.

There was an awarding of Honorary Membership to the Pinoy 501st for the legendary artist Alfredo Alcala. Read more here. At 4:30pm, I left Megamall with Meann, Pao, and Ranulf. We went to meet up with Nina and Paqui at Rockwell Power Plant Mall to do an ocular inspection of the place for the upcoming New Worlds: Transformed. Tune in to the NWA website for more details!

I watched Mr. Bean's Holiday at Gateway after work. I used the ticket I won from GetzMo which was about to expire the day after. It was okay-okay. Rowan Atkinson has never lost his touch yet.