Aiyoh!!! And to think it took me only 15 minutes to process my Passport Renewal at the Kiosk (yup the renewal process is really fast), BUT it took me FOREVER to get back the new passport.
This morning, I woke up early and went to the Immigration Department (Damansara) to collect the passport. Being kiasu, I thought it would be good to go early (7.30am arrived there) and be one of the first few so that i can make it into work before 9am.
Guess what? I was the THIRD in line! Yup .. (i should have taken a photo of my number). Anyway … Was the third inline, pretty happy, sat down in front of the Counter waiting in anticipation for the Number 3 to come out, to collect and get it over with.
The wait turned out to be much longer than expected. Sigh.
Guess what? The most impossible thing happened. After about 30 – 45 minutes of waiting, they started saying that their Computer System was DOWN. And that they could not process anything. So wait lah …. me and another 100+ people waiting to collect our “completed” passports!
Sigh … the seconds turned to minutes and slowly became hours!
I guess Patience is one of my virtues! 🙂
Anyway …. by 11am … (that’s almost 2 1/2 hours of waiting to collect my passport), an official guy spoke in Malay (which i could not understand half of what he was saying), announced that those with numbers today, you may want to go to Counter 3 to return those numbers for your original receipts and come back again tomorrow!!
I was like … WHAT? You should see the commotion … everyone was RUNNING and PUSHING their way to Counter 3 (I was sitting in front of Counter 16) …. aiyoh nya!
Then i guess i better start WALKING to Counter 3 … and when i finally made it there (which was like 5 metres away) there was a crowd of at least 70 people .. forming their own haphazard line in front of Counter 3.
Thankfully .. a good samaritan ….. a lady was behind me and asked if this was the line to wait to Collect our Passports. I replied that was a good question …. cos i couldnt fathom half the announcement the official guy said. Then she said its ok, her mom is in front of Counter 16 (the original counter where we are suppose to Collect Our Passports) and asking quesitons.
After 2 mins, her mom waved her over, and confirmed that Counter 3 was for those processing to Apply for a Passport, and we who were waiting to collect our passport was to go back to Counter 16!!
So i left the hundred or so people now waiting in front of Counter 3 .. and headed back to Counter 16.
The guy said … hmm. … the best thing to do is to wait to 4pm or come back later at 4pm and hope the system comes up. Or you can give up your third position in line and come back tomorrow again and wait again!!
Super AIYOH!!!!!! Was lost for a minute or two trying to think …. hmmmmmm…….
Okies… i relinquished my Third Position in line, and got back my original receipt.
Alas .. tomorrow i will try again and hopefully I will be able to get my passport!
So stick around and see if i do get my passport or not!
Sigh ……………. …………….
DT : daren & tiff 