harmless? bananas!

smitten bitten
did i hold out long enough?

i'm back in singapore! man, everytime i come back, there are so many changes. there's a new shopping centre near home and it's considered the biggest shopping centre in singapore right now.. and man, is it huge! i could probably spend a whole day there and not even walk the entire complex.

well, i think singapore's really great at the moment, i mean, i think i did miss it somewhat, and plus.. for the moment, a door has been closed to australia. let me elaborate:

if you didn't know, i had to do one more semester in murdoch, and so my original student visa would have expired on july 31st 2006. so i applied for a visa extension somewhere in the middle of july, extending it till february 28th 2007 at the international students department of my university, and they in turn would be in contact with Australia immigration to grant me a new visa status. electronically of course, i was meant to exist as a student till february next year in the electronic realm.

however, shock shock, horrors upon horrors, as i went through perth customs, the officer told me that my visa had expired in july and that i had overstayed my welcome for 4 months, and they had no choice but to put me on a THREE YEAR EMBARGO from entering Australia again, with the exception of attending a graduation ceremony if my university writes a letter explaining that i am merely attending the ceremony.

obviously i am going to fight this to the bitter end, because i absolutely do not deserve a three year embargo for anything. in fact, ive contributed heaps to the australian economy and culture, and this is how immigration plays me out? well, immigration may have betted high, but i'm not folding, i'm going ALL IN! so yeap, gonna get in touch with my university pretty soon and see what's going on.. i'm pretty sure and trusting God that my name will be cleared, and it gives me an oppurtunity to fight a little private way with beareaucracy again.

i also kind of see this as a confirmation that God wants me in singapore for the next phase of my life. good for some, sad for others (i hope)