in a bottle

I took Friday afternoon off as part of the next stage in my attempt to get myself a visa based on my marriage. We spent about 2 hours in the family registration place filling out forms and generally jumping through pointless hoops, just so that my name can appear on the household register. This now means that I am officially married both in UK and Taiwan now. Is that enough to get me a visa? No, of course not...

I have to provide a document proving that I have no criminal record, which is currently in the mail to me from UK. But I can't just provide the authorities with the document, it has to be stamped by the Taiwan cultural office in London. And they won't stamp it unitl it's been stamped by the foreign and commonwealth office, also in London. This of course means that I have to return the document currently in the mail to me, first to the FCO in London, and then the TCO. It's like trying to pull your foreskin over your head!

Even when I have managed to get my clean criminal record document stamped in fourplicate, I have to undergo a medical check. This is something I also had to deal with on Friday. They took blood, x-rayed me, measurecd and weighed me, listen to my chest and heart, took my blood pressure, and interviewed me about my medical history. They even took a sample of my pooh. I kid you not ladies and gentlemen, I shat in a bottle to get a visa. What the hell do they want that for?

And that Dickie is why there was no update for you this weekend. I tend to write entries at my desk at work over lunch time. I had no lunch time on Friday because I left early. Heckled by my readership, I should be flattered.

Incidentally, I just discovered that "shat" really is the past tense of "shit". look!

And on to other things. My fitness regime resumed this weekend and I actually ran over 2 km without a break for the first time in probably 5 years. And what's more, the temperature was well up in the mid thirties and humid. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I felt like I had achieved something. My current goal is set at 10 km. Let's see how that goes.

The Dragon says the tax office owes me money. I can't see how that's possible, but if they give me money I will be very happy. I thought I owed them. I saw a beautiful saxophone for sale at the weekend for only NT$10,000.

My throat hurts.