So far, so good

Ex got up this morning, anger free and ready to start his day. I was wary - was he going to approach me later? Was he going to 'talk' to me at all. No, he didn't bring up the matter and there was no way I was going to. Let the peace be is my motto at the moment! So I acted as though nothing had happened - as opposed to "What the hell happened last night?". Good move as it turns out (so far anyway). He did come into the kitchen later when daughter was about to take her medicine and referred to the drama last night, but otherwise didn't go on about it. His de-stressing must have worked. As for the daughter, it only took her 20 minutes this time - that a record since she's declared herself to be someone who "has trouble taking tablets". I didn't know this because when she had pneumonia 2 years ago, she took them like a trooper. I think that's why I get frustrated, because she was younger then. I thought it was going to get easier! I'm so naive!

And it's visa time again. Not being citizens of Malaysia, we have visa issues to deal with on a regular basis. Someone or something is always coming up for renewal. My son and I have a standard long-term social visit passes which gives us one year before we have to renew. Every renewal we have to apply all over again and prove everything - still married, still got a valid passport, still born in Australia - for the visa of course the answers are yep, yep and yes! For the kids, we have to prove that ex is still their father, etc, etc. The usual bureaucratic bullshit.

This time around, son needs an study visa to be able to attend school next year. The school wouldn't know if we hadn't have told them. Daughter attended school there for a whole year without a visa because I'd been told (by the local Education Department) that she could attend anywhere because her father is a citizen. Imagine ex's surprise when he found out last year (while I was home in Australia) that she actually needed a study visa because she is still classed as a foreigner. Up until that time, she was here on the long term social visit pass. If you think Australian bureaucracy is crap, try applying for something official here. Slow and stupid are how I'd describe employees of the government offices here. They are slow and the information they give out changes, depending on who you are talking to. I've been known to make up to three phone calls to the same department just to check the accuracy of the information they've given me.

When we first arrived in Malaysia, we had to register the children with the authorities (though I've never been able to figure out why this was necessary because not one time have we been asked for the document they gave us that contained the kids photo and fingerprints.) The fee was RM 2.oo. Yes, two ringgit. But we had to 'contribute' $50.00 to the office sports team to ensure the process went smoothly! What the HELL is that - office sports team bullshit. It was the second bribe I'd been a party too, though I didn't actually hand over the money myself. The first was on a trip to Singapore and I naively didn't check the exit stamp on my passport. Upon returning to Malaysia the next day - no stamp. 50 ringgit later, stamp, stamp, stamp and it's "Welcome to our country ma'am". Up yours arsehole, though I didn't actually say that, lest it cost me more money!!!!

So I spent today organising documents and copying and copying all the documents and ringing the required departments for information. For daughter, we have to pay an ongoing fee at the Education Dept. "Do I need to bring all her documents?" I asked the clerk. "I think so" said the ill-informed clerk (and I could actually sense her mulling over her answer), "better bring all, just in case". Copy, copy, copy, copy. Organise. Done. Just in case we need to. OK then.

So it's all done and sorted. Ex will bring the paper work to the state education office, 2 hours away. Then proceed to Immigration (in the same town) and begin the application process for a visa for son. Two after that, he'll need to go down again and pick up said visa. No doubt, he'll organise a weekend away for himself at the same time. The city he has to go to for the visas is the same one he goes away to when it all gets too much for him here. Ahhhh, the freedom.

Outside, it's raining steadily and I can feel the atmosphere cooling down - just lovely. If it continues to rain, I won't need to sleep with the air-con on tonight. In the morning, people will look at the river to see if it's risen. The monsoon is coming and everyone knows it and, I dare say, preparing for the worst to happen. Floods like those in 2006, where half the town was literally wiped out. They are finally shoring up the river sides, resealing and raising the roads, putting in flood markers etc. In mid-November, school will finish. The kids have 7 weeks off school and it's a good thing too, because when it floods, the schools are used as relief centres.

So, good-night good people, enjoy your night. I'm off to shower the son and get back into reading "a new earth" while ex hits the town!

Cheers.