Finding my solemate!

Weng has offered me to get an HSBC red mastercard so she and I could avail of their member-get-member promo of waiver of annual membership plus P1,600.00 (approx, $32.00) worth of gift voucher from Janilyn shoes. I don’t need more credit card but Weng could be persistent! “Nothing to lose, you might like it or you only use it a few times and you don’t have to renew it next year,” she says. So I finally conceded and submitted the form plus a billing statement of another card. The red card has arrived and my purchase of more than P500.00 already allows me to use my voucher. Now, big question is “will I be able to find my perfect solemate in their store?”

It is funny, I work in a footwear company but I can’t find suitable ladies’ shoes from our store. My feet, pretty as they are (hehehe, what can I say, I’m biased!!!) goes beyond the size we have in our store. Even in other shoe stores, I am left with few options and oftentimes have to pay a little more (hmmm sometimes even a “bigger” more) than the regular sizes. Good thing I am quite comfortable using my rubber shoes and old “comfy” flat shoes in the office since it takes time for me to be able to find shoes I like! That’s the downside of not having the same size as regular girls.

Sometimes though, things perceived as a disadvantage can come handy. It certainly became a Plus point in obtaining a visa. Nope not another visa credit card but a tourist visa to the US.

I applied for a US visa a month after 9/11 and got a schedule for an interview 2 months after, that was December, 2001. I have never applied for a US visa before and was a bit scared of being denied. Anyway on the day of the interview, I came early and there were lots of people in the embassy. It was a series of lines (long lines I might say) and lots of waiting. First, outside the embassy then you go together with other applicants in one covered section inside the compound and submit your form (you are always called by batch). Then they tell you to go in another gate and you submit the other requirements in another window before giving some back to you and finally you go to the interview room and wait for your name to be called.

It was a long wait and you get to see the other applicants being called, many leaving the window with tears or angry. Of course, I was looking at the different consuls, trying to figure out who are NICE and who are TERROR. Some asks for a lot of documents. The end lane seems to process fast but I heard those were for seamen. I was hoping to be called by a NICE consul.

Finally my name was called together with others and we were to form a line to the consul’s window. Uh oh, she was not in the list of my nice consuls. I was the last in our batch and the 2 or 3 ladies ahead of me left teary eyed. I did not want to come to the window immediately since I could feel my heart beating fast so I waited for her to call me! She was a big woman! She asked what my business was in going to the US, I told her I was going to visit my aunt and we were going on a tour (that’s what I wrote in my form) then I added I’m also going to buy shoes! She looked at me and smiled and said she also find it hard to buy shoes!!! She asked how I was going to pay for my trip and I said in dollars and she asked for my bank account. I pushed my passbook in the window but she did not even look at it, she just said, enjoy your trip! And that’s it, I got approved!

I visited the US around this time 4 years ago. But even there, I found it hard to find shoes I really really liked! Oh I was able to buy shoes alright but still not a nice ladies’ shoes that fits me perfectly!

Maybe when I use my gift voucher, I get a right fit? Well certainly hope so and crossing my fingers! My toe fingers as well if that would make it more effective! ;-)