An Entry! A Rare Event Indeed!
September 25, 2004 (2:10 p.m.)
Hi. Am back in Singapore. Everytime I get back to Singapore from some place that isn't on the Equator, I am shocked at how humid it really is. I forget how waterlogged the air is, and I come back and it's like hitting a brick wall. The boyfriend tried to convince me that it did get rather humid in the US too, citing several afternoons as proof, but I said, "What? Are you insane? Do you see the skin peeling off my body? I'm shrivelling up and flaking off here! Humid, my ass." This is a problem, honestly. My skin is used to a climate with 99% humidity and I get cracked and dry skin everywhere else. Lotion and moisturiser offers some relief, but it's only temporary and it seems that I need to bathe in it for it to have any effect. Blah.
Anyway, I'm not quite so torn up about being back home. Yes, I'm not entirely happy about it, and I did get rather weepy on the plane at around 10pm EST when I started getting tired. When I get tired, I get emotional. And also, I think my internal heater switches off and I start getting cold and shivering if I'm still awake and at any temperature perceived to be lower than 23 degrees C. This (obviously) contributes to my feeling miserable.
But all things considered, going home this time wasn't quite so bad. At least now we have a more concrete plan for moving me there for good. We went to see an immigration lawyer in Philadelphia and he had some interesting things to say. Our options were laid out before us, and he showed us one we really didn't know we had. It makes things more simple, and according to him, cuts out an extra step. But in my opinion, it really is sort of sneaky. But I figure he knows his stuff. He had better know his stuff... we walked into the office and the receptionist was like "Hi! I'll tell Mr LawyerMan that you're here. While you're waiting, I'll give you a copy of LawyerMan's resume printed on fancy LawyerMan Stationary showing just how well-respected Mr LawyerMan is and how influential in the field of immigration law. Once you've looked through this, I'm sure you'll see that our $200 for 30 minutes consultation fee is really quite reasonable. After all, those suede swivel chairs in the conference room do need constant maintainance."
I'm not really making fun of the lawyer. I think we'll probably hire him. I tried to convince myself that the money spent would be worthwhile, after all, they help with the paperwork, the interviews, et cetera. And it is a flat fee. So really, it isn't too bad. However, I thought about it for an additional ten minutes, and said to Boyfriend, "You know, there is a huge difference between a crap lawyer and a good lawyer, but not so much between a good lawyer and a lawyer with awards coming out his ass. At some point, you're just paying for the name." He agreed with me. Somehow, I feel that since we're a pretty straightforward case (neither of us was previously married, we don't have criminal records, we're both employable, he has a stable job and is well above the poverty line, I'm not a 'me love you long time for green card' sort of girl etc.) we don't really need some hotshot top Philadelphia lawyer, and would do fine with a good lawyer at half the price, or without one at all. Other people do it.
Maybe we're just stupid. Maybe we're not and getting this guy would actually make things a lot easier because people will actually know who he is and he will probably have connections. Either way, we decided that we're willing to be fleeced because that would mean a reduction in stress and headaches. Both sets of parents also agree that it's the right course of action. So, I don't know. I guess you can put a price on peace of mind.
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