Calvinball: Game 1 of New Season

In the end Thomas was able to navigate all the twists and turns of the rules of Calvinball to capture the trophy of 6 renewed I-cards. But it wasn't easy...

• 8 am He took a trike to get a cab.
• Took 20 minutes just to get a cab.
• Rush hour trip across Manila. (Once he was sitting in traffic in front of HP customer service center. Seemingly mocking our recent computer struggles with our HP computers.)
• In the first 15 minutes at the Bureau of Immigration, sent 5 places to get a document not listed anywhere but on the window:
• Window 36
• Window 19
• Window 1
• Then 2 offices on the 2nd floor.
• Then to 3rd floor to recover our cards that had been confiscated but that office is moving and didn't have any power or computers.
• Told to take his lunch and come back.
• After another cab ride to get lunch, returns to 3rd floor to collect cards.
• Back to Window 36
• Then to Window 33 to get express lane bill
• Window 41 to pay- on the 30 foot walk fees went from 3000 to 16029 PHP ($69 to $369)
• Window 34 to find errors made by the BI in Baguio
• Back to 3rd floor for second approval and annulment of Adriana's marriage (don't panic, just another error in the paperwork)
• Went to bank building for final approval
• Then at 3:30 p.m. Window 43 to submit for I-cards
• Told to wait, cards to be released at 4:30 p.m.
• Window 43- oops need Window 37
• 4:40 p.m. DONE!
• 10:20 p.m. sitting in bus terminal right next to rat superhighway waiting for the 12:15 bus to Baguio

I would say "And that's how it's done" except as with every game of Calvinball you just never know what the rules will be.

So stay tuned for next week's game of Calvinball. Will our Calvinball MRP Thomas be able to come through for the team again? Hope so as the stakes are higher. Winner gets permission to stay in the Philippines for 2 more years!

Staff sportscaster, Lisa