First Visa Holder in NYC!
Quite an experience for me today - I went to the General Consulate of Montenegro in midtown over lunch to obtain my visa to the Republic of Montenegro (which is my exciting trip coming up in a week). It's a regular office building from outside, even though the location makes you realize that you must be in some sort of foreign missions
(read: it is in the UN proximity). A brand new office but rather empty; there were two officers when I arrived and one of them was smoking! Pretty interesting cause you seldom see people have a cigarette in a restaurant or a building in New York now.
After a while, I was invited into the office and I witnessed a fresh visa sticker being pasted onto my passport - how many times would you imagine seeing it in action! And the consular was using the scissors as he was having a hard time getting that sticker out - quite a scene! Then, it came the most amazing part of all. I politely asked if they have a lot of people visiting their country from the US yet, the answer was - "You're actually my first visa issuance!" Wow, to put it into perspective: again Montenegro is a newly "born" country, it is only been a year old. I am very proud to be the first!!!
Serbia? Montenegro?
It is interesting to see a nation building in action...not in the Middle East, but the Baltic. Republic of Montenegro, independent from the former Serbia and Montenegro, has just became one year old. And, I am visiting the country!
Like its name, Montenegro appeared to have quite some "black" mountains; the combination of mountain range with ocean color really reminds me home, as well. My upcoming trip will be quite a rough but exciting one. Though short, I will be able to get to Germany, and then transit in Belgrade and finally into the city of Tivat. Apparently, one of the only two major commercial airports they have in the country. From my girlfriend, everywhere is within 10-20 minutes walking distance. Amazing to imagine that the territory has merely the same population as my town back home - Tuen Mun, only a 600,000+ population.
Well, let's see if I can meet Vidic (from Manchester United) then!
Reflections from Bill Graham the Evangelist
Flipping over the channels at home, I tuned into a program which did not really catch my attention in the very beginning - it's on WLNY, not one that I am familiar with (given my limited viewings). After watching it for a little while, I realized it was a recorded program from an event in Charlotte, NC back in May 31 on a celebration of the opening of the Bill Graham Library.
I knew I have heard of the name Bill Graham somewhere before and then I saw 3 former US presidents in the ceremony; then I knew Mr. Graham, at the age of 89 must be someone quite special. Oh! He IS the renown evangelist, Reverend or Dr. William Franklin Graham who has conducted numerous of crusades across the world, and possibly impacted many lives.
At first, I did not think that it would be a "spiritual" or "personal" show; but in the end, it reminded me there are so real people who are truly dedicated to their faith, and just simply trying to be a good man, a great servant to the God he/she believes in and want to be a kind man to his/her own family and the society, and even the mother Earth. I do not know much of the details of Dr. Graham's life stories, but I believe he probably is among those to be remembered, regardless which country, which political regime, or which race and ethnicity we belong to.
Lesson learned? I want to be a humble, common but good man who loves my family and neighbors. Hope everybody in this world shares this simplest gift to us, something likely we all possessed when we were first brought to existence.
