Don't declare any more holidays!

This is how much lead time I need in order to apply for the following things:

• a Polish multiple entry business visa - 14 working days, plus about 2 days for transit to and from Bangkok (there is no Polish embassy in Manila)
• a Schengen multiple entry tourist visa - 14 calendar days
• a Czech republic single entry tourist visa - 5 working days

I checked my calendar, assuming I apply for a Visa as soon as I get home on Dec 21 - earliest departure date will be around the week of Feb 5. If more holidays are declared, this could be pushed back even further. So GMA, if you're reading this - stop declaring holidays! Hehehe.

We have a company-sponsored skiing trip on Jan. 20 - I'll probably miss that one. I will also arrive in Poland at the coldest part of the year - that'll be about a 30+ degree drop in temperature, not an experience I am looking forward to.

Its amazing that Filipinos need to wait at least 1/2 a month to get a Visa. I remember applying for a business Visa to Japan a year ago - that was tough as well. They have some crazy requirements - like an invitation letter signed by the president of the company (in Japanese), a company profile (again in Japanese), a daily schedule of all your meetings during your whole stay (again in Japanese), etc.

Oh well, things can be worse I suppose.