I got a message....

Your visa will be despatched shortly. Passports can normally be collected from the Visa Application Centre after 3 days. Applicants in Australia and New Zealand should allow 3 days before tracking their documents via the local post. UKBA-Manila Visa Hub


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... dont know what to think

(I think) Its looking good, you've got the visa hence the "Your visa will be despatched shortly"

Congratulations.. Start checking those flights and get somebody to look after your cat...

I bet you'll have your visa within a week

Yes I think congratulations are in order Majah

Well done, great news!

well, just minutes after I got the email, I got a text message from the visa center that my passport and docs are ready for pick up tomorrow.. so will go to the visa center tomorrow for that

will live with my bf in Glasgow, Scotland

Ah well you probably won't be enjoying the wonderful Glasgow weather then

Glasgow while it has a very industrial history is a beautiful place, make sure you get to the see Art Gallery at Kelvingrove




And don't miss the locals




And the view from the Squinty Bridge




And there is always the Horseshoe bar which has the longest bar in Europe I think (my pal Seg when he was over here from Manila working with me in Cumbernauld)




Our street food (or more specifically heart attack food )



And some more really happy locals (on Buchanan Street)



And you shouldn't miss the train stations Glasgow Central and Queen Street or shopping on Argyle Street in Fraser's Department store or a stroll in Kelvingrove park and a visit to the Botanic gardens.

There's lots more to do there too, it's not as cosmopolitan as Edinburgh but it is still quite vibrant.

From a music viewpoint, if you are interested in traditional music Majah you might enjoy a visit to The Victoria Bar, it looks like a dump but people just come in an play, lots of people and they are all very very good. There are also another couple of traditional music venues near the Victoria (not sure if the Victoria is still there now)



Like these folk



My pal Segundo when I took him there turned to me and said "And they don't get paid for this?"

Have a wonderful time Majah, Glasgow is not my home town but I grew up just 11 kilometers to the west of it, it has improved a lot over the last 30 years.

aw.. thanks for that oss!!! will take note on the places you mentioned... I am looking forward to see a performance of the traditional scottish music (bagpipes). Its quite interesting. And of course, RNSO as well

The thing about Glasgow is you are only 20 minutes to half an hour from some truly wonderful mountain scenery, the countryside is close by in a way that is often hard to find in England, Scotland is nowhere near as densely populated as England.

The thing about our mountains is that they are bare, no trees above a certain elevation which is something that will be a new experience for you.

The Central belt of Scotland to the east of Glasgow is a bit dull and grey but North and to the West there are some wonderful beautiful places to visit.

I hope you have a great time Majah!

Oh and here's the forthcoming concert season for the RNSO http://www.rsno.org.uk/whatson/

thanks again oss! hugs to you ... just seen the rsno website and they got a pretty season... ah! I'm getting excited!

Yeah Mike thanks, it is a hoot that one, I had a caption competition a few year back for it but I can't remember the result I always liked the "We'll live and die in these towns" on the board at the back too,

The thing about the pipes Majah is that when you hear a full pipe band the sheer power of it is staggering and to a great many Scots the pipes just send a shiver up your spine, remember we used to play them while going into battle (at least in the 19th century and first world war to some extent).

One of the things I also found really interesting about the pipes is that many of the traditional pipe tunes were originally stolen from the harp, many are quite stunning when repatriated and played on the harp, sadly I cannot remember the specific duo from the 1980's that I am thinking of that used to repatriate the tunes, I will try and find them.