Some time ago, I’ve begun to post an entry almost on a daily basis. The reason being, I started reading somebody’s blog and this blogger posts an entry every day, and I realized I subconsciously began looking forward to the writer’s posts every day. That was when I felt that I should do the same for my readers instead of being lazy.
The past couple of days though, I haven’t posted every day because I’ve been on a business trip and haven’t had much time to write. So, the next time you see me not updating regularly, you can safely assume I’m on some kind of trip again.
While going pass customs at the airport, I recall many people telling me I look different than my photos and not just in person, but also in different photos. Many people say they can’t tell that different pictures of me are actually images of the same person. Back in 2009 when I was heading to Thailand to do my CELTA, at the airport, the lady switched glances between my face and my passport photo so many times, I asked her if I should remove my glasses since the photo was taken without glasses. She laughed and said it’s ok but I took it off anyway.
Earlier when I was getting pass the customs, I felt a vibe that the lady was thinking, “Hmm… looks a bit different.” But being in Korea, I started wondering how often people update their passports. Do people change their passport photos each time they go for plastic surgery? Would customs let them pass if they don’t? And then I recall a Chinese girl whom I ran into on the first day at the same hotel in Seoul. She had a huge bandage covering her head and her cheeks were swollen. It looked like she came to Korea to shave her jawline and it looked so painful. But, if she came over from China to get her plastic surgery, would she be able to return home looking different than the picture in her passport?
Hmm… something to think about on my flight back.
Interestingly, I have just met with some Korean friends today, and the topic inevitably turned to beauty enhancement and how that industry was booming no thanks to the huge wave of China tourists. So, I asked them if these tourists were to have enhancement on their faces, den they are unlikely to look the same as their passport photo. That’s when they told me tt these tourists would get a medical letter that they can show at customs and they have to change their photo asap when they go back to China. Not quite sure if it’s totally true though, but it sounds possible.
Ooh, that’s very interesting. It sounds plausible though but could that mean people can just fake a medical letter in order to use someone else’s passport? I wonder how long the letter is valid for because there’s good chance the swell hasn’t gone down by the time they leave, and it doesn’t make good financial and labor sense to keep paying $50 to get a new passport when the surgery process hasn’t been completed. If someone has to get a new passport each time they get a new procedure done, that would create a lot of work for the immigration office. And what about those who go to Thailand for sex-change procedures. This is getting more and more interesting.
I have a relative who routinely goes to Seoul for “maintenance work”, which include smoothening of wrinkles, skin firming and removal of dark puffy eye bags. She never really have problems at the customs, since she still look the same, but just much younger. But I do think most people look different from their passport photos (extremely difficult to look good, to be honest),it’s just a matter of the varying degrees.
But if it’s a radical change, like shaving of jawline (e.g square jaw to v-shape jaw), den it will totally look like a different person.
Now, I’m thinking- SG passport got biometrics, does China passport also have? Since iris/ thumbprint are unlikely to be modified…
It sounds like the maintenance work falls under beauty treatment rather than plastic surgery, since she gets them to maintain instead of altering her appearance.
Wikipedia says China does have biometric passport (Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biometric_passport#China). The issue with biometric passport is that you can only use it in your home nation so even if the lady I saw might have no issues in China, she could face interrogation in other countries.
I’m no expert but am wondering if colored lenses could affect iris recognition software. Also, there have been reports of professional rock climbers facing issues with their worn out fingerprints such that sensors could no longer read them.
So imagine a professional rock climber who goes for an extreme makeover and uses colored contact lenses. No way of identifying them on the spot!
This is one extremely busy professional rock-climber! 😀 I wonder if this person chooses to climb first or to complete the makeover first ?XD
Maybe it’s like Beautiful Boxer, who did boxing to make money for his sex-change operation.
This is Beautiful Climber.
ah huh, so somebody was overseas, haha.
Anyway, do update your photo when you head to US (if ever). Because I had this issue when I touched down at Atlanta, and trust me, you don’t want to be caught in that situation. I was detained in this office-y place with other mexicans, chinese etc and the officer (a lot of them are blacks) was interrogating this mexican lady, who claimed that she was there to visit for a wedding and her statement didn’t add up, according to the officer. This whole thing was done through an interpreter. It ended suddenly, after a longggg argument (imagine 3 voices booming, all angst and quick in english and spanish), with “MDM, YOU ARE NOW UNDER ARREST UNDER THE….” And the other officer then called me to the counter next. So yah, imagine hor, how blardy scary that is. It as the first time I was flying into US and also the first time I was flying alone on a 25hr flight.. Wahahaa. Now it has became a story to tell.
So yes! They let me go after they took my finger prints THIRTY times. So, do update your photo. >.<
Ah huh, so somebody looked different in her pictures than in person.
Suspicious…
lol that is after flying 25.5hrs on a plane!! I get very bad reaction when in flight. and that passport has expired and i have not had similar problem since, lol. well, you will see, haha.
Wow, 25.5 hours. Thankfully I’m in Japan. I can fly to the states in half that time.
What will I see? See how your face now looks the same as your passport photo?