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Agonizing Address Changes – Welcome to Indian Financial Services
As 2014 draws to a close, I’m revisiting my great big long list of pesky tasks that aren’t critical but still kinda sorta need to get done… sometime… You know – the ones you do your best to avoid?
I’ve made ‘progress’ but not exactly stellar:
- I still have that pesky vexing tax records issue that just doesn’t seem to go away!
- After changing my address at the Foreigners registration (FRRO)… Guess what? I officially no longer need to even register with the foreigners office at all?! Gaaakh!?
- Armed with my latest lease and landlord NOC (no objection certificate) trying to track down the form and process to tackle my address update with the Service Tax authorities. After all, I only moved how many years ago?!
- The “Mr Hickling” gender bender was a pain in the arse but I’m finally officially female (according to Vodafone)
However the worst by far is updating the mutual fund companies. (more…)
Will it be ‘smooth sailing’ or more vexing tax troubles?
I’ve shared past tax grumblings… Now I know you are waiting with bated breath for the update (yeah right!) So… drum roll please!
1. Conundrum of a Canadian living in India working all over Asia
Solved and filed just in time for my flight to Amsterdam… I wanted to ensure it was done, dusted and forgotten (for now).
I’ve dutifully declared earnings less permitted expenses, discovered that earlier estimates of advance tax paid was actually overly generous so it seems that a refund is in order. (more…)
Side helping of ‘marriage’ with your ‘lease’ registration?
Renewing our lease was on my ‘must do’ list before ‘rewarding’ myself with the trip to The Netherlands.
Lo and behold this remarkable feat was accomplished the day of my flight and I gotta admit, either I’ve become completely adapted to how things work here (probably) or this process might just be becoming less painful and complicated than it used to be. (more…)
Re-unions and giving someone a chance…
Living literally on the other side of the globe from where I grew up tends to disconnect one from those awkward high school re-unions where folks exclaim how well they are holding up after 30 years then secretly sigh about the extra weight, wrinkles but do thank gawd the pimply days are long gone!
So while I haven’t made it to even one high school re-union I did manage to get to an ex-company gathering.
Yup – we’re suckers for punishment. Not only did we work long hours together faithfully for years, we CHOOSE to hang out one evening a year. (more…)
“Whaddya want?” Bookshelves?!
We are about to renew our lease for another three years and decided it was time to make a few changes.
Coincidentally, it is around the time of our birthdays too.
So when my partner insisted I say what I wanted this year, my response was none of the typical stuff…
No sirree! What did I want? What did I really want?
Bookshelves… (more…)
Diwali ‘ding dong!’ demands
Diwali is also the time where the “Ding dong!” of the doorbell never stops as everyone who provides any kind of service comes with hand extended for money money money! (more…)
The wedding that wasn’t then was…
While waiting at Delhi airport for our flight home after a wonderful wedding weekend, the Maharashtra state election commentary was on the TV.
I had a flashback to the Indian national elections in April 2014 and an unexpected impact on another friend’s wedding. (more…)
The great reveal… or not
I’ve mentioned before that I’m a wretchedly reluctant entrepreneur… yet to have the life I prefer to lead, and more specifically to unpack my bags in Mumbai, regular employment just isn’t the way to go.
So here is the great ‘reveal’… (more…)
Saying “So long Jakarta!” with a stay-cation
Have you ever had a ‘staycation’? A vacation when you don’t really get ‘away’ but do escape from the drudgery of the daily work grind?
My part of the Jakarta project is winding up and this is my last trip to Indonesia. I was lucky enough to fit in a bit of a vacation before heading home to India.
Original plan was to head to an island and laze on a beach… however when there was a chance to catch up with an old friend and colleague in town from Hong Kong… decided to stick around Jakarta.
That’s when the ‘staycation’ fancy took hold. The tricks for a fab staycation (in my humble opinion) are: (more…)
Visa o visa woes!
Twas the night before my Tokyo flight… and all was decidedly NOT calm in our house… Cue partner muttering expletives, with the occasional shout of exasperation.
Why?
He had a film shoot in London…
Great, right? You bet! Independent production with a cross-continent story of an estranged father-son relationship… with every element to potentially do well in the film fest circuit.
Sounds fab! Until…. time to apply for a UK work visa…
(more…)
Everyday Asia 