The Meeting

ASH stood for American Society of Haematology. Every winter, they have a big meeting - the last one I attended was in Atlanta in 2012. But travelling across the globe was not really my cup of tea especially with the thought of entering the United States. I was lucky to be flown in Business Class on my last visit. I couldn’t see myself travelling otherwise. The journey would be unbearable.

Luckily, every year, ASH came to Asia-Pacific. The update meeting was held in Brisbane 2 years back and this time around it was in Bali - hence my trip. They also held a trainee workshop from the day before the meeting started. The meeting proper lasted for a day and a half.

The talks were generally great but the question and answer session were rather long with many long-winded questions from the audience. I was well into my second day as I wrote this entry and was planning our travel to the airport for the flight back. We decided to take a cab straight to the airport but the worry would be that we would get jibbed again by the cabby.

To the Embassy

Yes, if everything goes well, I will be attending the American Society of Haematology Scientific Meeting scheduled for December in Atlanta, Georgia. Things had been arranged, and I would be attending an interview at the embassy tomorrow morning.

Tickets, passport, hotel bookings, conference pass, and sponsor confirmation were already in the bag. And the last thing I needed to sort out was the 2 by 2 inches photograph for the visa. And that was taken earlier at Bangsar Village. I was glad that the moment I mentioned that the photos were US visas, the lady behind the counter knew exactly what I meant.

I have cancelled the morning clinic, and I would be doing a later rounds than usual tomorrow. The driver would be taking me there, so, I did not have to worry about parking and transport. I picked up a 10 am slot so as not to rush in during the peak traffic hours. Hopefully things could be sorted out in time so that I could be at the hospital before noon.

I really didn't know what to expect, so, I just brought with me all my documents and hope for the best ......

More on my Atlanta trip here.