The Analyst Down Under

Another Homer Simpson moment 'Doh! I left out my CIMA exam results in that express pack to the ICAA, because of which my PASA application has been awaiting information for almost a week now. I tried all the silly things possible, but of course they didn't work. In the end I had to go and get the paper attested, put it in an envelope and courier it today on Tahir Saifuddin RA Maula's milad. Fedex quoted Rs. 4,000 and a 5% discount so I said goodbye. Then I saw OCS had a student package and since the ICAA sounds academic, I was able to convince them that this had to do with academia (not a complete lie).  So that only set me back another Rs. 1,280, which is still 500 less than Pakistan Post's Express Mail Service and possibly only a day or two earlier due to the weekend gap. Website address to track:  http://www.ocs.com.pk/tracking.php Packet Tracking Result Tracking No. 96250464774 Booking Date : 2010-11-03 Consignor : MR.TUAHA SHAKIR Origin: KARACHI MAIN OF...

I had sent in my Pre-Application Skills Assessment (PASA) to the ICAA last Friday, but it isn't being processed until the coming Monday at least. It took Pakistan Post's Express Mail Service (EMS) about two days to reach Australia and another four days for Australian post to finally deliver it to the postal box address on the form. Tracking the package was not a problem, as both Pakistan Post and Australian Post provided tracking summaries of the package. Another risky undertaking that saved at least me Rs. 1,200 from an exchange service or a fat half-lie at my bank was that I included my VISA card details on the form for payment. I've sent them three emails so far to tell them that they will need to advise me the exact time and date of payment so I can activate an online session to be able to complete an online transaction. This is a potentially costly risk in case it doesn't work out, as I would have to pay Rs. 1,200 plus the local exchange rate for AUD, which has inc...