Why So Many Complaints about Indian Visa and BLS?

My Indian Visa Experienc

My Indian Tourist Visa Experience

Last week, I wrote about how to obtain an Indian visa from Canada. Today, I will talk about my overall experience going through the visa procedure.

Before starting to apply, I was researching the rules and requirements online for Canadians getting an Indian visa. I noticed enormous amounts of negative reviews and ratings on the Indian Consulate and BLS International, the 3rd party outsourcer that looks after Indian visa processing. This made me very nervous and I was almost certain that these guys would put me through lots of headaches and hassle issuing me an Indian tourist visa.

So the day I reached the BLS Toronto location, I didn’t know what to expect. I was ready to accept a lengthy wait time both at the BLS office and, after the submission, waiting for the visa to arrive. To my surprise, no such things happened. At the BLS centre, I was done with everything within one to two hours and the staff was friendly and accommodating. I didn’t find anything to complain about or see anyone else going through any hassle or difficulty.

Another big shock was waiting for me after two days when I received my passport with my Indian visa via FedEx. Yes, I got it in just two business days when I was told by many people it could take weeks or more than a month.

And for those days I was waiting for the visa, I was updated by BLS via texts and emails on the status of my application, such as, my visa app was received at the consulate, my passport was released by the consulate, my passport was dispatched to FedEx, and so on.

Before writing this article, I thought it going to be another negative review. However, throughout the whole process, I found nothing to complain about and would like to give these guys (BLS and Indian Consulate) the credit they deserve for a job well done. I don’t know why others had so many problems and I understand that everyone’s experience is different. But mine was fantastic and I thank you for everyone’s hard work and friendly service that I received at the BLS and Indian Consulate.

My Favourite Money Quotes

Money Quote Tips

I would like to share two of my favourite money quotes with you. The first quote is going to be in my first book Invest Now. The second quote will be in my second book Save Now, although I am not 100% decided yet about the second quote.

First Quote 

Money is like a sixth sense—and you can’t make use of the other five without it.

—William Somerset Maugham

Second Quote

The art is not in making money, but in keeping it.

—Proverb

First Published: ADawnJournal.com Dec 10, 2007

Toronto Pearson International Airport Festival

Toronto Pearson Street Festival

Every year, the Toronto Pearson Street Festival Team arranges a street festival inside the airport airfield where different exhibitors display a wide array of products related (and some non-related) to the aviation industry.

I attended this event this year, which was yesterday June 17, 2017. I had no idea about this event prior to attending and was not sure what to expect and even what sort of crowds to expect. I was surprised to see lots of people attending this gathering.

It was a cloudy day with intermittent sunlight sneaking out through the clouds. The temperature was hovering around 22 C with 70 percent humidity and 30 km/h wind. So it was not that bad to stay in an open airfield enjoying the festival and watching the planes that were landing and taking off right next to us on active runways.

There were many stalls or demonstrations, but those I liked most were a very friendly K9 police officer doc, a demonstration of chemical and biological weapon gear, a FedEx C-FEXH Cessna single-engine turboprop aircraft, and another gigantic FedEx cargo airplane, and some other airport equipment and fire trucks.

I do have videos of all those I liked and will post them on my YouTube Channel one by one. You will find one link inside this post as well, but visit my channel for all other videos I made from the Toronto Pearson Street Festival.

In the future, I will try to show more behind the scenes at the airport, as the Toronto Pearson International Airport offers programs where visitors can take an inside look at some of the airport maintenance and equipment facilities. If you have not subscribed to my YouTube Channel, go ahead and do so and I will see you soon.

Invest Now Wins Prestigious Awards

Invest Now Wins Prestigious Editor's Choice Award

I am excited to let all my readers know that Invest Now has been rewarded prestigious Editor’s Choice award by its publisher iUniverse. This special award makes Invest Now eligible to receive highly prestigious Publisher’s Choice award. What does all these mean? If selected for Publisher’s Choice award, Invest Now will be featured in the high-traffic area at the front of a Chapters, Indigo or Coles store for at least 60 days. Then, if Invest Now generates steady demand, Chapters, Indigo or Coles store will continue stocking Invest Now in that location and will be placed in additional locations.

Invest Now is going through Cover Concept Evaluation at the publisher and expected to be published in early 2008.

First Published: Oct 31, 2007 ADawnJournal.com

Invest Now Wins Highly Prestigious Publisher's Choice Award

I am excited to let all my readers know that Invest Now has been rewarded highly prestigious Publisher's Choice award by its publisher iUniverse. Invest Now will be featured in the high-traffic area at the front of a Chapters, Indigo or Coles store for at least 60 days. Then, if Invest Now generates steady demand, Chapters, Indigo or Coles store will continue stocking Invest Now in that location and will be placed in additional locations.

Invest Now is going through the production stage at the publisher and expected to be published in early 2008.

About Publisher’s Choice

The iUniverse Publisher’s Choice designation identifies, supports, and celebrates those new titles that display potential for greater commercial success. Publisher’s Choice rewards iUniverse titles that exhibit both editorial integrity and outstanding design quality. During the publishing process, these titles undergo a stringent editorial review and a design evaluation. Deserving titles are awarded Publisher’s Choice and, as a result, become eligible to be displayed on the New Paperback Releases table in the author’s local Chapters, Indigo or Coles store for a minimum of eight weeks.

First Published: Dec 21, 2007 ADawnJournal.com

Invest Now: A Canadian's Guide to Investing

Invest Now: Ahmed Dawn

I have a special announcement to make. But first, I would like to thank all of you for making A Dawn Journal and Canada’s Personal Finance Web Site a huge success. Some of you may have noticed a tiny ad on the top right corner of this site. Yes, this is about Invest Now. My first book Invest Now will be available in early 2008. I do not have a definite date at this time as Invest Now is going through design and format manuscript process at the publisher.

What is Invest Now about? Invest Now is a simple, step by step guide to start investing for the first time. I have put together some information about Invest Now on Canada's Personal Finance Website. Please click here to visit - Invest Now

I will keep you updated from now on and I have created a new category Invest Now to post all my Invest Now related news. I truly hope Invest Now will help Canadians to start investing for the first time. This book is written for Canadians who never invested before and would like to start with minimal risk.

First Published: Oct 22, 2007 ADawnJournal.com