my passport expired last month. this is rather convenient because i have a new surname now. and the new zealand system is quite remarkable in that it was able to check with the "marriages" department as to whether i had in fact married and what my new surname should be. no need for certified copies or originals to be shown. for this i am grateful.

however. i am disappointed to find that new zealanders are no longer allowed to smile for their passport photos. i recall, back in the day, when i discovered friends' unsmiling overseas passports and i laughed and said "that's ridiculous. that would never happen in new zealand". alas, i have been proven wrong.

but why i ask you? why can't we smile? this photo doesn't look like me. it's too serious. too unsmiley. when i show up at the airport in a couple of months am i supposed to put on an equally distressed look for the customs officer?