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A Malaysian woman was left scrambling after discovering that her three-year-old child had doodled all over her passport just hours before she was due to fly overseas for a work trip
Sharing the experience on Threads, the woman said she was busy packing her luggage in the morning of 6 June when her young son somehow managed to get hold of her passport without her noticing.
By the time she realised what had happened, the damage was already done.
"Hati nak nangis (My heart wants to cry)", she wrote, explaining that her flight was scheduled for later that night.
Photos posted online showed her son happily holding up the passport, which had been covered in blue ballpoint pen markings.
One page appeared to feature a hand-drawn dinosaur.
In a follow-up post, she jokingly summed up her feelings in three words: "I hate dinosaurs!"
She rushed to Immigration, hoping the passport could still be used
Later in the afternoon, the woman headed to the Immigration Department, hoping the scribbles would not be enough to render the passport invalid.
She first visited the department's Kajang branch before being directed to Putrajaya for further assessment.
Unfortunately, immigration officers confirmed her worst fears; the passport had been classified as damaged and could no longer be used for travel.
To make matters worse, because it was a Saturday, she could not immediately apply for a replacement as the investigating officer required for the process was unavailable.
This meant she would have to wait until Monday before the matter could be resolved.
As a result, she was forced to miss her scheduled flight.
The flight change cost her RM620
The woman later travelled to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to see if her airline could help salvage her travel plans.
She eventually managed to reschedule her Qatar Airways flight to Monday evening, but the change came at a cost.
According to her posts, she had to pay an additional RM620 to change her booking.
Despite the disruption, the mother chose to see the funny side of the situation.
She joked that perhaps her son simply wanted a few more days with her before she left.
When other social media users asked what happened to the little culprit, she revealed that he remained completely unfazed by the chaos he had caused.
In fact, he was still smiling and repeatedly saying, "Let's go to the airport!"
The woman also thanked the immigration officer on duty in Putrajaya who assisted her throughout the process, saying the officer helped her accept the situation with a calmer mindset.
While the unexpected delay cost her both time and money, she said she believed there was probably a reason things unfolded the way they did.
"Maybe there's a blessing in disguise," she reflected.
