Haze is BACK!

I rubbed my eyes...
BLINK BLINK...
It still looks visibly blur from a distance

My windscreen dirty?
I had it cleaned yesterday, so not its fault

I am getting them pains between the eyes; that pressing pain near the bridge of the nose
and the nose is getting really irritated

It's without doubt now...the Haze is BACK again!
Why is it always back??? What happened to the environment protection?
GRRRRRRRR

Mind your English

During my recent trip to Germany, I had the great opportunity to meet up with nationals from different continents across the globe; namely Hong Kong, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, China, Korea, just to name a few.

Now, bringing people from different parts of the world will pose one important barrier: language for communication.
As Malaysians, we are definitely fortunate to have English as our secondary language and we are proud of the multi-language we can speak; however this is not the case for the rest.

No pun intended; but there was this once I was chatting with one of the Koreans and they were rather struck with the uniqueness of my surname (which was a really common surname in Korea).
He asked me in this particular sentence (quoted): "How come you have a Korean surname and yet you are in Malaysia? What is your problem?"

Uh-huh....what's my problem?
My problem is why are you having a problem with me living in Malaysia?
(No pun intended)

The thing is, I am not offended because I don't think he meant it that way but I am still amazed by the level of English communication in other parts of the world.
Again, no offense meant.

By the way, I think what he meant was he wanted to know why I have such a unique surname for a Malaysian and whether I have roots in Korean ancestry.
Haha.....

Upset tummy

I was experiencing an upset tummy at the beginning of this week; suspected of food poisoning.
Gross, I know, not really something to blog about

Oh well, the funny thing was I had these tummy aches, and I had to visit the doc and doing some check ups.
Right now, I'm better but I'm gonna watch them food that goes into my precious tummy (not like I am not that picky previously huh)

I saw a celebrity in 1 Utama

Yeah, that was like a week ago.
I was on my way to One World Hotel and I stumbled upon a bunch of folks; on a filming location in this particular cafe in 1 Utama.
Great, I forgot the name of the cafe and also the level the cafe is located.
But in short, I saw one of our local Malaysian singer; Mr Michael Wong (Guang Liang)

I think they were shooting his MTV over there....and funnily, it was a smart move to do so on a Monday to avoid the crowd.
(*By the way, I was there for lunch as well)

My friend joked that I should rush up to Michael and ask for his autograph and then snap a photograph with him.
(I always have my camera with me:)

I was like, "Why ever for? I am not those doe-eyed fans...and I admire his talent, but I will never rush for such things. Hehehe...and I am not his fan anyway!"

But definitely, his talents are something which everyone is proud of and happy about here:)

Loss: Depreciation to Appreciation

First reaction when this topic came up was: "Wah, very 'chim'" (translated as high level of comprehension/understanding required)

Did you realize that we often take things for granted?
When our belongings are right there with us, we do not really feel that it is of such high importance because we assumed it will always be there for us.
However, when we misplaced our belongings, we start a frantic search all over the place and start to pray that it will be right in our hand again.
(Well, maybe I am the only one doing that)

Same goes for a person, a loved one for instance, you will never feel the longing or feeling of missing that person when they are around all the time.
However, when they have to leave or gone, that's where that sinking feeling falls in.

Weird how the world works, ain't it?

MAS woes

I am still thinking whether I should share this story with everyone out there on my recent experience with MAS.
Being an Enrich member, I have recently logged on to their website and submitted a lengthy report of my experience with their airlines on my business trip to Bangkok.
All I can say is, MAS disappointed me really badly and I am not so keen on my our own nation's airlines which boast of carrying the Malaysian Hospitality.

I am not setting up a blog post here with the intention of bashing up a brand but to share my own frustrating and dissatisfied experience with the service of something which I paid for.

To cut the long story (or ranting) short, let me tell you what happened last 2 weeks on my short business trip to Bangkok on which my company booked me on a noon flight to our neighbor.
I arrived at the KL International Airport in good time; a 2+ hours ahead to check in early as I usually do since this is an international flight after all.
Upon arrival, I proceeded casually to the announcement board to identify my check-in counter and imagine my horror/amazement when I read that my flight was cancelled!

I was like, "WHAT, since WHEN was my flight cancelled???"

Okay, calm and I strode coolly to the supposedly check-in counter to inquire about my flight.
Special note to this ground crew, Mr Amir who was equally surprised by the news himself, he took the trouble to check with all the staff and escorted me to the counters to inquire about the flight status.
He explained that he will have to book me on another flight with Thai Airways and my flight will be delayed to an hour later.
Alright, that was news enough for me!~

I was nevertheless, disappointed but thanks to the kind Mr Amir, I was calm by the real hospitality shown by this staff.
However, the hospitality stops there as I was left in the dark not knowing the reason they cancelled the flight and MAS did not even bother to explain nor apologize over the cancellation!!!

Can you imagine that?
What kind of service and hospitality attitude is that?
Coming from a nation of courtesy and tradition, you would at least expect a public announcement or apology but none, I can tell you, I waited there for 2+ hours and not hearing any single announcement on my flight.

Next, I had to re-arrange all my pickup from the airport with my hotel in Bangkok due to my delay and I also need to call up my India and Thai colleagues regarding my schedule as they were expecting me for a discussion and of course, meeting.
No one could assist me with that...it got really exhausting, and worse when the reception was unclear.

Never mind that, I was also told that upon arrival in Bangkok airport, I need to proceed to the MAS counter to re-confirm my return flight due to my flight re-shuffle.
I was like, HUH??
It seems that when they changed and booked you on a different airway, you need to check you return flight again because they do not know how to do so!

How logical is that?
Okay, FINE...nobody offered me any explanation anyway, I am left to do my own "research" like a university student.
After landing an hour late, I rushed to the MAS counter in the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport which I found after asking around.
**The ground staff in that Thai airport also fell short of my expectation; or I was just plain unfortunate to meet those unfriendly ones*

I was relieved to find the MAS counter; and I joined the queue.
It wasn't long before I waited for 30 minutes and the queue didn't budge.
There was only 1 single counter with 1 ground staff there!
And the guy in front of the queue took up 30 mins!!
Gosh!
I was the fourth in line....how long do I need to wait???

After waiting like forever, I finally got to the counter.
Thankfully, the staff was courteous and friendly and she helped to re-confirm my flight electronically, after which, she added a note, "You will need to call up our office tomorrow (departure date) to re-confirm your flight, thank you"

WHAT? Again?
I thought this was done electronically??
GOSH, what kind of system do they have??

On top of that, it started raining so heavily outside and when I reached the hotel, it was almost late evening. No more shopping nor meeting with my colleagues.
All our plans were ruined.

Now proceed to the Part 2 of the story, which was my departure.
I arrived at the airport early again and proceeded to check in.
I asked the ground staff at the check-in counter regarding complaints and he directed me to the reservation counter (which I went the day before) upon checking me in.
Again, I had to wait for like, forever!

And when it was finally my turn, I was really annoyed by the male ground staff on duty at that reservation counter who didn't lift his head when he talked to me.
Where are his manners, I wonder?
And what got me was when I asked him politely on the procedures to lodge a complaint, he just told me to get back to KLIA in Malaysia and go to the counter there.
I continued to ask him, what will be the procedures following the complaint.
He didn't lift his head again and just huffily repeated that I must go to KLIA.

That was one lousy service attitude and you wonder why customers complain about them?

I was really upset with their service; how hospitable is that when your customer has a tiring flight and no explanation whatsoever of assistance to the customer.
Also, they don't seem to care at all!

I have always been a SIA customer; a KrisFlyer and I was opting for MAS as well, due to it being my nation's airlines.
Being patriotic, I changed my view and was hoping to try them out (furthermore, my company selected them as one of our preferred airlines anyway).

However, I am definitely disappointed after this incident and also, FYI, one of my friend boarding MAS airlines also had his flight canceled last week without any explanation.
Seems like it's such a norm for MAS to cancel their flights without notice nor apology several times a week.

My confidence level in MAS: Very low!
One thing for sure, I seriously have doubts in booking another MAS flight despite their current RM0-RM9 promotion when my fully-paid flight also got canceled just like that.
I shall opt for a different airlines when I go for my next business trip...I do not want to have another nightmare!

Mega Sales!

Gosh...I can't believe how time flies....it's almost August soon!
And the best part of it, the Mega Sales period is here again!
Yaya....just when we said we'd be looking at those expenditure...the sales tags come slamming into our faces.
It's best to stay at home during these times:p

Oooo...and I just realized even the Mooncake festival is just around the corner; how come it seems like it was just not long ago?
*Smacks head* That was one year ago.....

Work stress...that must be it:p

No end to the ruling woes

I am no political blogger; and I do not place much interest in political feuds and battles.
However, I am really beginning to wonder how long more is the world going to duel in political conflicts. In case you haven't noticed, everywhere around the world is swamped up in their own political problems.
Right across the border is the riots against their overthrown leader (whom they seem to vote for and yet despise) - the irony and now, I have doubts in walking down the streets for fear of being attacked by a bomb or being crushed in a major stampede when there is a demonstration. So much for the country's tourism.

Then far away, we have the constant ongoing protests and conflicts between two big fellows who think they are the kings of the world when in fact the whole world is scorning upon them.
Simple thing is; being an adult, just sort out your own indifferences and stop using your people as your ponds to inflict your anger on each other. Stop using dirty tactics which harm innocent people; such as crashing against the 2 tall towers on a plane full of passengers and during peak hours of the towers' operations. Stop all those ambush attacks and give those poor families a break from sending their sons and husbands to a no-return battle!

There is so much to talk about and the best part is, I don't even need to look far!
My own homeland is overwhelmed by one after another joke of those immature fools who have been playing out against each other as well.
Stop denying all those facts if you know they are true and stop throwing accusations at each other if they are baseless.
Stop crying out loud like an abandoned nursery kid to the teacher when you can't resolve your own problems.
If you have done it, you did it. And don't pretend you lost your memory or afraid of death threats and changed all your statements which you have sworn upon.

For once and for all, GROW UP WORLD!

It's all about attitude

You know how you often come across certain people with a really negative aura around them or there are just some people who never came across as a popular person?
Sometimes we are often puzzled at why these people are isolated from others and whether it is the prejudice or biased opinion of some certain people influencing the rest; and how unfair it is to be so judgmental of someone.

However, there are certain people who can never win any favor from anyone; nor find common agreement with anyone in particular, be it at workplace or in school.
I recently had a similar experience with someone; whom I have not known for a long time. Upon acquaintance, I found the way the person talked was slightly intimidating during the first introduction.
Believing that I was probably sensitive or anxious due to the new surrounding environment, I brushed it off.

It wasn't long before I noticed that not everyone talks to the person. Rather, most of them were talking to each other about the person. I got wind of the stories; which were really shocking and some were too unbelievable.
But the common factor of all the stories was that this person is often nasty and intimidating in his attitude and style of communication. This I found similar to my first impression formed of this person.

Trying not to be judgmental, I freed myself of all the others' perception, I continued treating this person as a whole new person and knowing more about the personality.
It was not easy, I can tell you when you have someone who constantly towers over you and speaks as if you are an idiot (like everyone else) and that he is the only living Einstein around.
If that's not enough, there are times when you feel like you are obligated to listen just because of seniority and respect although the person tries to turn it into authority.

I am still clearing my mind of any prejudice and keeping a neutral attitude of this person.
However, I can also comment that I find his attitude is the contributing factor.

Why blame everyone for not listening when YOU are the one who is not listening?
Why want everyone to change but not think of yourself?

It is all about the attitude of one's self in presentation to the public.
No one can make that change; neither should one be nice to you just because of you.

Phobia of ATMs?

I heard this over the radio this morning; seriously, there was this guy in Germany (how ironic!) who had a phobia of ATM machines.
He was afraid of frauds and there was this recent reported incident of him using the ATM machine for the first time.
And he held up the line to the ATM for 30 minutes.
Guess what he did?

He actually brought his self-detector for frauds and any installed devices.
First he slid a paper underneath the slits to detect whether there is any installed cameras or unusual protruding bumps.
Then he took out a panel and started dusting the touch panels for fingerprints!
He then proceeded with another self-made device to detect something else!

It took him 30 minutes and in the end, someone from the queue called the cops because they were starting to wonder whether he is going to break or dismantle the machine!
GOSH!
Talk about paranoia!