Faikay's Den

Bustling Beirut

2012-06-03T02:28:00.000+08:00

Invigorating Istanbul

2012-06-03T02:14:00.001+08:00

Wonderful Warsaw

2012-05-31T02:33:00.000+08:00

Eid Mubarak 2011

2011-09-01T03:04:00.000+08:00

I must start blogging again ...

2011-08-25T23:11:00.001+08:00

I remember telling my fellow students that studies have been made and has shown that the act of blogging regularly may improve one's writing ability. But I have not blogged for such a long time. I must start again soon. I miss blogging as it helps me to vent out my thoughts that may sometimes be a tad provoking for people.

So, what's the deal with blogging? Well, firstly, blogging encourages your mind to speak, so to say. It helps one write and receive feedback on one's entry and that might encourage some form of interaction. This will lead to a healthy dose of writing. Honestly, I hate writing and the irony to what I have just said lies in the fact that I've graduated with a degree in Linguistics and Literature in English. Probably, I haven't had the time to really sit dow and think about what to write or perhaps, the novelty of blogging, which at first I've found to be oh-so-fun, has faded in the midst of Kuala Lumpur's nasty smoggy air.

I will promise myself that I will at least blog once a week if not every day. My thoughts and views of my daily life is going to be shared with my fellow followers and hopefully, I will once again shine as a few of my followers' favourite blogger.

Till then,
Ciao bello!

Zzzzzz with niece

2010-09-13T14:18:00.000+08:00

Ieper .. Where I used to call home ...

2010-08-15T00:28:00.001+08:00

Ypres (French pronunciation: [ipʁ], English: /ˈiːprə/; Dutch: Ieper, pronounced [ˈipər]) is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ieper and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote. Together, they count some 34,900 inhabitants.

During World War I, Ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles between the German and the Allied forces. During the war, Tommies nicknamed the city "Wipers."

Today, Ieper is a small city in the very western part of Belgium, the so-called Westhoek. Ieper these days has the title of "city of peace" and maintains a close friendship with another town on which war had a profound impact: Hiroshima. Both towns witnessed warfare at its worst: Ieper was one of the first places where chemical warfare was employed, while Hiroshima suffered the debut of nuclear warfare. The city governments of Ieper and Hiroshima advocate for cities never to be targets again and campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The City of Ieper hosts the international campaign secretariat of Mayors for Peace, an international Mayoral organization mobilizing cities and citizens worldwide to abolish and eliminate nuclear weapons by the year 2020. Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign.

Ieper Flag

The imposing Cloth Hall was built in the 13th century and was one of the largest commercial buildings of the Middle Ages. The structure which stands today is the exact copy of the original medieval building, rebuilt after the war. The belfry that surmounts the hall houses a 49-bell carillon. The whole complex was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

Gosh, I used to roam these streets myself while every Saturday. Now, I roam the streets again with Kaklong, Khairi and Faizell.

Cyper ... derived from Cafe Ieper. Ieper has a history with cats and that's why all around Ieper, lots of thing will be associated with cats.


Thee met melk

And not to forget, my favourite chocolatier "Van Groot". I think, and still do, that they make the best chocolate in town. All chocolates produced here are hand made and a fraction of the price from the ones in Brussel.

Chocolate warfare. Very Ieper.

Chocolate Cats ... I rest my case :)

The Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper commemorates those soldiers of the British Commonwealth - with the exception of Newfoundland - who fell in the Ypres Salient during the First World War before 16 August 1917, who have no known grave. Those who died from that date - and all from New Zealand and Newfoundland - are commemorated elsewhere. The memorial's location is especially poignant as it lies on the eastward route from the town which allied soldiers would have taken towards the fighting - many never to return.

Every evening since 1928, at precisely eight o'clock, traffic around the imposing arches of the Menin Gate Memorial has been stopped while the Last Post is sounded beneath the Gate by the local fire brigade. This tribute is given in honour of the memory of British Empire soldiers who fought and died there. The Menin Gate in Ypres only records the soldiers for whom there is no known grave, As graves are discovered, the names are removed from the Menin Gate.

If you do get to visit Belgium, don't forget to visit Ieper and Brugge. There lots more to see there than there is in Brussels and personally, I think the Flemish people in Ieper are the nicest in the country. Thank you Ieper for making our short trip here one most memorable and thank you for all those wonderful memories while I was living in this wonderful city.

For those interested in Ieper, log on to http://www.ieper.be

Malaysian Hospitality Part 3 (Long Overdue)

2010-08-14T23:22:00.003+08:00

Long overdue this post is, however, I thought I'd still continue with the posting as I've so many nice pictures to share with the world.


Waiting for our flight MH003 bound for Kuala Lumpur at LHR's Golden Lounge.

Named "Kota Bharu", this was the plane that took us back.

Location: Upper Deck. Very rare do I sit in the aisle seat. My sis wanted the window so I gave it up :)


This was the Chicken Breast served with black pepper sauce and roasted vegetables.


Lunch ... yummy! This was Red Snapper with steamed vegetables.


I had this ... umm ... Kurma Lamb Shank served with Nasi Bukhari and Acar.

And for pudding, we had Mango Charlotte. De~lish!


Breakfast starter ... flaky croissant and fresh cut fruits with muesli and apple juice.

Breakfast ... we all had the Nasi Lemak ... kinda missed it.

Flight Steward Kamaruzaman ... great guy ... lotsa laughs with him.

Our other crews in Business Class ... Sharon and Chief Steward Nadzri. They were fantastic.

All in all, it was, as usual, one of the best flights I've ever taken. Thanks Sharon, Kamarulzaman and CS Nadzri for the great flight and thanks one again for taking care of us on board one of your flights. Your sincerity and hospitality was one that made us forget we were actually travelling. We felt as if we were visiting your homes. Thank you.

Alam ku ...

2010-08-10T00:51:00.000+08:00

Busy bee working - Bratagi

Hidden Light - Bandung

"Bebek" - Medan

Fruits of the field - Medan

Blooming - Brastagi

My Nature

2010-08-06T04:09:00.000+08:00

Guys Night Out ... A Listening and Speaking Course

2009-10-29T23:28:00.007+08:00

Hehe ... Guys Night out ... only those who attended the last class got invites. However, Mohsin (thanks Muiz, for the correction) missed our class although he went looking. I found out that night and asked why they guys didn't drag him along. They said he was too shy. Well, next time.

Belgium ... Home to the famous Manneken Pis

2009-08-30T15:17:00.006+08:00

After spending 2 nights in Paris at Benoit's apartment ( Thanks for the great apartment, Ben!) we drove up to Brussels. Brussels is just a 4 hours drive away from Paris and the view during the drive was just a sight to behold. Welcome to Brussels everyone. Enjoy your stay!

Twilight in Paris

2009-08-30T14:53:00.004+08:00

A good 7 hours drive from Central London brought us to the home of one of Europe's famous landmark - the Eiffel Tower. Yes, I was in Paris! And how would I describe Paris? Paris is Paris ... no words nor phrases to truly describe this city of lights. With its delectable cuisine, high end fashion and numerous museums , Paris is a city that will keep you at awe.

Malaysian Hospitality Part 2

2009-06-13T03:04:00.006+08:00

As the aircraft gracefully taxied out to Runway 32R for departure that day, we were all
given the finest of what Malaysian Hospitality has to offer. As I was in First Class and my sister and brothers were in Business Class, we were separated when the seat belt sign was on. However, we all managed to sample what has won Malaysia Airlines it's pride and kudos stripping the previous champion of its winning title "Skytrax World's Best Cabin Staff".

Anyway, as were were taxing to the runway, we were offered bottomless choices of cold beverages as well as a hot towel and that pleasant Malaysian warmth and grace. On board menus have been neatly tucked into the reading material compartment located in front of you. As it was a long taxi, I decided to study the Menu in First Class and immediately decided what I wanted for Lunch.

A view from the window in Business Class show the left wings and its 2 engines. See how the wings sag. Actually, all that force comes from the weight of the fuel its carrying in the tanks of those wings.

After a long and lengthy taxiing, we finally reached Runway 32R and was given clearance to depart immediately. The takeoff roll stater with the mild whining of the 4 Rolls Royce equipped to fly this bird halfway around the world nonstop. Around 3/4 of the length of the runway, the plane tiptoed and flew into the sky. Destination London Heathrow.

Again, at the window, the view of the KLIA highway can be seen. It was about 10.45 in the morning and not many cars can be seen that day.

The duration before the pilot took off the "Fasten Your Seatbelt" sign was a good 10 minutes or so. I guess he wanted to make sure that the bird was stable before allowing anyone to walk about the cabin. So off we flew some more escaping the Malaysian airspace.

While waiting for lunch to be served, the crew came round and took drinks order again. This time they came back with packets of peanuts for all to enjoy whilst waiting for the main meal.

In no time again, the cabin crew came round dressing tables for lunch. First up ... tender morsels of delicious Malaysian satay!!Yum Yum!

We were offered 3 sticks of beef and 3 stick of chicken satay complemented with Nasi Himpit, cooling cucumbers as well as Onion pieces. All topped up with that delectable peanut sauce only Malaysia Airlines knows how to make it best. It's consistency, taste, flavour lies probably in all that hours of boiling in the catering kitchen back in KLIA.

The food did stay long enough to be photographed but then gobbled relentlessly by my brother who was kind enough to camwhore with his food. Second rounds of satay were offered to all.

As we were all hapily gobbling what seems to be Malaysia's best satay, most of us started toying around with the IFE. All was on demand. That meant that you could start to watch the movie when and as you wish, puase, rewind etc all at the touch of a button at your fingertips. Here, you can see "Confessions of a Shopaholic" being aired.

As we finished our satay, the crew came to clear the table. Next offering was the appetizers!.

Appetizers today consisted of

"Dual of Balic Salmon and Marinated Scallop"
Served with Mango Relish,
Fine Leaf Lettuce and Fresh Lemon Wedge

Servings of your choice of bread(s) also took place and what was on offer consisted of Garlic (pictured), soft roll or wholemeal roll. Of course, Garlic will always be on our favorite list. A florette of butter was served to complement the warm bread(s). The salmon and Scallop were fresh at the taste and the mango relish added a tangy zing to the fine taste of the seafood. Neither tasted fishy and the lemon just did its trick by spritzing a dash of zest to the food.

Then came the main course. Most of us opted for:

"Lobster Thermidor with Creamy Lobster Sauce"
Complemented with Saffron rice and Glazed Zucchini.

The Creamy lobster sauce did miracles for this dish. The lobster was served in small pieces and not in a shell. However, that wasn't mush of an issue as you won't eat the lobster shell anyway. However, a spoonful of this dish and rice was heaven. Never did food taste so good in my mouth! The saffron rice was just right and it was very fluffy. Too bad the dish went down fast but it was sure worth it!

My brother's companion had the

"Deep Fried Chicken Thigh with Black Pepper Sauce"
Served with Chinese Fried Rice and Sauteed Vegetables

A small taste of it had me reminded of what had to be one of the best black pepper chicken had in years. The Chinese Fried Rice did justice to it and the sauteed vegetables were just done. Still crunchy to the bite.

After we managed to finish everything, the cabin crew cleared the table once more and offered desserts. I had the Bread and Butter Pudding with Vanilla Sauce. According to one of the crew on board, this particular dessert has just been featured on the menu. So, they were eager to know what we all though of it. They got the idea when the collected the dessert plate clean!

We were then offered coffee and tea and finally we were free to watch, listen walk about or just sleep for the remaining part of the journey - or until the next meal call.

In between meals, Malaysia Airlines offers hot noodles, a selection of sandwiches and cheeses and crackers as well as chocolate bars and fresh fruits. All put at a neat corner of the cabin where passengers are free to raid the larder should one feel hungry.

The next meal time was about 3 hours before landing. A light meal was served.

As it was just a light meal, once the tables were dressed, we were given a tray consisting a bowl of fresh fruits as well as the appetizer featuring:

"Spiced Chicken Salad"
On a bed of Fine Lettuce Leaf, Mushroom Salad, Orange and Onion Ring

There was a melting pot of taste all together. The chicken was spiced and the mushroom had a very strong taste. However, the orange gave its sweetness somewhat a special fusion and aroma to the whole dish.

The main course pictured here is the

"Stewed seafood with Saffron Sauce"
Simmered prawns, squid and fish in Saffron Sauce
Served with Tagliatelle Pasta, Snap Peas and Carrot

Once again, the seafood was fresh to say the least. No fishy taste and the pasta was just the perfect complement to the dish. Vegetables were cooked to perfection and the meal was just superb.

If you fancy a Malaysian fare, you can opt for this dish

"Hainanese Chicken Rice"
Served with Roasted Chicken, Pak Choy, Carrot,
Enhanced with Soya Sauce and Chilli Ginger

Yes, the Nasi Ayam you get around the country is also featured on board one of Malaysia Airlines' flight. I was actually surprised seeing the dish ACTUALLY being served with that humble soy and chilli sauce separately. The taste of the roast chicken was good. Roasted to perfection and the fluffy rice was aby chicken rice lover's dream come true.

Like I said, I was in First Class but my brotehr had the camera and he was in Business Class. Had I the came at hand, you would've sampled First Class Menu. Honestly, there wasn't much difference but you would have to fly First Class to sample it yourself.

Hope you've enjoyed this.

Bath

2009-06-09T23:02:00.008+08:00

You might have heard of the Roman Bath in England. It's healing waters have brought people all over the country to sample it. However, outside the bath lies a beautiful city. An eye opener only one can experience once one has sampled the city oneself!

Upon arrival in Bath, took a picture of the lovely garden. The sun was shining and everyone was having a glorious time!

And the streets of Bath. At different parts, the streets are actually cobbled stones in the ground.

The walls of the famed Roman Bath.

Pulteney Bridge. Seeing isn't always believing.

Pulteney Bridge from another angle. Told you looks can be deceiving.

In front of the Bath Abbey - marvelous architecture!

Then it's time for some grub. Forget the sarnies. Lemme have em fish and chips in true British style!

After lunch, we walked up to the Jane Austen Center only to learn that it has just closed for the day. Shucks! Too bad because I was hoping to get some Jane Austen stuff.

However, we continue our walk up to the Circus.

And of course, we wouldn't want to miss visiting the Cresent. If you have watched the Duchess, you'll remember this scenery from the movie where the were playing Polo on horses.

Starfishing away!

And trying to look like a complete fool .. but the ground was ... ooh ... so comfy.

Then, the three of us decided to have headshots. This is the outcome. Not bad eh?

And of course, a doze before we head back to London. Bath is truly amazing. If you're anywhere near Bath, please take the time to visit. You'll fall in love with the city instantly.

London Part 2

2009-06-09T22:58:00.003+08:00

Arrival at our lovely apartment.
Home sweet home!

Yay! We're in London!

Taking the tube to the West end.

So, what we're we watching that night?

CHICAGO!

Malaysian Hospitality

2009-06-09T22:51:00.002+08:00

Flight MH004 on 18th May 2009
Kuala Lumpur to London

Departure: 1005
Arrival: 1615
Flying time : 13hours 10 minutes.

Camwhoring with the Inflight Supervisor (cool dude!!)
If someone remember's his name, please holler. Thanks.

Me and Khairi at my seat in First Class.
Truly luxurious.
Seat 2A.

Photo opportunity with the Chief Steward.
(Tak ingat gak nama dia.)

Of course ... Khairi and me.

London in Memory (18th - 22 May)

2009-06-02T01:28:00.007+08:00

LONDON PART ONE

London .. london .. london
It's just a wonderful place to be. Everyone loves London.
And so do we :)

This are some pics of the trip to Europe this year. First up ... LONDON

What's this? The infamous Underground sign leading to the subway.

And of course ... there is always time for camwhoring no matter where you are.
On thing i noticed about the trains ... the colour of the railings inside actually
matches the colour of the line you're travelling. Say in this pic, it's kinda bluish - this
is the Picadilly Line.

Another snap in the Underground. Moving and moving fast under the
streets of London.

Umm ... freezing but though it was a nice Kodak moment. Taken at
Trafalgar Square minus the pigeons.

The next day ... first stop - Tower Hill.

London isn't London without its iconic Tower Bridge.

Tower Bridge taken from Tower Hill. So many TOWERS in London eh?

Oh oh .. caught in a moment.

The small side streets in London near Tower Bridge. Kinda reminds me

of an old Blur song going ...

Cabbie has his mind on a fare to the sun

He works nights but its not much fun

Picks up the london yo-yos

All on their own down soho

Take me home

Other people wouldnt like to hear you

If you said

That these are the best days

Of our lives

Other people turn around and laugh at you

If you said

That these are the best days

Of our lives

And then, there's the shopping ... oowh ... lotsa lotsa shopping

In front of the neon lights in London's Picadilly Circus. Lotsa

people there too at night.

Well, boys wanna have some fun too albeit in front of the

Buckingham Palace.

The gates of the palace. Obviously closed. Open to the public in June.

Strike a pose before the sun sets. If I'm not mistaken, the time

when this pic was taken was about 8pm.

And as we were about to leave, the polie came and blocked traffic

all around. Waiting in anticipation, we caught a glimpse of Charles in his car

(the one behind the motor bike) but was too excited to snap a photo. Damn!!!!]

Wellington arch ... not far from the palace.

Then walked to Harrods for more cam sessions.

The view at sunset. Just magnificient. Didn't manage to go in

as it closed at 8pm and we arrived there just after.

And took the train to see Big Ben. Lovely at night.

We rented a car for the excursions out of London - namely

Bath, Paris, Brussels, Ieper, Brugge and London again.

Last day in London at out rented apartment. Thanks Michelle for

letting us stay there. We'll be back soon.

Baby On Board

2009-05-13T03:14:00.003+08:00

BABY ON BOARD

Performed by The Be-Sharps
(H. Simpson, B. Gumbel, S. Skinner, A. De Beaumarche)

Baby On Board, How I've adored
That sign on my car's windowpane
A bounce in my step, loaded with pep
'Cause I'm driving in the carpool lane.

Call me a square, friend I don't care
'Cause that little yellow sign can't be ignored
I'm tellin' you it's mighty nice
Each trip's a trip to paradise
With my baby on board

The Great Escapade

2009-05-06T18:44:00.018+08:00

“Alang, I want to go to Hong Kong Disneyland for my Birthday this year!” said my 5 years old nephew as he watched a Disney commercial on TV. Well,as he is my only nephew … why not. I started looking around for deals that would not burn a hole in my pocket. I started looking through newspapers but nothing was in my budget. Then, I decided to surf the MAS website hoping that I’d get a good deal. As the website loaded, my eyes caught hold of this ad

“What’s this?” I asked myself and hastily clicked on the image. To my surprise, I was brought to a myriad of wonders MAS was offering its customers! They called it the MAS Stimulus Package. Hmm … there is no way I’d be able to save flying a 5 star airline but my hunch kept on insisting I checked out the packages. So I did and checked out this one. The GRAB-A-DEAL package.

I made a dummy booking ... and the results appeared. My response … “WHOA!!! Are they serious?“ I booked at once, and this time, for real. With the great deal that MAS offered, I was able to fulfill my nephew’s dream and got his sister to tag along as well as my sister and brother. So, off we went to Hong Kong …

The Hong Kong skyline taken as we arrived.

This picture’s for you Mom!

Nothing beats the smile on a child’s face. And my sis and bro

In the background.

This certainly was the highlight of the trip. Got to shoot a photo with

Mickey.

So there we were in Hong Kong for 5 days and thanks to Malaysia Airlines, you have made my nephew’s dream come true. Without your Grab a Deal package, my nephew and niece wouldn’t have met Mickey and his magical Disneyland.

But my story doesn’t stop here … it goes on.

So, having spent a week in Hong Kong, it was time to send the kids back home, In Terengganu. My thought that time … I’m so laaaaazzzzzzyyyyyy to drive after such great break. My sister doesn’t drive so I’ll have to do it. As the thought lingered, a little voice kept telling me to check the MAS website again for other deals.

“Yes, I will do that”

So, off I went surfing the net again. Hmm … this looks interesting:

The Kids Fly Free Package. Great! Buy 2 adult tickets and one child flies free! What do you know? I could use the money saved to bring the children to the beach! Another flying adventure for the children and all because MAS was offering too-good-to-resist deals. So, I called the MAS Call centre and enquired about the deal. The result … a weekend in Terengganu with my nephew and niece. My elder sister came along too.

Hmm … how time flies when you’re having a great time. The weekend was coming to an end and my elder sister and I had to head back to KL. So I tried booking 2 seats back to KL. To my surprise, seats in Economy were all sold out! As my sister had to attend an important meeting Monday morning, we had no choice but to fly Business Class. She sighed … “that’ll cost us a fortune.”

Not knowing her cunning brother remembered of a deal on the website

called the Business Companion Package, flying home to KL in style was not going to cost s fortune. As one passenger pays the full Business Class fare, the companion pays 50% of the actual fare. So, what we did was to add up the total and divide by 2. Voila … a trip back home at a fraction of the price and in style too.

A wet Sunday evening wasn’t going to spoil the fun!

The famous Malaysian Hospitality at its best!

Although it was a short flight, the warmth of the cabin crew has always kept me in awe. How do they do it? The answer … sincerity! So we made it back home that evening and my elder sister was relieved she’ll make it to her meeting the day after.

I was still in my holiday mood. I’m yearning to travel so more as MAS is offering these irresistible packages. So, where should I head next? I know, I’ll try Kota Bharu. So I called up my friend and said I was visiting his city. He asked me to stay with him. Well, that’ll keep cost at a minimum. I agreed. So, how much will I have to fork out this time. I tried this package …

Are they nuts???? With MAS' 80% OFF DOMESTIC package, it’s cheaper to fly to Kota Bharu than taking the train. I booked my seat without hesitation. So, off I was to the state of Cik Siti Wan Kembang. What had I planned? Since I saved up to 80% of the fare to Kota Bharu, I'll use the money for SHOPPING! So, the next day, my friend brought me to Pengkalan Kubor.

Got Mom her favorite Corelle and at a bargain too! Savings everywhere!!!

Then, I wanted to sample the beaches of Kelantan. I was taken to Tok Bali.

Pristine white sand and peaceful.

So, the few days in Kelantan was very enjoyable. The people are frienly and the food … you’ve to try it yourself. Once you start, you won’t stop! All in all, Kelantan was just awesome.

It’s almost the end of my hard earned holiday. I’ve few days left before I start work. However, my host friend will be traveling to Kuala Lumpur for a few days as he has matters to attend to. I was delighted to learn that he hasn’t booked his ticket yet. So I suggested that we go through the MAS deals and found this:

Aha … the MH FLEX 1 + 1 package! One of us buys an Economy Flex ticket and the other travels for free!!! Yippee. My host friend wanted to buy the ticket and let me fly free. And they say that there’s no such thing as a free lunch ;)

We were to leave the next few hours! Yes, it all goes fast. We packed our stuff and got to the airport, checked in and waited for the boarding call. In 10 mins, we were all asked to board according to seat numbers. Upon boarding, a familiar face welcomed me on board and we exchanged glances …

“Umm … macam kenal je.” I said to the leading stewardess that day and looked at her name. It read Rohaya.

“Ha ah … macam pernah nampak.” she answered and smiled.

So, I smiled back confusingly because I knew her from somewhere. But where? When?

Then it struck me, I remember! It’s Kak Roy! The stewardess I was traveling to Hanoi with when I was 14 years old. She was on that plane with me. I have proof.

Here is my autograph book

and here’s her kind words

So, I called one of the cabin crew and to confirm her identity. It was her. After 15 years, I meet her again. I waited till we landed to chat with her. She remembered me as a young boy traveling to Hanoi to meet my parents. She remembered the autograph book too! So, we had a good chat about everything. As I was so excited I forgot to take a photo with her and realized that after I’ve left.

I left the aircraft feeling somewhat energized and satisfied. I’ve truly made the best decision to travel with Malaysia Airlines. Its packages brought happiness to 2 children I know, happiness to my sister and friend in KB and not to forget, happiness and fond memories to me. Best of all, I've still money left from all those savings MAS offered for another trip!

I headed for the ERL platform and upon boarding, I thought to myself “Man! That was great. This truly is the time to travel!”

Kids Day Out

2009-04-08T23:01:00.003+08:00

On being very lucky to babysit my nieces, I had to make sure they wouldn't cry ... so I took them to the park to fly a kite on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the playground had more appeal!

Then today, we didn't go fly kites but went around on my Moto Kapchai. Boy, how the girls enjoyed it!

Malaysia Airlines have done it again

2009-04-06T15:25:00.004+08:00

True Malaysian Hospitality ... keep up the MH brand

Malaysia Airlines has been named winner of the 2009 World's Best Cabin Staff award, in another closely fought contest during the World Airline Survey

"This is a quite remarkable achievement by Malaysia Airlines" said Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, "because it is the 6th time in the past decade that this prestigious accolade has been won by the airline. This is the world's largest and most respected Award to recognise Cabin Staff Service Excellence, and is a clear benchmark for the highest quality of staff onboard service".

Malaysia Airlines CEO, Idris Jala, was delighted and proud of his cabin crew, stating that "they have showcased Malaysian hospitality at its best, treating our customers as valued guests in our own home".

"The SKYTRAX Cabin Staff survey is based around asking customers to nominate their favourite airline based upon the complete quality of their onboard experience. This is more than just serving meals or tending to customer needs, since the survey assesses the all important soft-service elements of an average passenger experience. The friendliness, enthusiasm and sincerity of staff service are clear differentiators when we examine airline performance. Consistency of service remains another critical feature, since it is this which drives future purchase and loyalty decisions amongst customers" said Plaisted.

Asiana Airlines (the 2008 winner) maintained a very strong performance taking runner up spot this year, with Thai Airways moving up into 3rd place, with Singapore Airlines in 4th and Cathay Pacific Airways in 5th position.

CONGRATULATIONS MAS!

Sydney City Zoo

2009-04-06T15:11:00.003+08:00

Me holding a Blue Tongued Skink ... his name is Bluey :)

Umm ... was some kind of lizard thinggy. Wasn't sure what it's called.

You don't leave Australia without taking a snapshot of this cutey ...
the famed Koala Bears!

Aha ... the mascot of the Down Under. Who's cuter?

Blast From the Past

2009-04-02T01:48:00.003+08:00

As I was cleaning out my drawer in my room today, I came across these pictures. He he .. made me smile a bit. Gosh .. I looked different and young. I scanned them immediately and here they are.

I still remember this day .. well, not exactly but I do remember it being taken in 1985.
Back then, I was 9 years old. I was in Grade 3 and the name of my
school was Queen Elizabeth Public School in Ottawa, Canada.
I also remember my homeroom teacher Ms. Benedict combing my hair and fashioning it
the way you see in the picture. It was messy hair picture for me that year.

This one was taken the year after. In 1986. Grade 4 with Mrs. Wood. She was the prettiest
teacher in school that time and boy was I lucky to have her as my homeroom
teacher. Unfortunately, one of the teachers moved out of the school and we were one teacher short. And because of that, we were all moved back to our classes the year
before ... not that we were put back one grade lower. We just had to share classes
with the younger kids. So, this picture was, again, with Ms. Benedict.

Finally, 5th grade! Mrs. Wood's class again. This was taken in 1987. Umm .. later that
year, we had to move back to Malaysia ... and that was like one of the
biggest turn in my life. That's what you get when you're
in a family with a Dad that travels for work. I made my 5th grade the best
it was. Joined the school patrols for the third year straight, joined the Soccer
team, played Baseball, Volleyball and Floor Hockey.

Ansett Australia B727

2009-03-26T18:36:00.005+08:00

As I was flying this plane today, I though I'd share with you some shots I took while simming.

The plane today is a B727-200 of Ansett Australia.
Flight Routing is from Darwin to Denpasar.

Plane aligning on the runway.

Pilot's eye view of what the runway looks like once the plane's aligned.

Take off. Rotate speed or V2 is about 145knots.

Not very pleasant weather. Hope all passengers have seat belts
fastened all the time when seated.

Aircraft descending into DPS.

Cockpit of descending aircraft.

On approach ... flaps set and landing gears extended.

What you see ahead is the runway.