I hate AirAsia!

Every time I see these sort of comments in FB I feel really angry. The reasons those people "hate" AirAsia are because something so timid like:
1) the fare is the same as MAS every time I check. It should not be called budget airline. (Presumably he only checked 1 week before he wanted to fly).
2) always flight delay (the true is the on time rate of AirAsia flight is above 90%, not sure where is the "always" comes from).
3) the seats are so uncomfortable, so old. The aircraft are second hand. (I think those people never take domestic flight with MAS before).
3) the customer services suck (Ok, this one i can agree, the customer service can be improved, but than aren't most of the customer services in Malaysia need to?).

Fine, since so many people complaints about AirAsia, what if there is no AirAsia? Imagine it for awhile. For those who comes from East Malaysia prior to AirAsia can related to this. We needed to go all the way to MAS HQ to apply for a student card to get 50% off the air tickets (if the seat is available after all the full fare ticket). The full price of return ticket to EM cost RM500-800 back than. Every time when we need to go back to hometown, we will travel to KLIA at 9.30pm. Stay awake overnight, queue up in front of MAS waiting list counter at 4 am and hope to get to the flight if the flight is not full on that day. So you will see plenty of students there, camping for the night. The record I had was stayed 2 nights in airport.

As for the festive season tickets, no chance of student fare. Even full fare tickets also, we always get the feedback as "is on waiting list, call back one month before the date." As I have been travel using MAS to inland in EM, I can tell you the aircrafts of MAS are not always clean nor comfortable. It is sometime smelly and yes, delay. It is nothing like the advertisement where you seat down comfortably and the beautiful air stewardess will come and served you drink. No.

So, I am not here to defend AirAsia, I don't have a share of the company. But, been through the era prior to AirAsia and now, I can really tell you how AirAsia has changed the way we travel. Nowadays my niece has never stay overnight in airport, my mother can fly to Peninsular with cost under RM100. If not because of AirAsia, we wouldn't have been able to travel to London. And it is because of pressure from AirAsia on MAS that make Firefly and the low fare tickets which now available.

AirAsia is not perfect, so is other airline. For those people with money and expected 5 star services from airline, go use MAS or Thai airway or whatever. This is a free market, no body forced you to use AirAsia. So stop talking crap!! As for us who knows, we will always grateful that Tony Fernandos has changed the way we fly.

time to say goodbye

The first wallet that I bought some 15 years ago. I bought it from Petaling Street and it cost me RM35 back than. It has been quite a eventful journey from school day until now; juggle between work and family.

It reminds me of the day when I had to take 1.5 hours bus journey from Serdang to Pudu Raya. The day when I can only afford Kenny Roger quarter meal for special occasions.

I has lost contact with the girl who accompany me when I purchased this wallet. Back than there was no handphone, no facebook and no email. Kind of difficult to keep in contact. Doesn't really help that she kicked me out of the rented house because the father thought that she quarreled with the sister because of me. At the end, I was quite grateful that I found a better place to stay.

It has been a good and faithful wallet. But time has come to say goodbye.

The Hat Trick

It's been a long time coming. Two years after he was bought, is Berbatov finally going to show us what he really is capable of on a consistent basis ?

I, for one, am very happy to see him playing the way he is. It's almost like he has been keeping himself in a magician's hat, occasionally peeking out, for the past 2 years. And now .... now, he finally comes out from the hat to reveal his true self.

The talent has never been in doubt. But the mind ... the languid barely-running style ... those have been rather iffy.

I don't know if it was the purchase of Hernandez, or the improved fitness that Berbatov credits his form for, but the man has started all guns blazing .... and then some.

This is an example of Berbatov saying the right thing :

"I was dissapointed with myself that I could not please all of the supporters. The people of Manchester United are the judges and that is the way it should be. It is their team. I am a priviliged guest."

And this is an example of Berbatov saying the wrong thing :

"I just can't wait for training. How weird is that ?"

If only Berbatov had Cantona's dedication to training ........

I guess it's never too late to start.

Would you like some paper ?

The latest phase for Catriona is drawing. This started a few weeks ago and she's been at it ever since. The drawings are more sophisticated now as she's learned how to draw what's on her mind. Guess this is probably the result of the learning from pre-school.

What is not a surprise is that there are loads of animals in her drawings.

A girl, scarecrow, rabbit, horse and sun with flowers.

The stars and moon were crossed out because the sun was coming out.

Elephants making a pact, a boy and a snake

fishes, scarecrows, flowers and a rainbow.

Darned if I know how they are connected.

Fish, sun and ... dunno ...

portrait of an artist at work

Post cards from an edge of the world

The post card I sent to myself from Laban Rata, 2.5 km from the peak of Mount Kinabalu :

it's not very clear, but the post mark is supposed to be specifically for Mt. Kinabalu

I suppose that I wrote what was on my mind at that time, bearing in mind that :

* I had just hiked for 7 hours
* The shower was ice cold. I was one of the few who braved it - and I didn't scream
* I was beginning to feel the effects of altitude sickness
* I was facing the prospect of climbing to the peak in 8 hours time - it was the great unknown
AND
* I was wondering what I was doing there instead of being at a nice beach resort somewhere

Picnic

The fulfillment of a long held wish for Catriona as we finally organized a picnic for her. It was just down the road at Saraka's green lung park but she enjoyed it. There was jelly and raspberry puffs and water. Of course, green grass and the animals as well.

Oooooppppp..... he did it again!!

Think that last year shot is a fluke? Think again.