Landing....!!

Masa dlm flight, tak sabar2 aku nak sampai Mesia.... Punyalah hepi bila nampak Tanah Melayu...!! hehe...

First glimpse of Malaysia

Huaaa... look at the clouds... cumulus nimbus kaaa...? hantam sajalah Labuuuu...! hujan lebat tuh...!

as we descend further, I can immediately guess that we will be hitting the nasty clouds before touching down... time to buckle up...!

Going into the clouds...!! bergegar flight 777-300er tuhhhh...!

The wings touching the clouds...! happening...! ahaks...!! :)

come onnnn...!! just a little bit more...!! :)

that's the last one....!! the land...!! the land...!! :D

Bandar apakah ittew...?!!! could it be Shah Alam...? may be...

the final approach before touching down....

landed safely at 2h15pm.... alhamdulillahhhh...! :)

What a turn off...!!

What a turn off...!!! Potong stimmmmm sajaaaa...!!

hari tuh, aku punyalah berbangga yang aku dapat tiket AirAsiaX AUH - KUL return at the price of AED397... punyalah hepi sampai aku hebohkan satu kampung....!! tengok2... hmmmm... tak sempat guna pun tiket tu, AirAsiaX AUH - KUL route is suspended until further notice (effective end Feb, 2010)...

bila dgr berita nih kat radio a few days back (yeah... it came out in Dubaieye news channel!!), kelam kabut carik alternative flight nak balik bercuti di Malaysia end March nih.... Nasib baik dpt tiket on the very same day, with the same schedule, but from Dubai instead....

well, will be going home end March, with style... hahaha... Naik full fledge airlines... Emirates (did I tell you that I am "working" with Emirates to promote them...? ala2 kira Duta Emirates lah!! haha...) And managed to get a ticket at reasonable price lak tuh...! AED2225... kiranya reasonable lah tuh... selalunya, kalo buat booking through travel agent, it would be as high as AED3500 (summer fare)... dapat miles, luggage allowance of 30kg (instead of the usual 20kg...), dan memanglah tak dapat dinafikan, Emirates memang kelassss....!!! hehe... Tak sabar nak enjoy Emirates inflight entertainment system, dan tido di bawah sinaran bintang2...!! :D (bintang2 tipu ler... bintang2 kat lelangit pesawat tuh...).

So... tak spoil my holiday plan... cuma kena bayar extra ler (berbandingkan the flight fare for AirAsiaX)... Btw, I have alrdy started the countdown for the holiday.... balik kampung....!!!! balik kampung....!!! hati rianggggggg....!!! :)

Btw, something funny, when AirAsiaX suspends its flight service to Abu Dhabi, Emirates Airlines announced the following day that it was increasing the number of flights serving Kuala Lumpur... Believe it or not, now there are 3 flights per day going to Kuala Lumpur from Dubai....!!! 21 flights per week....!!! huaaaa.....!! Am wondering, how come AirAsiaX flight tak penuh sampai terus kensel huh...? Salah destination kah...? May be Dubai could have been a better choice instead of Abu Dhabi.....? Anyhow, with the increase of flight frequency between Dubai and KL, maknanya, most probably, Emirates ticket for KL would stay reasonable in order to get people to fill in the aircrafts...? ada betoi kaaa...? huaaaa....! bestnyer....!!! :)

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20100201192615/Article/

AirAsiaX AUH - KUL

Sempena hujung tahun yang kurang sedikit activiti2 bisnes disebabkan orang semua pergi bercuti... maka kitapun apa lagi, ambil kesempatan lah balik kampung naik AirAsiaX.... tiket murah maaa... went back only for the wknd.... :)

Flight departs from Abu Dhabi (AUH), so kena ambik teksi dari Dubai ke Abu Dhabi airport... oklah, lepas campur2 all the expenses, it is still relatively cheap compared to other airlines...

Abu Dhabi airport is surprisingly small.... even smaller than T1 Dubai airport.... dan masa tuh, banyak lak flight going out, maka agak rimas jugaklah dibuat dek orang yg terlalu ramai....

The "Singapore Girls", dgn kebaya, lenggang lengguk pegi ke aircraft

AirAsiaX... yeah...!!! biasalahkan, pesawatnya diparkir di hujung dunia.... so naik bas, turun bas, baru masuk pesawat...

Flight was surpsrisingly not full... Aircraft pun aircraft lama... so nothing much.... very bare compared to Emirates Airlines... abih tuh, nak buat camna, budget airlines maaa....:)

This is what I had... Nasi lemak, and mineral water, and Green Tea.... bandingkan dgn the food that they serve in full fledge aircraft, memang jauh berbeza.... Anyhow, flight was at 3am, so, masuk flight jer, terus dodo....

First view of Malaysia after 7hour flight... Flight sampai jam 2ptg kat KL LCCT

AirAsiaX flying high... balik kampung...!!! oh oh oh, balik kampung...!! :D

This was the aircraft.... wondering if it is on lease and does not really belong to AirAsiaX... The logo on the aircraft is for an American Football team.... apa kena mengena lak dgn AirAsiaX...?

That's about it.... nothing much, it was a quick trip over the wknd to balik kampung.... Balik Abu Dhabi, sampai jam 12h30pagi.... terus ambil teksi ke Dubai, sampai Dubai jam 2h30pagi, tido, and the following day terus masuk opis....

letih woooo...!! but puas....!! :D

Customer Service – AirAsia style

I would be going back to KL end March, cuba naik AirAsiaX ler… abis tuh, dah dapat tiket murah ya amat, sapa tak nak balik…? Betoi tak…? Sekarang nih dah start planning2 dah utk cuti 3 bulan lagi… Realized one thing… camna nak pegi airport Abu Dhabi huh…? Kalo naik teksi, it would cost about AED250… hmmm tertanya2 kalo ada cara yang lebih murah… Etihad does provide a bus shuttle service from Dubai to Abu Dhabi airport, was wondering if AirAsiaX does the same….

So gua hantar lah email inquiry di bawah at AirAsia website… :

• Is AirAsiaX operating a bus shuttle service from Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai city centre? if yes, what is the time table for the service and what is the cost of the ride?
• If AirAsiaX is not operating a bus shuttle service from Abu Dhabi airport to Dubai city centre, can passengers use the service of Etihad shuttle (Abu Dhabi airport - Dubai city centre) at a fee?
  

I think the above questions are quite straight forward. Anyhow, at the website, it was written that I would get a respond within 5 working days… (sebab depa sibuk dgn depa punya anniversary promotion). Well after nearly 2 weeks of wait, I received the below mail today

Dear Mr Johan,

We thank you for writing in on us. (no sweat…!! It was a pleasure… Btw, “writing in on us”… was that “Manglish”?)

For immediate assistant in regard this matter, Kindly please contact our call center deprtment for immediate solution. The Number you should call is :603-21719333(Malaysia +8 gmt) open from 8.00am till 10.00pm (What…? To get a simple feedback from your side, I have to call all the way to Malaysia? You don’t even know what your company can and cannot do? And since you don’t know the answer and don’t bother to check with your counterpart in Abu Dhabi, you tell the customer to call the Customer Careline in Malaysia? Huaaa… pandainyer Taichi…? Black Belt level 7 Dan one huh you…? I am sending an email because it will give you time to check instead of me holding on the phone for 1 hour to get an answer. I don’t care who will answer the email, but since at your website, all queries are sent to Customer Care in Malaysia, so, silalah jawab dan beri penerangan…)

Hope with this explanation may helps you. (huh…? How did your “no-answer” could have helped me moroon….??)

Thank you and have a good day. (I was having a good day until I got your mail)

Kind Regards,
Mohd Farid
Customer Care
Airsaia Berhad


Frankly, I thought that I would avoid the “forever bad” customer service in UAE by sending this email (to avoid the annoying rude and stupid answers when you call any customer call centre in UAE). But receiving this kind of feedback from a company based in Malaysia is really disappointing.

Anyhow, pls also note the disclaimer at the bottom of the email : This mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual, entity or company to whom they are addressed. (only for me to read huh…? My friends cannot read meh?). If you have received it in error please accept our apologies and notify the sender (details above). The unauthorised use, disclosure, copying, alteration or dissemination of any information in this message is strictly forbidden (ouh shaitttt….!!! I shouldn’t have posted a copy of the mail in my blog…!!! Ouh my….!!! So, ekcelli huh En Farid… you can also say all sorts of stupid things in your email, and/or even write profanities, but if I reveal it to other people, you have the right to sue me huh….? Hmmmm….. )

Alaaa… sebab dah bengkek dpt stupid email cam kat atas tu, mulalah kita mencari all the small mistakes to highlight… biasalah kaaaannnn….???

First, level of customer service memang hancur berderai (wondering why he was not properly trained, macam tangkap muat jer… mengcukupkan quota bumiputra ker…?)

And secondly, English dia pun punah ranap….Hmmm….

I wonder how I can send the above email response to Tony Fernandez... Comment/ Post kat blog dia kaaa…? Would be interesting to see his response/reaction... keh keh keh...!!!

Hmmm... finally....!!

What's the right expression for this....? "It's about time..."?... hmmm, not really, since I think that it has been long overdue.... Anyhow, tell me the right expression for this, pls...

Also interesting that the story was picked up from The Straits Times (Singapore), before being picked up again by The Malaysian Insider...

Chinese-style mosques in three states

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Three new mosques with Chinese-style architecture will soon be built in three different states, in a bid by the government to win over the Chinese community.

The mosques, to be built in Rawang in Selangor, Malacca and Perak, will be ready in the next two years.

Like Malaysia's first Chinese-style mosque, which was completed recently in Kelantan, they will combine classic Chinese and Islamic architectural styles. Familiar pagoda-style roofs replace the usual domes alongside minarets.

And while sermons in mosques here are usually delivered only in Malay, they will be given in Malay and Mandarin at the three new mosques.

The government had given approval to the building of the mosques, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Mashitah Ibrahim, to help the Chinese community understand Islam better.

“It is a form of dakwah (spreading the message of Islam),” she told The Straits Times.

“We also want to get closer to the Chinese and help them to understand that Islam does not promote hatred towards other religions.”

Mashitah, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, added that the mosques will focus on promoting Chinese culture such as art, herbs and food.

The mosques, which are being funded by the government and the Chinese-Muslim community, will also organise non-religious festivities during festivals such as Chinese New Year and the mooncake festival. They are part of efforts to reach out to the Chinese people, many of whom believe that Islam imposes rigid rules on Muslim converts.

Many believe that embracing Islam would mean losing their racial identity and cutting ties with their family members.

Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (Macma) president Datuk Mustapha Ma acknowledged this misconception among the Chinese.

“Perhaps it is our mistake for not doing enough to explain Islam to the community,” he said.

“But now, it will be easier for us as we can organise non-religious activities in Chinese mosques and invite the non-Muslims.”

According to Ma, the Chinese Muslim population has been growing, from only 57,000 a decade ago to an estimated 70,000 now.

Still, the community remains a minority among the Chinese, who make up 6.7 million of Malaysia's 28 million population.

The association had been asking the government to build Chinese-style mosques over the past 10 years, but their applications had been turned down.

One of the reasons, explained Datuk Abdullah Zin, religious adviser to the Prime Minister, was that the state religious authorities felt that there should not be various types of mosques as Islam promoted unity.

Some Chinese Muslims also said there was little need for such mosques and sermons in Mandarin.

“Most Chinese understand Malay here,” said Kedah teacher Ani Aishah Fatimah Leong Abdullah, 42.

Still, Macma's Ma believes that the building of the Chinese-style mosques could help to ease current racial tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims.

“We can show that Islam is a universal religion by building such mosques,” he said.

“Non-Muslims can attend non-religious activities there, and the mosques can be used by all Muslims, not only Chinese Muslims, for prayer.” — The Straits Times

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/45412-chinese-style-mosques-in-three-states

(errr... gambo2, gua cilok from internet, seperti biasa lah...!! haha...)

Wanted : dead or alive....!!

Same old story.... like many Malaysian families have encountered.... Pembantu rumah at my mom's house sudah lariiikkkk...!!!

hmmm... I am wondering what goes throough their mind when they do that... Effa has been with us for less than 6 months... Dpt pun illegally... supposed to be a cousin of Viviek/Bibik (in the middle in above photo). She was alrdy in Malaysia, and looking for a job... and we needed someone to help my parents at home (especially my mom who is not 100% mobile, leg injury..).

Tak disangka2... I believe that we have treated her well... No abuse for sure, and she was becoming part of the family... Shawl yang gua bawak balik dari Dubai hari tuh pun (utk bagi kat sedara mara), gua ada bagi sehelai kat dia... Iyalah, org berbudi, kita berbahasa... I must say that she has also been doing a good job at home... My mom was happy with her work, and when I was back in Ipoh during Raya, I can see myself that she was doing what she was supposed to be doing.... So, semua hepi2 ler...

The only thing is that rumah tuh memang senyap sikit... Only my parents left at home, her work was to make sure that the house is clean, cook for my parents, and accompany my mom whenever my mom goes to hospital for "wound cleaning & dressing"... and... that's about it... Since the house is a bit quiet, my mom let her go stay with her cousin at the nursing home from time to time....

Nak jadi cerita, one evening she stayed at the nursing home, andddd.... late evening, she left with a guy.... Viviek/Bibik pun (supposedly sepupunya... cakap depa nih bukan boley percaya sgt pun) tak terkata apa.... hmmm....

apa nak buat... nasib baik tak bayar apa2 to hire her last time.... (but my mom gave 3 weeks advance salary, because she said that she needed some money for family matters. Tak ada barang hilang kat rumah...)... Apa nak dikata...? dapat dia dulu pun secara tak halal..., dah asalnya tak bagus, langsung cam ni lah jadinya... what to do....

But seriously, I wonder what goes through her head... We were not demanding on her work, we treated her well... and I have to say that she also did her job well.... Kenapa nak ke tempat lain? dah la org buat cerita... "larik ikut jantan..."

so sesapa jumpa dia (photo, in red rectangular), cakap kat dia, "Bapak Johan kirim salam... Selamat Maju Jaya"

Anak2 dan menantu Mat Nor.... (my arwah atuk, mom side)

Masa raya2 nih lah seronok jumpa sedara mara.... Raya ke3, my mom side had a family gathering... (anak2 Mat Nor)... best....!! jumpa bapak2 & mak2 sedara.... (dan laki bini & anak2 deme...).

a friend was talking about how the Malays call their uncle & aunties... well, here goes....

my mom, anak sulung... aka Mak Cho (mak yang beso, as in the eldest laaa...). one funny thing, we, the children call my mom "Enche"... dunno where that came from, but we have other relatives calling their mom "Enche" as well....

Wah, my 1st aunt.... dunno why suddenly we call her "Wah"... and again, we have some other relatives calling one of their aunts as "Wah" as well.... I seriously wonder where these appellations come from...

after Wah, arwah Opah meninggal (tumpah darah, giving birth to a still born baby)... both passed away (mother & child), so Tok Mat Nor, kawin baru... Maka dapatlah Mak Yong as the first child... In Perak, anak sulung is often called Yeop (male) or Yong (female).... since this is the first child from another mother, the cycle starts all over again.... So, Mak Yong... as in Mak yang sulong....??

then came Mak Nyah... supposedly "Mak yang tengah"

then Ayah Lang (right), and Ayah Pandak (left)... I think this is where the normal/regular applellations don't work anymore... banyak sgt dpt anak, so kena cari nama2 panggilan yang lain sket.... seriously dunno where panggilan "Ayah Lang" & "Ayah Pandak" come from...

then came Ayah Chik (ayah yang kecil...)

then came "Ateh"... (yang puteh...??)

after that "Achik"... errr.... there's alrdy "Ayah Chik", why got anthr "Achik"...? confusing...

Pak Tam.... (Pakcik yang itam...??? hantam sajalah Labuuuuu....!!! dah banyak sgt anak, kasi taruh saja depa punya nama panggilan.... hehe...)

Pak Tan... (sebabnya, masa kecil Pak Tan was called Atan by my Atuk...). Pak Tan is only 1 year my senior...

missing in action is Pak Su (Pakcik yang bongsu...). Tak dpt cuti, kena keghojer kat KL... Obviously, Pak Su is younger than me.... so I have 1 "pakcik muda"... nasib baik sorang jer... Can you imagine how many "younger uncles & aunts" my elder brothers & sisters have.... Pening kepalo memikiokannya....!! confusing laaa.... haha...

quite impressive, out of 12 siblings, sorang jer tak dpt dtg... itupun sebab tak dpt cuti....

then come the spouses....

Pak Usop, husband to Mak Yong.... supposed to be called Pak Yeop, or Ayah Long (ayah yg sulong...)

Pakcik Majid, husband to Mak Nyah.... supposedly called Ayah Nyah (ayah yang tengah)

from left, Mak Andak, wife to Ayah Pandak, Mak Tam, wife to Pak Tam... dunno who iin the middle, and Achik on the extreme right...



Mak Lang/ Mak Yang... wife to Ayah Lang

Makcik Murni, wife to Pak Tan

Pakcik Rosli & Pak Teh, husband to Achik & Ateh

In a nutshell, 1 big happy family... eh, ya ker...? hehe...

banyak orang, banyak ler ragamnya...:)

Fami, si kemetot....!! :)

tempat tuh utk tolak kerusi roda la Fami oooiiii....!! utk turun naik tangga, bukannya tempat gelongsor...!! haha.... hancus budak sekor nih....!!

so cute though...!! :D

photo taken masa Raya ke3, family gathering kat my mom's nursing home...

7 more days...

Rock chocolates

Spiced Cashew nuts, Salted cashew nuts, Salted Pistachios...

7 more days...!! can't wait...!!

Am so sad.....!!

Di mana hilangnya sopan santun melayu...?

The Last of Their Kind...

7days UAE
Tuesday 1 Sep, 2009


In the language of the nomadic Penan there is no word for forest, it is simply their universe, and its destruction is snuffing out the ancient lifestyle of this tribe, who are among the world’s last hunter-gatherers.

Wielding spears and dressed in loincloths, one small band who emerged from the Borneo jungles to tell their tale, said that encroachment by timber and plantation firms has made their already hard life impossible.

They said they are ready to stop roaming and settle in villages, giving weight to fears that the 300-400 Penan thought to still be nomadic may all soon descend on local populations, or even that their way of life is already extinct.

“Our problem is that there is just not enough to eat, there are no wild boar to catch any more,” said Sagong, the headman of the group. “The companies logged all the teak already, and now they are going to clear the land for palm oil plantations.”

The young chief had brought 15 of his people to a blockade against the timber and plantation companies.

“If that happens, we lose everything, we cannot survive this,” he said. “Yes it is sad to leave this life of roaming. But what can we do? We have to strive for the best for ourselves. It is our fate to face this challenge.”

A lean and muscular man in his 30s, Sagong said their last hope was to join the anti-logging campaign that has escalated recently in Sarawak state, on Malaysia’s half of Borneo, an island shared with Indonesia.

“I came here to man the blockade and safeguard the land,” he said at one of the barriers built of logs and bamboo, among seven constructed in the region in recent months to force the timber trucks to a halt.

The Penan of Sarawak, who are estimated to number about 10,000, had mostly abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in villages by the 1970s under the influence of Christian missionaries.

Even the settled Penan still retain a deep connection to the jungle, foraging for rattan, medicinal plants, fruits, and sago palm - a starchy staple. Wild game are hunted with finely crafted blowpipes and poison darts.

The Penan have been opposing logging for decades, but the spectre of bulldozers coming in to clear-fell what is left of the jungles has proved too much to bear.

Jayl Langub, an anthropologist from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said the nomadic Penan are being thrust into the modern world through contact with loggers, satellite TV, and the boarding schools where some send their children.

“It would be better if they made their own decision and settled at their own pace, but these changes are coming very rapidly and I think it just overwhelms them,” he said.

“However much they want to remain nomadic, the changes to the landscape mean it probably would not be possible for them to continue anyway... unless they live next to a national park, or unless areas are converted into reserves.”

On a sliver of hilltop not far from the blockade, Sagong’s tribe from the district of Ba Marong has constructed three sturdy open-sided huts, raised from the ground and built of saplings and bamboo lashed together with vines.

In a tropical downpour that drenched the canopy and turned the ground into mud, they sat serenely with their children - including a five-month-old baby - who, despite these most basic conditions were clean, dry and healthy.

As she played with a baby monkey that the family kept as a pet, Sagong’s daughter Nili smiled and shook her head when she was asked whether she liked this life in the rainforest. “I would like to go to school,” she said shyly.