Thursday, July 27, 2006

23rd-27th July 2006 (Kuala Lumpur)

It was a birthday treat to myself at the same time wanting to try out a low cost carrier service on Air Asia. It was indeed a great experience. Flight was fine, altho one needs to rush!!! At first, I felt like I was in a queue for a flight home as a refugee from war!! like.. hey... I need to get onto that plane stat! ahahah... Looking at people's behavious nevertheless made me smile or even laugh once in a while. Although on overall, I'd say it's not my best flying experience yet not the worst. The worst part of it was queueing up whether it be during check in or in line for boarding. Two words of advice for flying that airline is : BE QUICK!

KL really has changed since the last time I came which was in 2000? I really didnt know what to expect, all I know is Bukit Bintang, Starbucks, Masjid India, Shopping and Shopping again... of course which includes at those branded stores of Gucci, Prada, Zeqna, and they even have La Source! aahaha... What ever branded couture you want, you name it and there you are... I dodnt really care much and didnt even botehr to look out for these kind of places as I had no intention of buying or whatsoever. Tunggu ku shopping for wedding sama bini ku! Shopping tah ku tu brabis!!!! But with KL... it's so cekik darah!! I felt so miskin at Marks and Spencer where I could just easily dump anything I want from M&S UK and Singapore. KL, aiyo... tak der duit lah cik!!! Poket dah ciput... tak boleh lah cam gini kan!

What made me happy? Starbucks were basically within an arm stretch! It's so ubiquitous that I could refill myself at anytime! ahaha. I just left mom and sis do their shopping or browse around while I just sit at any bench enjoying the taste of fresh coffee or chocs! ahahaha. Buyung parut yo!!! Baik jua parut ku nada kana chop starbucks brand! ahaa Nandos on the otehr hand was great!!! Tapi panas berangat belaing mata makan!

The highlight!!!!!! *MUST READ*

I was in a hurry to urinate. So I rushed to the nearest toilet at the mall, paid 30cents as what it said on the signboard at this unmanned counter. Rushed into the toilet which has label "MEN" da'oh! ahhaa..

Siap business, I was so annoyed with this bin which I asked myself.. why the hell must there be a bin in the cubicle.. which never happened before. I read this label with instructions.. "Sanitary Bin"..... WTH!!! My eyes wide opened quickly thinking hopefully there will be no one outside!! ahahah. Buka pintu... Tada!!! A lady was washing her hands... hahaha. I was in the ladies LOO!!!

I apologised to the toilet attendant, and ran into the Men's just to wash my hands.. kira tutup malu and cukupkan syarat! aahahaha.

Comparison: the ladies are much more cleaner with no funny smells where as the men's usually smelly with ammonia smell of the urine hahha and smoke smell. Plus dirty too! AND of course urinals!!!! ahahah

Ok atu saja from KL. I bought nothing but samsonite bag, snake skin sandal and some otehrs. see below!

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Comments on the trip:
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  1. Journey was dreadful almost 8hours pakah!
  2. Orang KL ramai penipu.. especially the taxis!
  3. Starbucks, I am happy.
  4. Food and Drinks are sooo easy!!
  5. You can get almost anything but pricey.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Air Asia Flying in To Brunei.

Air Asia is a no frills airline that is aggressively making name in the world of Airline industry within the ASEAN and Asian region. It had also made its name known to the UK as it was the national carrier for Manchester United Football team.

Since the introduction of new Air Asia no frills system by Datuk Fernandez ( he has very thick Brits Accent btw), it has attracted millions of people to travel by air from point A to point B especially within Malaysia. With ticket prices ranging from RM0.99 to RM499 (excluding taxes), and captivating adverts around, undoubtedly it's a choice by many. With the slogan "Everyone Now Can Fly", many indeed who never had the opportunity to fly on aeroplane had the opportunity to do so. Holiday makers on the other hand smile widely due to the money they could save for a short flight.

As consequences of the establishment, its close rival Malaysia Airlines had suspended many flights especially those regional flights covered by Air Asia. Now, since July 11th, 2006, Air Asia made it first debut landing in Brunei International Airport. As a result, many brilliant ideas spurs online with comments such as "RBA is going to make loses" and many others. However, just bare in mind that Brunei International Airport is managed by RBA itself. Any landing fees etc will mean paying RBA.

BruStu is no exception when it comes discussing the above idea. Hence I came up with the possibile pros and cons of flying either RBA (or maybe any other major airlines) between Air Asia (any non frills will apply). This came up when one of the thread posters were saying "RBA sampit and kapal terabangnya damit." ( He was flying on RBA probably to KL and complaining the Airbus being small etc, so I was asking him, how does that make Air Asia any better which would probably even worse!)

Below is what I had to say about it:
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I think the new retrofitted 767's are alright... and very good compared to SQ even...

Even the average Mat Salleh's who are commonly big built were able to fit in and sleep. If I were to compare SQ and BI, BI is more generous when it comes to seating pitch. More on the IFE System, BI ones are much better as it has this stop play pause rewind etc features compared to SQ which is on the tube. Altho I admit that BI still faces some glitches on its system inflight. But that is experienced by many other airlines as well.

Maybe I sounded biased comparing BI with SQ only.. cos I only travelled long haul with these two airlines. MH, BA, SI, and the rest are just for short hauls. BA sucks in a way for that matter... ahahha... for a short 1 hour hop in flight, you get "Trolly Granny" to serve you on board! ahahahhaa... That is totally out of the question anyways.

I dont know if I can compare between BI and AK as I have never travelled AK before (in few days time insyallah). But I can anticipate the inferiority in AK compared to BI due to the "No-Frills" idea. We will see how it goes.

Crew attentiveness wise, I dont really know yet what to say. But most of the cabin crew in AK are experienced crews. Some have worked for big airlines like MH, SQ, and even Middle Eastern Airlines. But still they have to suit their service according to AK's guidelines. But hey, as individuals, I dont think the crew would be that stingy to give that warm smile welcoming you on board, would they?

But as far as BI and AK in Brunei is concerned, we just hope for a healthy competition in the name of airline industry. We as consumers, we are now being given choices on which airline that suit your needs to transfer you between Brunei to KL and other cities. So utilise that open choices and opportunity.

If one is so loyal to an airline eg RBA, carry on flying BI and dont even bother with the existence of other carriers.

Advantages I can point out:

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RBA:

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1. Our national carrier

2. Safety standards and Aircraft handlers are up to 1st class standards

3. Meals served on board

4. Inflight entertainment

5. Seating allocation and reservations / Guaranteed seating

6. Rescheduling for missed flights

7. Assistance for the needy ones : disabilities, unaccompanied minors, elderly etc (I have read and AK does not provide extra services for these groups of people)

8. Delayed flight services : eg Hotel, refreshment, transfers

9. Lost Baggage insurance refund. (more here compared to AK)

10. Baggage Allowance 20kg compare 15kg for AK

11. Aiport services including usage of lounges

12. and of course the brand

13. Mileage accrual for frequent flyers members (can redeem free tickets and upgrades)

14. Choice of classes

15. Code sharing services between airlines

16. Flexible flight times (depending on your destination)

17. Land at major international airports

Air Asia:

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1. Cheap, altho not the case as always

2. Meals available, so one wont be starving

3. Qualified and trained cabin crews

4. Ticketless, so it's easy to arrange

5. Serves many Asian cities (dont know if this is an advantage)

6. Famous? *lame review indeed*

7. On time (it says they're 80% on time)

Disadvantages:

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RBA:

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1. Highly priced

2. Allocated seating are not freely exchangeable unless the intended seat is unoccupied

3. Cabin crew may be sometimes grumpy (low chances)

Air Asia:

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1. Price is not always as advertised

2. Need to book via Internet (think for those computer illiterate) altho now there are limited agents but with extra charges

3. Low Cost Terminal Aiports, usually far from city

4. Non guaranteed seating

5. No changes allowed for missed flights

6. NO extra services for delays

7. Refreshment onboard will cost you some money

8. No special assistance for needy ones (unaccompanied minors, handicapped, disabled)

9. Aircraft maintenance may not be as good as BIG airlines, although standards set by aviation authorities are fully met (IATA, etc).

10. Crew training (for novice crew) are not as intensive as major airlines, hence customer service "might" be compromised.

11. Ground services will be limited

12. No class allocation

13. Limited baggage allowance for free

14. Quick turnover flights means less time to clean and check the aircraft prior to next take off. Hence, substandard cleanliness etc.

15. No inflight entertainment

16. No blankets and pillows... jan prasan.. ahhaha so that comes under comfort then

Soon to be added and I will only see the truth when I experience it myself this 23rd July! ehehe so keep posted! Thank you!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Alright... my cravings and obsession.

Oh well at least I have some sort of mind diversion rather than concentrating on cravings for foods. My cravings will be posted in pictures below.

Other than my usual time spent procrastinating, I've made my day productive today. Cathy came with this brilliant idea going jungle trekking at Sg.Liang Forestry. Went there at 5pm where there were practically no one although there were number of cars parked. Had a long walk through the partially-paved jungle, up and down the hills, had a few stops to catch some breaths, then down following the track to the car park. It took around 1.5 hours to complete. Honestly, I could get lost if I was alone.

Had a few minutes rest with my bottled tea, sweat it off then came to think... what's next? Made a trip to Lumut recreation club. Went down and we had a closer look around. Off straight to KB and picked up my things for a swim at Complex Mumong. We started swimming at 7pm. Wow... what a day!! ehehhe

Ok cravings bit:
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CARS (SUV's)
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1. BMW X3.

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The new variant of X series SUV by BMW. Small, Compact and sporty. To me it's the luxury version to my current Vitara. With that of course it comes with a price and power. The small sportish look that attracts me most. It has a typical BMW interior finishing where you simply wont mistakenly it with any other car makers but BMW. The performance is simply sleek and powerful. Comes in 4 variants (I think) 2.0i and 3.0i Sport for petrol engines and 2.0d and 3.0d Diesel engines. On overall, this car really wins me. In Brunei, it is still a rare sight to be seen but there are few on the road.

2. Mercedes ML350.

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This car meant to come first before I fell in love with the X3. However, on overall this car supposedly no comparison to any SUV's within it's range of predecessors. Even Top Gear rated this car as top SUV with no flaws. Simply non negativity, may it be passenger comfort and safety to performance and style. However, the only downside to this car for me is that, the gear or transmission shift stick is attached to the steering wheel rather than the typical centre gear shirt stick. Otherwise, this car would definitely wins me. Hence came second on my personal cravings. Brunei: Also very rare species to be seen, probably will more to come on Brunei roads as it is quite new. Easily visible at the Jati showroom in Gadong.

3. Volkswagen (VW) Touareg .

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In two strong words, I could sum up this car as TOUGH and STRONG. Physically this car is wide and low making it looking tough and powerful. Those two features that attract me the most on this VW. Close predecessor of look to the powerful and highly priced Porsche Cayenne. Interior wise, cockpit is the best with cool gear stick and dashboard. The control panel is simply elegant but sporty. Comes with many electronic features with mostly digital panels compared to the earlier X3. Why 3rd? Simple.. cos I prefer BMW and Merc.. ahhaa.. otherwise.. Touareg you could have won the battle.

*alahai~~~ pandai2 buat review... mampu beli ku pun inda (for now) ahhaha....~~~ tiada kena mengena pada yang hidop ataupun yang dah kondem!

Sunglasses or Shades or Sunnies.. whatever lah. hahha I need a new pair.
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A collection of RayBan aviator shades. They're not the typical aviators but they are! ehehe. They may look the same, but they have some distinctive features to it. Simply hard decision there. Really need a new shades indeed.

I think for now that's it. My brains are all spoilt now! ahhaha

Have fun!

I got Punked!

Time: 3.30pm
Day: Wednesday
Date: 12th July 2006.

I received from an unlisted KB number. Answered the phone and the conversation starts:

Me: Hello
Her: Can I speak to Sani please..?
Me: Hi.. yes... may I know who's on the line?
Her: remember me? I'm from Ireland...
Me: oh yeah... *excited tipu* Hi... how are you...how have you been?
Her: oh great.. I'm fine.. I was wondering if I could stay at your place?
Me: hmm... I am not really sure about that as I am staying with my parents. For how long do you intend to stay?
Her: a month...
Me: *geleng kepala*... owh... a mth... I am not really sure.. I will need to talk to my parents about that.... Where you at btw..
Her: I'm at Jalan pretty... cos I remember you said... you're from Kuala Belait...
Me: yeah.. I stay in KB... *speechless sekajap*
Her: burst into laughters and said... lai.... *cakap melayu*
Me: *still bangang* finding words of excuse....
Her: Carry on talking in malay..

then sekali siapanah!!!! Mummey BondGrrl!!!!! DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and she said this "YOU GOT PUNKED!" hahahhah DAMN!!!

lamah jantung tulang menulang ku eh!

Being happy over small things isn't a crime.

Heya! For the past few days/weeks, I've been such a happy person. Maybe because my birthday is coming up soon! ahaha

Well yesterday, I had a great swim. Just to get back into shape. I lost a little waist centimetres and hopefully some Kilos as well. Have been on a diet plan and seems to be on track indeed. Had a wonderful thai dinner at lemon grass. It was damn goood!

This afternoon, I received two early birthday greeting cards. One of it is soo special that it came from an 11months old nephew. With his handprints on it! hehehe

So, I'm off to KL in few days time. Hopefully it's a gonna be all good! ehhe

Bye!

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