I know the CtYF NTM is way overdue and yes, i got it written down in my HP in bits and pieces (wrote as i commuted on trains these past days and week). And no, i have not completed and so wait. BUT i need to write this down lest i forget every detail of it and its exasperation.....
Yesterday Dr lowly n I went for dinner after a staff meeting in his office. I was rushing to make it to prayer meeting on time as i was the pianist for the night. It was already 7.40pm and he parked at West Mall. I came out of the car eagerly and started walking to the exit door. I stopped and turned to look when i sensed he wasnt beside me. Saw him fidgeting next to the car and thought perhaps he wanted to take something out or what..... Waited a while before i realised he was struggling. Walked back and was told "this stupid electronic stuff just couldnt lock".
"Huh?" Yes, it is a new car and yes, new high-end technology... but comeon, what can be so difficult to lock it up? He said the car just refused to be locked as there were signs indicated at the dashboard that something was just not right.
"What was it? Just follow the sign and settle."
He didnt reply me. Gave me a "i know better than you" look and continued in his struggles. I had a glance at the alert sign and offered suggestions like brake, footbrake, parking gear, etc.... You know when a man is angry or frustrated, he is not listening.... sigh....
Then i told him to pretend he is driving out, start the engine, off it and then lock the car. Surprisingly, he "obeyed". But it didnt work. The annoying sign was still there and i was going to be real late. And so came the next suggestion from me, "Why dont you just pretend to drive, as in move out 1 foot and move back"....he tried and no solution in sight.
Desperate, i said, "Why dont you let me try?".....he was angry, as in like what can he not do that i can do......besides, it is his car key, set to his seating height and depth and i didnt bring mine. So what difference does it make who try to lock it. But with all the stupid cow sense i have in my head, i still insisted that he let me try. He has been going in and out, starting and trying to off the engine for umpteen times....it will be a long long night and no harm of me trying.....
MCP??? Haha... i would think so.... When i asked the 3rd time to let me try, he gave me a look like "you are neither smart nor have common sense and there is nothing you can do that will ever make a difference". I never gave up. I thought maybe a 2nd person, 2nd touch can make an impact... hahaha... i dont know. I needed to settle this problem real quick and it was really silly wasting time over the BIG toy that refuse to SHUT UP!
Oh man..... i bit my lip and asked the 4th time. This time, either out of frustration or just wanted to see me "defeated", he passed me the electronic key. At that moment, i didnt know if i could "solve" the silly problem, and so i sat on the seat. As i pressed the switch to turn off engine, for the first time i saw the warning sign clearly......the front passenger door is not locked.... as in the pic showed that door. Immediately, i came out, went over the other side, opened and closed it. Then i handed the key to him to lock it......so pretty sure it would work this time. True enough the car SHUT UP.
It was a moment of which he didnt know whether to be angry with me or not.... COZ i was THE ONE who caused the problem....didnt close it properly when i came out. BUT didnt he read the sign??? What does a man really see when something is flashing? I wonder.... but you know what, i arrive at this conclusion:
A woman creates a problem of which a man has no clues to solving it nor able to control it and finally, it takes a woman to end it.
And i was late for prayer meeting, they had to sing acapella before exhortation.....argh.....
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
CtYF NTM 2 - 1st Night & Day
Alright folks, it was a tough decision to make whether to write the NTM in a daily journal or group the events up. Decided to do daily so brace yourself for llllllooooonnnnngggggg essay......
Thank you all who came to support and encourage us and your prayers too.
Well, thank God we could clear the custom and so we went in 2 trucks. Pr Xiong bidded us farewell at the bus station. We placed most of our bags into the Harichaikul's truck and asked them to proceed back to Chiang Rai first while we took our lunch and waited for our coach.
It was quite a ride....having a he-she as our guide and a crazy mad driver. He horned at everyone who was in his way and he was super fast and daring too. Thank God for safety and in exactly 3 hours from 1.30pm, we reached Chiang rai bus station.
We were picked up by 3 trucks and headed straight to BDC. Hot lovely goreng pisang and happy children faces greeted us!! Thereafter, we had a hot bath, our first thai dinner and the final programme for the long day.....night devotion. The shoes and bags that we brought were distributed by the youths. That night, it was a record time when we all got to bed.....9pm!!!! For the first time, no one complained it was too early....... :)
1 Dec 2008
Five star coach was the one i booked to travel from SIN to KL to catch our flight to chiang mai. Executive class - that's what it was called. Upon booking, the staff told me the seat has massage function and also come with personal tv screen. Hmmm, sounded great, right?
With excited and eager hearts, our group gathered to meet at Boon Lay Shopping Centre.... a delay of 3.5 days from our original departure date.
I was tremendously encouraged by the massive turnout of tengah folks that night. See the pic to believe :)
Thank you all who came to support and encourage us and your prayers too. The luxury coach housed all of us exclusively, 19 in total. It was super super comfy, each individual seat in a capsule and a wide reclining angle. Some of the send-off folks inspected the coach to check it out. Ha ha.:)
After everyone got a seat, it was exploration time. My name was like occuring every 5 or 10 seconds with
"aunty alen, why the tv screen not working?";
"aunty alen, why the chair cannot massage?"
"aunty alen, can we keep the towel placed on each seat?" wow! This last one occured sooo many times till i got a little frus and replied :(
"i am not sure but i think you cannot take the towel. It is not paid for."
"but we paid much for the seat and so it must be free like the bottled water, right?"
oh man, "why dont you ask the driver??" was my desperate reply. Hmmm....why do you want to keep the towel for? Then i remembered who i was dealing with..ctyf. They take almost anything lor. Last year, erh... someone koped the thai airways pillow....what's next right?
Guess no one dared to ask the driver, i didnt. If they want to take it, they should ask themselves. Eld Boon confirmed with driver that TV will be turned on after we pass JB customs. And so let's sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.....
We had boxes of bags and shoes to lug thro and it was really really straining. Some of the guys carried so much stuff that i began to think hercules or samson were in the making.... :) Thank God for their initiative. We journeyed on from JB in the same luxurious coach (someone said maybe it will be changed to a Malaysian one....haha....it didnt happen)
3A was my seat and it was SUPER cold and freezing. Besides my own aircon vents above me (of which i already turned it off), there were side vents near the window and that was centralised. Oh man....my thick jacket, Isaac's sweater plus the one towel were all i could use to shield myself from winter time in the bus. Tried to watch a comedy show to distract myself and yes, i was laughing quite a bit, thereby warming myself but tireness sank in and i was starting to doze off..... Off the screen and tried to shut my eyes and rest while shivering.....seriously, i didnt want to turn into a pillar of ice.....
1.5 hours later, our first toilet break. Ji Sheng in particular hurrayed the idea coz he was in super high tide. We were given 30 mins break at the same place our church stopped over for lunch enroute to camp in June. I did the biz and went back to coach to rest. This time, i chose the seat next to Xin Hao... 2B.....not next to window and thus i would be "free" from being frozen.
Ji Sheng took over my seat coz his TV console was not working. It was barely 15 mins into our next leg of journey when a torpedo dropped onto me. It landed on top of my jacket and towel over my chest. WHOA!!!!.....I exclaimed..... Whatever was that???? Examined the weapon.......hmmmm.....it was a bottle of green tea and where did it come from? the top ledge.... oh boy, it rolled off! And whose would that be???
Norman sheepishly said.... "erh,...mine... sorry."
The next thing that dropped was my poor guitar. Isaac placed it in the top ledge too and PAH...it landed on the ground flat. Blame the driver coz he was like speeding all the way. Shing, Hwee & Isaac examined my guitar and found it to be not "well". Hmmm, how not to when it fell from great height. Sigh.....
Anyway, guess what time we reached KL? It was supposedly to be 4-5am. We reached at 3am at the Sungei Bersi toll!!!
Eld Boon had to quickly call the other coach driver (pre-arranged by his sis to pick us up from this toll and bring us to KL airport) to come earlier. You see, the luxury coach that we rode on would not take us to the airport but to a public bus station. This coach driver was apparently awaken out of his sleep by Eld Boon and he said he would arrive in 10-15mins. Lo and behold, he arrived in 6!!! Hmmmmm, how much time does one take to jump out of bed, brush and clean up and drive sanely and safely to destination???? I didnt even want to speculate how he did it or how near he stayed????
While waiting for him to arrive, we rushed to use the toilet at Petrol Kiosk which was just after the toll. It was situated right at the back. I was the first female to step in. The boys, Ji Sheng (JS), Norman (i think) and Sean were also there at the same time. While doing my own business, heard JS shouting my name. What can be so urgent now? Cockroach??? Dont call me! I didnt reply him coz i heard Eld Boon went in. When i walked out of the toilet, saw JS and the group...it was quite a bit of commotion with much noise. Upon questioning, i was told he ripped off the flush chain or cord. IT was an accident and they were trying so hard to attach the cord back and so shouted for help. CHAY.....i thot was some snake or insect.....also wrong person to call lor.....hahahaha....
We proceeded to KL Budget airport on a 40 seater coach...not as luxurious but comfy. An hour's ride and 4.30am we arrived at the airport. Our flight check in was not due till 6.50am. Hmmmm.... and so we spend our time eating, talking, playing board games (Shing lost chinese chess battle to IZ, girls played ono and had to be hushed.....), sleeping and slacking. I started work on the powerpoint for Cantata, as in check spelling and flow of songs....thanks to John who did the ground work for me, adding and typing slides and background picture and formating.
Eld Boon drank two cups of Teh Tarik (i think) while some ate roti prata or bread. I couldnt even remember what i ate now!!!! heeee....didnt write this down. Just read Eld Boon's article on NTM. Haha... now i remember. I ate the sandwiches that susan so lovingly prepared. It was filled with Bah Kwa......and tuna too! Sumptuous and filling. Thanks, Susan for your love in feeding us in the coach and in airport. God bless you :)
6.40am was the happiest time....checking in was not as eventful as the one back from Chiang Mai to KL. The counter staff also insisted on 9 pax x 15kg since our booking was in groups of 9. Eld Boon explained to her one whole group and their website didnt allow us to book more than 9 and she kind of accepted it....haha... perhaps didnt know how to outtalk Eld Boon.....lols! In everything give thanks.
Flight was smooth.....we slept all the way. At Chiang Mai airport, was told that Pr Xiong Fuh Man was there to send some people off and he would help to transport our people to the bus station to catch the coach to Chiang Rai. So nice of him. Eld Boon & majority of the youths had already retrieved their bags and gone to the outside.
James, Isaac and I were the last few. To avoid suspicion on the new shoes & bags (shoes were from Elsie's sis-in-law church & bags from capitaland), James and I pushed the boxes on our trolley together with our luggages. I thought they would not pull us aside but i was wrong. The airport security officer singled us out. :( He asked us what were they and i spoke to him in English. He made us open up the boxes. I showed him the letter from Warunee stating that these shoes and bags were gifts from organisations and not for sale. Warunee realised we were in trouble when we did not come out. She came into the security area and explained to the man. However, he just wanted to tax us and so we were ushered into another room. There he wrote a receipt and asked us to pay a sum. I stood in silence because i have learned not to say anything or do anything in situation like this....let the Thai handle the Thai. And so i saw Warunee looked into her handbag and told the man she had only 700 baht plus and he nodded his head in agreement. Thereafter she paid him 800 baht. I looked at the receipt and it was scribbled 747 baht......where was the change???? BLAH....Warunee told me later that the man had the cheek to tell her he has no change and so he kept the money!
Well, thank God we could clear the custom and so we went in 2 trucks. Pr Xiong bidded us farewell at the bus station. We placed most of our bags into the Harichaikul's truck and asked them to proceed back to Chiang Rai first while we took our lunch and waited for our coach.
It was quite a ride....having a he-she as our guide and a crazy mad driver. He horned at everyone who was in his way and he was super fast and daring too. Thank God for safety and in exactly 3 hours from 1.30pm, we reached Chiang rai bus station.
We were picked up by 3 trucks and headed straight to BDC. Hot lovely goreng pisang and happy children faces greeted us!! Thereafter, we had a hot bath, our first thai dinner and the final programme for the long day.....night devotion. The shoes and bags that we brought were distributed by the youths. That night, it was a record time when we all got to bed.....9pm!!!! For the first time, no one complained it was too early....... :)
I slept exceptionally well that night... the first one (I think) to rest my head on the pillow. The girls streamed in to get changed and brushed up and chit chatted. I didnt hear all these. Neither did i hear the rooster at 11pm nor 3am (Simone or JH told me next morning). This was great. Thank God for good slumber that night. I had never slept so well in BDC or in northern thailand for that matter :)
Monday, December 15, 2008
CtYF NTM 1 - TRAVEL WOES!!!!
This is another outpouring of dissentment for the "now everyone can fly" airline....who promises "On time guarantee".....my foot lor!
We had no problem with Airasia for our flight from KL to Chiangmai on 2 Dec but not the return trip. Our flight was supposed to depart at 11.05am (Thai time), which would have given us slightly more than 2 hours to catch the next flight (also Airasia carrier) from KL to SIN at 5pm (Singapore time).
While queueing to checkin, the TV screen flashed this much dreaded word in my personal travel dictionary.....DELAYED.....till when? 12.15pm!!! Oh man, that meant we now had about 1 hour and 15 mins to collect luggage and check in for next flight. The Airasia counter people said "No Problem" and they will inform the KL side to look out for us and expedite our checkin process. We were given Malaysia's immigration cards to fill up and i thot hmmm.....service has improved slightly.
Need to mention this ONE big problem when we checked in at Airasia counter. Here and also at KL side. Dont know what is wrong with the staff or the training or what??? Their website only allowed 9 names to be booked at one go tho there were 19 of us. i had to book 9 for one booking, another 9 names and then 1 on his own. During checkin, we told them there were 19 of us and please give us 19 x 15kg baggage allowance. What was their reply? "No, 9 x 15kg" and no spillover to next group of 9. When we told her we have 19 people, she said "You booked 9 people in one booking". I lost my cool at that moment. I blurted "Of course i book 9 coz your website only allow 9 at one go. What can we do?" Her same consistent reply "9 x 15kg". OH MAN,.....she was just so fixed in the mind and didnt know how to work round the situation or even think on her toes. Airasia staff all the same....Thai or KL side. At least in Singapore they allowed us to pull together all names even tho separate booking. Eld Boon was fed up too. He too lost his cool. We argued that they should not count this way and so she referred the matter to another man. After their conversation, she said the same thing again and we retorted "NO!" Clearly the conversation was going no where and so she did just one brilliant thing.... SHUT UP and check us in and no more 9 x 15kg. hahahah...... Thank God at the end of checkin, we saw her using calculator to add up all the bags weight and no exceed. Perhaps she understood then or she just didnt want to waste time explaining coz queue was building up. Nevertheless, it was one same conclusion for all of us....never fly airasia again. Hang on... the worst is yet to come......
We then proceeded for our snack or early lunch with most eating the lovely hotdog buns in the newly renovated airport. During our long wait for boarding at the transit area, Eld Boon spotted the NEW announcement.....a deadly silent one......12.45pm - new departure time!! What is wrong with Airasia??? No guts to announce over the system and got to do it so subtly, hoping no one will ever notice it???? They should be feeling so ashamed of their own carrier.....what Guarantee... i think they better change the slogan to "Delay Guaranteed!"
With only 45 mins or less to catch our flight, we needed help from Airasia in KL airport and so Eld Boon and myself approached AirAsia before we flew off from Chiang Mai. The boarding counter had no one on duty and we went to the information booth for help. The two ladies were really helpful though ignorant. They tried to find the Airasia people but failed, then they made some calls and said will bring us to the Checkin counter outside. We were stopped at the immigration section because they failed to get permission for us to get out of the transit area. The male officer was helpful, gave us the boarding pass to keep for identification upon return but he kept our passports for security purposes.
What did Airasia counter staff do to help us??? NOTHING! The man at the counter listened to us and all he could say was please go back to the boarding area coz his supervisor is there now and will help us. We thot he was buying time and just pushing us away....nevertheless we had to go back coz boarding time was almost up.
As we approached the departure gate, an Airasia staff appeared and true enough, she was the supervisor on duty. She promised to call Malaysian side and they will precheck in for us and will request for the plane to wait for us. All we had to do was to quickly grab our bags and rush to check in counter. Seemed like a good plan. She also kindly consented to us queueing first to grab the first few seats so we could move faster. Eld Boon was doubtful that we could ever make it but i was really hopeful....as in i thot this time Airasia would just help us coz there were 19 of us and surely they would wait. I was just sooooooo wrong....coz i never factor in one important detail.....Malaysia airport....ARGH>>>>>>
Just before we took off, i sms to Angela to inform parents we may not be able to make it and to inform them to stand by for change of flight. While trying to send out the smses, the aircrew tried to get me to off my hp. The plane has not started moving yet and i was already boiling hot for the unnecessary delay. Impolitely, i brushed her off with "Let me send this important sms first and i will off it after that". I didnt even bother to look at her....see what anger does to a soul???
Then they irritated me further with the guitar thingy. Norman was sitting at the window seat and had Tim's guitar next to him. The air steward took it from him and placed it in the overhead compartment about 7-8 rows down from where we were. How on earth could we retreive it and rush off the plane? I didnt make my request to them.... just told them the facts and asked to give us back the guitar or have it placed at the front. I didnt hide my agitation of this carrier but i wasnt rude per se..... just not my usual self :) hehehe.....
Our plane touched down at 4.35pm and by 4.45pm, we were approaching the immigration counter. Lo and behold... it was filled with Bangla... and loads of other people....all queueing at the Foreign Passport section. The Local section was clear with more than 3 lanes. Eld Boon went to that counter and explained. The lady was kind enough to let him clear so he could run to the checkin counter and inform staff to wait for all of us. But she was not able to let all of us clear thro this lane and needed us to ask her supervisor on duty. Where was he? Coming.... a Mr Ramli in suit. CtYFers were all queueing at the Foreign passport section while i made my pleas....to a flat solid wooden panel that had not even a grain of sympathy or apathy or compassion or what not for travellers in crisis.
The first thing he said when he opened his mouth was "Plane flew off already!". I told him Airasia thai side has informed Malaysian side and so they will wait for us and please help us by letting us clear fast and not queue.
"Show me your airtickets" was his next sentence......but i couldnt coz Eld Boon took them with him to precheck in for us. I explained to him and his reply was "Plane flew off already!" I literally felt like slapping this man or shaking to wake him up but i was controlling....never had this urge before. I asked him to let me see the Airasia staff and he said go and find him of which i blurted "You go and find him and bring him to me". How to??? Didnt he have the brains? I cant clear the immigration yet and i dont know the airport well. He has his walkie talkie or hp, i am sure he knew a faster way. He went off and was back in 1 min with the Airasia staff.... what was his name???? I totally forgot but another incompetent staff....BLAH!
The first thing he told me was my flight AK131 is flying off at 7pm and not 5pm as i had claimed. He was so positively sure that i made the mistake and told me to queue like everybody else coz i have more than enough time in the world to catch this flight. The Mr Ramli smiled at this suggestion. With all the memory bank working on tip top condition, i insisted he was wrong and asked him to check again. He did and came back sheepishly telling Mr Ramli in MALAY that he saw the flight number AK 132 as outbound flight. It was the incoming flight due at 7pm. He thot i didnt understand Malay???? Of all the times i couldnt speak or understand Malay, this was THE time i comprehended fully. As i looked at him when he was conversing with Ramli, he totally had no guts to turn and say sorry for the wrong details..... Hello??? He first told me i was wrong and now i was proven right, no courtesy to apologise or at least clarify???? Oh man, I couldnt even bother to tell him i understood all that he said quietly to his friend.
What next? Ramli did it again.... "The plane flew off already". Was that all he could say? As a security supervisor or head on duty, you could only offer that much? I also know how to say this line. Even a kiddo can do that too! POOH!!!
I asked him firmly but politely "Please help us to clear the immigration without queueing. Never mind if plane flew off. Please help us." I said that to the Airasia staff and also asked him if Thai side has informed him to wait for 19 of us only to hear him say "As far as i know, no one called us about the 19 of you"......argh...... Then i pleaded with him to ask Mr Ramli to let us clear first. His reply.....
"You got to ask him"
I said, "I did but can you help to put in a good word or something"
"I cannot because i am not from immigration department"....DUD.....i know that
"BUT you all are colleagues"
"No, we are different company".....Darn right you are... i know that too
"BUT you are working in the same airport and you know each other"..... I was just sooooo short of telling him "you are from the same race and so can talk better".
"I dont know him. He is not my friend"
I TOTALLY GAVE UP!!!!
"Oh your people reach the beginning already. Now no need to wait too long." This was another instance i felt like strangling him..... throughout our conversation he had never taken any proactive steps nor counter suggested nor be seen willing to help.
I closed my eyes and prayed, "Lord, Thine will be done and may we be given the seats to catch the next flight out". Though i was hopeful for a miracle intervention from the beginning, i was prepared to wait for next flight but not without a fight or at least trying to catch it. Received a call from Eld Boon, they were not going to wait for us and they had put us on the next flight due for departure at 7.50pm....2 hours and 50 minutes wait.......oh man....... He told me to quickly collect our luggage and proceed to counter 10 to check in.
I gave up hope talking to Ramli and Airasia guy and cleared the immigration to the belt area. It was pathetic lor! Two small areas, as in 2 belts. One with a sign that indicated another flight number. The other had no signage and a lot of Banglas were there. We couldnt even move near to the belt. IT was confusion. No trolleys too!!! Our people had to go and find trolleys.......
Finally, after what seemed like 10mins or longer, our flight number was flashed at the first belt butthere were a lot of people, like 3-4 layers queueing round. The boys tried to squeeze in and dished out the bags while the girls waited and loaded up the trolley. Before we could finish retrieving, the same belt area flashed out another flight number, from Macau, and more people swarmed in. It was jam-packed.....took a pic with my hp and see for yourself.....
Made our way out of arrival hall and joined Eld Boon at the check in area. It was rather brisk and uneventful. Took our dinner at the food court before heading home.
One more hiccup to end the travel woes.....Elton lost his passport, together with the sling bag!!!! A small group of us had started walking back to the departure hall when Shing caught up with me to inform. I told him to quickly walk ahead and inform Eld Boon while i went back to help him find. While walking back, i suddenly thot of perhaps his bag was in one of the first few trolleys we pushed. Tried to make a call to Shing when Ji Sheng caught up with me to say it was found at where i suspected. Whew... thank GOD. I thot Elton couldnt make it home.
We hurried to clear the immigration one more time and it was like 7.25pm or so, the people hurried us to board the plane. No one was queueing at the gate but instead an officer kept shouting out "Singapore, Singapore". I ushered the youths to the gate as they cleared the bags scanning area. Then came all our names over the PA system......hahaha.....all except mine... coz i think they didnt know how to pronounce Alen and Thum. LOL!!! Jamesy name "Tan Tat Yong" sounded as he cleared the bag scan area... so slow.....with his laptop and stuff.
We walked for about 200m to the air craft and i was the last passenger to board the entire plane....hurray!!! hahaha.....what an achievement!
We sat all the way to the back of the plane and i didnt care. I just wanted to return home to Singapore and indulge in our tip top comfy airport, nevermind if it were just merely 10-15mins......it was worth it all :)
Thank God for safety in travel and bringing us home. Will write next about our NTM and adventure. It will take a while so hang in there.
We had no problem with Airasia for our flight from KL to Chiangmai on 2 Dec but not the return trip. Our flight was supposed to depart at 11.05am (Thai time), which would have given us slightly more than 2 hours to catch the next flight (also Airasia carrier) from KL to SIN at 5pm (Singapore time).
While queueing to checkin, the TV screen flashed this much dreaded word in my personal travel dictionary.....DELAYED.....till when? 12.15pm!!! Oh man, that meant we now had about 1 hour and 15 mins to collect luggage and check in for next flight. The Airasia counter people said "No Problem" and they will inform the KL side to look out for us and expedite our checkin process. We were given Malaysia's immigration cards to fill up and i thot hmmm.....service has improved slightly.
Need to mention this ONE big problem when we checked in at Airasia counter. Here and also at KL side. Dont know what is wrong with the staff or the training or what??? Their website only allowed 9 names to be booked at one go tho there were 19 of us. i had to book 9 for one booking, another 9 names and then 1 on his own. During checkin, we told them there were 19 of us and please give us 19 x 15kg baggage allowance. What was their reply? "No, 9 x 15kg" and no spillover to next group of 9. When we told her we have 19 people, she said "You booked 9 people in one booking". I lost my cool at that moment. I blurted "Of course i book 9 coz your website only allow 9 at one go. What can we do?" Her same consistent reply "9 x 15kg". OH MAN,.....she was just so fixed in the mind and didnt know how to work round the situation or even think on her toes. Airasia staff all the same....Thai or KL side. At least in Singapore they allowed us to pull together all names even tho separate booking. Eld Boon was fed up too. He too lost his cool. We argued that they should not count this way and so she referred the matter to another man. After their conversation, she said the same thing again and we retorted "NO!" Clearly the conversation was going no where and so she did just one brilliant thing.... SHUT UP and check us in and no more 9 x 15kg. hahahah...... Thank God at the end of checkin, we saw her using calculator to add up all the bags weight and no exceed. Perhaps she understood then or she just didnt want to waste time explaining coz queue was building up. Nevertheless, it was one same conclusion for all of us....never fly airasia again. Hang on... the worst is yet to come......
We then proceeded for our snack or early lunch with most eating the lovely hotdog buns in the newly renovated airport. During our long wait for boarding at the transit area, Eld Boon spotted the NEW announcement.....a deadly silent one......12.45pm - new departure time!! What is wrong with Airasia??? No guts to announce over the system and got to do it so subtly, hoping no one will ever notice it???? They should be feeling so ashamed of their own carrier.....what Guarantee... i think they better change the slogan to "Delay Guaranteed!"
With only 45 mins or less to catch our flight, we needed help from Airasia in KL airport and so Eld Boon and myself approached AirAsia before we flew off from Chiang Mai. The boarding counter had no one on duty and we went to the information booth for help. The two ladies were really helpful though ignorant. They tried to find the Airasia people but failed, then they made some calls and said will bring us to the Checkin counter outside. We were stopped at the immigration section because they failed to get permission for us to get out of the transit area. The male officer was helpful, gave us the boarding pass to keep for identification upon return but he kept our passports for security purposes.
What did Airasia counter staff do to help us??? NOTHING! The man at the counter listened to us and all he could say was please go back to the boarding area coz his supervisor is there now and will help us. We thot he was buying time and just pushing us away....nevertheless we had to go back coz boarding time was almost up.
As we approached the departure gate, an Airasia staff appeared and true enough, she was the supervisor on duty. She promised to call Malaysian side and they will precheck in for us and will request for the plane to wait for us. All we had to do was to quickly grab our bags and rush to check in counter. Seemed like a good plan. She also kindly consented to us queueing first to grab the first few seats so we could move faster. Eld Boon was doubtful that we could ever make it but i was really hopeful....as in i thot this time Airasia would just help us coz there were 19 of us and surely they would wait. I was just sooooooo wrong....coz i never factor in one important detail.....Malaysia airport....ARGH>>>>>>
Just before we took off, i sms to Angela to inform parents we may not be able to make it and to inform them to stand by for change of flight. While trying to send out the smses, the aircrew tried to get me to off my hp. The plane has not started moving yet and i was already boiling hot for the unnecessary delay. Impolitely, i brushed her off with "Let me send this important sms first and i will off it after that". I didnt even bother to look at her....see what anger does to a soul???
Then they irritated me further with the guitar thingy. Norman was sitting at the window seat and had Tim's guitar next to him. The air steward took it from him and placed it in the overhead compartment about 7-8 rows down from where we were. How on earth could we retreive it and rush off the plane? I didnt make my request to them.... just told them the facts and asked to give us back the guitar or have it placed at the front. I didnt hide my agitation of this carrier but i wasnt rude per se..... just not my usual self :) hehehe.....
Our plane touched down at 4.35pm and by 4.45pm, we were approaching the immigration counter. Lo and behold... it was filled with Bangla... and loads of other people....all queueing at the Foreign Passport section. The Local section was clear with more than 3 lanes. Eld Boon went to that counter and explained. The lady was kind enough to let him clear so he could run to the checkin counter and inform staff to wait for all of us. But she was not able to let all of us clear thro this lane and needed us to ask her supervisor on duty. Where was he? Coming.... a Mr Ramli in suit. CtYFers were all queueing at the Foreign passport section while i made my pleas....to a flat solid wooden panel that had not even a grain of sympathy or apathy or compassion or what not for travellers in crisis.
The first thing he said when he opened his mouth was "Plane flew off already!". I told him Airasia thai side has informed Malaysian side and so they will wait for us and please help us by letting us clear fast and not queue.
"Show me your airtickets" was his next sentence......but i couldnt coz Eld Boon took them with him to precheck in for us. I explained to him and his reply was "Plane flew off already!" I literally felt like slapping this man or shaking to wake him up but i was controlling....never had this urge before. I asked him to let me see the Airasia staff and he said go and find him of which i blurted "You go and find him and bring him to me". How to??? Didnt he have the brains? I cant clear the immigration yet and i dont know the airport well. He has his walkie talkie or hp, i am sure he knew a faster way. He went off and was back in 1 min with the Airasia staff.... what was his name???? I totally forgot but another incompetent staff....BLAH!
The first thing he told me was my flight AK131 is flying off at 7pm and not 5pm as i had claimed. He was so positively sure that i made the mistake and told me to queue like everybody else coz i have more than enough time in the world to catch this flight. The Mr Ramli smiled at this suggestion. With all the memory bank working on tip top condition, i insisted he was wrong and asked him to check again. He did and came back sheepishly telling Mr Ramli in MALAY that he saw the flight number AK 132 as outbound flight. It was the incoming flight due at 7pm. He thot i didnt understand Malay???? Of all the times i couldnt speak or understand Malay, this was THE time i comprehended fully. As i looked at him when he was conversing with Ramli, he totally had no guts to turn and say sorry for the wrong details..... Hello??? He first told me i was wrong and now i was proven right, no courtesy to apologise or at least clarify???? Oh man, I couldnt even bother to tell him i understood all that he said quietly to his friend.
What next? Ramli did it again.... "The plane flew off already". Was that all he could say? As a security supervisor or head on duty, you could only offer that much? I also know how to say this line. Even a kiddo can do that too! POOH!!!
I asked him firmly but politely "Please help us to clear the immigration without queueing. Never mind if plane flew off. Please help us." I said that to the Airasia staff and also asked him if Thai side has informed him to wait for 19 of us only to hear him say "As far as i know, no one called us about the 19 of you"......argh...... Then i pleaded with him to ask Mr Ramli to let us clear first. His reply.....
"You got to ask him"
I said, "I did but can you help to put in a good word or something"
"I cannot because i am not from immigration department"....DUD.....i know that
"BUT you all are colleagues"
"No, we are different company".....Darn right you are... i know that too
"BUT you are working in the same airport and you know each other"..... I was just sooooo short of telling him "you are from the same race and so can talk better".
"I dont know him. He is not my friend"
I TOTALLY GAVE UP!!!!
I turned to Ramli and asked again. He finally uttered something different....."Where are your people?" I pointed to him the group of people queueing about 50-60m away (couldnt really see them from my angle as there were other passengers queueing). I told him 18. He opened his eyes big as if he just woke up "18?"...... something like "no way... too many people... 1 or 2 i can help...." kind of reaction. I wished i didnt have to deal with him nor begged for his help coz i really couldnt tolerate his nonsense further. Totally appalled by these two staff nonchalant attitude but i bit my lips and uttered, "Please help us".
"OK, you come and show me your people". We walked over to the youths and then i discovered they had already reached the front of the queue....after all this ding dong to and fro with Ramli and Airasia man. ARGGHGHH.......i knew what he would say next......
"Oh your people reach the beginning already. Now no need to wait too long." This was another instance i felt like strangling him..... throughout our conversation he had never taken any proactive steps nor counter suggested nor be seen willing to help.
I closed my eyes and prayed, "Lord, Thine will be done and may we be given the seats to catch the next flight out". Though i was hopeful for a miracle intervention from the beginning, i was prepared to wait for next flight but not without a fight or at least trying to catch it. Received a call from Eld Boon, they were not going to wait for us and they had put us on the next flight due for departure at 7.50pm....2 hours and 50 minutes wait.......oh man....... He told me to quickly collect our luggage and proceed to counter 10 to check in.
I gave up hope talking to Ramli and Airasia guy and cleared the immigration to the belt area. It was pathetic lor! Two small areas, as in 2 belts. One with a sign that indicated another flight number. The other had no signage and a lot of Banglas were there. We couldnt even move near to the belt. IT was confusion. No trolleys too!!! Our people had to go and find trolleys.......
Finally, after what seemed like 10mins or longer, our flight number was flashed at the first belt butthere were a lot of people, like 3-4 layers queueing round. The boys tried to squeeze in and dished out the bags while the girls waited and loaded up the trolley. Before we could finish retrieving, the same belt area flashed out another flight number, from Macau, and more people swarmed in. It was jam-packed.....took a pic with my hp and see for yourself.....
Made our way out of arrival hall and joined Eld Boon at the check in area. It was rather brisk and uneventful. Took our dinner at the food court before heading home.
One more hiccup to end the travel woes.....Elton lost his passport, together with the sling bag!!!! A small group of us had started walking back to the departure hall when Shing caught up with me to inform. I told him to quickly walk ahead and inform Eld Boon while i went back to help him find. While walking back, i suddenly thot of perhaps his bag was in one of the first few trolleys we pushed. Tried to make a call to Shing when Ji Sheng caught up with me to say it was found at where i suspected. Whew... thank GOD. I thot Elton couldnt make it home.
We hurried to clear the immigration one more time and it was like 7.25pm or so, the people hurried us to board the plane. No one was queueing at the gate but instead an officer kept shouting out "Singapore, Singapore". I ushered the youths to the gate as they cleared the bags scanning area. Then came all our names over the PA system......hahaha.....all except mine... coz i think they didnt know how to pronounce Alen and Thum. LOL!!! Jamesy name "Tan Tat Yong" sounded as he cleared the bag scan area... so slow.....with his laptop and stuff.
We walked for about 200m to the air craft and i was the last passenger to board the entire plane....hurray!!! hahaha.....what an achievement!
We sat all the way to the back of the plane and i didnt care. I just wanted to return home to Singapore and indulge in our tip top comfy airport, nevermind if it were just merely 10-15mins......it was worth it all :)
Thank God for safety in travel and bringing us home. Will write next about our NTM and adventure. It will take a while so hang in there.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wait Thou Upon God - 3
I am back from NTM and before i write anything about the trip, need to mention this last bit on waiting and praying.
It is about the 3 boys....JJ, Aaron and Benjamin flight to Chiang Rai. Up till the day we took the coach, the situation seemed hopeless and BKK airport doomed. Flying up like the 19 of us was an impossibility for them coz there is no flight from KL to Chiang Mai over the weekend. And to fly in on Monday would mean they would have missed the Sports Day, Cantata and Sunday Worship, not to mention staying only for 3 nights or so and go back. Totally not worth all the hassle and trouble plus money wasted.
And so JJ sms me almost daily about the situation and lamented most likely he couldnt go. I told him one thing, i.e. pray and wait. We really didnt know how things would work out but we trust in the God who plans the best paths for us. Told him to prepare mentally not to come at all if all doors are closed.
On 3 Dec, heard from local news that the Yellow group were moving out of the airports. And on 4 Dec, the authorities aimed to open airport on 5 Dec for one day because it is the King's birthday. The 3 boys' flight is on 5 Dec.....God's providence.... if it has been any other day like 4 or 3 Dec, it is impossible or them to come. And so i sms JJ about the news and on 5 Dec, they flew in as per normal... before the siege and could join us for the cantata and other programme.
It was God's intervention for the situation to return to normal, at least for the two airports to function. Honestly, i really didnt think the 3 boys could come coz it seemed so impossible.... but then, with God all things are possible.....only believe, trust and obey. Amen!
It is about the 3 boys....JJ, Aaron and Benjamin flight to Chiang Rai. Up till the day we took the coach, the situation seemed hopeless and BKK airport doomed. Flying up like the 19 of us was an impossibility for them coz there is no flight from KL to Chiang Mai over the weekend. And to fly in on Monday would mean they would have missed the Sports Day, Cantata and Sunday Worship, not to mention staying only for 3 nights or so and go back. Totally not worth all the hassle and trouble plus money wasted.
And so JJ sms me almost daily about the situation and lamented most likely he couldnt go. I told him one thing, i.e. pray and wait. We really didnt know how things would work out but we trust in the God who plans the best paths for us. Told him to prepare mentally not to come at all if all doors are closed.
On 3 Dec, heard from local news that the Yellow group were moving out of the airports. And on 4 Dec, the authorities aimed to open airport on 5 Dec for one day because it is the King's birthday. The 3 boys' flight is on 5 Dec.....God's providence.... if it has been any other day like 4 or 3 Dec, it is impossible or them to come. And so i sms JJ about the news and on 5 Dec, they flew in as per normal... before the siege and could join us for the cantata and other programme.
It was God's intervention for the situation to return to normal, at least for the two airports to function. Honestly, i really didnt think the 3 boys could come coz it seemed so impossible.... but then, with God all things are possible.....only believe, trust and obey. Amen!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wait Thou Upon God - 2
Extra days in Sin before we fly off to NTM - i see this as BONUSES from God for me to complete tasks at hand and to rest sufficiently before going. It is like extended time for those racing car games in arcade...what's the name of that game.....aiyah...can't recall......hahaha.....i remember now.....DAYTONA!!!! Anyhow, thank God for whatever He has bestowed.
What was my overwhelming moment??? Yesterday. Let me slowly tell the story......it is going to be long......brace yourself.
Eld Boon on Thursday night told me to arrange the coach to arrive at Pasak Rakyat terminal and not Puduraya......the latter being a place filled with erh.....u know what and totally unsafe for us, youths and girls to arrive at 4am in the morning. It is a place NOT to be in. Eld Boon has also arranged with his sister to get transport for us from Pasak Rakyat to KLIA (KL airport).
And so Friday morning, i made calls to coach companies to check which one suit our travel plan. Lo and behold.....ALL night coaches stop at Puduraya!!!
Need to pause and mention the frustrating moments when i called the coach companies.....starting from Wednesday. Which one disppoint most? GRASSLAND! The lady i spoke to on Wed, that was when i tried to arrange for us to leave Thursday night and fly out of KL on Fri. SHe told me no bus available but they can arrange a new bus for 21 of us. Only condition is i need to come and make payment by that night. It was 8pm when i made the call. 9pm they close. But i have not gotten the confirmation from airlines that our flights on fri are cancelled. I told her my situation and asked if she can allow me to have up till Thursday afternoon to confirm that. What was her reply???
"You come today we open a new bus. You come tomorrow, no new bus"
WHAT????? Nah.... i can bypass you lah..... Wait... i needed to check which one stop at Pasak Rakyat on Fri morning.... hesitated to call this company. Then i thought perhaps it was just that lady who really was very high handed and not the company. So gave them the benefit of doubt, i called again. Another lady picked up the call. I told her i needed 19 seats for 1 Dec night to KL. She said as of now, no seats available but if i come down, they will try to help us. I ask her how can my coming down be of any significance to the no-seats scenario??? She said if i dont come down, they will not help to arrange another new bus. AAHh... new bus again..... And so i said i need her to confirm or rather assure me they will start a new bus for us before i come down and make payment.
Is this so hard to do???? Apparently for GRASSLAND!!!!
Is this a ridiculous request??? Absolutely NOT.
She was adamant and said, "You dont come down, we dont arrange. You come down, we try to help find seats for you." HUH???? You think i am stupid to make my way to Golden Mile or some place and then to have you tell me "Oh sorry, no seats no bus for you"??? I have better plans than this man!
What else do i have to say about GRASSLAND and their attitude? They can HEIYO HEIYO HEIYO for all they want.....Moses lim advertisement forever ringing in my ears......i will STAYO STAYO STAYO and stay away from them!
What next? Have no fear.... there is one coach company that offered to put all of us in one coach exclusively. i believe there should be no problem bringing us to our choiced destination. The Five Star staff said he will ask his boss when i come to make payment. Knowing how these coach operators and drivers work, i am confident it can be arranged. Eld Boon called on Friday and said his sister has arranged a coach to pick us up right after the Sungei Bersi Toll at the Petronas kiosk. This will bypass the city area in KL and we can reach airport at an earlier time. Hmmm.... sounds like a good plan too. Thank God.
And so i woke Isaac up and we headed to Ikea for lunch before going to Queensway to collect the jerseys. WHOA..... what a crowd at Ikea....so famished at 12.45pm and queue soooooooooooo long. Decided to walk over to anchor point to look for food. Both of us had this sudden urge to eat western meal and so Jack's Place was the choice. Spend $27 for two and had set lunch. It was delicious....my honey lemon boneless chicken with spaghetti. Isaac took the fish and chips.
Collected the jerseys and took a bus to Peoples Park Complex. Went to the wrong building and ended up at Peoples Park Centre. Argh.... nvm.... they have a branch there and i was already given a booking number in the morning and so no problem which branch i go to. Payment made and seats purchased. Made the call to this guy who promised to help. After about 30 mins or less, he called to say his boss approved!!! Thank God.
HUH???? Oh man! That's it. If Chiangmai is closed, we are not going. How to go? No way. But is Chiangmai really closed? I sms him: "How do you know?"
His reply: "It is confirmed that thai PM has declared state of emergnecy. Now both bangkok and chiangmai airports are closed. I'm in the hotel room watching news now."
I checked local TV news, turned on radio but heard or saw nothing. Sms to Elvis to keep me updated if he has further news. Forwarded his sms to Eld Boon and he called me immediately. Eld Boon, knowing the problem with Airasia (no refund & just shell credit) and plus the new costs of coach tickets that i have already paid, asked me to call credit card company to cancel the transaction with Airasia and the coach company for seats to KL. He told me he was sitting down quietly in his office after reading my sms and decided once and for all we cancel the trip. I was like "Is it necessary? Is it too early to cancel? Can we wait till weekend to confirm situation?" His reply was to cancel before the credit card charges go thro, coz it is less than one day, so cut it off early. He also told me he has informed Eld Seah that it is cancelled.
What was my overwhelming moment??? Yesterday. Let me slowly tell the story......it is going to be long......brace yourself.
Eld Boon on Thursday night told me to arrange the coach to arrive at Pasak Rakyat terminal and not Puduraya......the latter being a place filled with erh.....u know what and totally unsafe for us, youths and girls to arrive at 4am in the morning. It is a place NOT to be in. Eld Boon has also arranged with his sister to get transport for us from Pasak Rakyat to KLIA (KL airport).
And so Friday morning, i made calls to coach companies to check which one suit our travel plan. Lo and behold.....ALL night coaches stop at Puduraya!!!
Need to pause and mention the frustrating moments when i called the coach companies.....starting from Wednesday. Which one disppoint most? GRASSLAND! The lady i spoke to on Wed, that was when i tried to arrange for us to leave Thursday night and fly out of KL on Fri. SHe told me no bus available but they can arrange a new bus for 21 of us. Only condition is i need to come and make payment by that night. It was 8pm when i made the call. 9pm they close. But i have not gotten the confirmation from airlines that our flights on fri are cancelled. I told her my situation and asked if she can allow me to have up till Thursday afternoon to confirm that. What was her reply???
"You come today we open a new bus. You come tomorrow, no new bus"
WHAT????? Nah.... i can bypass you lah..... Wait... i needed to check which one stop at Pasak Rakyat on Fri morning.... hesitated to call this company. Then i thought perhaps it was just that lady who really was very high handed and not the company. So gave them the benefit of doubt, i called again. Another lady picked up the call. I told her i needed 19 seats for 1 Dec night to KL. She said as of now, no seats available but if i come down, they will try to help us. I ask her how can my coming down be of any significance to the no-seats scenario??? She said if i dont come down, they will not help to arrange another new bus. AAHh... new bus again..... And so i said i need her to confirm or rather assure me they will start a new bus for us before i come down and make payment.
Is this so hard to do???? Apparently for GRASSLAND!!!!
Is this a ridiculous request??? Absolutely NOT.
She was adamant and said, "You dont come down, we dont arrange. You come down, we try to help find seats for you." HUH???? You think i am stupid to make my way to Golden Mile or some place and then to have you tell me "Oh sorry, no seats no bus for you"??? I have better plans than this man!
What else do i have to say about GRASSLAND and their attitude? They can HEIYO HEIYO HEIYO for all they want.....Moses lim advertisement forever ringing in my ears......i will STAYO STAYO STAYO and stay away from them!
What next? Have no fear.... there is one coach company that offered to put all of us in one coach exclusively. i believe there should be no problem bringing us to our choiced destination. The Five Star staff said he will ask his boss when i come to make payment. Knowing how these coach operators and drivers work, i am confident it can be arranged. Eld Boon called on Friday and said his sister has arranged a coach to pick us up right after the Sungei Bersi Toll at the Petronas kiosk. This will bypass the city area in KL and we can reach airport at an earlier time. Hmmm.... sounds like a good plan too. Thank God.
And so i woke Isaac up and we headed to Ikea for lunch before going to Queensway to collect the jerseys. WHOA..... what a crowd at Ikea....so famished at 12.45pm and queue soooooooooooo long. Decided to walk over to anchor point to look for food. Both of us had this sudden urge to eat western meal and so Jack's Place was the choice. Spend $27 for two and had set lunch. It was delicious....my honey lemon boneless chicken with spaghetti. Isaac took the fish and chips.
Collected the jerseys and took a bus to Peoples Park Complex. Went to the wrong building and ended up at Peoples Park Centre. Argh.... nvm.... they have a branch there and i was already given a booking number in the morning and so no problem which branch i go to. Payment made and seats purchased. Made the call to this guy who promised to help. After about 30 mins or less, he called to say his boss approved!!! Thank God.
Need to mention here about the refund of our tickets cancellation. Tiger promised full refund. Air asia (i was told by Dn Oon) that they also have full refund. Anyhow, we already went ahead to book new flights and paid with my credit card. Then Boon Choo (the lady from Truth) called to say Airasia website never mention full refund but shell credit to customers. These credits to be used within 3 months. WHAT??? How to? When we shelved our travel plans, how to travel again? Besides, it is 21 of us....and mission trip, how to replan 3 months later? We have a schedule to follow! And the coming back from Bangkok to Singapore on 11 Dec, it is a separate booking and will Airasia refund this too? With so many unanswered questions, i made a call to Airasia in the afternoon only to have the guy telling me "I cannot hear you coz you are breaking up" and then i tried my best to use another phone and talked at a louder output volume. Told him our problems and all he could do and say was "You have only 2 options. One is redeem your shell credit on another flight or later time or go the re-routing way".
"What is your re-route way now? IS Airasia doing the re-route?" I asked.
"No at the moment" was the reply.
"Then how in the world can this be an option when you are not doing it????" I blurted out at him. I told him how unfair that Airasia not giving full refund and this stupid credit system. Why cant they be normal like other airlines giving refund and be gracious???? He gave standard replies like these are the options over and over again. I took down 2 email addresses and asked Eld Boon to write a letter in to appeal for full refund. Btw, i couldnt have used the credit when i book the new flights from KL coz he told me i needed a password and no mention in the website on how to do it. To get thro the hotline to speak to them is another hurdle... a big one in fact. Sigh.... Eld Boon wrote a powderful email and cc to me. Pray that they will give us full refund.
Thought i will spend the evening preparing and reading but it wasnt so. I send smses to parents and youths informing them about the coach confirmation and Elvis replied from Bangkok (he is there with Sandy from Monday). He gave me a very startling and disturbing piece of news:
"Chiang mai airport is also closed. How are you flying to thailand?"HUH???? Oh man! That's it. If Chiangmai is closed, we are not going. How to go? No way. But is Chiangmai really closed? I sms him: "How do you know?"
His reply: "It is confirmed that thai PM has declared state of emergnecy. Now both bangkok and chiangmai airports are closed. I'm in the hotel room watching news now."
I checked local TV news, turned on radio but heard or saw nothing. Sms to Elvis to keep me updated if he has further news. Forwarded his sms to Eld Boon and he called me immediately. Eld Boon, knowing the problem with Airasia (no refund & just shell credit) and plus the new costs of coach tickets that i have already paid, asked me to call credit card company to cancel the transaction with Airasia and the coach company for seats to KL. He told me he was sitting down quietly in his office after reading my sms and decided once and for all we cancel the trip. I was like "Is it necessary? Is it too early to cancel? Can we wait till weekend to confirm situation?" His reply was to cancel before the credit card charges go thro, coz it is less than one day, so cut it off early. He also told me he has informed Eld Seah that it is cancelled.
I dutifully called the credit card company and they said it is still pending. Neither they nor myself have the authority to cancel the transaction. Only Airasia, the merchant, can do it. What does this leave me with? Call them again!!! Oh boy, so so hard to get thro. And needed to wait a long time even after i got thro. Nevertheless, I tried and each time i got thro, it was a dead silence for a while before a disconnect tone. 3 times this happened, something new coz it didnt occur before. Decided to call coach company, tho i really didnt want to make that call. Guess what??? Whenever someone picked up the phone, it got cut off. I thot it was my home phone. I tried using my hp and same thing happened even after i tried calling another office number. At that moment, i paused to pray and then i made one last effort to call Airasia.
While waiting to connect, i sms Eld Boon telling him the strange happenings and my strong feelings that all these are signs to me not to do anything to our new booking. So did i get thro to Airasia??? NOPE. This guy picked up the call and i asked if he was Alvin, the guy i spoke to late afternoon. He said no and gave me his name. Then i was about to tell him to cancel when the line got cut off. That was it. I was just too overwhelmed with all the happenings. I put down everything and went to pray in a quiet place. I needed to be still and know He is God. As much as i know perhaps Eld Boon may just be right, deep down i felt we should wait. 3 reasons:
a) Elvis' sms to me wasnt clear, as in he said he watched TV. Thai TV news all in Thai. How in the world would he understand that? And so i have my doubts.
b) The repeated failed attempts to get thro to Airasia and coach company... something i never encountered.
c) With all due diligence, we should wait till Sunday or Monday to decide whether to go ahead or at least hear something in our local news.
I prayed to God and pleaded for Him to show me just ONE sign clearly whether we should proceed or just let it all go. i asked God to show to me that night coz if i were to cancel credit card or coach tickets, it had to be before 9pm when the coach company closed. Then i read the Bible. I didnt want any more interference from the outside. Neither did i want to watch the news and wait in front of the TV or internet. i just wanted to concentrate on God alone and His Word. Thank God for sweet fellowship with Him and the peace within. Truly, it was a blessed hour spend with God.
Then just when i was about to finish, received a sms from Elvis:
"Hi Alen. Sorry, i've mistaken from tv news. Both airports closed are in bangkok. Chiangmai still open. Thank God for provision."
THANK YOU LORD for the confirmation sign. THANK YOU LORD for answering my prayer. Yeah yeah yeah!
I sms Eld Boon and also James (was on msn with him while i tried to call Airasia and Coach co. and asked Jamesy to pray much). Didnt want to broadcast to youths before i could verify the truth to airport closure in Chiang Mai.
The LORD is good! Let us continue to draw close to Him and do just His will in our lives. He will bless us and enable us to glorify Him. May God use us as His hands and feet and mouth.
Wait Thou Upon God - 1
Past few days drifted by with so many happenings, sometimes overwhelming, but never desponding.
Tues night, when the Jordan team was checking in at the airport and i just got back from prayer meeting, Eld Boon called to tell me the latest news on TV about Suvarnabhumi airport siege. Smses sent out for prayers and the only thing NTM team could do was to pray and wait.
Eld Boon & I plus Jamesy are keen to go ahead until God closes all doors - that is when we know it is not His Will for us to go at this time. The Bangkok situation didnt get better and i had to think of alternate ways to fly up to Chiang Rai. So on Wednesday evening, i started to search the internet. All possibilities were being explored.......it was a really busy busy night of scouring the net.....amidst msn chats with Warunee, jamesy, ctyfers, etc.... What were the alternate routes?
1) Take coach to KL and fly from there to Chiang Mai. Take a coach from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai - this option meant we have to leave on thursday night and catch the Fri morning flight. Tho i managed to reserve 21 seats by coach, the air tickets were not available. And so we could not leave on Thursday night.
2) Fly from SIN to Chiang Mai by silkair - no seats available until 7 Dec.
3) Take coach to KL and fly from there to Laos. Take a coach from there to Chiang Rai - The only setback about this route is the 14 hours of coach ride from Laos to Chiang Rai. Eld Boon thot it is too tiring and energy zapping for all of us. I was thinking it is feasible coz ex-FEBC student is stationed at this Udon Thani and she will meet us at Laos with the coach to get us up to Chiang Rai. Hmmm......
4) Take train up to Hatyai and from there coach up to BKK and perhaps all the way up to Chiang Rai - i am against this idea coz we need to pass the southern part of Thailand that is constantly plagued with bombings. Besides, i have no faith in Malayan rail and absolutely bad bad experience on the two occasions that i took. So a no-no for me (personal preference).
5) Heard the Don Muang airport was still operational on Wed and so decided to call Thai Airways on Thursday morning to get seats to fly to BKK via Don Muang and from there to Chiang Rai. This seemed like the ideal situation coz we have better airlines and more luggage allowance.
Whatever the routes were, we couldnt do anything till we are sure Tiger and Airasia cancel the flights to and from Bangkok, or else there will be no refund on their part if we cancel first. BUt somehow, i already knew then that flights would be cancelled coz situation like this could never get better overnight unless a miracle intervention.
At 8.30am Thursday morning, i made my call to Thai airways and after a 30 min wait listening to thai songs and machine lady, i finally spoke to a human being! She told me no seats and airport closure. That was when Jamesy msn that Don Muang has been seiged too. Oh man....
I made the call to Tiger to see if they can confirm flight cancellation so i can go ahead with alternate bookings. Waited how long???? ONE HOUR!!!!! And what did Tiger staff tell me that i dont already know???? NOTHING! Sigh.... and what did they say that irked???
"As of now, Friday flights are still on going. We are resuming operations tomorrow until further notice."
Can you believe this crap??? (pls pardon my lingo here)
Airasia - i needed to make this call too. The wait was like 30 mins too....She told me the same thing that Tiger staff said......flights are still ongoing for Friday. The lady also confirmed flights from KL to chiang mai has no seats till 1 Dec. But she couldnt do booking for me over the phone because there is another tel number for bigger group bookings (i called the hotline and they only handle up to 9 seats.... just like the internet booking....argh) Sigh.... she didnt even manage to give me the number to call for group booking before i was cut off!!! I went back online to check and look for that number.....guess where i found it?? Under the HELP section for those who have problems booking online!!!! Isnt this a wrong place to put??? Why cant they put at the CONTACT US section.... this number for small group and this number for big group bookings???? Anyhow, what number is that? It is a Malaysian number and i am not about to make this call till i am sure the flights are cancelled.
Oh boy, my house phone bill is going to be sky high when i next receive my bill.....argh.....
And so CtYfers were tasked to watch the news closely and inform me once the airline websites update with the cancellation info. In the afternoon, i send out 2 types of sms:
a) To CtYFers for passport name, passport number, expiry dates (this is to facilitate my new booking for KL to Chiang mai flight. I needed the info at hand so i can move fast......but some yfers are just toooooooo slow lah........:( ). Angela has also offered to help me book coz we can only book 9 seats at one window and the slow and tedious process of keying in all the details for 9 people can be very painstaking.
b) To Parents - i needed to know if they still allow their child to go given this situation. As usual, not all reply and I need to make 2nd and 3rd call or sms to get a response. Sigh..... dont think we have reached that stage of communication yet or will we ever????.....adult and youth all alike.....some people just dont respond. Why huh???
At 6pm sharp, Shaun Lau sms me that flights canceled. Checked website for 30 secs - confirmed and so i started to book. Isaac helped to put all the sms info and details onto a piece of paper while i keyed in....it was concurrent. Who else helped? Hwee. He was online. I asked him to get pp info from Hilda, from Elton. Norman was online too but he disappeared before he could help me get Elton's info.
During the booking, i needed to be sure there would be sufficient seats for all of us and so i opened 3 windows of airasia website: 2 each for 9 names and 1 for 3 names (21 of us). 1 Dec flights no more seats for all of us and so 2 Dec was the way to go. Managed to open 3 windows with seats and so i proceeded to key in the first 9 confirmed names. Angela was not at home then and so i had to do this myself. I tried to bypass the system by keying in 5 names in the first window and then linger to the 2nd window of 9 seats to show that i was still active and not idling. But alas, after i finished the 1st 9 seats booking and made payment, the 2nd window was unsuccessful when i clicked payment. This happened after i keyed in the next 9 names and all the details... plus date of birth and where the passport was issued. SIGH..... i had to do all over again.
Trusting in God, i open a fresh window, clicked 9 seats and thank God it was still available! And so it was done. Throughout this whole process, 2 dropped out and 1 still pending. 18 of us now confirmed to travel on 2 Dec flight and time checked was 7.30pm. I was famished. Couldnt wait for that one last person to get permission or even a response. Told Eld Boon to help to call that parent and youth while i take my dinner. I also mentioned to him that if there is no seats for booking after my dinner, this person cannot go. I cannot help it. Given whole afternoon to respond and a time frame. There are more than 20 people and i need to move fast.
Thank God there was a seat for him..... that would be our chinyster...... he would probably tell his story in his own blog. Anyhow, 19 of us now. Made two reservations in 2 different coach companies and decided to finalise and make payment the next day for the coach ride.
What a Thursday! It was long and tiring but thank God i was able to work on other stuff while waiting for news. God is in control and these things are beyond us. No point worrying too much. Do what we can and be ready... this is the lesson that i learn and relearn and also waiting upon God. It was really peace within my heart during these few days coz i trust in God who knows the future. I am very prepared to cancel this trip if all doors are closed coz you cannot go against His will. And so i humbly submit and wait. Waiting gave me a fresh look at the situation and the real meaning of God and Lordship in my life. i pray the CtYFers also learn much and not grumble about the situation....did u?
Thank God for prayer group and session and the Jordan team who prayed for us too. Thank God too for parents who prayed and supported. May God fulfill His will and plan and greatly glorify Himself as we proceed.
Tues night, when the Jordan team was checking in at the airport and i just got back from prayer meeting, Eld Boon called to tell me the latest news on TV about Suvarnabhumi airport siege. Smses sent out for prayers and the only thing NTM team could do was to pray and wait.
Eld Boon & I plus Jamesy are keen to go ahead until God closes all doors - that is when we know it is not His Will for us to go at this time. The Bangkok situation didnt get better and i had to think of alternate ways to fly up to Chiang Rai. So on Wednesday evening, i started to search the internet. All possibilities were being explored.......it was a really busy busy night of scouring the net.....amidst msn chats with Warunee, jamesy, ctyfers, etc.... What were the alternate routes?
1) Take coach to KL and fly from there to Chiang Mai. Take a coach from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai - this option meant we have to leave on thursday night and catch the Fri morning flight. Tho i managed to reserve 21 seats by coach, the air tickets were not available. And so we could not leave on Thursday night.
2) Fly from SIN to Chiang Mai by silkair - no seats available until 7 Dec.
3) Take coach to KL and fly from there to Laos. Take a coach from there to Chiang Rai - The only setback about this route is the 14 hours of coach ride from Laos to Chiang Rai. Eld Boon thot it is too tiring and energy zapping for all of us. I was thinking it is feasible coz ex-FEBC student is stationed at this Udon Thani and she will meet us at Laos with the coach to get us up to Chiang Rai. Hmmm......
4) Take train up to Hatyai and from there coach up to BKK and perhaps all the way up to Chiang Rai - i am against this idea coz we need to pass the southern part of Thailand that is constantly plagued with bombings. Besides, i have no faith in Malayan rail and absolutely bad bad experience on the two occasions that i took. So a no-no for me (personal preference).
5) Heard the Don Muang airport was still operational on Wed and so decided to call Thai Airways on Thursday morning to get seats to fly to BKK via Don Muang and from there to Chiang Rai. This seemed like the ideal situation coz we have better airlines and more luggage allowance.
Whatever the routes were, we couldnt do anything till we are sure Tiger and Airasia cancel the flights to and from Bangkok, or else there will be no refund on their part if we cancel first. BUt somehow, i already knew then that flights would be cancelled coz situation like this could never get better overnight unless a miracle intervention.
At 8.30am Thursday morning, i made my call to Thai airways and after a 30 min wait listening to thai songs and machine lady, i finally spoke to a human being! She told me no seats and airport closure. That was when Jamesy msn that Don Muang has been seiged too. Oh man....
I made the call to Tiger to see if they can confirm flight cancellation so i can go ahead with alternate bookings. Waited how long???? ONE HOUR!!!!! And what did Tiger staff tell me that i dont already know???? NOTHING! Sigh.... and what did they say that irked???
"As of now, Friday flights are still on going. We are resuming operations tomorrow until further notice."
Can you believe this crap??? (pls pardon my lingo here)
Airasia - i needed to make this call too. The wait was like 30 mins too....She told me the same thing that Tiger staff said......flights are still ongoing for Friday. The lady also confirmed flights from KL to chiang mai has no seats till 1 Dec. But she couldnt do booking for me over the phone because there is another tel number for bigger group bookings (i called the hotline and they only handle up to 9 seats.... just like the internet booking....argh) Sigh.... she didnt even manage to give me the number to call for group booking before i was cut off!!! I went back online to check and look for that number.....guess where i found it?? Under the HELP section for those who have problems booking online!!!! Isnt this a wrong place to put??? Why cant they put at the CONTACT US section.... this number for small group and this number for big group bookings???? Anyhow, what number is that? It is a Malaysian number and i am not about to make this call till i am sure the flights are cancelled.
Oh boy, my house phone bill is going to be sky high when i next receive my bill.....argh.....
And so CtYfers were tasked to watch the news closely and inform me once the airline websites update with the cancellation info. In the afternoon, i send out 2 types of sms:
a) To CtYFers for passport name, passport number, expiry dates (this is to facilitate my new booking for KL to Chiang mai flight. I needed the info at hand so i can move fast......but some yfers are just toooooooo slow lah........:( ). Angela has also offered to help me book coz we can only book 9 seats at one window and the slow and tedious process of keying in all the details for 9 people can be very painstaking.
b) To Parents - i needed to know if they still allow their child to go given this situation. As usual, not all reply and I need to make 2nd and 3rd call or sms to get a response. Sigh..... dont think we have reached that stage of communication yet or will we ever????.....adult and youth all alike.....some people just dont respond. Why huh???
At 6pm sharp, Shaun Lau sms me that flights canceled. Checked website for 30 secs - confirmed and so i started to book. Isaac helped to put all the sms info and details onto a piece of paper while i keyed in....it was concurrent. Who else helped? Hwee. He was online. I asked him to get pp info from Hilda, from Elton. Norman was online too but he disappeared before he could help me get Elton's info.
During the booking, i needed to be sure there would be sufficient seats for all of us and so i opened 3 windows of airasia website: 2 each for 9 names and 1 for 3 names (21 of us). 1 Dec flights no more seats for all of us and so 2 Dec was the way to go. Managed to open 3 windows with seats and so i proceeded to key in the first 9 confirmed names. Angela was not at home then and so i had to do this myself. I tried to bypass the system by keying in 5 names in the first window and then linger to the 2nd window of 9 seats to show that i was still active and not idling. But alas, after i finished the 1st 9 seats booking and made payment, the 2nd window was unsuccessful when i clicked payment. This happened after i keyed in the next 9 names and all the details... plus date of birth and where the passport was issued. SIGH..... i had to do all over again.
Trusting in God, i open a fresh window, clicked 9 seats and thank God it was still available! And so it was done. Throughout this whole process, 2 dropped out and 1 still pending. 18 of us now confirmed to travel on 2 Dec flight and time checked was 7.30pm. I was famished. Couldnt wait for that one last person to get permission or even a response. Told Eld Boon to help to call that parent and youth while i take my dinner. I also mentioned to him that if there is no seats for booking after my dinner, this person cannot go. I cannot help it. Given whole afternoon to respond and a time frame. There are more than 20 people and i need to move fast.
Thank God there was a seat for him..... that would be our chinyster...... he would probably tell his story in his own blog. Anyhow, 19 of us now. Made two reservations in 2 different coach companies and decided to finalise and make payment the next day for the coach ride.
What a Thursday! It was long and tiring but thank God i was able to work on other stuff while waiting for news. God is in control and these things are beyond us. No point worrying too much. Do what we can and be ready... this is the lesson that i learn and relearn and also waiting upon God. It was really peace within my heart during these few days coz i trust in God who knows the future. I am very prepared to cancel this trip if all doors are closed coz you cannot go against His will. And so i humbly submit and wait. Waiting gave me a fresh look at the situation and the real meaning of God and Lordship in my life. i pray the CtYFers also learn much and not grumble about the situation....did u?
Thank God for prayer group and session and the Jordan team who prayed for us too. Thank God too for parents who prayed and supported. May God fulfill His will and plan and greatly glorify Himself as we proceed.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Music to musical
Thank God Lem, Karen & I were able to select the background music for the upcoming musical. We finished 50% of it or should i say 65%???? Hmmm, it was definitely a profitable session and must thank Dr lowly for purchasing the whole library of music that we could use.
Karen has offered to work on Carol's song, giving it a catchy tune...... let's pray for her for inspiration.
Thankful to God for uncle Alan who willingly agreed and offered to do the 12 cubes as props. This is a huge load off our backs!
Not forgetting Jamesy in prayer to finish script, NTM devotion and YF camp messages. I am working on the recording of music for CD and pray for the casts to sing well and memorise their lines too. Pray for Lem as he now has to do the video thingy for flashback at death scene.
And the title of musical and the theme song?????
Truly the tasks at hand are a lot to accomplish but time doesnt seem to be friendly and on our side. May God help us and glorify Himself thro it all.
Just the other day i was on msn with a friend and sharing about the things i had to do before NTM.......he told me just one sentence:
"At the end of it, you will be amazed how you have gone thro it"
How true it is! But it is the before and going thro that seemed so pessimisticly impossible. But i know our God is a God of impossible and so trust in His strength, His being, His will. I am praying that if MGS cancel out our 7 Feb performance date, it will be a clear sign for us to postpone musical coz God says we are not ready :) Dont you think so?
Karen has offered to work on Carol's song, giving it a catchy tune...... let's pray for her for inspiration.
Thankful to God for uncle Alan who willingly agreed and offered to do the 12 cubes as props. This is a huge load off our backs!
Not forgetting Jamesy in prayer to finish script, NTM devotion and YF camp messages. I am working on the recording of music for CD and pray for the casts to sing well and memorise their lines too. Pray for Lem as he now has to do the video thingy for flashback at death scene.
And the title of musical and the theme song?????
Truly the tasks at hand are a lot to accomplish but time doesnt seem to be friendly and on our side. May God help us and glorify Himself thro it all.
Just the other day i was on msn with a friend and sharing about the things i had to do before NTM.......he told me just one sentence:
"At the end of it, you will be amazed how you have gone thro it"
How true it is! But it is the before and going thro that seemed so pessimisticly impossible. But i know our God is a God of impossible and so trust in His strength, His being, His will. I am praying that if MGS cancel out our 7 Feb performance date, it will be a clear sign for us to postpone musical coz God says we are not ready :) Dont you think so?
Friday, November 21, 2008
Intensive Prep
Hmmmm.....today was the most hilarious of all our practices.....coz i saw bollywood in the making!!! Haha.......Shingy and his head thingy when we tried the Hark the Herald Angels Song and the Angels We Have Heard on High....and it didnt really help with the LAHU language coz it sounded more "foreign" and "indian" to shing.
Thanks to JJ too for the Angels song.....at the speed at which he played and recorded at my home..... oh boy......we all tried to sing once thro and it was super super super fast!!!! Perhaps faster than Superman....heeehhehehhee.....
It was fun working out the songs together and i did enjoy myself even tho sometimes they made me "mad"......with the bk and wl thingy and what not....argh....
We had a beeeeyy encounter in ekklesia! Dont know how it got in and refused to get out...a rather huge one. Shingy and Jamesy tried to shoo it out with the song files but after what it seemed like ages....it finally flew out of the window. There were a few times it seemed like going out of the main door but just at that point, bee did a U turn and flew back deeper into the hall. Guess it was extremely nervous seeing all of us in the room and probably panicking......hahahha.....vice versa huh???
Thank God for seeing us thro this one week of intensive prep. Some have started to fall ill and pray they will recover before NTM. Those who have not, keep strong and bugs free!!!
Thanks to JJ too for the Angels song.....at the speed at which he played and recorded at my home..... oh boy......we all tried to sing once thro and it was super super super fast!!!! Perhaps faster than Superman....heeehhehehhee.....
It was fun working out the songs together and i did enjoy myself even tho sometimes they made me "mad"......with the bk and wl thingy and what not....argh....
We had a beeeeyy encounter in ekklesia! Dont know how it got in and refused to get out...a rather huge one. Shingy and Jamesy tried to shoo it out with the song files but after what it seemed like ages....it finally flew out of the window. There were a few times it seemed like going out of the main door but just at that point, bee did a U turn and flew back deeper into the hall. Guess it was extremely nervous seeing all of us in the room and probably panicking......hahahha.....vice versa huh???
Thank God for seeing us thro this one week of intensive prep. Some have started to fall ill and pray they will recover before NTM. Those who have not, keep strong and bugs free!!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Gate and Lock
So many things happened on Monday and i need another entry to complete it......hahahah
At 6.35pm, Jamesy, Shingy, Norm Norm, JH & me were preparing to leave church grounds (we were the last to leave btw). But i was unable to put the padlock and latch the main gate because it was misaligned. The left panel (with the latch) was not in line with the right side. I didnt open the right panel in the morning and so the position didnt change, hence the left side should fit snugly with it. It wasnt so.
Many things went thro my mind. Misalignment was first but someone mentioned perhaps somebody did shift the position of the right panel or gate and so we just shift it up or down and it would align. Clearly it wasnt so and that simple too. No matter how we adjusted, the left panel drooped by about 2 inches. How to lock?????
Lifting up the left panel to reach the same level as the right side was a humongous task. We tried and it was darn heavy!!! And dirty and rusty too!!! We couldnt do it and then Shingy went inside and offered to lock from there. He had this strange orh orh thingy about trying the other side, maybe it would work theory. Dont know where he got this silly idea from coz even if it worked, how in the world would he be able to get out???? Climbed above the gate and cut by the barbed wires? It was super funny coz he simply refused to come back out when i told him the crap idea would flop till i "screamed" at him to "GET OUT".
I was running late for the dinner thingy with Shalom and session and how to leave if i cannot safely lock up the church? It was a really desperate moment and the only solution was to raise up the gate so that i could padlock it temporarily. And so the 4 of them lifted it up one more time while i anchored with the padlock. Thank God i wasnt alone when this happened!
We were filthy, as in our hands, after the lift and struggle and Shingy contributed his cold water to wash us clean. Hee hee.....not with some nagging like "eh, u used so much huh" or "whoa, all my cold water wasted lor."........he filled it up just moments before.
Thank God for them, helping me to lock. And so, i sms Fred about this while on my way to the restaurant. At the dinner conversation, i asked him to help settle this as i would be going to church the next day and wouldnt be able to open the gate because the left panel's weight was literally hung by the padlock that i forced thro.
My "intelligence" was questioned during the conversation as in i didnt position the gate properly to i didnt know how to adjust to i just simply didnt know how to lock. ARGH...... Perhaps i am not smart at all but i definitely didnt lack common sense then. I told him the left panel has sagged and needed to repair the hinge but i guess he was just teasing me that night.......he even asked why didnt i use wonder woman power!!!! Oh man......i wished i had that power too and "weld" the hinge back and voila.......a working gate!
And so Fred went to church and checked out the situation after dinner and he finally agreed with me. On Tues morning, it was discovered someone had tried to open the padlock but failed and half of the key was inside the padlock. Fred called me if i was the one. Oh boy..... how could it be? I couldnt be that dumb not to realise i broke my key????? Nevertheless i checked and it was somebody else. Someone went to church on Mon night after i left. Hmmm......who was that mysterious person????
Poor Michael Long. He spend about 2 hours trying to fix this problem so that i could use church at 2pm. He erh brought the padlock to locksmith and the latter managed to dig out the broken key. Well at least we salvaged the new lock!!
Finally......last night, we found out who was this mysterious one with a broken key.......
William Lee!!!!
At 6.35pm, Jamesy, Shingy, Norm Norm, JH & me were preparing to leave church grounds (we were the last to leave btw). But i was unable to put the padlock and latch the main gate because it was misaligned. The left panel (with the latch) was not in line with the right side. I didnt open the right panel in the morning and so the position didnt change, hence the left side should fit snugly with it. It wasnt so.
Many things went thro my mind. Misalignment was first but someone mentioned perhaps somebody did shift the position of the right panel or gate and so we just shift it up or down and it would align. Clearly it wasnt so and that simple too. No matter how we adjusted, the left panel drooped by about 2 inches. How to lock?????
Lifting up the left panel to reach the same level as the right side was a humongous task. We tried and it was darn heavy!!! And dirty and rusty too!!! We couldnt do it and then Shingy went inside and offered to lock from there. He had this strange orh orh thingy about trying the other side, maybe it would work theory. Dont know where he got this silly idea from coz even if it worked, how in the world would he be able to get out???? Climbed above the gate and cut by the barbed wires? It was super funny coz he simply refused to come back out when i told him the crap idea would flop till i "screamed" at him to "GET OUT".
I was running late for the dinner thingy with Shalom and session and how to leave if i cannot safely lock up the church? It was a really desperate moment and the only solution was to raise up the gate so that i could padlock it temporarily. And so the 4 of them lifted it up one more time while i anchored with the padlock. Thank God i wasnt alone when this happened!
We were filthy, as in our hands, after the lift and struggle and Shingy contributed his cold water to wash us clean. Hee hee.....not with some nagging like "eh, u used so much huh" or "whoa, all my cold water wasted lor."........he filled it up just moments before.
Thank God for them, helping me to lock. And so, i sms Fred about this while on my way to the restaurant. At the dinner conversation, i asked him to help settle this as i would be going to church the next day and wouldnt be able to open the gate because the left panel's weight was literally hung by the padlock that i forced thro.
My "intelligence" was questioned during the conversation as in i didnt position the gate properly to i didnt know how to adjust to i just simply didnt know how to lock. ARGH...... Perhaps i am not smart at all but i definitely didnt lack common sense then. I told him the left panel has sagged and needed to repair the hinge but i guess he was just teasing me that night.......he even asked why didnt i use wonder woman power!!!! Oh man......i wished i had that power too and "weld" the hinge back and voila.......a working gate!
And so Fred went to church and checked out the situation after dinner and he finally agreed with me. On Tues morning, it was discovered someone had tried to open the padlock but failed and half of the key was inside the padlock. Fred called me if i was the one. Oh boy..... how could it be? I couldnt be that dumb not to realise i broke my key????? Nevertheless i checked and it was somebody else. Someone went to church on Mon night after i left. Hmmm......who was that mysterious person????
Poor Michael Long. He spend about 2 hours trying to fix this problem so that i could use church at 2pm. He erh brought the padlock to locksmith and the latter managed to dig out the broken key. Well at least we salvaged the new lock!!
Finally......last night, we found out who was this mysterious one with a broken key.......
William Lee!!!!
Forgetful or what???
Thot i am very forgetful but it turn out YL is worse than me.......
I know i forget where i park my car in shopping malls especially if i dont come alone, as in someone is with me. I tend to rely on that person to help or remember for me. The other day i parked the car at Lot 1 and Isaac was inside. But when i left, he went out with friends and i had to find the car myself, probably spend about 1min??? hahaha..... not that bad. But still, it should be crispy clear in my head where i last parked it. At least i didnt go to the wrong level like i did at Beauty World. Argh....
Monday night, YL offered to send me home, together with those staying in CCK area. But we needed to locate his car and that was hilarious. At level 2 of Jurong East block, from Raja restaurant, we walked to the staircase landing that leads to the carpark. He said
"Nope, this is not the one. I remember there is a door."
Hmmm.....and so we walked further down the corridor and found a flight of stairs with a small door labelled "Electrical Duct". He said this is the correct staircase but it is at level 3. We obediently followed him thinking he was absolutely correct and perhaps there would be a door at 3rd level that leads to carpark.
YL being YL, always the first one with much speed, reached level 3 and headed straight to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. And he turned round and said,
"Oops, how to get thro? It is locked. Need to find another door."
I looked at the door, the label and him and LAUGHED OUT LOUD!!!! "ELECTRICAL DUCT" was the sign and oh my, he didnt even see it! It was the same kind of door at level 2 of which i think he totally missed. And how in the world will he be able to get to his car beyond this door even if it is not locked?????
He giggled so loudly when i told him his own blunder. I led him to the correct landing and soon we were able to get to his car.
MAN......MALEs to be exact......i hereby conclude.....not good in sense of direction. Well at least those men i know, most of them are really bad at it, even reading maps.
I know i forget where i park my car in shopping malls especially if i dont come alone, as in someone is with me. I tend to rely on that person to help or remember for me. The other day i parked the car at Lot 1 and Isaac was inside. But when i left, he went out with friends and i had to find the car myself, probably spend about 1min??? hahaha..... not that bad. But still, it should be crispy clear in my head where i last parked it. At least i didnt go to the wrong level like i did at Beauty World. Argh....
Monday night, YL offered to send me home, together with those staying in CCK area. But we needed to locate his car and that was hilarious. At level 2 of Jurong East block, from Raja restaurant, we walked to the staircase landing that leads to the carpark. He said
"Nope, this is not the one. I remember there is a door."
Hmmm.....and so we walked further down the corridor and found a flight of stairs with a small door labelled "Electrical Duct". He said this is the correct staircase but it is at level 3. We obediently followed him thinking he was absolutely correct and perhaps there would be a door at 3rd level that leads to carpark.
YL being YL, always the first one with much speed, reached level 3 and headed straight to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. And he turned round and said,
"Oops, how to get thro? It is locked. Need to find another door."
I looked at the door, the label and him and LAUGHED OUT LOUD!!!! "ELECTRICAL DUCT" was the sign and oh my, he didnt even see it! It was the same kind of door at level 2 of which i think he totally missed. And how in the world will he be able to get to his car beyond this door even if it is not locked?????
He giggled so loudly when i told him his own blunder. I led him to the correct landing and soon we were able to get to his car.
MAN......MALEs to be exact......i hereby conclude.....not good in sense of direction. Well at least those men i know, most of them are really bad at it, even reading maps.
Monday, November 17, 2008
EAT EAT EAT, SING, SING, SING!!!!
Just returned from a sumptuous dinner at Boon Lay Raja Restaurant. Tengah session dined with the leaders of Shalom Baptist church. It is our annual fellowship dinner thingy but we didnt do it last year due to busy reasons???? (i couldnt recall). BUT i know i was absent in 2006 dinner coz it was the day after i fell while roller blading and had 3 painful abrasions on the left side of my face.....lol!
It was good food. Loved the chicken, loved the fish, loved the broccoli, loved the cold plate, loved the shark fin's soup or maybe crab meat soup! Oh boy, crab again.....YAH, a huge piece of crab meat in my soup bowl!!! If i start to get crappy, you know the reason :)
3 men sang solo during the dinner, 2 chinese songs, 1 hokkien and 1 hindi.....they are so talented and thank God for good voices. Who were they? 2 from Shalom and 1 is our singing elder. This ex-FEBC student from NAGALAND can sing very well and the Hindi Christian song sounded so nice, minus the neck moving thingy.....hahaha....
The other man from Shalom sang in Chinese and Hokkien. His Hokkien song need special mention! The title was "Na si Uu Li ti goa eh si mia", translated as "When i have YOU in my life". HAHAHAHA........what went thro my mind almost like lightning flash when i saw the music score???? IT was:
NA SI WO Uu JIT BA BAN......If i have a million dollars! Oh man.....Shing!!!! This first melody line kept ringing in my head whenever he sang that first line of the Christian hokkien song. So much of mix up.....heehee....
I was made to sing too, together with this leader in Shalom.....all because of the Hokkien song adult NTM group sang yesterday. Eld Seah mentioned to him and so he asked me to sing with him.....argh...... i thot i could escape coz this invitation to sing was brought up at the start of the meal. It was nearing the last dish and i thot he forgot but alas he didnt. His version of the hokkien song has 2 words different from mine but still the meaning is there. Hmmm.....i am amazed i am actually humming the song all the time... in hokkien!!!
3 men sang solo during the dinner, 2 chinese songs, 1 hokkien and 1 hindi.....they are so talented and thank God for good voices. Who were they? 2 from Shalom and 1 is our singing elder. This ex-FEBC student from NAGALAND can sing very well and the Hindi Christian song sounded so nice, minus the neck moving thingy.....hahaha....
The other man from Shalom sang in Chinese and Hokkien. His Hokkien song need special mention! The title was "Na si Uu Li ti goa eh si mia", translated as "When i have YOU in my life". HAHAHAHA........what went thro my mind almost like lightning flash when i saw the music score???? IT was:NA SI WO Uu JIT BA BAN......If i have a million dollars! Oh man.....Shing!!!! This first melody line kept ringing in my head whenever he sang that first line of the Christian hokkien song. So much of mix up.....heehee....
I was made to sing too, together with this leader in Shalom.....all because of the Hokkien song adult NTM group sang yesterday. Eld Seah mentioned to him and so he asked me to sing with him.....argh...... i thot i could escape coz this invitation to sing was brought up at the start of the meal. It was nearing the last dish and i thot he forgot but alas he didnt. His version of the hokkien song has 2 words different from mine but still the meaning is there. Hmmm.....i am amazed i am actually humming the song all the time... in hokkien!!!
Thank God today's practice went pretty well. We still have a lot to do. Tomorrow is Lahu carols and cantata and Thai lessons but i am still waiting for Warunee to give me the completed translation. Hmmm.....can get it ready by tomorrow? Pray tell. The caroling booklet too.
It will be a l-o-n-g day tomorrow......NTM prep, prayer meeting and session meeting. I am in great need of a good sleep. Didnt sleep much last night.....couldnt fall asleep even tho very tired. This is the worst kind...and torture too. Guess i will sleep early tonight and wake up before dawn to start doing the stuff.
I am truly grateful to God for seeing me thro today. At the start of the practice, at about 11.30am, i had gastric pain. It was getting frequent and i quickly swallowed 2 types of pills. Needed to go to Sunshine place to buy lunch back for CtYFers but i was really feeling sick. It would defeat the purpose if the youths went out to buy coz we really are running out of time to practice. Prayed to God and asked for mercies and grace. Amy & Elder Seah prayed for me too. I didnt wait to see if the pills worked and left church to take the public bus, taking all this by a very big step of faith. God is good. The pain got less but i soon had stomach pain and needed to find toilet. Managed to survive the whole ordeal till i return to church and by then, gastric pain disappeared and i was able to take my lunch. Had to visit toilet another time but it was ok.
I can never thank Him enough how He has made all things possible and giving me grace to face each day, plus withholding or rather healing me from further gastric pains and attack. God is really good, from Monday to Sunday, everyday! Tell it wherever you go!
It will be a l-o-n-g day tomorrow......NTM prep, prayer meeting and session meeting. I am in great need of a good sleep. Didnt sleep much last night.....couldnt fall asleep even tho very tired. This is the worst kind...and torture too. Guess i will sleep early tonight and wake up before dawn to start doing the stuff.
I am truly grateful to God for seeing me thro today. At the start of the practice, at about 11.30am, i had gastric pain. It was getting frequent and i quickly swallowed 2 types of pills. Needed to go to Sunshine place to buy lunch back for CtYFers but i was really feeling sick. It would defeat the purpose if the youths went out to buy coz we really are running out of time to practice. Prayed to God and asked for mercies and grace. Amy & Elder Seah prayed for me too. I didnt wait to see if the pills worked and left church to take the public bus, taking all this by a very big step of faith. God is good. The pain got less but i soon had stomach pain and needed to find toilet. Managed to survive the whole ordeal till i return to church and by then, gastric pain disappeared and i was able to take my lunch. Had to visit toilet another time but it was ok.
I can never thank Him enough how He has made all things possible and giving me grace to face each day, plus withholding or rather healing me from further gastric pains and attack. God is really good, from Monday to Sunday, everyday! Tell it wherever you go!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
More Clips....hahaha...
BK was really funny. She said during our practice just now (before the echo)... in hokkien:
"le lang chio jin jia ho, whoa jin jia luan ah".......lol! got it? Hahah, She said, "When you all sing very good, i am very blur and mix up"
This reminds me of the clips Dara took of us. The song, Therefore Being Justified..... CHOL people sing some chewy thingy at the end of each stanza and with actions too. BK was really funny doing them. Melissa was saying her actions were like chopping people up or carrying a knife to kill instead of twirling your hand round. Dont believe me? Take a look here. I find her so cute and adorable.
"le lang chio jin jia ho, whoa jin jia luan ah".......lol! got it? Hahah, She said, "When you all sing very good, i am very blur and mix up"
This reminds me of the clips Dara took of us. The song, Therefore Being Justified..... CHOL people sing some chewy thingy at the end of each stanza and with actions too. BK was really funny doing them. Melissa was saying her actions were like chopping people up or carrying a knife to kill instead of twirling your hand round. Dont believe me? Take a look here. I find her so cute and adorable.
And here's the video taken from Hendrick's camera from the front...... same song.... same actions.
Now that the adult NTM Echo is finally over, i can post this clip up too. It contains the actions to the hokkien song, sung by 4 children in CHOL. Erh.... our group decided to do our own version of Monday till Sunday coz the original actions kind of resemble Saturday Night Fever thingy......mmmmmm......
All said, i am much encouraged by this simple song and perhaps one day, just maybe one day, i will accept and embrace hokkien totally. I dont know but for now, this song suffice :)
Thanksgiving!!!
FINALLY DONE! It was a very very tiring and long night for me......slept at 4.30am. Thank God for enabling all the way and finished 15mins of the mission echo. Woke up this morning to complete the last segment, which is the holiday part and then join the two together and burn into DVD. Even as i type this now, the DVD is being created on BK's laptop.
Thank God for her, loaning me the lappy, for without it, i really can do nothing :)
Thank you all for praying. I am feeling weary. Just in case you didnt know how weary i am......i actually put hair conditioner onto my body thinking it was body shampoo gel.....all this after i had actually applied the real body gel and washed away. Oh man......better WAKE up and not do stupid things.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
MORE CRABS!!
My dad bought 9 crabs at NTUC supermarket just now!!!! He called me at 2pm and asked to come home to eat.
Yes, he cooked his signature Black Pepper Crab for dinner. WHOA.....so much of CRAP in 2 days.... hahahahhahaha..... Tonight was super super peppery hot......i couldnt take it. After eating one leg, my lips were burning. And all i could taste was just pepper... it was like not eating meat anymore, just plain pepper. I didnt quite like it and so i ate only 2 small legs. Besides, too much pepper is bad for my gastric and so i need to control. What a waste.....so much of crab left. Rachel and Isaac better do their job when they return home later....mmmmmm......
Got to finish up the video for tomorrow....argh......i did the thingy using MAC IMOVIE. But dont know why after i burn to DVD, it was unclear. As in i can see parts of the photo, still photo, moving, like those fake waterfall at the background that gives the illusion of flowing down???? Sigh.... and so late last night i started doing again. Pray for me if you read this post. I hope i can sleep tonight. Thanks.
Yes, he cooked his signature Black Pepper Crab for dinner. WHOA.....so much of CRAP in 2 days.... hahahahhahaha..... Tonight was super super peppery hot......i couldnt take it. After eating one leg, my lips were burning. And all i could taste was just pepper... it was like not eating meat anymore, just plain pepper. I didnt quite like it and so i ate only 2 small legs. Besides, too much pepper is bad for my gastric and so i need to control. What a waste.....so much of crab left. Rachel and Isaac better do their job when they return home later....mmmmmm......
Got to finish up the video for tomorrow....argh......i did the thingy using MAC IMOVIE. But dont know why after i burn to DVD, it was unclear. As in i can see parts of the photo, still photo, moving, like those fake waterfall at the background that gives the illusion of flowing down???? Sigh.... and so late last night i started doing again. Pray for me if you read this post. I hope i can sleep tonight. Thanks.
CRAPPY!
Yesterday was the dinner we all had been waiting for.......CRABS! For the first time, my dad didnt have to cook his signature dish - Black Pepper Crabs. Instead we headed to MELBEN at AMK to eat. Heard they serve fantastabulous crab dishes and so we think why not give a try......
I had problems reserving seats coz no one picked up the phone. Angela told me they dont work in the morning and so at 1plus she sms to say they have just started work. But it was too late then coz the lady said no more tables available and we had to come as walk-in. I didnt give up. Told her it was my dad's birthday and our first time and this place comes highly recommended....blah blah blah...... then she finally relented to say she will put my name for reservation but i may have to wait when i arrive and hopefully, not as long as those that walk in.
And so at 6plus, i drove family to AMK, with jams along PIE before the BKE exit and at the exit to Lornie road from PIE. Found the place and thank God there was a table ready for us. Ordered the chef's recommendation, as in their signature dishes like Butter cream crabs and Bee Hoon Crab, plus the fish and some vegetable and lastly the MANTOU!!!
The butter crab was tasty and it was super humongous and fleshy. Dipping the mantou in the gravy was mmmmm........ Then came the vege and fish. We love the fish tho my dad found it all too salty (i thot it was perfect). Last to arrive was the Bee Hoon Crab. I ordered extra bee hoon and soup because the lady said portion not enough for 5 and since we didnt order rice, more bee hoon would fill hungry stomachs (or so i thot).
Sigh.....my family didnt think it tasted special. Isaac said full of milk and oil. Rachel commented nothing spectacular. I didnt care. I was hungry and so i ate 4 small bowls of bee hoon, 2 crab legs, some fish and vege. They noticed i ate more than my usual and started teasing me. Dr Lowly had dinner at AquaMarine the night before (Amara dinner of which i, ME, wasnt told or invited...... i thot i was part of Amara team......sob sob...) and he said the staff loved the food there and considering going back next month. I quietly mentioned why i was not being informed or invited and the quick reply was "All you ever eat at buffet is bread and bread and little portion, you go there is to waste money". The children laughed at me. Argh.....NEVERMIND...... i shall eat all or what i want at BDC. Thai food and Two buffets coming up.
My dad, the star of the night, tucked in happily to his meal, oblivious to the table conversation and how my family ganged up to sneer at me. Hmmmm......i guess hearing the only good stuff is a blessing, right? hahaha...... He enjoyed his meal very much, loved the crab and couldnt finish his bee hoon. Wow.......come to think of it, i think i overate.... Rachel ate 1 bowl, Dr lowly didnt even eat any bee hoon, Isaac ate a big bowl (the extra one that i ordered) and me, 3 bowls!!!! Amazing! But there was still a lot of bee hoon left and my stomach had no more room to accommodate that.
Anyhow, i have no pics to put up coz everyone was so not in the mood to take photos (minus me). And guess the bill for the night?
A whopping $200 odd. 2 giant crabs cost $91. Fish $40. Then vege and the Mantou cost $0.40 per piece!!!! Wow! Super EXXXXX! What else did we have? 4 cans of coke and 2 cups of orange juice. It was really a filling night but i woke up feeling hungry again this morning....... heehee.......
I had problems reserving seats coz no one picked up the phone. Angela told me they dont work in the morning and so at 1plus she sms to say they have just started work. But it was too late then coz the lady said no more tables available and we had to come as walk-in. I didnt give up. Told her it was my dad's birthday and our first time and this place comes highly recommended....blah blah blah...... then she finally relented to say she will put my name for reservation but i may have to wait when i arrive and hopefully, not as long as those that walk in.
And so at 6plus, i drove family to AMK, with jams along PIE before the BKE exit and at the exit to Lornie road from PIE. Found the place and thank God there was a table ready for us. Ordered the chef's recommendation, as in their signature dishes like Butter cream crabs and Bee Hoon Crab, plus the fish and some vegetable and lastly the MANTOU!!!
The butter crab was tasty and it was super humongous and fleshy. Dipping the mantou in the gravy was mmmmm........ Then came the vege and fish. We love the fish tho my dad found it all too salty (i thot it was perfect). Last to arrive was the Bee Hoon Crab. I ordered extra bee hoon and soup because the lady said portion not enough for 5 and since we didnt order rice, more bee hoon would fill hungry stomachs (or so i thot).
Sigh.....my family didnt think it tasted special. Isaac said full of milk and oil. Rachel commented nothing spectacular. I didnt care. I was hungry and so i ate 4 small bowls of bee hoon, 2 crab legs, some fish and vege. They noticed i ate more than my usual and started teasing me. Dr Lowly had dinner at AquaMarine the night before (Amara dinner of which i, ME, wasnt told or invited...... i thot i was part of Amara team......sob sob...) and he said the staff loved the food there and considering going back next month. I quietly mentioned why i was not being informed or invited and the quick reply was "All you ever eat at buffet is bread and bread and little portion, you go there is to waste money". The children laughed at me. Argh.....NEVERMIND...... i shall eat all or what i want at BDC. Thai food and Two buffets coming up.
My dad, the star of the night, tucked in happily to his meal, oblivious to the table conversation and how my family ganged up to sneer at me. Hmmmm......i guess hearing the only good stuff is a blessing, right? hahaha...... He enjoyed his meal very much, loved the crab and couldnt finish his bee hoon. Wow.......come to think of it, i think i overate.... Rachel ate 1 bowl, Dr lowly didnt even eat any bee hoon, Isaac ate a big bowl (the extra one that i ordered) and me, 3 bowls!!!! Amazing! But there was still a lot of bee hoon left and my stomach had no more room to accommodate that.
Anyhow, i have no pics to put up coz everyone was so not in the mood to take photos (minus me). And guess the bill for the night?
A whopping $200 odd. 2 giant crabs cost $91. Fish $40. Then vege and the Mantou cost $0.40 per piece!!!! Wow! Super EXXXXX! What else did we have? 4 cans of coke and 2 cups of orange juice. It was really a filling night but i woke up feeling hungry again this morning....... heehee.......
Friday, November 14, 2008
RECORDING!!!!
WHOA....today was really intensive!
Michelle came at 10am coz she needed to replay the Perfect World piece.
11.30am Ji En came to record his song. Oh boy, he just couldnt get one note correct and Michelle had to be his angel behind him to give him the note during recording. I was thinking to myself.....what a long day for me.......hahahahaha.....
2pm Karen came, just when we were about to start our lunch. She waited for me to finish my lunch before we recorded the Friend's prayer song.
4pm Ji Sheng & Caleb came. Did the cute song and also the Sunday School song during musical.
6.30pm JJ & Aaron arrived with sumptuous SUBWAY food but alas, not for me.... :( Anyhow, Aprel cooked dinner and so i ate chinese food, together with Ji en & Isaac.
JJ proceeded to record NTM Cantata songs while Aaron came up to the room to do the Friend's prayer.
At 8.30pm, Eld Boon, Cheryll & Abel arrived. Aaron tried to finish before leaving the room, perhaps to play comp with the boys.....heard them talking about laptop and UMB.
The Boons finished at 9 plus and left. I went downstairs to check the piano recording. Realised JJ only recorded the Angels song. Hmmmm, my right hand felt pretty ok even after i used it a lot for yesterday's recording of 4 NTM Cantata songs.... and so i recorded one more song tonight on my piano. Thank God.
When it was finally over, it was close to 11pm...... a truly L-----O------N------G day for me but very thankful to God and the people who came to help accomplish stuff.... quite a lot really.......EXCEPT for the NTM Video to be screened on Sunday. I am so so so late and lacking. Sigh..... only tomorrow left for me to do. Saturday is packed again.
YAWN.......have been sleeping at 3am nearly everyday. Will break record for tonight......
OH yes, Alvin's returning tomorrow..... well actually today. And my family will be celebrating my dad's birthday........bringing him to eat Crabs at AMK.....some restaurant thingy that Angela recommended. Hmmmm, i cant wait for the mantou that goes with the crab......yummy!
Michelle came at 10am coz she needed to replay the Perfect World piece.
11.30am Ji En came to record his song. Oh boy, he just couldnt get one note correct and Michelle had to be his angel behind him to give him the note during recording. I was thinking to myself.....what a long day for me.......hahahahaha.....
2pm Karen came, just when we were about to start our lunch. She waited for me to finish my lunch before we recorded the Friend's prayer song.
4pm Ji Sheng & Caleb came. Did the cute song and also the Sunday School song during musical.
6.30pm JJ & Aaron arrived with sumptuous SUBWAY food but alas, not for me.... :( Anyhow, Aprel cooked dinner and so i ate chinese food, together with Ji en & Isaac.
JJ proceeded to record NTM Cantata songs while Aaron came up to the room to do the Friend's prayer.
At 8.30pm, Eld Boon, Cheryll & Abel arrived. Aaron tried to finish before leaving the room, perhaps to play comp with the boys.....heard them talking about laptop and UMB.
The Boons finished at 9 plus and left. I went downstairs to check the piano recording. Realised JJ only recorded the Angels song. Hmmmm, my right hand felt pretty ok even after i used it a lot for yesterday's recording of 4 NTM Cantata songs.... and so i recorded one more song tonight on my piano. Thank God.
When it was finally over, it was close to 11pm...... a truly L-----O------N------G day for me but very thankful to God and the people who came to help accomplish stuff.... quite a lot really.......EXCEPT for the NTM Video to be screened on Sunday. I am so so so late and lacking. Sigh..... only tomorrow left for me to do. Saturday is packed again.
YAWN.......have been sleeping at 3am nearly everyday. Will break record for tonight......
OH yes, Alvin's returning tomorrow..... well actually today. And my family will be celebrating my dad's birthday........bringing him to eat Crabs at AMK.....some restaurant thingy that Angela recommended. Hmmmm, i cant wait for the mantou that goes with the crab......yummy!
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