Praying for MH370

The past couple of weeks have been harrowing to Malaysians. We not only lost a plane; on that plane, someone lost a parent, a child, a sister, a brother, a grandparent, a grandchild, a loved one, a friend, an associate, a colleague, a crew and the list goes on. As days trickle on to weeks, the situation became more and more difficult as Malaysia came under siege by criticisms from various individuals and media.

Despite this unfortunate event surrounding our country and our national carrier, given the opportunity, I would still travel with Malaysia Airlines. 

I initially did not want to write on this issue, there's been numerous blogs, write-ups, tweets, even spoofs on the matter. My blog is just one out of the millions out there who are writing on MH370. I guess this is how people vent out and try to make themselves heard, by putting thoughts and feelings on the net.

Last night, our Prime Minister announced that there is much certainty that the plane deviated to the southern corridor and the last indication given by Inmarsat is that the flight's last location is at the southern Indian Ocean, west of Perth. Could it be true that the debris from the satellite photos be of MH370? Until it is found, we could not be sure. In fact, until any evidence is found, we can never be sure of what happened to MH370.

So, why write? I would have to say that I feel compelled to thank those out there who are involved in helping the search for MH370. You deserve better recognition and thanks by us, the people who are reading the news, the people who are waiting anxiously in front of the telly for the current press conference, the people who are hungrily scrounging the net for any piece of news that we can find of on the missing plane. And yet, there you are, under siege by the media, irresponsible individuals and parties who are keen to find fault at every single thing that was done and announced. 

So here's me saying thank you for all that you've done on this mission to find the missing plane. I know it must've have been difficult, finding clues, identifying and searching every single piece of evidence that you could get your hands on (yes, that includes all the various police reports that eyewitnesses say they have seen, including those that seems incredibly ludicrous), checking and rechecking your data to make sure you have not missed anything, making sure with all means possible that the information that you are about to announce is certain to be true, facing ruthless reporters and journalists who seem to be hungry to pinpoint the blame on anyone or everyone, answering various questions and allegations on the missing plane. To the search and rescue team whether you're behind closed doors analysing and reanalysing data till your eyes blur and your head swim at the various charts, raw data and information that you have to process, and to those who are out there braving the skies, oceans and seas just so that we can get a single glimpse at any evidence that we could get our hands on; those who are working tirelessly day and night from day one, I salute you. I could and never would be able to do what you have been and will be doing until this missing plane is found. 

I find it sad that there are many out there (Malaysians included) are bashing our beloved country due to the way how the investigations are being done. As someone who is not involved in the investigations (I am after all part of those who are glued to the telly waiting rather impatiently on the next update or press conference) I will not act as if I know more that those who are involved in the matter. Despite the name-calling and country-bashing exercises by unscrupulous individuals or organisations (it's definitely a pity how some are taking advantage of this situation so that they can get some 5-minutes of fame), I would have to say that I am definitely proud by how we Malaysians have stuck together despite our different race and religion to pray for the missing plane.

To the families of those who were onboard of the missing plane, I will not pretend to know how painful this must be for you, to be ripped off the ones that you love in a manner that is completely incomprehensible such as this, I will offer the only thing that I am capable of at this time of need, words of prayer and support. And to be honest, until that plane is found (or any evidence indicating that it indeed did crash into the Indian ocean) I and many others who are like me would still be hoping and praying that those who were onboard are returned to their family safe and sound.

To quote a verse from the Quran (6:59):
"And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there with the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record."


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

The Most Unfortunate Event

I had to leave for Mukah last Thursday, simply because I had an OBE training to conduct at UiTM Mukah. What's OBE? That I will explain in another post. Having been to Mukah for a few times before, the last one being about three years back (prior to joining UiTM) I was kinda looking forward to my trip. Mukah is well known for its freshwater and saltwater produce (i.e. seafood) and me (being a well-known food-lover) would not want to miss out on an opportunity to savour those yummylicious scrumptious food. The best of the best food would be straight from the water to the wok, I'd say.

Mukah airport

Being a small town, there's only about three flights a day into and out of Mukah. As the flights are normally quite full, some may have to resort to flying via the nearest town, Sibu then driving from Sibu into Mukah (which takes about three hours). Luckily for me, there was one seat available from Kuching to Mukah on Thursday morning so I took that and flew into Mukah.

Entrance to the airport

As I said, Mukah is a small town. So it's quite understandable that flying into Mukah would be via a small plane. A twin otter to be exact. 13-seater but usually passengers would be less as the plane is very small, thus is unable to bear too heavy a weight. Flying in a twin otter is a very frightening experience. All the turbulence the movement of the plane seems to be exaggerated in every way. So, a tiny turbulence would make the plane jolt and being jolted in a tiny plane is not the most exciting experience, I must say.

Interior of the plane. Looks like we're sittin' in a bus, doesn't it?

My knees touching the seat in front of me. Yes, it's that super-tiny.

Tiny planes only needs tiny wings.

The plane-door cum ladder.

After completing my training session on Friday, I packed up and left for the airport on Saturday morning. Little did I know that I would miss the plane. My plane was due for 10.30 am and I arrived at the airport sharp at 10 am. A little late, I know, but the plane from Kuching was due to arrive at 10.15 am so I had ample time (or so I thought). When we arrived, it was quite a surprise to see the plane already parking at the tarmac. I rushed into the airport and waited in line for my turn. There were two other ladies in front of me. After dealing with those ladies, the lady behind the counter then left the counter and proceeded to the adjoining office. I was waiting in front of the counter to be served. To my surprise, the pilot and co-pilot started walking towards the plane and then the other passengers (who were already in the departure room) all walked towards the plane. I then knocked the window of the adjoining office,

informing the lady that I have not yet checked in and here was everybody leaving the airport. The lady told me that I am late and the check in counter is closed. Can you imagine, waiting in line only to be told that the check in counter is closed. What kind of service is that? I was absolutely horrified. I told them that I needed to board the plane and they told me that I could not, as I was late and the check in counter was already closed. Maybe they took pity on me or maybe they decided that they were in the wrong but they put me on standby for the next plane, which was scheduled at 1.15 pm.

The check in counter and next to it is the adjoining office (behind that clear glass).

The empty airport lounge once the plane flew at 10.20 am and I was the only one left waiting.

Having ample time to wait for the next plane (I wasn't going to go anywhere after that horrifying incident) I decided to compose and send a complaint to Malaysia Airlines and here it goes (with misspellings and all):

Dear MAS,

I am truly disappointed in the service that I received at Mukah airport. I was waiting in line to check in for my flight to Kuching this morning (10.30am flight, 2 April). Little did I know that the other boarders for the flight had checked in and I waited for my turn as there were two other ladies in front of me. When it was my turn, I waited and waited for the officer to come back to the counter but she was still in the next office, presumably keying in the name if the passengers of the flight. To my horror I saw the captain walking to the plane. Only then I knocked at the window to ask the lady why is the captain walking to the plane whilst I have yet to check in. In that she replied that the check in time had already closed and I am unable to fly. I told that I am due on that flight and I have been standing all this while in front of the check in counter waiting for my turn. She seemed amused by my plight to which she replied, why did you not call for me? I have never met a more obnoxious treatment in my life and I wish to hope that something should be done upon this matter.

I think you should also know tht the flight left early. It left at 10.20am even though the stated time is supposed to be 10.30am. When I asked the man in charged (I presume that he is in charge as he ws the one who told me that my case was hopeless and the captain had ordered for the plane to fly right away) he told me that the captain is in a hurry to catch the next flight to Miri and he needs to arrive in Kuching early to catch that flight.

I am saddened that a great organization like yours is managed on the whims of hooligans like these. I wish on some action to be taken as I am sure that I am not the only person to have been treated like this. When noticing my distress, the lady even jested to me not to cry as they do not have any tissue to give to me. I then told them that I had no other means to leave Mukah and I would not want to walk back to Kuching should I be left here. She even had the gall to jest, would you like to walk to Kuching then? After seeing my humorless expression, she then put me on standby on the 1.15pm flight and here I am, the only one waiting in the airport.

It is extremely saddening to receive such appalling treatment in my own homeland Sarawak. I will hope to obtain the names of the staff to you soon so that I am able to furnish you the details. It us however up to you to take action or not as I do not have any say in that matter. But it is a shame that an international organization like yours receiving so many recognition accolades on exceptional service to tarnish its own reputation in the same country of origin.

Should you need to contact me, I can be contacted at 01XXXXXXX.

Sincerely
Fareiny M.

What irked me was not that I was left behind by the plane. It really did not matter that much to me as I have been left behind by airplanes before and I acknowledge that it is also my fault to be at the airport only 30 minutes prior to flying time. What really saddened me is the way I was treated and I do think that I am not the first one to be treated that way. And as my fiance puts it, so much for Malaysian Hospitality and in this part of the country, I fear his words do ring true.

I really hope that MAS would look into this and lets hope that future trips to and fro from Mukah would lead in a better service from the ground staff.

xoxo Fashionista in Action xoxo

p/s: I did board the 1.15 pm flight and guess what time did we check in? 12.50 noon. Only 25 minutes prior to the flight. Interesting, right?

The worst flight ever

I had the worst flight ever.

I know that you know, it's written in the subject line *duh*.

What would you feel if you woke up at 4 am so that you can get ready for a 7 am flight? You wouldn't be all fresh and perky right? And then having to arrive at KL Sentral at 5 am and discovering that your flight has been cancelled. Well, that was how my day started.

So I slept late that night. That's normal prior to any traveling trip. I have to pack, period. And the problem with me is that I usually pack the night before, so I usually have to make sure that I have all my belongings in my luggage so that I can just wake up as late as I can the next morning. And this meant 4 am in the morning as my flight to KK is set for 7 am.

We left for KL Sentral at 5 am and arrived within minutes (it's the wee hours of the morning, I doubt there'd be any traffic jam, so that morning was no different than any 5 am traffic in KL, the roads are practically empty with no car in sight).

So here I was checking in only to discover that I had to catch the 9.30 am flight instead. Now, please bear in mind that I had another flight to catch, the 12.30 flight from KK to Kuching. I talked to MAS officers, there is nothing that I can do about it though and there is nothing that they can do either. There is no earlier flight so I'm left with the 9.30 am flight.

I arrived at KLIA by 6.30 am (it was so early that I managed to catch the sunrise, haha) and by then I was already kinda dizzy (with the lack of sleep and all). And I waited for my flight. And waited. And waited. Apparently there was a delay. We didn't leave until 9.50 am. Can you imagine my agony? No, you can't, right? Ah well, truly agonized I was. And throughout the flight I kept praying and praying, you know, for the plane to fly faster. Or for the pilot to at least realize that he has a passenger on board that needs to catch her connecting flight. Oh, I forgot. You might be wondering how on earth that I had to fly all the way to KK when there is a direct flight from KL to Kuching. Well, I was supposed to be attending this meeting in KK. It was scheduled and organized and all, and then it got cancelled. Like three days prior to the meeting we were notified that the meeting wasn't going to happen. So, being the good employee that I am, I attended a workshop in Seremban instead, also scheduled on the same date.

Now back to my flight. At the end of the day, we landed in KK right on the dot of 12.30 noon. Same time as my flight back to Kuching. Being the worrywart that I am, I was a total wreck. Looking as hassled as a hen that has lost its chicks, I most probably looked worst than that. By landing time, I had notified the stewardess of my situation by at least three times and I was already seated in first class, just so that I could run out of the plane and straight into the other one. As exciting as that sounds, that did not happen to me though. I arrived in KK to find that my plane had already left me *sob*.

So what did I do? I wandered at the airport, like a lost chick. Kept wandering at the departure hall, really not knowing what to do. It's my first time being left behind by the plane, you see. So, I was kinda caught unawares. Finally I had the courage to approach one of the airport officials and blurt out my situation. I had been left behind by my own transportation. The question that was weighing on my mind was, 'Do I need to buy another ticket?' *yikes*. Likes it's even my fault, right?

Luckily the gentleman was nice enough to appease all of my worries and immediately changed my ticket so that I can board the next available flight, which is scheduled to leave at 1.30 pm. And to get to Kuching, I had to transit in Miri and Mulu. Rather than an hour or so flight, the whole journey will take roughly around 3 hours. Oh my God. Just knowing the fact that I was so desperate to reach home that made me agree to board the plane. Within 3 hours, I'll be home. So, on this flight, I had to leave the plane twice (to Miri and Mulu) and then finally reach Kuching. And unfortunate for me (despite having my flight cancelled, delayed and missing another flight) the flight attendant in this flight was particularly loud, so we kinda overheard all the meticulous details of her uninteresting conversation *sigh*.

Suffice to say, I arrived at KIA safely at 4.55 pm but without my bag in tow. It had gotten left behind in KK amidst all the chaos. Feeling simply too tired (after all that) I decided to leave it at that and submit a baggage claim form at KIA.

My luggage arrived at 11.30 pm.

And to me, this is absolutely the worst flight one could ever experience. Let's pray that this doesn't happen to y'all.

xoxo Fashionista in Action xoxo