Enjoy today

Yvonne has officially labeled me a walking zombie in the office since Monday and I wonder why. In only three days, I now look like this...



I was given strict instructions after the 20th person asked me why was I looking gloomy and sad faced. Instructions were simple, smile more or die (nola not really die but something along the same lines). Today I'm smiling more and its because of a certain someone.

Xiang Yu (項羽) was a legendary character of the old warring states more famous than his rival, Liu Bang who would be the founder of the 400 year Han dynasty. Xiang Yu of the province of Chu was the first to use the title 'par wong' and was the inspiration behind the adoption of my name. According to history, Xiang Yu was defeated by backhanded tactics of Liu Bang after the latter reneged on the pact to divide the heavens into two.

But all legends tell of how Xiang Yu at his end with his concubine, Yuji (虞姬) (couldn't marry her as she was not royal blood but she was the love of his life in the feudal days). Some say he lost because she was killed and some said he lost all will to fight after she was gone. The great tyrant brought to his end because of his love. What more for a blogger who has the same name?

Zhao Zilong, the great general of Liu Bei of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms fame, once said, "I seek fame not women". Thewreck says, "I seek my baby and nothing else!"

I messed up

"What is her surname?"

"Evil"

What is her last name?"

"Janet"

And with that, I was connected to her hotel room. But along the way, I messed up and alerted the whole world. Racked up a huge phone bill and had to harass the hotel staff in broken Mandarin to be connected to your room which probably shocked your room mate and made you embarassed. For that baby, I'm truly sorry that I made a complete ass out of myself. I would like to say I was tired and could not think clearly but the reason I panicked was simply because I was too worried for you and I think I seriously over reacted. Sorry baby.

With the apology being made official, that was not the reason why I'm writing this post. I'm writing this to let you know that I'm smiling today because I know that you're watching. And I promise to live everyday to the fullest until you get back because you complete me and make my life perfect. You complement what I'm not and make me want to be a better man.

And I want you to also smile for me because:-
1) You should be and deserve to be the luckiest girl on planet earth
2) I'm also watching that you smile and nothing means more than you smiling because of me
3) Because when you smile, I smile more and you're my international weather channel

I don't have much pics to share with you but I'm hoping that you like the ones I took below on the way to work.







Hope this warms you on a cold day. Ticking off the days until you get back and KL becomes "sunny" again.

PS. Baby, I love you (sorry Cecilia Ahern, just had to steal your book title) today, everyday, and I hope if you allow me to for forever. Have I told you baby that you look wonderful today, because I see you too everytime I close my eyes and you're perfect.

Two telephone calls and Häagen-Dazs

Woke up twice last night. For two phone calls. One was meant to be and the other not planned to happen. And I am now seriously love with Häagen-Dazs as well.



Came in the office this morning still reeling from the now officially greatest weekend of my life. Woke up the first time out of no reason at 2.30 and stayed up for half an hour to wake evil janet up at 3 and the other at 5 to say goodbye for a week :( (how in the world am I going to survive the week???). Just couldn't let her go just like that for a week right?

The magic just seems to live on. When she got there and called, I was right there beside her.

Yesterday was simply the happily ever after finale to everything. Yesterday was casual but stil so special. We held hands again, walked in the rain and had ice cream after the rain. And that was on top of visiting four shopping malls and endless cuddles up and down the escalators (baby, love it when you cuddle).



It was definitely a sweet sweet weekend. Just wanted to include this song which came out in Shrek 2 (not your favourite one baby from Pocahantas but yeah summarises it best right now).

Hooked on a feeling

I can't stop this feeling
Deep inside of me.
Girl, you just don't realize
What you do to me.
When you hold me
In your arms so tight,
You let me know,
Everythings alright, ahahah

I'm hooked on a feeling,
I'm high on believing,
That your in love with me.

Lips as sweet as candy.
Their taste stays on my mind.
Girl, you keep me thirsty for another cup of wine.

I got it bad for you girl,
But I don't need a cure,
I'll just stay addicted, If I can endure
All the good love, when we're all alone
Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on.

I'mmm, I'mmm Hooked on a feeling.
I'm high on believing that your in love with me.
All the good love, when we're all alone
Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on.

Ahaha I'm hooked on a feeling,
I'm high on believing,
That your in love with me.

I'm hooked on a feeling,
I'm high on believing,
That your in love with me.

I say I'm hooked on a feeling,
And I'm high on believing,
That your in love with me.
I'm hooked on a feeling.

PS. Now seriously, how am I going to survive the week????

Earth Hour = Love Hour......A Story

This is a story that happened on the 28th of March in a distant year that people might or might not remember. Its a story about two individuals called Jamal and Lathika. Any similarities with any fictional or real characters are purely intentional and meant to be.



Now, it was an early morning and Jamal was tired finishing a card for Lathika on the 28th. I would like to say the birds were chirping and the sky was crystal blue but no..the greatest thing that could happen was when Lathika woke him up. That was the tone for the day from hearts racing to stopping to galloping to craziness.

Jamal found himself lost in front of Lathika's home and he was early, mind you (hey, the road numbering was funny and had to twirl a few times arounf the block). They had their fist hug which then time stopped for approximately 0.1 seconds before reality came back (which really sux). Lathika had fruit drinks for breakfast which she had been kind enough to share with Jamal which really was the first heart mealt of the day.

The entire day was a fairytale run and if everything was written here, there would be no ending. Now, the Bible says that "Man shall not leave on bread alone". Heck, it could not have been more true, everything was sweet and Jamal and Lathika lived on air, water and love alone. Estimated time spent on gazing at each other was an Olympic record 14 straight hours. Everything was perfect although the movie, Taken would not have been a great first date movie because 1) the movie spoke about 2 travellers who got taken (pun intended) and Lathika just got back from a 2 people trip 2) the violence was 'painful'. But, it ended well with a few instances of Jamal constantly peeking to see if Lathika was allright and it must be noted that Lathika's reactions were cute. This was in between Jamal picking caramel popcorn for Lathika from the other tasteless ones.

The most awesome part was dinner. The place was practically deserted and it was like Jamal and Lathika had the whole restaurant for themselves. An then, "Excuse me sir and madam, now is earth hour. Would you mind if we turn off the lights and use candles?". Imagine a whole restaurant, great ambience, excellent music, fine dining, wine, whole restaurant empty, candlelight dinner and all the time in the world. I wish the English language could invent words to describe these happenings which extends beyond euphoria, perfection and absolute romance. Or maybe there is a word, but the author simply does not know nor cares.

There was wine, eye gazing, ahem, hand holding and that moment was pure magic. It was so thick in the eye that it would suffocate you. Jamal and Lathika were in love and nothing could steal the moment. Nothing on earth could have disrupted that moment. After a slow meal, it was onto the veranda after the lights were turned back on. Magnificent view of KL Tower and KLCC. The only imperfection was the absence of stars in the sky. Finished the wine but the shock came when Lathika was tipsy and had to get to the washroom. Won't go into details, but Jamal and Lathika shared their first kiss right there and then. It was the most magical moment of the night if you ask me.

Lathika told Jamal that she got tipsy on purpose to be daring. Now if love is not the best anectode for bravery then I do not know what is. It was love that made her brave enough to be tipsy and so was it really love that made her brave enough or was it the wine? The answer is written.

The heartstops, heart melts, time stopping moments would have destroyed the earth and put global warming to shame.

Well, the night ended with Jamal racing back driving with one hand and the other holding onto Lathika's. End of story which will stay in their minds forever the author hopes, forever and ever.

I wish to say I was making this up but the author also has been biting his own fingers to ensure that this was real and the many more that happened that day was pure magic. The author hopes to write more magic tomorrow, next week, next month, next year and forever to come.

This also explains why there were no new comments on the 28th of March on the AirAsia blog. Jamal needed a day off, one day just not to look at the blog and live a proper life and the greatest day of his life was just perfect.

Now excuse me, I need to stop daydreaming of the 28th and start thinking about her and missing her.

PS. Baby, I luv u...forever and ever baby!

(London + Metallica) < a second with you

"We need you to go to London and also go watch Metallica"

(Pause and stare for approximately 0.15 seconds)

"No. I can't make it. I've got something up this weekend"



And just like that London free trip and free tix for Metallica went up in smoke. Pure smoke and vanished right into the air. I'm not a big fan of Metallica but the tix are expensive and a London trip to boot. But deep inside, I knew that it was nothing. Absolutely nothing compared to even just one second with you know who.

Been thinking about the entire episode and yes, after calming down and a shower, the answer has never been more clear. I was right. Somethings have no value and some things money can't buy.

When I left Sime Darby, I left to look for an answer that would satify myself that there are more important things in life. Nothing has changed since then. Life is too short, some stuff I've figured is valuable than all the fancy props and fireworks. Some things are so real that you feel like you can't stop a moving train :P

I feel so happy at the moment. Finding the calm inside knowing that the decision I made was simply so right and no value could ever exchange for it. Been thinking about the final candidates for the pilot competition. Sure the moneys good and you get to travel to places, but have the candidates thought about after ten years, would they still want to see the open skies, do the mundane reports, not have a regular life and even face dangers to their lives. What is it that they are seeking when they choose to be pilots? What will continue to motivate them when everything else around them will be so wrong?

Four days to go to announcing the first few candidates. Will also be leaving to Perth soon after. I wish I was in Tianjin though earlier. You can't have everything in life but you really have to appreciate the moment. My moment is now. Life is perfect.

"Would you wait for me?"

"Yeah baby, no matter what and no matter for what, everyday as long as your safe"

adrenaline...

Wikipedia.org defines Epinephrine (adrenaline) as a "fight or flight" hormone, and plays a central role in the short-term stress reaction. It is released from the adrenal glands when danger threatens or in an emergency, hence an Adrenaline rush. Such triggers may be threatening, exciting, or environmental stressor conditions such as high noise levels, or bright light and high ambient temperature.

Then, how would you define if you've been running on adrenaline for an entire week? Well, science logically says that the trigger of it running in your blood are made up of threatening, exciting or environmental stressor conditions. Whatever that means, all I know is that for the entire week, I have been running on adrenaline because someone is threatening my mental state of mind and the health of my heart, exciting me at every second and the environment in my world has changed totally. Its strange how much adrenaline can do...

Been wondering how long adrenaline can sustain me. Azran is continuing to have faith in the blog and web 2.0 applications while aptly emailing me, "Go forth and unleash web 2.0!". His idea and Tony's of belief in the system that web 2.0 is the way forward is simply amazing. I left Sime precisely because no one held that belief that this could work. Its not rocket science or a leap of faith, but rather using the current technology to get personal with the people that you want to touch and get a message out to. Its about re-engineering the human touch in webs. Saying that web tools suck out the life from human contact is wrong, human contact has simply evolved and companies/corporations have to stay one step ahead in understanding these changes.

Yesterdays "Name a plane and get your name on a plane" was simply fantastic and the first approach integrating all our web 2.0 applications via viral means. Yet to see the total impact but the sheer will of Azran to deposit such faith is great. Hope more will jump on the bandwagon but AirAsia as a whole wants to be out there at the frontier, pushing others to get there. We want to be different in pushing our boundaries and to stand out from other corporations. The key message in all we do is to tell people of our credo, that we are simply fun & friendly people. Simplier said then done, to achieve that, we have to be innovative. We have to get bigger bang for nothing or minimal costs.

These are exciting times when the economic scenario now challenges to use these tools as a platform and think out of the box and redesign both our approach and more importantly our mentality. The only way forward is to use web 2.0 to show the human side of AirAsia and thats simply what we are out to achieve.

Rubbing my eyes while finishing this, but exciting times are really great and this differentiates the best from the rest.

On a seperate note, to the personal question of "what are we doing?". You are simply right, the time is just right and no way you can stop a rushing train.....

120km/h

"Whats considered fast when driving for you?"

"120km/h is still ok"

With that I made a promise and have kept to below 120km/h on the road no matter how inviting the space is. Even when I feel bored or really want to speed, I've kept my promise.

This has resulted in really seriously hilarious episodes on the road. Once, I was behind a bad ass auntie on the second lane and wanted to overtake but she was already driving at 110km/h. So guess what, I actually kept to my promise and followed her all the way until Putrajaya. At the same time was knocking my head on the steering wheel and asking if I really had to keep my promise when no one was watching.



Another thing that could result in me driving fast is if another driver pulls up behind at break neck speed and really close distance. My first reaction would have been smoke 'em. But since I made that promise, I actually bit my teeth (my gums nearly bled yeah i am exaggerating but it was that bad) and pulled to the slower lane. Had to resist flashing the bird at the driver. He must have laughed at me while driving by.

Been driving real funny lately, eyes always on the speedometer and getting nervous when its nearly at 120. Its like one eye on the road and the other on the speedometer. I'm getting crooked eyed...gasp! To friends who I have blazed on the Dengkil highway must be really surprised reading this. Been disciplining myself a lot and been keeping my promise. Been getting up earlier so that I can still keep to the speed limits and make it early to manage the blog. Have more time to look at the sky and the weather on the way to work. And when you see the clouds and think of someone you made a promise to, you really cant help but smile. People who pass by me now must be thinking im a lunatic in a car. And i think i really am going crazy.

Todays kinda sad, Saturday will be a shorter one...

sweet talk?

"What? You're going with your neighbour? The one whose mom was from MAS?"

"Yeah. Call you when I get back"

Thud. End of line. Hearing that evil janet was going to dinner with her neighbour was pain in the gut. Not because I didin't trust her nor was there an inner green monster appearing. It was painful only because I so hoped I could be the guy to take evil janet out to dinner tonight. Have you ever felt a time for a person that you wanted to spend as much waking time with? But you know what, there are many many many more nights to come, and honestly, today was one of the greatest days of my life. It beats Tun Musa reading the speech I wrote to launch Sime Darby, me getting a promotion and even winning the university basketball tournament in NZ!

There were several times today that I felt my heart pop and I could swear that blood rushed so fast to my head that I had to run from sight and from normal people.

Today was a first of many things. For one, I woke evil janet up...it was really sweet, her voice when she woke up. Sitting there waiting for her was just so beautiful. It was the cutest voice that no anime character or actress could ever come up with and my day started off on fire. It was simply unbelievable that the rain was chased away and I could not believe myself happily humming to LCCT on a cloudy morning.

At the meeting today, she simply set my heart racing for the hills. When her eyes met mine, it was like a wave of emotion ran all the way up and down that I actually felt dizzy. It was like a lightning strike right up my vertebrae and completely froze me on the spot.

Today, the blog video is finally done. But strangely enough, I didn't feel any sense of accomplishment. This happened right after the meeting and that lightning bolt was still rushing up and down even after an hour!!!! That was simply how you blow my mind. Nothing else mattered.

Today was also the first time I walked her to her car. On the short walk, I nearly had to slap myself to stop myself from holding her hand which was right there! It was just swinging right there and I was half staggering convinced I should slap myself and the other sane side trying to keep up a proper conversation. When she said goodbye, I could have simply collapsed on the spot. She is that eternal sunshine of my evil mind.



Evil janet actually said I'm a sweet talker. Yvonne, guess what? I still got my mojo. But I still wonder if she will believe that every word was true and real. That every moment with her is sweet. The Beetles said it best, "Its only words and words are all I have to take your heart away." Wonder if I'm daring enough. That I would never bluff her. Come to think of it, this is the first post I have thats so personal. Wonder if she will be mad....thank goodness her modem's out....

not enough zzzzz

Just finished the shooting and editing for the new AirAsia Blog video is going smoothly. Problem is just I really did not get enough rest last nite (blame a certain janet for not getting off my mind). Might be checking in early tonight. The video I guarantee will make you laughing on all fours. Better watch out if you're watching alone in the office. Editing is halfway through and raw footage is already seriously funny. The shooting is still with no budget and no help. All done in house with willing people to be conned (sorry corporate culture and yvonne, people have to sacrificed, muahahaha). This will be my fourth collaboration with Ruffy who has been increasingly superb in getting at what I want from my videos on the blog. Shooting was wrapped up in less than an hour and editing this time will be heavy. Computer went bonkers on us at least every 15 mins (thats why I'm guilty of leaving my seat so much).

The shooting was a blast and I can't wait for the finished product. Hoping many would smile especially the one opposite me. Got half my mind though on the pilot competiion, been compiling the list on a daily basis. Reading each entry which admittedly has been put together with great care. Equally scared of making the wrong decision. The pilots will have the final say but I can not help but feel for the candidates. Its like them waiting for another round of results after their SPM and STPM.

Its getting closer and closer to announcing the shortlisted candidates for the "So You Wanna be a Pilot?" competition. Got a few great entries today but didint have time to ring them to verify, been hectic running between editing and normal work procedures. Been sneaking in to catch smiles from my neighbour whose extremely busy. Everyone in Communications is with the Tianjin launch just a few days away. Sense another hustle and bustle at the airport on launch day.

Won't be shooting any more videos in the next few months although I still have a few more ideas I would definitely like to test. Will launch a concept or two unseen in a blog before and maybe take some time off in the near future. Hangzhou seems inviting :) Have mixed feelings about Perth, get to go out of office but not with the people I want to with. Hoping for a quick rest and a great view of Perth and the V-Fest. Then maybe, a proper holiday after.

Been dreaming weird dreams and getting up in the middle of the night. Was asked to push the next cabin crew intake, hopefully a green eyed monster won't appear as she really occupies 98% of a beating heart.

Gearing up for a busy next few months as recognition for the AirAsia blog grows. Hopefully the blog has gained many new followers and will continune to be as interesting and more. Someone said I was intoxicating, prefer to be a weather channel instead, if that makes sense at all.

the saturday...

"Can you babysit them?"

I stared blankly. Then paused with my mouth wide open. Wanted to say no as I promised another friend to go hiking. Kinda hard to say no though. All I did was say was, "Of course, I definitely love to be around the three angels".

Its a Saturday and I had just promised my weekend to take care of my three adorable cousins. All pretty much younger and definitely more devious. Me saying that means something.

Just had time to get my car's rear lamp fixed, managed to get some interesting props for Monday's blog video shooting and now had to say no to seeing the sunrise on a Sunday morning. I had to tell Yvonne fast. Yvonne is AirAsia's resident nature consultant but her official office tag is copywriter. Shes also the AirAsia corporate blogger's official lunch partner. Wanted to get on a nature trip with her and just find a bit of peace on a weekend. We were suppose to get to Bkt. Melawati and prove we were not losers by conquering Tabur and avoiding been labeled as losers by the aunties who according to Yvonne scale Tabur on a weekly basis. Real shame and had to text her to remember to take pics. Hope she does'nt end up being laughed at by the aunties and she doesn't end up getting her mugshot on the auntie's wall of shame. Heard the aunties are vicious and take shots of young people who fail horribly at attempting Tabur.



A losers outing had turned into 'Bedtime Stories'. Really feel like Adam Sandler now watching the little ones run up and down. As the only adult in the house I've already been labeled meanie, big bully, no fun and the list is growing by the minute. Wonder how my uncle still manages to stay fat after this daily torture. Well, stuff is not too bad, the eldest kinda reminds me of evil janet's smile, the second reminds me of the owner of a prince's eyes, and the third of the way my work mate bullies me when she sits in front of me. Its been a joyride all the way.

I have tried lassoing, leashing, branding them with hot iron (ok i was really tempted), tricking them into getting into shower by showering them with a water hose, tying them up and telling them its a red indian game, chasing them hoping they would get tired and even reducing their sugar intake. The result? Disastrous...is making it sound simple.

Can't wait for bedtime. You think if I make them finish my stories with the ending I want, it will come true? Fingers crossed...haha. I want a Ferrari....for freeeee!!!!

the time is just rite

"Why didin't your mom process you earlier?"

I was actually this. Twice. Now how do you answer that?



Benjamin Button about a curious case of a man aging backwards. He meets this love of his love. They somehow get together at the exact time, at the perfect moment. To those that do not know, go buy the DVD. Life is that strange all the time. You do not know when the exact or opportunate moment is here. People look their whole lives and not know that the moment is here or is passing them by. Ships are safe in the harbour but thats not what ships are built for. Guess its the same with life. You live life but life is not worth living simply that way.

Been really busy today deciding on who gets a shot at being a pilot and who does not. I've bene calling each candidate that I feel stands a chance. Trying to see if I can give them a change to change their lives and more importantly, trying to see how much they want this. Wonder if this competition is only the opportunate moment for the ten. Often ask myself, if this competition will also change the lives of the others who will not be selected.

On a seperate matter to a certain owner of a prince, I've tried looking all my life but never felt like this before. Now, do I know if I'm meeting the opportunate moment? I don't know but my heart tells me that it is...

Hangzhou

"Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou." (生在苏州, 活在杭州, 吃在广州, 死在柳州)



My ears still stinging. I got an ear bashing from a certain evil Janet on Hangzhou. For which West Lake I mistook for being in Guilin. You see, when I submitted my entry for corporate blogger I wrote about Guilin and accidently said this was the site of the legendary story of Legend of the White Snake. To Chinese, its a great legacy love story that has been passed down for generations and the lake was a symbol of that love. Leifeng pagoda is simply testament to that love story that was even mentioned in the legend. I wrote passionately about the legend by the way which got me my job :)

Hangzhou today is an excellent mix of the modern and the traditional which is simply an eclectic mix of awesomeness like Kyoto and Tokyo in Japan. Theres Starbucks by the other famous Hangzhou pagoda bridge which I think is the one called the 'Broken Bridge'. Famed also for their Longjing tea, evil Janet assures me that its full of great staple food that is simply unrivalled (she could be bluffing me just to get me there). Theres a lot of other legacies there too and evil Janet has assured me that I would simply die for being a banana (cant speak mandarin chinese) there.



Just kinda funny to think that I got my job from this place and the only thing I previously knew was the story my grandmother told me and the story we watched in countless dramas of the legend of the white snake. The only other figure I could remember was Yue Fei. Think its time I pay more attention to more stuff about this place and it seems a good location to go. Since I'm with AirAsia, whats the harm. Guess now only need to convince evil Janet to make sure I am alive when I make the trip.

Goals

Now, I've been asked by the candidates of the 'So You Wanna be a Pilot?' competition many many times for tips and to understand what is it I'm looking for. Ive purposely left clues to candidates on how to find this blog for the answers they are looking for through the placement of twitter on the blog and my name mentions in the post 'The Whole World wants to be a pilot'. Want to see how many smart enough to follow the trail.

People have been asking me since I was 12 on what I wanted to be. The answers have gone from archaelogist, to priest, to architect, to businessman, to conman. But the answer that I always had was the same as the Japanese sword saint, Miyamoto Musashi; to be the greatest under heaven. And like Miyamoto, I came to realise what being the greatest means.


When I was born, my dad chose an audacious name for me, in English it reads Tan Yeong Par but in Chinese, it is Chen (family name) Yeong (brave) Par (tyrant). Chinese have a believe that if you can not live to your name, you will pay for it with your life. Needless to say, my grandmother was furious and I grew up challenging everything regardless of the odds. Doing what I do in each job is a challenge. Right now, my words are my words and like Miyamoto who went around the land searching for the greatest, I started out that way too way early in my career. Seeking to make a name for myself. Now, Miyamoto according to records after defeating his arch rival Sasaki Kojiro finally understood the meaning of being the greatest after that. Being the greatest meant that you had to understand that you were the not the focus of the universe and that the world does not revolve around you, rather, greatest is just a word. The way of the sword is a journey of self discovery and thats all that matters.

To be the greatest, it means that you have come to realised that the only opponent has always been yourself. When you have reached that peak, you look around and see so many more peaks around you but you do not go around beating each peak. You grow with your peak in your own way. That is the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū or Niten-ryū school that Miyamoto established. I have dreams of my own that the blog has come to represent and I think I may have found a measure of peace, I came to realise that when I left a 'real' job at Sime Darby and decided to be the 'greatest under heaven' and forge my own road. I want to see how far I have come and how far more I have to go. Now, how does this all fit into the 'So You Wanna be a Pilot?' competition? This is a competition where it is all about the candidates understanding their motivations, and putting in their best efforts.

What I'm looking for are the 'greatest under heaven'. Those who understand their limitations, their strengths, and willing to do what it takes to be a pilot. Simple? Not so. I've been swamped by countless calls by mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and others on the competition. If you want it, all I can say is, come and get it! this is your fight, your duel, your life.

You have to stand up and want it. I want to see your sweat, blood, and dreams in your posts. If you can't do that then you're not up for it. This competition was designed on several physchological reasons which was never revealed. For one, the amount of entries you sent shows your confidence level or even how much you want it. The amount of effort you put in shows your character, although you have the results but if you expect it, you are only going to get so far. The amount of creativity that shows how much you think out of the box. Your writing shows me more than you know and if you are serious about this. Yes, there are other ways to be a pilot but how many reveal to you as well whether you are making the right choice?

So are there any out there that are 'greatest under heaven'?

Feeling lucky punk?

"Ah-ah, I know what you're thinking punk. You're thinking did he fire six shots or only five? And to tell you the truth I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum - the most powerful hand gun in the world and will blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself a question--Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya punk!"

Clint Eastwood (Harry Callahan) in Dirty Harry

Was at LCCT today, getting free food from our lounge. Now you never know what the crazy cashier is going to price your food as. You might get lucky and again, you might not. Its all touch and go which kinda reminded me of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry.

The food in the AirAsia office was initally termed as a carrier of the e. coli virus which is not exactly deadly but also not exactly going to earn the lounge extra points. Been avoiding it since one of my lunch buddies started swearing shes been getting stomach cramps and upsets which began to affect us physchologically.

We went back today after a while and since that particular lunch buddy was not in the office today. Guess what, in a random shot of bullets, my friend with the same dish ended up paying RM4.20 and me.....well I paid RM2.50. Must be the size of the chickeeeeeen i say. Maybe it was the extra 100gm of rice they overpoured.

My work mate complains that I do not speak up. Don't know why but my confidence kinda flies in front of her. Maybe I'm thinking too much but she does make me nervous from time to time. Maybe its the way she smiles at her computer screen and shes complaining shes getting no love.

So, are you feeling lucky punk?

Two deaths and a crossroad

The Malaysian papers are still continuing their fixation with Kugan's death during custody of the police. It still commands a lot of details and everyday there is a mention of the circumstances surrounding the case.

If you were to open the Sunday Star on page 3, you will notice a small column on the bottom right to an unidentified Vietnamese national whose death could not even be ascertained. Funny how both deaths are so strangely covered.

The Vietnamese will be remembered for unknown reasons or someone would not even know of her death while Kugan's death has become the face of a campaign for truth. Surprising how life can play out. Deepest condolences to both families and in these trying times, the irony remains that the two lives could not be more different in weight.

Both are significant to their families but one will continue to be talked about for days to come and used as an agenda for media fodders and coffee shop talk while the other will only amount to the grieving of family members possibly in Vietnam waiting for the income sorely needed from a daughter? a wife? or simply just a human. The other was a suspected criminal but whose death has been the object of justice. Some would argue that it is simply a case of being transparent to the public about justice but in fact these stories happen all the time with reported cases never blown up to this proportion for which I salute Kugan'a mother for her pursue of justice. Wonder if the Vietnamese family will ever pursue justice of their own?

Crossroads indeed for the two families and those in the know. There is continuous grieving but you really have to think on a separate platform if both lives are actually worth the same and when will be stop publicising death? Or maybe I'm jsut thinking too much.

Life is indeed fleet and short, to say make the best of it seems trivial but so true. The news on the pilot blogging competition on the star was dismal (just a paragraph when international media has hyped it up) and when the whole world raved, our local front remained quiet. Just goes to show the real interest of the media or is it the public?

It is hard and makes me wonder how I will be remembered after I'm gone. Not sure how that one goes but what a post on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Going out to play, yay!

Tag Heuer

Went to get my eyes checked and no surprise there that my left eye's power actually rose pretty much. Had delayed going to get my eyes checked for weeks..maybe months...haha.

Was a wet afternoon and the roads to the city were both damp from the rain and from crazy KL drivers clogging up the roads. Getting into Times Square still surprises me as its still packed and warnings of erratic economic climate seem to be not true at the present. Maybe KL is indeed a city of dreams.

Me dad and bro gave opinions on which eyewear to get and it was fun doing all the tests while my dad haggled for the best price. It eventually cost a bomb and it was a Tag Heuer. Burnt a hole and several spots in my pocket in an hour. Still feeling the pain (similar to those who saw the movie "Confessions of pain").



But all in all, it was great and I got something that according to my dad and bro matched my face. Can only get hold of it in 2 weeks as my eyesight has actually deteorated to a pretty bad state and they needed more time in the lab to finish my robocop eyewear lenses.

Anyone want to guess if I actually look better? Will definitely post pics up later (can't help but feel that I'm turning into quite a prick nowadays and people say I look funny in my current ones).

Got home and started working again. Never a day has passed that I have never looked at the blog once. Really crazy and its been so much my life now. People all still buzzing about the pilot competition. Trust me that the competition this time will be tough. Feel bad saying no to all non Malaysians. Got to do what I got to do.

Can't wait for perfect eyesight in 2 weeks. Been thinking about the owner of a prince all day long.

PS. I did get the side frame of black but its rimless so....

a wet wet morning...

Came in quite blistered by Cheras traffic this morning. It was still drizzling when I had to make the trek to the terminal. These rains in the morning simply have to stop. Its driving me nuts that I actually imagined myself throwing an umbrella at the bus which was going too fast that it nearly sprayed water all over me. Dang! Still felt I should have done that.

Got an office mate who asked if one of my motivating factors of coming to work was to see her smile. So left her a 'water lily' this morning next to her potted plant that was bombed last evening. Branding boys were playing chuck the bomb in the office. Wonder if she'll notice or she'll have to read my blog post to notice. Maybe she'll smile too.

Kinda tired and its been a long week. Endless posts and coverage on London. Its been a successful week for the London launch. Nearly zilch coverage on our Dhaka release though but everything seems fine as the bosses are away and the mice are out to play once we've gotten over London.

Can't wait for the day to end. Thinking of raptors (kudos to Yvonne and fingers crossed for good weather for you) and when things will get better. Till the next rainy post, stay cool and smile all!

Stand up ya'll

The Girl: You know why the sky is blue?

Kyun-woo: Because the reflection from the sunshine causes...

The Girl: Wrong! It's to make me happy. I wanted it to be blue, so it's blue. You know why fire is hot? It's all for me. I wanted it to be hot, so it's hot. You know why we have four seasons here in Korea?

Kyun-woo: For you?

The Girl: Correct.

For those who have seen "My Sassy Girl", that sizzling Korean movie back in 2001 will remember the dialogue above. Okay, hands up those who have girlfriends like that. Maybe not to that extreme but something along the lines?



Ok, moving along. Just had to get that out of the way as my friend's girlfriend kinda pissed me off during a lunch and I absolutely hate the Taiwanese tone of voice that supposedly makes girls cute. Their limbs should be torn apart by horsies and their tounges cut. Ok, I'm over it now.

If there's magic in boxing, it's the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas. It's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.

Million Dollar Baby

So what are you fighting for today? I ask myself that same question everyday. People question the need for a blog and some say that it is a failure. I ask myself as well "what am I struggling for?" Sacrificing my personal time, my money, my weekends, my sanity to live a normal life and I wake up every morning to find people disinterested about the blog. And then someone comes and says, "I didin't know you have a blog. Thats interesting. What is it about?". I crack a grin and my day starts all over again.

Everyday I wake up look myself in the mirror wondering if I did all I could for the blog. If I had made a difference. Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happiness asked, "It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what, how did he know that?".

The pursuit of happiness ladies and gentlemen. We have the right to pursue happiness and I'm going all out kicking ass everyday. The blog so far has made me a believer that a corporate blog should exist and every company should have one. We're severely lacking that human touch in our communication today. The world is looking to engage companies in communications and internally, emails and telephone calls don't cut it anymore. To function at optimal level and prosper, there is a need to do more, to know more. The age of 2.0 is on and corporations will have to start playing catch up. Working in silos is a gone and no position is sacred. You have to stand up. Have a say.

No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

John Keating, Dead Poets Society

This is Capt. TheWreck. Prepare to rock your world!

Hey hey my friend send me a pic of me in the cockpit. Among the few shots of me as I don't like my picture taken. Must be because my dad took too many when I was running around with a dangling pampers.


Hows that brother? Think just because you're a pilot only you can sit in the co-pilot's chair? Kinda wondered how it would like in the cockpit seat.



and the view is kinda depressing....



are you sure you still want to do this bro?

Gettin some love

Just launched the pilot competition today. Todays was seemingly a historic day for AirAsia with our Zoom! Malaysia campaign and our A340 welcome into the family. Pics will be up on all our official channels soon so cant be bothered.

The press has given the competition attention which is great when I expected nothing. Trying to get somewhere with web 2.0 application and the pilot getway is simply fantastic. Who offers an opportunity to be a millionaire through a blog?






The concept is simply great that you utilise a web2.0 application and change someones life. Some much bigger can it get? Just look at the media coverage.

Kinda cool to get a mention in the papers but kinda blows me cover like the wind. Hopefully this is the one way ticket to get the AirAsia blog recognised. To the aspiring pilots, I sincerely wish all of you the best of luck and just impress us that you should be a millionaire.

The Prestige

Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige"."

I'm bringing back The Prestige to my life. My old blog was born out of frustration and it landed me a job as a corporate blogger. I find my blog transition similar to my journey that took me to this point. Started out blank with no knowledge as a blogger, that was the pledge, my first blog at pokopenrebellion.blogspot.com and then it vanished at the turn. Now, can this one be my prestige?

Its been a great few months on the job. I feel like a changed person. Not so constricted by so much burden to do the right thing and stess myself at work all the time. I'm smiling more and my perspective on what a blog can do has simply changed so much. What started out as a ground to poke back became a platform to really show what I can do. Don't know how many people have their name cards as a corporate blogger, but sure am pretty impressed I'm keeping my job in these times.

Absolutely privileged to be blogging for a living and I've got miles to go but another reason to start blogging personally again is to record my journey with the corporate blog along the way. Want to remember the struggle and the joy of each step. Hope more will be inspired to do what they feel they should be doing and perhaps bring a smile to people. The blog has seen a reborn me and a greater perspective of things to come. If I can bring that message across, I would say its a job well done and a life worth living.

Corporate Blogging - Next Steps

Keating: Why do I stand up here? Anybody?
Charlie: To feel taller.
Keating: No! Thank you for playing, Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind yourself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.

The movie, "Dead Poet's Society" says something that resonates so much with me. Sometimes you have to get out of the box and just explore whats around you. The blog seems to be steadying and growth seems to be minimal. From the start, I've been looking at other personal blogs that are prominent in Malaysia and corporate blogs around the globe that have set the benchmark on understanding how best we can grow the AirAsia blog. Its been testing and tricky.

Not all ideas such as twitter might work (although its the in thing of the moment) and it could be vice versa for all I know. So how does a corporate blog go from the startup. Once youve got a feature concept going, how do you decide what to add and what to do to grow the blog? Pretty heavy questions. I can't be putting in sensitive pictures such as personal blogs and theres a lot of sensitivity involved in blogging as a corporate instead of an individual voice.

Often the word 'paradigm shift' is used, I think its overused. Its not a change of mindset, or even a question of change. Its a question of being open and willing to be a human on the internet. The future will see more of our existence online, so what persona or character do we assume? Web2.0 will ensure online media is no longer a communications tool alone but a presence. We will begin to develop online personalities that mimick our realself and web2.0 will accelerate this and form the communities to come. Now, corporations, the multimillion dollar question is what are you going to do today?

We're pretty much treading new waters here and am in the midst of testing some new interactive ideas which should be on the blog soon. Tech support for the blog is sadly lacking but these are trying times. Will have to cope with whatever ammunition I have. the key is creativity and diversifying the resources the corporate blog has. No point adding new features if no ones knows about your blog or fully utilises the current facilities you have. At the same time, you have to change the mindsets of people about blogging and how it can actually make a company better instead of detracting from the bigger picture.

People have to understand that a blog is more than just an escapism or escape tool for bored staff. It ultimately has to evolve into an effective tool between the people you want to engage and later as an information and knowledge sharing platform. The tricky part is pulling everything together and at the same time making it interesting. William Shedd once said that, "A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for." A blog is more than just a dormant tool that people use to complain or for you to post information. It is a tool to bridge that gap between people and build a community. So should I be brave enough?

Many men go fishing all their lives not knowing it is not fish they are after.

Henry David Thoreau

Motivational Astrological Readings

Aquarius (Jan 23 - Feb 22) You have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. You lie agreat deal. You make the same mistakes repeatedly because you are stupid. Everyone thinks you are a fucking jerk.

Pisces (Feb 23 - Mar 22)You are a pioneer type and think most people are dickheads. You are quick toreprimand, impatient and full of advice. You do nothing but piss-off everyoneyou come in contact with. You are a prick.

Aries (Mar 23 - April 22)You have a wild imagination and often think you are being followed by the FBI or CIA. You have major influence on your friends and people resent you for flaunting your power. You lack confidence but are still a general badass.

Taurus (April 23 - May 22)You are practical and persistent. You have a dogged determination and worklike hell. Most people think you are stubborn and bullheaded. You are nothingbut a goddamed communist.

Gemini (May 23 - June 22)You are a quick and intelligent thinker. People like you because you are bisexual. You are inclined to expect too much for too little. This means youare a cheap bastard. Geminis are notorious for thriving on incest.

Cancer (June 23 - July 22)You are sympathetic and understanding to other people's problems, which makesyou a sucker. You are always putting things off. That is why you will alwaysbe on welfare and won't be worth a shit. Everyone in prison is a Cancer.

Leo (July 23 - Aug 22)You consider yourself a born leader. Others think you are an idiot. Mostleos are bullies. You are vain and cannot tolerate criticism. Your arroganceis disgusting. Leo people are thieving motherfuckers and enjoy masturbationmore than sex.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sept 22)You are a logical type and hate disorder. Your shit-picking attitude issickening to your friends and co-workers. You are cold and unemotional andoften fall asleep while fucking. Virgos make good bus drivers and pimps.

Libra (Sept 23 - Oct 22)You are the artistic type and have a difficult time dealing with reality. Ifyou are a male you are probably queer. Chances for employment and monetarygain are nill. Most Libra women are whores. All Libras die of venereal disease.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 22)You are the worst of the lot. You are shrewd in business and cannot betrusted. You shall achieve the pinnacle of success because of your totallack of ethics. You are the perfect son-of-a-bitch. Most Scorpios aremurdered.

Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 22)You are optimistic and enthusiastic. You have a reckless tendency to rely on your luck since you have no talent. The majority of Sagittarians are drunks. You are a worthless piece of shit.

Capricorn (Dec 23 - Jan 22)You are conservative and afraid of taking risks. You are basically chicken shit. There has never been a Capricorn of any importance. You should kill yourself.

Go lie, steal, cheat and drink

Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.

Well, that was what Will Smith said in the movie Hitch. Kinda funny but Will Smith was not at his best but the lesson though is great to me.




There are times where you can break the law (no pun intended to Singapore's Jack Neo's Don't Break Law which I think is a great movie) and you should. No offence to law abiding citizens who should be awarded medals for driving in KL without growing insane but there are times that we should break the law. Not the law set by the government of course but the 'laws' that we abide to set by society and our peers.

For example, should communication at work be set by the pace of emails and telephone calls alone? Or should communication at work be all about work? technically, no. For sanity's sake, yes.

Been working hard to push for youtube in the office. Simply because we can watch porn. No. Porn's banned anyway. Simply so we can waste our time in the office (yeah, free anime, yay!). Haven't we been given enough work anway. And can't we be trusted to do our work as adults? As a forward looking company championing the cause of creativity, it must be said we are still struggling to match the hype. We're getting there slowly but surely. For one thing thats true, people in AirAsia listen. And they act. We are not static although we ares low to move but we are moving unlike some companies.

I'm glad I made the choice because here, I'm going somewhere. In this bleakest of times, Malaysia has not yet suffered the brunt of the economic looming negativity but we must believe that we have the power to make a change. As much as we are blaming USA for the problems we are facing, we are also trusting on them to dig us out of this trench and win the war. In Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina predicted that people will simply see the horror and massacre on their tv sets and say 'OMG! Thats so horrible' then continue to finish their meals. There is a lot of awareness today but little action. Maybe all we need is to break the laws that hold us back from acting for the benefit of all. Stop 'thinking' and start 'doing'.

A New Hope

Been dabbling into my blogs at work too much and neglected to update my own. For the life of me, can't even remember the login that I registered for the blog itself (shocking!). Been really caught up in work, but it would not be sensible for me to be in communications and not blog at all is ironic.

The last few weeks have been great in the sense that since I started out at AirAsia, I have gone from this....

to this....

and even hanging out with our CEO.

AirAsia has been rocking so far and its not going to end soon. Even got a twitter account. Follow me @thewrecktan and I'll follow you. Got a motlew crew and a new icon in the house and his name is blinky although people think hes my new alter ego. Whats your say, am I crazier now or what? Look to be posting more often and watch this space.

Introducing the world to the lean mean bitting rascal and my new underling, blinky the machine.