Ramadhan in Japan

This is my first time fasting in a foreign country and Japan is certainly a very interesting country to explore Ramadhan.

Unlike my last trip 2 months ago, the temperature now is burning hot. I'd say the weather is pretty similar to Malaysia.

Halal food can be quite a challenge, but it's not impossible. For the record, food is particularly tricky with me coz I don't eat seafood. Chicken & beef only.

I stumble upon a nice little Indian restaurant last night for my Iftar -comfort food!

Imsak is at 3:00am (very early!). And Iftar is at 6:48pm.

Think I'm going for Indian food again tonight.

Selamat berpuasa!

London 2012 Olympics

The eyes of the world are on London as the 2012 Olympics begins.

I just subscribed the special RM50 pass on Astro to ensure I won't miss the exciting games (well, hope it doesn't rain that much).

One thing I really like about Olympics is the history & tradition; The Olympic flame, torch and relay which was initiated back to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece.

I was told the torch and relay were important elements of the cultural festivals surrounding the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.

It was a "sacred" flame burned continually on the altar of the goddess, Hera. In addition, heralds were summoned to travel throughout Greece to announce the Games, declaring a sacred truce for the duration. (Good PR campaign!)

The ritual lived on and followed every games. Of course it is now turned into a bigger PR campaign to publicise the Olympics.

The London 2012 Olympic flame went on a 70-day relay, which involved 8,000 torchbearers covering 12,874.7km.

And one of the torch bearer is Tony Fernandes. He carried the Olympic torch through the streets of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, in England.

It was a proud moment for him and everyone at AirAsia!

On the other hand, I was lucky enough to be able to have my moment with the award winning torch earlier this year ;)

Big Fat Thank You From QPR

The Queens Park Rangers 2012 Asia Tour came to an end on after the team beat local favourites Persebaya in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Before QPR departed from Surabaya, the team gave a big surprise with a special thank you message at the Juanda International Airport.

The team lined up in front of the newly launched Alan Macdonald tribute aircraft which features the QPR livery holding large placards which spelt ‘THANK YOU AIRASIA’.

Wohoo!!

Salam Ramadhan

Wishing you a joyous Ramadhan with piece, health & happiness!

QPR Plane!

AirAsia paid tribute to QPR legend, the late Alan McDonald, with a special aircraft named after the former captain and assistant manager.

The Airbus A320 is painted in the football club’s colours with a prominent tail that features QPR’s iconic hoops; the blue and white horizontal stripes just like the team’s home jersey. The interior of the aircraft carries interesting facts on both QPR and Alan McDonald.

Tonia McDonald, widow of the late Alan, said, “On behalf of myself, Joshua and all the McDonald family I cannot thank Mr Fernandes enough for his overwhelming gesture of deciding to remember and honour Alan by naming one of his planes after him. We know Alan would have been so proud and amazed at such a generous tribute. I’m only sorry that we could not be in KL to witness the unveiling, but I feel immensely proud that Alan’s name and the QPR colours will jointly become a legacy incorporated in such a wonderful aircraft.”

Look out for the striking blue & white aircraft the next time you are travelling!

The Rainforest Music Festival

I have always wanted to go to the Rainforest World Music Festival. I've read and heard so much about it -for many years. It is after-all one of the largest music festivals in Southeast Asia.

Thousands of people travelled from all across the globe to attend the three-day festival to experience music and traditional instruments from nearly every continent.

An opportunity came and i got to attend the festival. It was quite an experience, although it was not like what I had imagined.

There were all sorts of people. I could tell they all truly enjoyed the festival, although they don't understand the language. Everyone just dance to whatever tune they hear.

The saying "music brings people together" may sound cliche but that is exactly what happen there.

I saw people covered with mud. I saw performance that don't make any sense and I also saw a group of cool musicians.

The atmosphere was kinda amazing. The trees, the lighting, the simplicity of the entire set up.

It was nice. Really nice.

It's just not my thing, I guess.

World's Best Ever!

AirAsia has received two prestigious international accolades this month.

Last week, Aviation Week magazine named AirAsia as the top-performing airlines of the year. And yesterday, Skytrax named AirAsia "World Best Low-Cost Airline" and the "Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia".

The Skytrax World Airline Survey is conducted annually by respected London-based aviation consultants Skytrax. In the poll of almost 19 million travellers worldwide, AirAsia was chosen as the World's Best Low Cost Airline for the fourth consecutive year. The independent survey measures airlines' product and service standards.

I'm very proud to be an AirAsia Allstar!

Ji Sung Park Coming To Asia!

At the press conference on Monday, Tony Fernandes announced Ji Sung Park will join the team on its QPR Asia Tour.

To all Ji Sung fans in Malaysia & Indonesia, look out for QPR's No.8 jersey.

Other QPR stars coming includes Anton Ferdinand & Dibril Cisse.

It would be very interesting as the might of the QPR team will be tested to the fullest when they face Sabah & Kelantan!

The match in Sabah will kick off at 8:15pm at Stadium Likas.

Queens Park Rangers and The Red Warriors will hold battle at Stadium Shah Alam on the 20th of July 2012. The match will kick off at 9:15pm.

Tickets are available at www.airasiaredtix.com

Hotline: +603-8775 4666

The tickets are selling fast, so hurry up!

Ji-Sung Park joins QPR!

Queens Park Rangers Football Club announced the signing of South Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park last Monday. I was there with a large group of media.

Park – a global phenomenon with a vast medal haul to his name – has penned a two year-deal at Loftus Road. The 31 year-old’s arrival in W12 represents a significant transfer for QPR boss Mark Hughes, who expressed his delight at the signing, commenting: “This is a real coup for QPR. We are delighted Ji is going to join us because his record speaks for itself. He has been a big player for Manchester United and played a big part in their success in recent years.

Park – who during his time at United has won the FIFA Club World Cup, the Champions League, four Premier League titles and three League Cup winners’ medals – said: “I am delighted to be here and be a QPR player.

“QPR is a Club with huge history and tradition, and a great ambition to achieve at the very highest level.

Bali :: Night By the Beach

As i had never been to Bali before, I did not know what to expect. From the airport, I went straight to the hotel I booked in Kuta. Checked in, left my luggage in the room and went out to look around.

I was thinking of trying the delicious Indonesian cuisine there but as soon as I saw McDonald's, I thought "Bigmac by the Beach!".

I had it packed and hunt for the beach. It was about 4minutes walk from where I was.

Then I saw the beach. It was simply amazing. The ocean in all it's magnificent beauty and power. The soothing sound of waves off shores was like the best music i've ever heard. The moon shining in a clear sky, the reflection on the sea is almost out of this world. The whole beachside was showered in moonlight, giving a silvery sheen to the ground.

It was spectacular.

I sat by the beach and enjoyed every bite of my dinner.

It was very peaceful and I was very relaxed. And pleased.

Until a dog came barking.

Bali

There's nothing like a long stroll at Bali beach.