Funky Friday

Life as an AirAsia Allstar is fun and exciting. It's all about expressing individuality.

Friday is a funky day to office and the theme changes every week. Check out all the effort the team put for Harajuku Friday & Pajamas Friday last week.

Twenty Twelve

As we greet 2013 with a big fat smile, I'd like to just recap my personal highlights of 2012.

To me, 2012 was a year full of emotion. A year full of tears for both joy and sadness. But most importantly, it was a year that taught me to be a better (and slightly) stronger person.

I celebrated the arrival of 2012 with a bang in Siem Reap. It was a great party. There were at least two thousand strangers on the pub street party, dancing away and enjoying the fireworks. It was a very interesting start of the year.

Twenty days later, one of my dear friend, died of sudden lung infection. I knew he was not well, but didn't know it was that serious. I was literally laughing with him one weekend and attending his funeral the next. I was in total shock. It was extremely hard to even try to process his death and the fact that he is gone, forever. The shock still reverberates today and I constantly stumble over the realisation that he is gone.

It was pretty hard to see my friends, as everyone was going through the same thing & try to comfort each other. Work kept me busy, in which I am so thankful. It was the one thing that kept me going.

In February, I had another extremely awful experience. It was the toughest phase i had to go through. I broke down many times but in the end, everything went well.

Later on I had a chance to go to Beijing and Philippines for the very first time, which was truly awesome.

In march, I went to London, where I had a brief chance to see my cousins. It was a matter of hours, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I finally got my house completed. Glad it's all done, exactly the way I wanted it. I didn't do a big house warming thing like what I initially planned. I thought it was unnecessary. I did a small do with my family.

I celebrated my birthday with the usual group. I was late for my own party but it was all fun. The very next day, I went to Nepal.

A month later, 26th May 2012 -My cousin (the one in UK) had an accident and passed away. I was in Japan. It was in shock, again. I couldn't believe it. He was a great guy and I was pretty close with him. He was a great driver -never had an accident in his entire life. And the one accident he had took his life and changed ours.

15th August 2012 -My dear sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and named her Zaara. It was my happiest day of the year.

If i could sum up the overall feeling for the year, it has to be what i experienced on 16th December 2012. I was in Leicester. I woke up feeling great, enjoyed simple breakfast made by my cousin and then decided to visit the graveyard. It was tough. Later on, I head to Birmingham to attend a wedding function. It was fun.

It was a year of good news, sad news and some that was a little of both.


Here is my highlight list… what does yours look like?

Lombok :: Gili Trawangan

Without a doubt, Lombok's most popular tourist destination are the Gili Islands. Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak. And there are 3 small islands; Trawangan, Meno and Air.

Gili Trawangan is the largest of the 3 Gili Islands and has the most tourist facilities. I had a chance to spend a night there. It was magical.

On Gili Trawangan (as well as the other two Gilis), there are no motorized vehicles. The main means of transportation is a small horsedrawn carriage. Alternatively, you can rent a bicycle.

The water was crystal clear, the sand is powdery white. And the sunset at the beach is simply breathtaking. From the beach, you can also see Bali’s Mount Agung, which is pretty spectacular.

If you are planning to go to Lombok, I'd highly recommend spending a night or two at Gili Trawangan. The best hotel there is Queen Villa Hotel & Spa.

It is the newest and only 5 star resort within the island. The rooms are super comfy, the deco is unique and the service is superb. (Their wifi connection goes up to the beach!)

I'd love to go back there to just chill and enjoy the view. For me, it is the best place to relax.

Link: http://queenvillas.com/

Lombok :: The Red AirAsia Plane

Lots has happened since my last blog post. So much has been happening, I haven’t had time to update my blog!

Since i'm in the mood, I'm going to continue from where I left; Lombok.

If there is one story I must share about Lombok, it has to be this one.

My colleague and me went to Lombok a day before our inaugural flight, so we can make necessary arrangements for the arrival. As we were leaving the airport, I noticed a huge crowd "chilling" all over the outside compound, almost like a night market. So I asked the taxi driver what's up.

He told me that the airport is fairly new and for the community, it's a nice place to hang out at night. And then he said "AirAsia will start flying to Lombok tomorrow".

We were pretty pleased to hear that as it shows the news is out.

Upon checking in, I had the usual casual talk with the staff. And he said "Lombok is growing. AirAsia will start flying here 4 times a week".

Wow. But then, the taxi driver and hotel staff are in tourism industry, they should know..

The most shocking thing was on the day of our inaugural flight. I was on the Tarmac, waiting for the aircraft to arrive, and I noticed a huge crowd outside the airport. I had to ask one of the airport staff because I was pretty puzzled --They were literally baking under the hot sun!

And the answer was, "Mereka datang untuk lihat pesawat merah AirAsia" (they came to see the red AirAsia plane).

Simply amazing. This is what AirAsia is all about.

Now everyone can fly.

Happy 2013!

Wishing you a fabulous 2013 with full of great achievements and experiences. A meaningful chapter waiting to be written. HAPPY NEW YEAR!