Backpacking Bali

I need a little adventure.

And Bali is known as an advanture-seeker's playground. It seemed the perfect fit as I have never been there.

So, I packed my stuff this morning, book a hotel in the afternoon and by 5:55pm, I was on board flight AK 1366 to Denpasar Bali Airport.

Being OCD, i usually prepare everything in advance -hotel, transport, activities etc. But this time around, the only preparation I did was getting info from my colleagues. (very helpful btw).

I don't have an itinerary, but I have a list of things to do: I want to chill by the beach, maybe check out some ancient ruins and mystical practices, immerse myself in its mysterious cultural richness.. and back to the beach.

Sounds like a plan? Let's see how it goes!

Quit?

I enjoy smoking although I know it's going to kill me. Until recently, I have never had the urge to quit.

Even though I am looking forward to quitting, the most prevalent emotion I feel is fear. Can I even do it? Am I ready? How can I resist the temptation?

I can't rely on willpower ( or the lack of it), so I bought myself a pack of 21mg Nicotine patch. The programme suggests taking it for a total of 10 weeks ( gradually reducing the dosage).

Let the temptation fight begins!

Ride Into The Clouds :: Genting Highlands

Genting Highlands is a resort development comprising hotels, casinos and a theme park. Perched on the peak of Mountain Ulu Kali at 1,800 meters high, it is within an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur (about 50km).

It's a popular weekend getaway from the city heat & buzz. You can enjoy the cooling weather and serene mountain environment. Those into gambling will certainly have a good (err..or bad) time up there. Kids will surely enjoy the crazy awesome rides at the park.

I went up couple of months ago. I've been there before (and swore I will never drive up again!). So, i took the Genting Sky Train instead.

I must say, it was a great cable car ride up the mountain, eventually dissapearing into the clouds and coming out into a foggy mountain top.

If Genting is part of your travel itinerary, I'd recommend taking the cable car. The trip up was quite an event.

Championing Innovation

AirAsia is all about embracing change.

In 2002, AirAsia was Asia’s first airline to go ticketless and soon after, with mobile.airasia.com, AirAsia became the first airline in the world to offer an online service that allows mobile phone and PDA users to browse the airline’s webpage, choose a destination, make a booking and make payment anytime, from anywhere in the world.

At the recent 19th Annual General Meeting, AirAsia continues to innovate by being the first airline and public listed company in Asia to launch an Annual Report App, providing convenience to the airline’s investors in accessing AirAsia’s annual report anytime and anywhere -on your smartphones, tablets & iPads!

Besides being paperless and great for the environment, the new AR App presents user-friendly features, such as universal landscape and portrait views, gesture function with zoom, table of content with thumbnails, page scrubbing with thumbnails and tab functionality.

The all new AR App can be downloaded from iTunes for iOS users and Google Play for Android users.

Check it out!

QPR Asia Tour!

Get ready all Rangers fans! Queens Park Rangers will be coming our way with their official Pre-Season Asia Tour.

The team will be in three cities – Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Surabaya, Indonesia.

The BPL team will face the Sabah Allstars team in Kota Kinabalu on July 17 followed by a match against the Kelantan team in Kuala Lumpur on July 20. In Surabaya, the match will see The Hoops go against Persebaya Surabaya team on 23 July.

AirAsia members can also win a pair of free tickets to the matches through a special online contest through www.airasia.com. All you have to do is submit your booking numbers for flights purchased in 2012, answer three questions on QPR/AirAsia and complete a slogan. The contest will begin on June 25 and ends on July 1, 2012.

Apart from that, 5 lucky people can also get a chance to follow the QPR team on the QPR Asia Tour to all three cities during the whole tour. All you need to do is tell AirAsia your analytics in a blog entry of QPR’s brave battle against relegation last season in the English Premier League. Participants can submit their entries via email to facebook@airasia.com. Contest starts June 20 and ends on June 29, 2012.

Are you ready for QPR?

Aireen Omar on BFM 88.9

Aireen spoke about her appointment as AirAsia Berhad CEO, ‘Big shoe to fill', aircraft purchase and more!

Listen to the podcast and get to know her.

Link:
http://bfm.my/airasia-aireen-omar.html

AirAsia Berhad CEO : Aireen Omar

Meet our new CEO, Aireen Omar.

Aireen holds an economics degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a masters in economics degree from New York University.

Prior to her appointment as CEO, Aireen was Regional Head of Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations. She joined AirAsia in January 2006 as Director of Corporate Finance. Aireen was, among others, instrumental in securing the financing for AirAsia’s fleet expansion, a vital component of AirAsia’s success. Her role included handling the negotiations with Airbus for the record purchase of 200 Airbus A320neo aircraft that was announced at the Paris Airshow in 2011.

In early 2009, Treasury functions were added to Aireen’s portfolio. She took on this portfolio at the time of the global financial crisis, when credit lines dried up and uncertainty and volatility ruled the markets.

Aireen’s role as the catalyst for innovative financing structures, including the Islamic French Single Investor Ijarah earned AirAsia global recognition for its leadership in the finance world. Aireen was also responsible for raising funding for the entire AirAsia Group to facilitate its growth, and she assisted in the setting up of AirAsia’s various joint ventures.

In late 2009, Investor Relations and Fuel Procurement were further added to Aireen’s responsibilities. Under her leadership, Investor Relations was restructured to facilitate greater transparency and improved engagement with the investment community.

Her portfolio allowed Aireen to get a deeper understanding of the complexities of operating an airline, especially during the turbulent times. Her wide range of responsibilities and her years with AirAsia have allowed her to be fully immersed in the AirAsia culture. They have also given her a firm footing in continuing the founders’ tradition of establishing a “people company.”

Prior to joining AirAsia, Aireen worked for around nine years in the financial industry. She began her career at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc in New York. Upon returning to Malaysia in 2001, she worked in several major local financial institutions, including Maybank Group.

In accepting the appointment as CEO of AirAsia Malaysia, Aireen said, “I am honored and humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me by AirAsia co-founders Tony, Kamarudin and the Board of Directors. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked with and learned from two of the best entrepreneurs in Asean. These are certainly big shoes to fill, but with the passion, hard work and creativity of the AirAsia Allstars, a management team that has proven its leadership across the industry, and AirAsia’s consummate belief in Malaysia and the region, we move onwards with confidence.”