Kicked around, Slow & Lousy (KSL)

Recently, I stayed at KSL Hotel & Resorts. I must state that it was my worst experience ever amongst all my JB stays. Below are reasons why: (i) KICKED AROUND - I stayed at KSL hotel residences. Nothing in this booking form that I have printed - mentioned about the Service Residence that I would be staying in. Lack of information was the start. I was then 'kicked around' from one staff to another, before a lady made us wait for 4 minutes whilst she was doing nothing - before guiding us to the counter for KSL service residences was. A bad start it was, but it could only get worse.

(ii) SLOW - I stayed for at KSL Hotel for 2 nights. This is more than sufficient to give the hotel any chance of redemption for poor service. However, the lifts' logic system is one beyond redemption. There are 4 lifts that work in an isolated and independent manner. I can't describe how bad my experiences at the hotel's lifts were. Let's just say that my total combined waiting time for the lifts - totalled a full 60 minutes. I wasn't joking. What made it worse was that one of the lifts malfunctioned during peak hours on Sunday. It never seemed to be repaired for hours.

(iii) LOUSY - I stayed in Johore countless times, but this is one hotel that has no cable TV & a 'public-standard' toilet. Usually, there would be several pay-TV channels, but in this, there is none. No shower curtains, coupled with dim lights, in the bathroom mean that the place was always flooded after a bath and the mirror in the toilet is merely an ornamental piece.

I am pretty sure that this is my worst 4-star hotel experience till date.

 

Being More Complete in Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 was raved about because this sequel was done with the intention to please every type of audience. It was thrilling, romantic, humorous and yet childish. Thrilling because Gru tried to go undercover to find out who the villian was; Romantic because Gru eventually fell in love with his working accomplice, Lucy Wilde; Humorous because the minions made countless attempts to outsmart the audience with their less-than-perfect acts. Childish because his 3 daughters played a more significant role this time.

Yet this movie aims to be educational - with the good fighting the bad, the father caring for his daughters, the importance of Mum's love, etc. Was it trying too hard to please? I thought so, but it managed to win my heart over.

When Being Unfit Becomes a Reality

I knew I was gaining several pounds. With some denial, I was wishing that the extra weight gained would go away soon. But I was wrong. Afterall, food is my weak spot and I tried not to allow leftover food go to waste.

Nevertheless, I was still hoping that I can scrap through the yearly IPPT. I have been obtaining Silver for countless times. However, recently my standards have dropped to that of Pass. With no training to 'back' me up, I wasn't sure what my fitness level was. With no resolve to train, I knew I was in deep shit.

Indeed, when I took my IPPT yesterday, I failed my 2.4km run! I did everything I could, ranging from an early morning drive to pick up my running gear from office to pacing myself for every lap. I knew 2.4km would be my weakest station, but it has never been my downfall. I never failed IPPT in my life. What it meant - is that I am now classified as a FAILURE - an unfit individual.

2 seconds was what separated me from a PASS. If only I trained and exercised more, if only I controlled my weight more, if only I had my determination... Now I only blame myself.

With a few more days left to go before my deadline approaches, I asked with scepticism whether I would have that required level of fitness to pass the IPPT with a retry. Otherwise, remedial training (RT) would soon follow. RT might get me back into shape, or even to have a poke at my self-esteem. With a do-or-die mission for that re-try, I now hope for luck to pull me through...

Becoming Unfit in My Quest to Be Fit

I have originally set some 2013 resolutions and one of them was to be fit. There are 2 targets I set out at the start of the year - (i) To lose some weight and monitor the progress of my weight, and (ii) To exercise regularly.

I started off on the right note - with an initial purchase of a digital weighing machine. That allowed me to track my weight accurately, as it measures in increments of 0.1kg. I lost some weight initially and I attributed that little success to the careful selection of food during the day. However, after a maximum weight loss of 2.1kg, my weight stagnated and I guessed that was when I gave up hope of any further weight loss. Recently, my weight started ballooning. Now at the half-way point of 2013, my mass is sadly more than what I started off 6 months ago. I couldn't find any reasons, except for a recent lack of discipline in the snacks I gobble.

Exercising was going to tough. I seemed to understand the importance of keeping fit, but always failed to put it into action. Besides minor successes at brisk walking, slow jogging and some outdoor sun, I failed miserably in creating any routine of keeping fit. With the requirement of having to pass my IPPT soon, I now fear for the worse. I wonder if I can scrap through yet another year of IPPT, without the rigours of exercising. Or has my luck run out as I faced the possibility of failure and the punishment of carrying out remedial training to get myself back into shape?

My 4 Little Tips to Managing Stress

Recently, I have been overwhelmed with a lot of stuff, namely the routine tasks from work, additional 4 projects, marking of papers, the development of new curriculum, working on my Masters. With so many tasks on hand, it really seemed impossible for me to handle all of them. I must say that I have done pretty well till date and here are my 4 tips in managing stress so well:

1. Focus on 1 task at one time. Do not multi-task. I believe that the quality of my work stems from the high level of concentration that I give myself by doing the task wholeheartedly.
2. Do not give up. There are times when most of us feel despaired because there is a crazy amount of work that one has to do. Some tackle the issue by procastinating or complaining. But those methods will not help. My advice - start anywhere you need to. By just 'digging' away on any part of this mountain full of work - you would gradually and eventually bring down the mountain.
3. Always have an overview of the list of tasks you have do. I do that with my Weekly Key-To-Do list. That helps because it reminds me of how much is left.
4. Give little rewards to yourself. For completing every small task, e.g. editing a document, I would reward myself by viewing a short TV programme or munching on some snacks.

Now that I have shared my 4 tips, let's remind myself that I have these 4 tips to guide me through the 3 stressful weeks ahead.

Master Plan - do I have one?

I recently taught the subject on an Airport Master Plan. It is a document that charts the proposed evolution of the airport to meet future needs. An airport master plan should present the planner’s conception of the ultimate development of a specific airport and should have a planning horizon of 20 years. Hence, with that in mind, I posed the following questions to my students - what is their personal master plan?

Most failed to answer my question, not because they chose not to answer, but because they provided an answer that fell short of the requirements. 20 years? Where do you see yourself in 20 years' time? That is a big million-dollar question that most, if not all, of us have not thought about. Some shared what they hoped to achieve within the next 6 months; those who thought more about the question shared what they aim to accomplish within the next few years. Answers include pursuing university education, starting work as an aviation professional, obtaining one's driving licence, etc. Only a handful attempted to answer the question - where they envision themselves in the future.

I asked myself - do I have the answer to my question? No, I do not. Maybe that is the reason why I asked them. To spur myself to reflect more about my ultimate future. I often set short-term goals - ranging from daily tasks and weekly key-to-do lists to yearly resolutions. If you asked me what I aim to achieve in 5 years' time, I can probably give you a comprehensive answer of not less than 300 words. But if you asked me where I see myself in 20 years' time, I sense my struggle to string a sentence to answer that grand question.

Today, I shall start to dream. I guessed I don't need to have a perfect answer for that question, but I need to start finding an answer. Will I be able to dream of an answer?

Port Dickson - El Cactus & more...

We seldom ate Mexican food. I can't remember when was the last time I tried such food, even though I come from a city laden with food. Nevertheless, I managed to locate this restaurant. With so many great reviews, I thought it must be definitely worth a visit. Here's an account of our visit:

Nachos - a must-try. Fried, crispy nachos with a variety of salsa sauces. It's delicious, though it's a little too oily. However, I must say that it's the best dish we had in this restaurant. Beef fajitas came in a hot plate and we enjoyed the 'wrapping' process just as much as eating them. However, I can't have any positive comments for the seafood pasta, as it was bland and boring. As for the margaritas, do order it, especially after a hot evening. The cost of my dinner = MYR 105 (S$43.40), a tad over-priced, but it was still a great place to chill out.

Service - Not all waitress can speak English. We were disappointed, considering that this is an international joint that caters to all tourists. It's not that difficult to communicate in simple English, but I guess that fared badly in that department. However, the restaurant owners are friendly when I approached them to ask for directions. I do hope they could do more to spruce up the image of this restaurant.

Though highly acclaimed by many tourists, with the upcoming restaurants that PD Waterfront will soon acoommodate, I doubt it will stand tall amidst the rising competition in the near future.

Will we visit Port Dickson soon again? Now that we have walked along the beach, stayed at 2 four-star hotels, eaten at 3 highly-rated restaurants and spent 4 days, I would not be going back to this place in the next two years. Though when I come back here again, I expect myself to try out the new slew of restaurants that might have swamped this area.

PD Waterfront - Mac's & Kim's

It was a long time since we last went to Port Dickson. I remembered Port Dickson as a sleepy town, where tourists come to chill out and lead a slow-paced life. Indeed, it has been. But recently, this sleepy town seemed to have woken up. We went to PD Waterfront - which was supposed to be the hub of the city. I guessed we needed more than a second chance to get there, because directions leading to the place were not evident. However, once we made the correct turn, there were a range of facilities available, ranging from the hypermarts, to the restaurants and seaside dining to a new fun fair being set-up!

MacDonalds - it was ranked #2 in tripadvisor for a reason. With the restaurant facing the sea, it has revolutionised fast food dining. It has ample parking nearby and even provided drive-through as an alternative. Amongst all the restaurants nearby, it provided the best value-for-money dining option. As it can get really crowded and noisy, I would advise visitors to chill out at the 2nd floor. It's a SAFE option - you won't be over-charged and yet the quality of the burgers are maintained.

Kim's Seafood Palace - it wasn't our first choice to dine here, as it was ranked #9 (at our point of research). But it turned out fine. We wanted to find other 'higher-ranked' restaurants, but they (e.g. Weng Yin and Lucky King) remained elusive. Hence, my advice - 'Save the trouble to haunt other joints, Head to PD waterfront to find your joy!' Indeed there are several restaurants in PD Waterfron which you can also head to! For our seafront dining for 2, we paid about MYR 60. A must-try the salted-egg calamari, as it simply melts into your mouth! Besides calamari, all other seafood seemed to be priced attrociously high.