A Quick Stop

It took about 15 minutes before the counter could issue a boarding pass for me. The problem? My first name was too long. Hopefully that was not a bad omen. It was soon sorted out when the supervisor arrived to verify things. Boarding pass issued, and off I went to the terminal floor. The shops were just about to be opened then. It was just after 6 in the morning local time after all. Around 2 back home.

A quick phone call to Anita. She had just arrived at Cameron Highlands - a trip planned for the boys, plus her mother. She was about to check in there. They got lost a couple of times, but managed to sort the directions out in the end. The children were behaving themselves I hope.

I was skipping breakfast since I had one earlier on the plane. I'll probably take another nap on the Trans-Atlantic flight. I'll give Anita a ring again before I board. Hopefully, there won't be much issue at the immigrations. I really could do with a nice shower now.

First Leg Done

Just arrived at Terminal 4 at Heathrow, got myself organise just to find out that the counter for my connecting flight was yet to be opened. Cold outside. Minus 3 degrees, but was not exposed to the elements inside the terminal. The flight in was comfortable, although the turbulence and air pocket woke me up a couple of times. Managed to catch a couple of movies and around 4-5 hours of sleep.

Certainly A380 lived up to the comfort level, but I would blog about that a bit later. Time to get something to drink, wait for the counter to open. Retrieve my boarding pass, and then wait for the next leg of my journey. I'll probably browse for a book or two while waiting. Will blog later.

Checked In

So, I arrived early, checked in and off I went to sit at the lounge. The flight was just before midnight and it was just after ten now. Anita prepared a heavy dinner for me earlier, so I wasn't exactly hungry. I had a cup of hot chocolate, settled into the seat and enjoyed the free internet.

I managed to check in my luggage straight to Atlanta but upon arrival at Heathrow, I had to get another boarding pass before the next flight. Praying that there won't be any delay hopefully as I was sure in would be right tired then. I wasn't planning to get much sleep for the flight into Heathrow. I would leave that for the Trans-Atlantic leg.

Maybe, I would force myself to watch a movie or two. After all, it would be my first experience onboard an A380. I got the upper deck seat, and requested for an aisle one rather than a window. In was a night flight. I'll go for the window one for the return leg when it would be during sunlight.

The lounge was recently renovated, but I did not see any changes since the latest time I've been in. Food was OK, but being full, I didn't have much. Maybe I have something light after the take off. I didn't recognise anybody else on the flight so far, so I reckon most of the other Malaysian delegates did the sensible thing and took the flight via Seoul. I liked to be difference. So, London, here I come. Even if it was only for a few hours.

Dato' LCW, we salute you!

Another gutsy performance by our Datuk, but yet again he came up short. This time by the finest of margins. He could have easily taken the Championship at 21-20, but it wasn't to be. He tried. And he again made us proud. The question now is who to fill his shoes when he finally call it a day?

The rest of the Malaysian contingent has been disappointing, especially the Koo-Tan partnership which carried the nation's hopes in the doubles. Apart from them, we had nothing much to show for in the major competitions.

Time to take stock, learn and look to the future. I didn't think Chong Wei would be the force he was today after next summers' Olympics. He had almost single-handedly carried the nation's hope for the past few years. And he did us proud. We had to get the next generation of players to step up to the plate and be counted.

So, here's to Chong Wei. Well done. A true Malaysian hero!

Of the London Riot

Everyone sensed that something was not right in the social hierarchy in England for quite some time. The rising unemployment, recession, the opening of the borders both to the European Union allies and immigrants from South Asia and the Caribbean over the years has definitely spelt resentment amongst the local. The crumbling state of the Health Service - the beloved NHS - for instance is symptomatic of this decline.

The rise of the ultra Right - the British Nationalist Party in England for instance - across Europe stem from this uneasiness. This has culminated tragically recently with the killing spree in the peaceful capital of Norway. The shift in the ethnic content in Britain will over time take it toll. They had been tolerant in the past, in accepting refugees from the Commonwealth, maybe out of guilt on their Colonial past. But now, they have asylum seekers from North Africa, Yemen, from all over the world. One have to realise that Britain is a nation of limited internal resources. They overcame this by colonisation before. Unfortunately, that is one no longer an option. They will not be able to cope with immigrants in the long term.

Despite this thought, the extend of the rioting came as a surprise. What started as a contained protest, has I was sure being capitalised by other parties as an excuse to riot and raze. It was a mean to vent their anger and frustration. The majority of them joined in for a bit of fun, little did they realise that the gaze of the world is upon them. It was a major embarrassment to the Cameron cabinet especially this coming a couple of weeks before what was meant to be a celebration in counting down a year before the 2012 Summer Games starts. This unwanted publicity would have dented some of the preparation as well as the confidence of the World in London hosting the Games next year. Have the authority taken their eyes of the ball in dealing with the current riot? Whatever it is, I am sure they would be more than capable of making a success of the Olympics.

On a more serious note, I wish all my friends and fellow Malaysian in the UK to stay safe during this uncertain times. May Allah watch over them in this Holy Month of Ramadhan. InsyaAllah.