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.

More on my Atlanta trip here.

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.

National Geography Store

On the last afternoon I was in London, while walking past Regent Street, this store caught my eye. I was glad that I ventured in as they actually sell outdoor gears and gadget, from GPS, clothing to camera bags. Unfortunately, as I was not planning to do much shopping that day, I had to exist the nice T shirt the sold there.

The store was bigger than I thought with a themed cafe right at one end. The basement floor basically housed the outdoor gears, while the main floor, the cafe, the main clothing as well as area for exhibits, where should you be interested, you can buy some stunning photographs there. Unfortunately, they do not come cheap! The First Floor housed more clothing as well as books and guides. The bags they had there ranged small small pouch, to full on knapsack. They were rugged enough for the desert, and the pouches were all water-proved. The material was really light but sturdy and looking at it, I understood why it cost so much.

I had some hot chocolate at the cafe, while waiting for the rain to stop. It was pouring all afternoon, and I was not talking about gentle drizzle I was used to. After a while, I decided to walk the 200 yards to the Piccadilly Circus station, which took me back to Canary Wharf. It was straight to the airport after that.

Cath Kidston

Not all of you might be familiar with the name. And so was I until Anita stumbled across some of their products while shopping at The Curve. It was from one of the stalls on the Sunday Market and it was a fake. Surfing the Net, Anita later found out that it was really a real brand, and she quickly fallen in love with it. I have to confess that it was not my cup of tea, but knowing Anita, she really liked the flowery stuff, so she insisted on me giving the main store a visit when I was in London. We later found out that the main branch was in Covent Garden, and courtesy of Google Map, I found the place. Damn you Google!

The shop was not very big, but oh my God, it was crowded. It was pretty clear that the brand had built up a big following especially amongst the Asian crowd. More than half the crowd in the shop that day were from Asia as far I could tell. Cath Kidston does many things and the shop has dresses - flowery ones of course - to bags, notepads, cups and mugs, books, and wallpapers even. After a 30 minute squeeze and a couple of phone calls to Malaysia, I managed to get what she wanted. And yes, Anita was happy with what I got for her.

There was also another Cath Kidston boutique at Heathrow Terminal 4 - where I got a bag for my Mum, but since I wanted to pack everything into the main luggage bag and travel light in the cabin, I decided to buy everything before I reached the airport. We have yet to find one of their outlets in Malaysia. I pray that one would be coming soon as I couldn't really afford regular trips abroad just to get their products for Anita!