Right before Chinese New Year, I made two working trips. The first to China was a routine one so as to celebrate the festive season with friends and colleagues before they break off for the holiday. The second to Malaysia was a last minute request by a client who wanted to have a meeting in person. However, this was easier said than done. As flights were typically full during this period, my colleague and I scrambled to find tickets to Kota Kinabalu. The number of flights out of Singapore were few and didn't match the timing we wanted. Another option was to go via Senai airport but that meant having to navigate the Causeway congestion. So we settled for the last resort which was to fly from Singapore to KL and do a transfer. Upon arrival at KL, we needed to obtain the next leg's boarding pass and went to the transfer counter. The service staff said it was available in the mobile application. My colleague had no issue. So I opened the AirAsia app and showed him that my details couldn't be retrieved. Therefore, I requested for a printout. He mumbled something into the walkie talkie then told me to go past immigration and check in again. There was about an hour before the next flight. Instead of spending time to go through passport control and security checks, I suggested to the staff to check his ticketing system and try to print out the boarding pass. He reluctantly tried and repeatedly toggled my mobile app. This went on for five minutes. A long queue had formed behind. He consulted his fellow staff seated beside and voila, a printed boarding pass appeared! The level of competency is well, on the next level and I was just glad to walk away. The day had just started and worsened with the aircraft coming in thirty minutes late. Our meeting was to start at 1500H and whatever buffer built in wasn't enough. It became a rush from touchdown, being late by twenty minutes and completed the meeting in two hours. Thereafter, we were on the road back to the airport, this time for a direct flight home. Finally, to hear the stewardess' voiceover, "To Singaporeans and residents of Singapore, welcome home", that always evokes a feeling of comfort, never mind even if it's already 2300H. It was also the first time I ever had breakfast, lunch and dinner in an airport on the same day.
After coming home from the above trip, the feasting period officially began. From reunion meals to buffet lunches, it was crunch time for the stomach. I had a number of irresistible hotpots and five loheis where I proclaimed Jade Palace's to be the best this year. In between, I tried to sneak in a bit of gym time and ginseng tea. At this point, I don't dare to step onto the weighing scale.
Tip: Benriach The Sixteen, butterscotch, apricot, honey, faint peat and creamy spice
