By: Elangovan S Suppiah (Kelab Sukan MAS)

The 28th edition of the World Airlines Road Race or better known as “WARR” was held in Hangzhou, China from the 10th till 14th of September, 2009. City of Hangzhou with the Local Tour Agency, Tin Bo Travel and Explorer was selected as the host city and organizer for this year.

The Athletics Sub-committee of Kelab Sukan MAS, started the training of the athletes as early as January 2009, in preparation of WARR and for participation in the local racing circuits. Training was held regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Ara Damansara, Saujana Subang and at the Lake Gardens on Saturdays or Sundays. Besides these training sessions, the runners were also encouraged to take part in local races to improve on competitive running. Also three (3) time trials were held to select the runners on the 19th May, 23rd May and 23rd June, 2009.

Based on the training attendance, the three time trials held the final selection was as below. Since only two junior runners were regularly attending training and also participated in the time trial, the committee decided to concentrate on the Men Veteran team for this year challenge at WARR. The final team of 7 runners selected was as follows:

Men Junior: 

1. Nazri Safuan - Engineering.

Men Veteran:

1. Devan Dinasan - Engineering

2. Lim Kian Huat - Engineering

3. Yeong Heong Peng - Engineering

4. S.S.Elangovan - Group IT

5. Yahya Osman - Flight Operations

6. Balan Acey - Group IT/Retiree

The Team arrived in Hangzhou, China on Wednesday, 10th September, 2009. Daily training sessions were conducted every morning till the 12th September to acclimatize to the local weather and race route.

This year only about 800 runners registered for the event, which was the smallest WARR ever. The rationale was due to the current industry trend and the H1N1 flu. Nevertheless, as in every year the past champions were in full force, and with the strict training sessions and with great motivation, the MAS veteran runners ran very well to do their best.

The sub-committee is proud to advise that the MAS Veteran team put up their best performance to date by finishing 2nd place, behind British Airways. This was the best placing ever as previously the best finishing was a third place. Also, two of the veteran runners managed to clinch 3rd placing in their respective age group categories. Other awards won besides the race awards are where MAS was judged 2nd Placing for best T-Shirt design and a special race held by the local tourism, called the “Sedan Chair Race”. This local cultural event, where eight runners were to carry a pax with minimum weight and round a loop of two hundred meters. The theme was also that the team was supposed to dress in local attire to reflect the theme. For MAS, the team was called “Malay WARRiors”. In this race the MAS team won 1st place with running a fantastic time of 48:31 seconds.

Final Results:

1. Team Masters (Veteran) 2nd place.

2. Age Group 45-49 - Devan Dinasan 3rd place.

3. Age Group 50-54 - Lim Kian Huat 3rd place.

4. T-Shirt Design 2nd place.

5. Sedan Chair Race 1st place.

Men Masters team performance the last five years:

Year  City

1999  Vancouver
2002  Kuala Lumpur
2003  Orlando
2005  Calgary
2006  Amsterdam
2007  Sydney
2008  Ottawa
2009  Hangzhou

The individual results were as follows:

1. Dinasan Devan, Engineering, 00:20:38

2. Lim Kian Huat, Engineering, 00:21:13

3. Yeong Heong Peng, Engineering, 00:21:34

4. Balan Acey, Group IT/Retiree, 00:22:07

5. Yahya Osman, Flight Operations, 00:22:26

6. Elangovan, Group IT, 00:23:47

7. Mohd Nazri Affandi Safuan, Engineering, 00:24:35

Besides the KSM selected runners, other keen WARRiors who self sponsored to participated in the WARR are:

1. Dang Kok Onn, Ground Support, 00:24:51

2. Abdul Karim Zakaria, JHB, 00:26:29

3. Thiruchelvam, Engineering, 00:27:09

4. Selvarajah, Retiree, 00:33:41

5. Zainal Abidin Adam, Retiree, 00:38:26

6. Chong Yoke Yeng, Retiree, 00:44:19

7. Ng Yoke Moy, Retiree, 00:45:57

On behalf of the Athletics sub-committee, we thank the President of KSM, Dato Nawawi, the Executive Council of Kelab Sukan MAS and Group HR for the motivation; support and sponsorship of ticket and special leave for the runners to participate in the WARR in Hangzhou. We would also like to record our appreciation to Jebsen & Jensen (J&J) who sponsored the team in attire and some funds to cover accommodation, airport tax and transport.

By: William Ching Wui Oon (Guest Blogger)

This article by William Ching Wui Oon extracted from http://upperclass.wordpress.com/

Date: 24 January 2009 – 31st January 2009
Time of Departure: 9.30AM (KUL) Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Time of Arrival: 14.30PM (PVG) Shanghai Pudong International Airport
Class of Travel: EY (Economy Class)
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-2H6

Fare Type: MH Low Fares

Day 1: 24th Jan
5.30AM: Woke up and Showered
6.00AM: Final Checks and Packing
6.30AM: Board Taxi
7.15AM: Arrive KLIA

KLIA

First & Business Class Check In Counters

7.45AM Board Aero Train to Satellite Terminal

KLIA Aerotrain

7.55AM: Meet up with Royce from Australia
8.10AM: Breakfast and Chatz with Royce at Starbucks KLIA 1st Floor Satellite Building
8.45AM: Getting Ready to Board Plane at Gate C32

B777-2H6 (9M-MRF)

Shanghai airport

14.30PM: Collect Luggages from Arrival Hall @ Terminal 3
15.00PM: Tour Guide picks us up from Airport – Holiday Inn, Shanghai

Holiday Inn Express (Wujiaochang Shanghai) Day 2: Depart for Mt. Huangshan8.00AM: Woke Up + Shower + Pack8.15AM: Breakfast at Hotel8.45AM: Back to Room9.30AM: Depart Holiday Inn for Mt. HuangshanChecking out ...

We just about depart to our next destination – Hangzhou where we will have our LUNCH!
Before that, Royce decided he wanted to test out the thickness of the ICE Fountain where we saw kids walking on ICE which were initially freezing water that turned into ice.

Royce on ICE

Ferris Wheel in Shanghai

Just about half way through our journey, we stop at a rest area where we got some R&R time and got some fruits to ease the hunger away too. The baby mandarin oranges are one of the items we bought .. (see below) they are cheap! and much sought after in every part of China. Because of the weather, these fruits are extremely hard to find in other countries such as Malaysia and best of all, its sweet …. and delicious!

Mandarin Oranges - Minis

You know that when you’re on the bus travelling from one area to another, the tendency to stop and look for F.O.O.D is so hard not to miss out and being Malaysian Asians, it is almost impossible to avoid missing out on Food. So after some food snacking and some needed sleep, we have arrive in Hangzhou where we ate again .. and this time around its Lunch!

Arrived for LUNCH!

As you can see above, we were so hungry, tired and mostly HUNGRY! that we couldn’t wait …
Mum and Dad couldn’t wait either .. their faces are smiling =)

Priceless .. eating your CNY Lunch in China!

Cuz'en's enjoying our CNY Lunch

Now … for the Food =)

Hangzhou Specialties

The food wasn’t all that great, but just being where we are and having celebrate CNY there was enough to make every taste fantastic. Although every part of China has their food specialities, I find that our taste buds can never really accept the food because of their ways of cooking it (like either too salty or bland)
Now for the moment we all were waiting for … Meat of The Day!

Chef Specialty

These small pots of meat in dark soya sauces are specially ordered in advanced.
They are well seasoned and cook to be enjoyed slowly…. *but* one can get rather thirsty after such a dish.
The person to enjoy the most amongst all of us is Royce..
He practically smiled all the time …. especially after meals =)

Happy Royce

Next Destination: Hengdian (The Movie City)

Hengdian is well knowned for its Movie Studios especially for the Film ”Curse of the Golden Flower” and many other known movies and TVB Series.

After like a few hours on the bus .. we have arrived at Hengdian “Sun City”

Our stop will be at The Movie Studio where Chow Yun Fatt acted in for the film “Curse of the Golden Flower”

Hengdian Movie Studio (Replica of Forbidden City, Beijing)

Every Building seen below – in the Amazing Replica version of The Forbidden City is exactly the same. The reason the City was build was because China did not allow the Real Forbidden City to be used for any filming so instead of filming in the actual city, they build another one. See below…

A View of The Heavens shinning down on the city..

Reflections in still waters

Beautiful Landscaping makes this place even more beautiful than the actual..
and now .. after all the walking, it is time for some fooooD and it so happens - Dinner time.

At the entrance to VIP Restaurant and Residence @ Hengdian

But before we eat .. its time to Pop some Crackers .. Loud ones!

In China, during the Chinese New Year, people from all parts of the country from the Rural to the City will use Firecrackers to symbolize the tradition and the festive seasons. It brings joy and families together at this time of year. The Chinese people will demonstrate different type of fireworks for the first 2-3 days. Some may asked ”How much does this cost?” Well the answer is really simple, it cost very little to them and don’t forget it is Made in China!

Food time ..

After food ..

Time for some fresh mountain air and fireworks =)

Next Destination – Movie Studio # 2
Apparently this particular studio is what some say is the Chinese Version of Universal Studios minus the Rides..

Look at the time .. Wow!
We then went back to our Hotel for a much needed rest and the next day’s destination – Movie Studio # 3 -
This is where most of Wong Fei Hong’s movies were filmed – Once upon a Time in China (by Jet Li) See images ..

After some walking around the studio, we saw a stage area where actors and actreses were acting for all to see. Got some pics of the Chinese Characters as well.

and we’re all so tired … but wait! We ate dinner at a local chinese restaurant and headed back to hotel for our sleep as we were departing for Mt. Huangshan the next day.

While travelling on the highway, I managed to catch a glimpse of the new Honda Civic which is expected to launch in 2 months time in Malaysia.

As we were closer to Huangshan, we stop at a tourist spot which concentrates on Crystals. They mold crystal’s into very nice decorating items as well as for gifts.

I managed to catch a photoshot of this item as Photo shooting was Not Allowed within the premises.

They were afraid that people will adopt their ideas … =D
Off we proceeded to our destination…
Not too far away, we were very near our destination … and I shot this image whilst being on the bus going up the hillz to our Cable car ride.

and moments later, we reach the base point in which we needed to take a 15 min cable car ride to the middle section and from there we are expected to hike up to our hotel approximately 1.5KM’s

Shortly after the ride .. we reached the mid section and started our climb.
Oh boy .. I was in for another surprized! Up and Down Stairs .. very very steep stairz!

as we were climbing .. man there were rest areas but it wasn’t easy and stopping made things worst. First the air was thin, secondly .. we were all tired already from previous days, Thirdly .. we were not prepared! But somehow or rather .. we all made it! and found that it was very exciting and refreshing .. its like accomplishing something very great.

The view was superb .. its like viewing Grand Canyon in a Chinese Way. GC is another scenic area … and for me GC is more exciting then Mt. Huangshan.

Above is the Legendary Monkey who sat on the mountain. One of the biggest in its species…
And oh yea …. the river was frozen too. The temperature was way below…

After all that climbing and walking .. we were so dead tired and it was time to give the camera a rest and amongst us all, only myself and 3 others of us decided to use the Spa to warm up and relax … but that’s another story =D
So next morning .. its 6.00am! I got up .. forgot the showers, left my room .. went and hike to catch the sunrize.

I could not catch the Sun rising .. but the sight was still good and I was happy!
After the hike .. off I went for breakfast and changed for the big Hike of the Day!
Destination: Lions Peak

Distance from Hotel: 3Km Up and 3KM down (back to Hotel) the Hike has variable steps like up and down when you are climbing upwards due to the terrain and when you get back .. the steps are the same, up and down the mountain!
Time: we did all that in 3 hours…

NExt … Dinner

All that happen without the camera as we wanted to have less weight and not tire ourselves out by having extra weight.
I was using a DSLR which happens to be heavy!

The next 1 day in Shanghai was pretty casual .. and nothing much going for us. And the next day we were off to the Airport and back to Malaysia. Ohhh hot and Sunny!

Being a family member of MH and Malaysia Airlines, I must say that the services offered in China Airports by MH Staff were not satisfying to say the least. But overall .. it is definitely much better than the other airlines.

Our Flight MH 389 to Kuala Lumpur is expected to Depart in 1 hours and I had nothing much to do except – Shoot anything that interest me within the Airport. Photography can be either interesting or exciting .. for me that’s both! especially in the aviation side.

(A340 Engine – Image shot at Low ISO)

(Boarding our flight – Royce takes the Lead..)

Our flight back to Kuala Lumpur was pretty quiet. The passenger load for MH 389 was extremely low. The total passengers were 187.

On a normal flight, you usually find yourself cramping with others in Economy Class. However this flight was so quiet and there were ample seats for one to take an entire row for a good nap!

Mum and Dad .. feeling happy to be going back home and so was I!

The Chinese Cabin Crew in the middle was very nice and pleasant.
She practically treated us like family and gave us very good service. This is definitely True Malaysian Hospitality (MH)!

The flight was definitely 5 Stars .. The food was not so good but overall, better than low cost carriers!

An hour before landing and the lights in the cabin made the flight so comfortable … even in Economy Class!

Thank you Malaysia Airlines for providing the Best in Comfort, In-flight services and Safety!

No other airline other than Malaysia Airlines can give me that kind of Quality and Assurance!

By: Zahiyah Abdul Muin (Malaysia Airlines Singapore)

Whenever this world-famous road is mentioned, people cannot refrain from cherishing the memory of the explorers who were sent on a mission to this region. The Silk Road connects the routes: THE OASIS, THE GRASSLAND and THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

We had the opportunity to explore part of the Xinjiang region that included the Silk routes.  It was a vast area of over 1.6 million sq km which makes up one -sixth of the total area of China. 

Xinjiang is a multi-national region, situated in the north-western part of the People’s Republic of China. People of Xinjiang mainly the Kazak, Han, Hui, Mongolian, Kirgiz, Xibo,Tajik, Man, Tatar, Uzbek, Daur and Russian nationalities but predominantly by the Uygur.  Uygur’s religion is monotheistic Islam, their written script is Arabic, their language is closely related to Turkish, and their physical features are basically Caucasian – most look like Greeks, Italians or other southern Europeans.

Let us guide you through the wonderful journey of Marco Polo ……….. 

Urumuqi in Mongolia language means “Beautiful Pastures” – is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is a city of kaleidoscope of sights and sounds with unique architecture and colourful tradition of its 13 minority groups.  A must see tourist spots in the city suburbs are:

Abakhoja Mausoleum – was built over 360 years ago. It houses over 20
tombs  including the 17th century Islamic missionary Abakh Hoja and his decendants. the Chinese call it the “Princess Xiangfei’s Tomb” (Fragrant concubine tomb) in honour of a daughter of the Hoja clan. Her body was later
moved to Hebei Province.

It was truly one of our most memorable vacations ever … enjoying nature’s
beauty, getting to know the people and their culture. ZAI JIAN

Van says:

It seems very nice with it =s … i love the Nature in the forest =) it must be a place where you can really feel RELAX … love this =)
March 17th, 2009 at 4:00 pm



jolenesiah says:

love the landscape….
March 19th, 2009 at 2:50 am

By: Shen Wen Tracy (Malaysia Airlines Xiamen)

The photo with all staff wearing blue MH T-shirt was taken on 04 February 2009 which is in-lieu of the 1st MH Day of the year 2009 as it was the Chinese New Year public holiday in Xiamen (XMN).

I also organized another session on 06 February 2009 in the evening.  We organized oneMH session in the form of workshop & questionnaires instead of a formal briefing.  During that session, all staff was divided into two groups to discuss and fill up a questionnaire related to our CVP and MH program.
I am glad to see my colleagues participating and providing their inputs.  By doing so, I am in the opinion that XMN staff will clearly & fully understand and remember our MH philosophy.  One of my colleague even suggested that we MH should do more charity e.g. use oneMH Tabung (piggy bank) to encourage staff to donate small changes so by the end of the year, we could gather the money and donate back to the community like old folks home or the orphanage.

By: Jasmin Feng (Malaysia Airlines Shanghai)

Chinese New Year, we also call it Spring Festival. It is Chinese most traditional festival every 365 days. Each Chinese pay much attention on it.

Before Spring Festival, we usually clean our houses. And we may go to the Flower Fairs to buy some flowers. During Spring Festival, we usually get together to visit our friends and relatives. And have a big meal together. Some people eat dumpling for dinner. Children like the festival very much, because they can have delicious food and receive the lucky money (red packet) from adults. In many places people like to set off fireworks.

In recent years, with the development of China’s economy, traveling during the Chinese New Year holiday became a trend here. Especially is among the young people. They will spend their holiday oversea. This is good news to me as I am in the airline industry. I hope they all fly with Malaysia Airlines.

I will not be going for travel during this year’s CNY holiday. I just want to have a good rest. And maybe will be going for shopping if there is a big sale in Shanghai.

Wish everyone a beautiful Chinese New Year!

By: Au Tsz Li, Lily (Malaysia Airlines Hong Kong)

Since Christmas is over, we are preparing to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Wow! It makes us really busy to celebrate these “TWO” important festivals in two months.

What should we do to celebrate this most important festival in HKG?

The most important thing is that we will arrange a “Family Reunion Dinner” at the end of the Chinese New Year which symbolizing family live warmly together. We will buy new clothes; collect nice red packets to those relatives and friends who are not married. My father used the red packets to make some lovely handicrafts just likes a goldfish and peafowl. We will put some nice Spring Couplets, Candy Tray and buy Daffodil, Peach Blossom to decorate our home. For New Year’s food, my mother will make ‘Turnip Cake’, ‘Red Bean Cake’ and we will buy many sweets, Red Melon Seeds, Sesame Doughnuts to serve friends.

Besides that, there are many different New Year’s decorations in the shopping mall. And the lion dance will always be arranged to celebrate in the 2nd day of Chinese New Year.

So, there are so many things we will do to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Although we are busy, it makes us feel wonderful and happy so much!

By: Perry He Pei Ru (Malaysia Airlines South China – CANTO)

Greetings from China!

Today, we are so excited that 2009 is coming! We made a “Wishing Card” for all our colleagues. We wrote down their stories and wishes on the card and posted in the office.

Below, I selected some:

• 2008 – The snow calamity, Sichuan Earthquake in China, we wish all victims escape from the shadow, wish a fortune 2009 to them.
• In Malaysia Airlines, we worked so hard in the most challenging year in 2008. However, the coming year will be the greatest challenge for us, work harder, plan properly, wish we can make a miracle year in 2009!
• Wishing all colleagues happiness, good health in 2009!
• Wishing Malaysia Airlines great profits in year 2009!
• Cheers to all in Malaysia Airlines!

Happy New Year!  Happy New Year!  Happy New Year!

By: John Low (Customer Response Unit)

Our business revolves around providing services to customers. So when we were renewing our inflight food menu, what better feedback to obtain regarding the new food items than to invite the very same customers whom we serve.

Our inflight services and LSG Brahim recently completed an "exchange program" of chefs. Chef Derek from LSG Hong Kong and Chef Lu Li from LSG Chengdu spent a week with our local chefs to brainstorm and create new authentic and halal Chinese meals for our passengers bound for Northern and Southern China sectors. Upon completing this exercise, on Nov 14th, together with Customer Response, MAS invited some of the frequent travelers of this sector for a food tasting. 

Over 150 dishes were served to these frequent passengers. The feedback and response to the meals were recorded to help the MAS team of executive chefs improve upon what was served and also to develop new menus. In return, the food-tasting session was an informative and important aspect of customer engagement. "Engaging with customers before implementation is very important. I'm glad MAS has made a conscious effort to do so. These sessions should continue and feedback from here should be constructively worked on," said one of our frequent passengers.

So come January 2009, MAS will be rolling out new Chinese menus for flights to China. Keep an eye out for them!

3 Responses to “Food Tasting: Our Customers Get The 1st Taste Of Our New Chinese Meals” 

• Akunamatata says:

cool….

December 4th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

• Afezan Othman says:

Yummy!!

When the next food testing. Can include me?

Just joking!!!

December 9th, 2008 at 4:09 am

• Ronny says:

Interesting, but usual =)

January 15th, 2009 at 12:05 am

On 7/16/08, phang_cy@yahoo.com wrote:

Congratulations!
What a great way to reach your customers / potential customers! Both my wife and our little 9-months old daughter had a enjoyable journey on board MAS to Shanghai and back to KL. Your services have improved.
Thanks.

Gary Phang
(recent travel)
MH386 1-Nov-07
MH387 15-Nov-07

One Response to “Customer’s Letter 5”
 

• Mike O'Neill says:

I think it is good to hear that services are continually improving and Merry Christmas to all in MAS.

December 25th, 2008 at 2:53 pm