The 19-Day Adventure of Miss Q Quirky The Globe Trotting Adventuress - Part 2

15 May 2008 - Vancouver Vancouver Here I come ... or rather as the case became at least I tried!!! Duh.. minus points to the Cathy Pacific Airlines

Wednesday 14^th May 2008

Vancouver Day minus 1 – To pack or not to pack…

After coming back from Bangkok I still have one day of work. Though at first I wanted to come in late since I only arrived home from Bangkok around 12.30am the night before. It was a scary taxi ride for I thought the cab driver was really sleepy. He was pressing the brakes in the middle of the road. Looks like it’s going to be one of those Murphy’s Law things, “when things goes wrong wow does it go wrong”. Boy oh boy little did I know that the Bangkok quake was only a precursor of things to come. Just you wait.

Came in the office way early than planned, ended up doing some urgent on the spot work, my boss owes me like hell for that, be sure! I will collect that favour soon, real soon I mean. Had a meeting around 2pm that finished at around 4pm. Mind you I did all these things whilst my body reeks in pain due to the Bangkok 48 Floors escapade. Decided to go for a massage after that whilst being worried that I might not be able to stand the almost 23 hours flight to Vancouver. Definitely not an auspicious starts to my holidays, definitely!!!

I was supposed to pack for my trip but I was really not in the mood. Never like packing, too many things to think about. What to bring and what not. I will always feel that I would need everything. Can never be a light traveller, I would bring my whole house if I could. Well you cannot blame a girl for wanting her stuffs right?

As a measure for procrastination, I persuaded Anne & Jill to go to “mamak” to have “Teh Tarik” with me. Stayed at “mamak” for quite a while. Spend the whole time regaling them about my (mis) adventure in Bangkok. When I got back I still could not bring myself to pack. So decided to just collect all the things I needed for the trip and put it aside. I’ll put it in the bag tomorrow. Har – har by time I finished colleting the stuffs I want, it was 4am. Time to get some shut eyes my dear.

Thursday 15^th May 2008

Vancouver Day 1 – Vancouver here I come or at least I tried……

Woke up around 7am in the morning and the pain were still there. So decided to go & see Doctor S (since I don’t have permission to mention his name, he shall remain Doctor S). The visit lasted about one hour; as usual we will chitchat a bit. Though I finally see the funny side of having to run down 48 floors, my doctor and my body do not agree. He gave me some muscle relaxants & gastric pills with further advice on how I should handle myself during the long flights. I was supposed to walk around the plane every hour. I counted that will be 23 rounds for a 23 hours flight. I am only on the 5^th day of my adventure and I almost completed my exercise quotas for this year. Har! Har!

I finally packed, took me almost 2 hours to complete packing. Left the house around 1.30pm for the Airport. After using all the guile I could muster using the fact that I am suffering from a muscle cramps (this my friends, following Anne’s advice) I manage to get the ground crew to give me seats with leg space. Hmm I could not get an upgrade tho.. dang!!!!

After checking in had Mc D for lunch and loiter around KLIA since I had about 3 hours before the flight. Took some pictures while waiting, mms some to Muzi, Anne & Jill. Yikss!! I am turning into a (well to us Jill’s word) “Camwho….”. I rather like to think of it as being a Cam Enthusiast

Hei I am getting good at this!!!

As I was travelling alone, I decided I would do whatever I want. There is no need for decorum or acting all proper. So at one point I was sprawled on the sofa writing some notes for my blog. I am feeling a little regret about my decision not to bring my computer for I found that it is best to capture the moment’s feeling by writing things as it happened or within a short time of an incident. The feeling was not allied when Jill sms me to inform that I have committed the number one cardinal sin for a blogger… never leave home without your computer. Thanks Jill!!!

Here comes the Super Bitch

Hei!!!! Something is not right, why is there no call for boarding it is almost 5.50pm time that we were supposed to board. Then at 6pm there was this announcement that the flight is delayed due to the sickness of the crew. We were told to wait for a while, whilst they sort out the matter. Dang… I am beginning to worry, should I be? Well I decided maybe not yet. Then at 6.30pm they announced that the flight is cancel. WHAT!!!! Pandemonium!!! Pandemonium!!!! I galvanised into action. I got a connecting flight at 12.05am to Vancouver what is to happen, this is not good. Not good!!!!

There was chaos all around, people were shuffling and pushing, some arses (excuse my French) refuse to queue. At one point I had to put my foot down and told off this woman from China/
Hong Kong who was trying to cut my queue. Don’t mess with me woman. I know my rights…. well I was supported by an English gentleman muahahaha… strength in numbers is the concept.

To my dismay after that she tried again and the stupid counter person tried to serve her first. That’s it, here comes the bitch – I told him off and loudly said that I was in the queue and she wasn’t. Again the English gentleman supported me. By that time I could not care less anymore, support or no support I am going to stand up for my right. No foreigner is going to cut my queue in my own country.

At first the counter person tried to explain that it doesn’t matter who he serves first since according to him both of us will be stuck here. Like hell I will. Then he tried to explain himself to me. At that point I really don’t want to hear any explanation so I told him just that. “I don’t care, I have a connecting flight to Vancouver at 12.05am, just to your job and sort it out” At this point he tried to explain again, and again I told him straight to his face. “I don’t care, sort it out”.

After waiting almost for an hour I resigned myself that I will not make it for the connecting flight. At that moment my fear proves to be true, the guy came back to inform me that I have been put on the next immediate flight which was tomorrow morning to Hong Kong and thereafter Vancouver. I am to arrive at Vancouver sometime in during lunch. I supposed I did not really loose that much time as I was originally scheduled to arrive at 9.40pm. Now I will arrive around 11.40am the next morning. He also arranged for me to be put up at Concord. Was actually extra nice to me to the extent that he personally send me to the lift. It was a long walk as the boarding gate was the last one at Terminal.

I thought my ordeal would end there; it was already like almost 9pm at that time and I was at the airport since 2pm. Not so, when I arrived at the front desk staff at the Hotel deemed prudent to question me about my entitlement from Cathay Pacific. I got the coupon duly signed; who in heavens name do you think you are to question me. If you got issue sort it out with Cathay Pacific, insofar as I am concerned, I am entitled to what was stated on the coupon. He made me wait almost an hour for my dinner (IT COULD HAVE BEEN LONGER HAD I NOT DEEMED IT OK TO TURN INTO A SUPER BITCH!!!!!). Enough of this stress, after dinner I went straight to bed. Flight tomorrow at 9.15am. Gotta wake up early as I need to be at the airport at around 7am.

Thanks Super Bitch…

It must be that they were so scared of me the super bitch, I got two wake up calls. Hmm I don’t remember asking for one last night but I got 2 calls this morning. Must be that they are so scared of the super bitch or the fact that they would want me to leave their hotel soonest
possible. Har har must be the latter.

9.15am

I am now on the flight Hong Kong. I am grinning from ear to ear. Thank you, thank you super bitch. Guess what, I got upgraded to the business class for the flight to Hong Kong. It pays sometimes to be a bitch, let alone a super bitch. Here are some pictures of me at the golden lounge.

They even dressed your table and call you by your name. I am worried that I am going to enjoy this too much so that I would want to travel business class always. Now which millionaire should I snag? Or maybe I put in an extra prayers that my two friend Anne & Jill becomes millionaires soon so that they could sponsor me trips and travels.

Back to being one of many hurling through the fabric of time…

Yikss back to being a commoner now, back to economy class. First things to be noticed, how the small seat barely accommodate my posterior. Note to self an extra 30 minutes 3 days a week exercise specifically targeting your gluteus maximus from now onwards

Well at least they gave me a seat where I can stretch my legs a.k.a seat at the emergency exits. This is going to be a long journey. Wish they had given me the business seat for this leg of the journey. I sure can entertain myself if they do. Maybe just maybe I should read up on my work and starts on my article re: commentary of the Customs Tribunal. Yes I think shall do that and boy I did it.

4.45pm

I can’t believe it. I actually did some work, started my research for my research for my articles. Doh!!!! How doink can I be