Cheated Off in Skywards Miles

My frequent travels to Sudan via the Emirates Airlines was quite good. The plane will normally depart on time (except for those departing from Sudan). Each time I travel, I will get some of those air miles added into my Skywards (a frequent flyer programme) membership points where you could redeem for flight upgrades or free air tickets.

Lately, I do find that Emirates Airlines do not record (whether intentionally or unintentionally) certain flights that I have taken. They would normally want you to send in your air tickets or boarding pass to verify that you actually boarded their airlines. I would say that the airlines should the records as my office would get us a return ticket each time we leave for Sudan and the air tickets would have indicated our departure dates/time from KL-Sudan or Sudan-KL.

When I did submit air tickets plus boarding passes, Emirates Airlines didn't even bother to update my Skywards account and now everything is with them, they can say whatever they want. The Emirates Airlines in Kuala Lumpur told me that my documents would be delivered all the way to Dubai Head Office. They can't process it here.

Weird! How come I can buy tickets here but they can't process my Skywards account here????? Lame excuse! Maybe by claiming that such issues were taken care of by the Dubai Head Office, I have no further recourse once I have submitted. Only way is to travel to their Dubai office to clear it. That also doesn't guarantee it.

I do submit my claim online too but to no avail for those missing flights.

Well, you could that it's only a small issue. True since I didn't pay for the air tickets myself but then it was a promise by Emirates Airlines.

But one thing they have forgotten, it was clear cut (from the online statement of account) that I have travelled to Sudan (13/6/06 & 14/6/06) without coming back to KL and then I was travelling again from KL to Sudan (3/10/06). Where was my trip from Sudan to KL?

Same thing for this statement, I travelled from KL-Sudan on 15/2/06 and return flight was on 26/5/06 (Khartoum-Dubai) & 27/5/06 (Dubai-KL). My DXB-KL was recorded but not KRT-DXB. Now how could I have boarded the flight from Dubai-KL if I didn't take the flight from Khartoum to Dubai. When I send the claim message online to Skywards, they rather keep quiet.

As for this statement, I managed to upgrade my flight from an economy seating to a business class seat for my KL-Sudan trip on 25/10/05. But Skywards didn't record either one of my 2 connecting flights (KL-Dubai & Dubai-Khartoum) at all.

With all these missing miles, Skywards has downgraded me from the Silver tier membership back to the normal membership thus depriving me from using the business class check-in facilities and the business class lounge. In a way, Emirates Airlines could save a bit of money. And lesser miles meant it will take me a longer time to reach certain points to qualify for certain redemption.

They can promote that their airlines are this good and that good and such a small issue was TOO SMALL for them to notice. I was cheated!
Tags: Emirates Airlines, Skywards, Frequent Flyer, Khartoum, Sudan, Kuala Lumpur, KL, Dubai, Cheating

Interviewees' Bloopers

Robert McCauley of Robert Half International has stated that according to a survey, nearly one-third (32%) of executives polled said job candidates make more mistakes during the job interview than any other part of the job-hunting process.

Consider these real-life responses from hiring managers who were asked to name the strangest things they had ever heard of happening in a job interview:-

* "After answering the first few questions, the candidate picked up his cell phone and called his parents to let them know the interview was going well."

* "The job seeker halted the conversation about work hours and the office environment, saying she didn't like being confined to a building, but would consider taking the job if she could move her desk to the courtyard outside."

* "When asked by the hiring manager why she was leaving her current job, the applicant said, 'My manager is a jerk. All managers are jerks.'"

* "After arriving for an early morning interview, the job seeker asked to use the hiring manager's phone. She proceeded to fake a coughing fit as she called in sick to her boss."

Tags: Job Interview, Job Hunting, Job Candidate, Robert Half International

Top Idiots II

Idiot # 5
Guy walked into a little corner store with a shotgun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag, the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf.

He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but the cashier refused and said, "Because I don't believe you are over 21." The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him.

At this point the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over, and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and he put the scotch in the bag.

The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested the robber two hours later.

Remind me to have more signs printed up. Give this guy his!
--------------------------------

Idiot # 6
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.

This guy doesn't need a sign, he probably figured it out himself.
--------------------------------

Idiot # 7
Arkansas: Seems this guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window.

The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. Seems the liquor store window was made of Plexi-Glass. The whole event was caught on videotape.

Oh, that smarts. Give him his sign!
--------------------------------

Idiot # 8
The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 12:50 A.M., flashed a gun and demanded cash.

The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away.

Please note that these people are allowed to vote!

Tags: Jokes, Funny, Humour, Idiot, Scotch, Michigan, Ann Arbor News, Burger King

Women Not Allowed to Wear Trousers

Umlazi, a township near Durban city in South Africa, has issued a weird ruling for their women citizen.

It seems that ladies there were not allowed to wear trousers AT ALL! Yeah, no trousers, jeans, slacks, pants but only skirts or dresses are allowed. Weird isnt it?

Discrimination again? After racial discrimination during the apartheid and now discrimination against women. What gave those guys the right to impose such a ridiculous ruling? Can the ladies there gather and impose new laws for the men there?

A lady was stripped naked, leaving her with the underwear only, because she was wearing pants. Her clothings were burnt on the spot. Not only her clothings but the shack that she was leaving in. Too much, isn't it?

Meantime, South Africa's Gender and Equality Commission and local politicians have condemned the actions.

That's why at times, when a law is being implemented, there will be some overzealous people who will try to enforce it but would over do it.
Reading: Women: Don't dare wear trousers in Umlazi - IOL

Tags: Trousers, Jeans, Slacks, Pants, Umlazi, Durban, South Africa, Gender and Equality Commission, Discrimination

Thaksin Shinawatra's New Venture

After Thaksin Shinawatra's government has been thrown out by the armies back in Sept 2006, he being a shrewd businessman was fast in his next step.

His involvement in getting a majority shareholding in Manchester City has opened up lots of opportunity for Man City now. With Sven Goran Eriksson as the new manager in charge, new players are making their ways into the team. This is making the English Premier League more interesting.

Thaksin's purchase into Man City has been questioned earlier by the Thai government as to whether the monies used were legal and not laundered off from Thailand's coffer to elsewhere before being transferred to UK Sports Investments Ltd, the holding company of Man City now.
Tags: Sports, Football, Manchester City, Man City, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai, Thailand, Money Laundering

Betting on Football Match

I was having dinner at a mamak restaurant near my condo and the restaurant had a small projector with a big white screen showing a football match between Man Utd and Chelsea. It was the replay of the 1993/94 Classic FA Cup Final match.

In between 75th and 80th minute of the match, a couple sat at the next table. At the 80th minute, the scoreline was displayed at the bottom of the screen, showing Man Utd leading Chelsea by 3-0.
------------------------------
The following was their conversation:-
Guy: How come there's a match tonight? Aiyah, didn't know about the match otherwise could have placed a bet.
Girl: I thought Chelsea was quite strong.

And the guy proceeded to make a call.
Guy: (name of other party) ..... there's a match being played now between Man Utd and Chelsea. Do you know what match is it? You have no idea too?
Guy: The league is starting next week so you guys placing bets already?
Guy: Ohhhhhhhhhhh, it's not today's game lah..... the screen just showed that it's a Classic FA Cup Final of year 1994 lah....... aiyah....suspense only. Thought I missed it.
------------------------------

After hearing that conversation, deep in my heart, I knew that guy and his gal do not know a single thing about English Premier League. The moment I sat down and saw who the players were, I knew it was a long time ago game. But the stupid buffalo can even call another friend to check what game was being played. And he was into betting???????

Clear enough that he will be placing bets on the clubs only and he won't know a single player in each of the team at all................. hahahhaa. What a joker!

After seeing the last match in May 2007, it was plain weekends but here comes the opening match for the 2007/08 season with the Charity Shield between Man Utd and Chelsea to be played tomorrow evening.
Tags: Man Utd, Manchester United, MU, Chelsea, English Premier League, Charity Shield, Football Bets, Betting, Classic FA Cup Final, Sports, Football

Need Not Be a Hot Looking Model

We often seen the worldwide fashion houses getting top female models showcasing the latest products or apparels in order to capture a portion of the fashion market.

Louis Vutton ("LV") somehow made a bold and dramatic change as LV trusted an old man to bring the best out for their products.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of USSR or Soviet Union, was selected as the model for LV's latest bag launch. LV is also trying to make its products appealing to the Russian men at large owing to the rise in the Russian economy. This advert came out at the right timing.
Tags: Louis Vutton, LV, Mikhail Gorbachev, Fashion, Female Model, Luxury, USSR, Soviet Union