Interesting Stuff to See in Dubai

The Dubai International Airport Terminal 3's main foyer upon entering the airport building. The floor is so shiny that you could see the notice boards being reflected clearly on the flooring.







First time seeing such a facility. If your notebook was out of battery, you could recharge at this little counter set up for you with power points.













The complexity of their lift system. Two lift carriages moved at the same time. It could easily carry up to twenty people per lift.

This is the most expensive malt whisky that I have seen in the Dubai duty free shop. The Dalmore will cost you Dhs 7,200 or US$2,000 per bottle. I'm sure there are buyers, otherwise they wouldn't have produce and sell it.

Will you?

A nice little garden set in the middle of the airport ...... the greeny feeling.

This is really a unique scene. The huge glass covering the airport building surely requires some professional cleaners to keep it clean throughout the year. And so happened, it was during my trip.

Six 'spidermans' with safety gadgets hanging all over the place to ensure the cleaners' safety.

That's my plane to Sudan. Still thinking of whether to set my feet onto it .... hehe

Almost every single departure gate was occupied.

Tags: The Dalmore, Malt Whisky, Dubai International Airport Terminal 3, Dubai

Hectic Work Week

At long last I get to post. Was bogged down with office work for the last two weeks till my brain was restless when back home. In the end, didn't blog about anything at night while enjoying and relaxing in front of the TV. Really needed the rest. Was rushing various documents that were required for my upcoming trip to Sudan. Done all and emailed over to colleague in Khartoum for him to print.

Thanks to the Citibank credit card that I could have complimentary access to the Plaza Premium Lounge at KLIA. Otherwise you may need to pay RM88 for two hours usage. Inside here you have a wide range of magazines (local/international), four desktop of which I'm occupying one of them but limited, out of courtesy to other passengers, to twenty minutes only. Have to type really fast now.

I can't wait to dive into the buffet area ..... haven't seen what's being served today but usually I'm not fussy with food ...... slurp!

Flight is at 2.10am and touchdown around 5.25am at Dubai. Dubai should be hot now as summer is approaching. Will stay put in Millenium Airport Hotel. Wondering whether should I venture out after breakfast. Normally will go to one particular shopping centre, Deira it is. Or should I sleep in and skip breakfast. Or take breakfast and sleep again before waking up to have lunch ........ all provided by hotel.

Flight to Dubai is at 3.00pm, what a long transit time. Will wander around the Terminal 3 this time to see what kind of shops they have there. That's really an international airport ......... superbly packed to the brim at all areas. KLIA? Majority of the shops will close by midnight and very empty.

Expected to arrive at 6.25pm in Khartoum. That's 11.25pm KL time. Almost 24 hours from KL house to Khartoum house. Hello Khartoum guys, don't forget to fetch me and don't let me wait too long in the open ..... you know I know lah.

Cheers!

Cigars Could Be Insured for Fire Incident

This happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA -
A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, and then insured them against, among other things, fire.

Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires."? The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion. The lawyer sued... and WON!

Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous.The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be "unacceptable fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.

Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars lost in the "fires".

Now for the best part.

After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of Arson!!! With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.

Reading: Cigar Fire Insurance Fraud - Tri-City Insurance News
Tags: Cigar Fire, Expensive Cigars, Insurance Fraud, Insurance Company, Insurance Claim, Charlotte, North Carolina

Korean Car Filed Bankruptcy Notice

One by one of those famous companies are packing up or facing financial difficulties in this current world recession. What world recession? It's already happening but not deep into it. Few days ago, I blogged about The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad ...............

Now another foreign company that is having business interest in Malaysia has filed for bankruptcy at their home base. This time, it's Ssangyong Motor Company ("SMC") of South Korea.

SMC has been bought over by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. ("SAIC") which is based in China. SAIC in turn is owned by General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen AG. Pity those SMC staff as their salaries have not been paid since December 2008 and the shares have been suspended in the Korea Exchange.

The only Malaysian company that is distributing the Korean made cars, Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd, could be faced with a dilemma. Will the distribution be affected? Will current Ssangyong car owners face problems in obtaining their car spare parts?

Just when I fell in love with their Ssangyong Actyon Sports.

Reading: Ssangyong Motor files for bankruptcy - China Daily
Tags: Ssangyong Motor Company, Competitive Supreme Sdn Bhd, Ssangyong Actyon Sports, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, Korean Made Car, South Korea

British-Owned Malaysian Bank To Be Sold Off?

I have not heard of this bank before, The Royal Bank of Scotland, until it took over ABN AMRO Bank Berhad in Malaysia (and worldwide too) as part of the Fortis / RBS / Santander consortium in year 2007.

Now, the same bank in Britain has declared an annual loss of £24.14 billion (US$34.4 billion) for 2008 which has been regarded as the biggest in British corporate history. Yeah, worse than the Barings' collapse that involved only £1.3 billion.

Will it be hard for The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad to convince their customers to stay with them after hearing about this humonguous loss.

Or will the Malaysian operation be reduced or sold off as it was indicated that out of 54 countries that they are in, 36 countries' operations would be affected. Is Malaysia one of the 36?

Reading: RBS reports record corporate loss - BBC News/Business
Tags: The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad, Barings' Collapse

Message In A Bottle?????

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident on a snowy, cold Monday morning; it's a bad one.

Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them are hurt.

God works in mysterious ways. After they crawl out of their cars, the man is yelling about women drivers; the woman says, 'So you're a man. That's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but we're unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days'.

Flattered, the man replies, 'Oh yes, I agree with you completely, this must be a sign from God! But you're still at fault ... women shouldn't be allowed to drive.'

The woman continues, 'And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.'

Then she hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle, immediately puts the cork back on, and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, 'Aren't you having any?'

The woman replies, 'No. I think I'll just wait for the police....'

Tags: Funny, Humour, Car Accident, Women Drivers

Singaporeans Caught Smuggling by Japanese

During the Japanese Occupation, 3 Singaporeans, Ah Meng, Ah Seng and Ah Beng were caught for smuggling. They were sentenced to death by firing squad. That night, Ah Meng came up with a plan. He told the others that the Japanese were afraid of natural disasters. So he would cause them to panic, and escape in the confusion.

The next morning, Ah Meng was led to the wall. The firing squad was lined up and the Captain commanded, "Ready.. Aim..", but before he could complete, Ah Meng shouted, "Earthquake!! Earthquake!" The Japanese soldiers panicked and Ah Meng made his escape.

Later, the soldiers took Ah Seng out and the firing squad were ready. The captain commanded, "Ready... Aim..." This time Ah Seng shouted. "Flood! Flood!!" Again, the Japanese soldiers panicked and this time, Ah Seng made his escape.

Observing all this, Ah Beng began to get the idea. "It's important to get the timing right."

Soon, it was Ah Beng's turn. "Timing, that's the key." Ah Beng kept saying to himself. The soldiers lined up in front of him.

The captain started, "Ready..."

"Timing," Ah Beng thought to himself.

"Aim..."

"Okay," thought Ah Beng, and shouted,

" FIRE!!! FIRE!!! "

Tags: Singaporean, Japanese, Japanese Occupation, Firing Squad, Ah Beng, Natural Disasters, Funny, Humour