6 Meals on a 3-Hour Flight

A routine three-hour flight from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia turned into an unexpected all-you-can-eat buffet experience when one lucky passenger encountered what might be the most enthusiastic flight attendant in aviation history. 

The passenger, identified on Facebook as 靠北奥客, flying Malaysia Airlines flight MH773 on a Boeing 737-800, initially ordered just one meal – “Nasi Bunga Telang with Gulai Ayam” (traditional Kelantanese-style butterfly pea rice with Malay-style chicken curry – figuring he’d only have a small taste since he’d already eaten breakfast at his hotel. 

That’s when things got wonderfully out of hand. After finishing his first dish, the passenger heard the male flight attendant making rounds, asking other passengers if they wanted seconds. Everyone else politely declined. But when asked, our hungry hero said he’d be willing to “try a little more, though I might not finish it all”. 

Big mistake. Or maybe the best mistake ever. 

The flight attendant’s eyes apparently lit up like he’d found his target audience. What followed was a relentless parade of airline cuisine that would make any food lover weep with joy: 

• Meal #2: “Nyonya Asam Pedas Fish” (Malaysian Peranakan-style fish in spicy and tangy gravy) 
• Meal #3: Sambal shrimp coconut rice 
• Meal #4: Wonton Noodle served with honey BBQ chicken, fried shrimp wonton, mixed vegetables and barbecue sauce 
• Meal #5: Indian meal set 
• Meal #6: Baked Eggs with Hollandaise Sauce, accompanied by chicken sausage, potato cutlet, creamed spinach and cherry tomatoes 

Some of these dishes weren’t even supposed to be on this flight. The attendant was apparently serving surplus meals from the previous Kuala Lumpur to Chiang Mai route.

As if six main courses weren’t enough, the enthusiastic crew member also provided: 

• Two small cakes for every passenger 
• Honey lemon tea 
• Half a cup of pulled tea ("teh tarik") 
• Two bread rolls per person initially 
• A final care package of 10 hot bread rolls to take home 

The passenger admitted he was worried about being labelled a “difficult customer”, but the overwhelming Malaysian hospitality left him “stuffed to the brim” and oddly grateful. 

The story, shared on the “靠北奧客” (Complaining About Difficult Customers) Facebook page on September 16, 2025, has gone viral with netizens calling it everything from “eating from takeoff to landing” to “an all-you-can-eat flight experience” and declaring “this trip was totally worth it!” 

The post included photos of the "feast" and even showed the final haul of peanuts and dates collected across four different flight segments:

Trivandrum, Kerala Makes Global Travel List

I've been extolling India's Kerala – often called “God’s own country” – as the go-to destination. If I get to travel.

On Thursday, Malay Mail promoted Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, the capital city that has been named one of the Top 10 Most Popular Places to Visit in 2025 by UK-based platform Skyscanner.

And it is drawing attention for all the right reasons. A wonderful city due to its blend of rich cultural heritage, historical landmarks, and natural beauty. It is famous for its ancient temples, museums, and art galleries, as well as its beautiful beaches and backwaters. Trivandrum is also a hub for Ayurvedic treatments and wellness centres.  

Adding to its appeal is the increased number of direct flights now connecting Kuala Lumpur to Trivandrum, making it easier than ever for Malaysian travellers to plan their South Indian escape. Of course, the paper highlights Malaysia Airlines which currently operate direct flights up to five times weekly, offering greater accessibility and convenience for travellers.

Kerala truly beckons!

McDonald's Drive Thru Shooting

On June 14, 2024, a twenty-two-year-old McDonald's employee in Lakeland, Polk County in Florida, United States was none too pleased with a drive-thru customer's complaint, so she responded the American way 💪 and whipped out her gun. She then went outside and pulled the trigger. 

 

Fortunately, although her gunfire hit their car, it missed the people inside. 

 

"What's becoming disturbing is us hearing more about these types of stories", said Orlando's former police chief Orlando Rolón, via the Independent. "I'm shocked that she had a weapon of that sort in a place such as a McDonald's as an employee". 

 

But then again, it isn't so shocking, being that the fast food restaurant on East Memorial Boulevard where the shooting took place is in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that allows employees to pack a pistol – openly or concealed – while they work. In fact, no gun permit or any training is required for said employees.

 

The shooter, Chassidy Gardner (left) has since been arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

 

Russia is refusing to participate in a “performance” before a Western-dominated International Civil Aviation Organization panel about the 2014 downing of a Malaysian passenger jet in Donbass, the Russian Foreign Ministry have stated. 

 

Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was flying from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when it was shot down in Ukrainian airspace. Not surprisingly, Kiev immediately blamed Donetsk People’s Republic forces and Russia for the incident. 

 

In March 2022, the Netherlands and Australia opened an investigation against Russia at the ICAO Council. However, the council first claimed judiciary powers they did not have, then tried to admit as evidence the two investigations into the MH17 disaster that explicitly excluded Russia – by the Dutch Security Council (NSB) and the Joint Investigation Team – while welcoming Ukraine and other adversely interested parties, according to Moscow.

 

Russia had initially agreed to take part in the proceedings “because we believed that the ICAO platform could be used for professional dialogue about the plane crash”, the ministry said. Russia has proposed “a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the crash of flight MH17, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2166 and the ICAO Dispute Resolution Rules”, but the council refused, the foreign ministry said. 

 

“Ruled by the countries of the collective West and their satellites, the ICAO Council also refused to take into account the decision of the International Court of Justice of January 31, 2024”, which rejected Ukraine’s claims against Russia in the MH17 case, the ministry noted.

 

The council comprise of 36 members, who vote according to instructions from their governments. Thirteen countries including Netherlands and Australia had promptly and publicly blamed Russia for MH17 before any investigation began, the ministry said. When Russia asked them to abstain from voting in the matter, they refused. 

 

This pattern of behavior “runs counter to the minimum requirements for the objectivity of the proceedings”, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “Under such circumstances, it is impossible to talk about an unbiased establishment of facts, much less a fair decision” . 

 

The “extensive and convincing evidence”, both factual and legal, that Russia was not involved in the MH17 incident has been made available to 193 ICAO members, the ministry declared. 

 

[FYI, then Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had expressed that there was insufficient evidence linking Russia to the downing of MH17, as reported by Malaysiakini on September 05, 2019].

Hearing of MH370 Lawsuits in China

Today, the Chaoyang District People’s Court in Beijing, China begin hearing lawsuits over the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 

 

The aggrieved families of the Chinese passengers on the ill-fated flight had sued the airline, Allianz, their insurer, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of the plane’s engine – companies they believe should be held responsible under Chinese law for damage occurred during transportation. Their demands include compensation, a formal apology, and the resumption of psychological assistance to family members, as well as the creation of a fund to continue searches for the plane. 

 

About 40 Chinese families are taking these companies to court with varying but largely overlapping appeals, with hearings expected to last until December 05. Of the more than 200 people aboard the flight that disappeared from radar on March 08, 2014, 153 were Chinese nationals. 

 

It is unclear what enforcement power the Chinese court can wield over the defendants if they rule in favor of the plantiffs. All of them are international companies headquartered outside China, though Malaysia Airlines, Boeing and Roll-Royce have offices in China. 

 

Similar cases brought in the United States by the victims’ families have been dismissed on the grounds that these lawsuits should be handled by the Malaysian legal system.

The war with Hamas is costing Israel at least $269 million a day and is expected to hit the country’s economy harder than previous conflicts, ratings agency Moody’s have said in a report based on Israeli Finance Ministry estimates. 

 

The overall cost of the war could reach as much as 200 billion shekels ($53.5 billion), nearly 10% of GDP, threatening Israel’s economic future, the Moody’s report revealed this week, citing data from the Institute for National Security Studies.

 

“The severity of any damage to the economy will depend – to an important extent – on the length of the military conflict but also on the longer-term prospects for Israel’s domestic security situation”, Moody’s senior VP Kathrin Muehlbronner said. 

 

For Israel, much of the economic shock will come from reduced investments, disruptions in the labor market, and slowing growth of productivity, economists warn. 

 

A looming economic downturn prompted Moody’s to revise downwards their growth forecast for the Israeli economy from the 3% previously expected to 2.4% this year. In their grim 2024 outlook, the ratings agency see GDP contracting by about 1.5%. 

 

The agency, which placed Israel’s A1 credit rating on review for a possible downgrade, also predicted that a prolonged conflict would force the government to spend billions of shekels on defense, including the wages of thousands of drafted reservists. Massive spending will also include funding for compensation for war-affected businesses and the reconstruction of devastated communities. Meanwhile, state revenues, mainly tax income, will continue to slump as consumption, among other demand factors, is plummeting, with the absence of around 18% of Israel’s workforce during the war.

 

Economically considered, war is bad for a country's economy.

Downright Objectionable, Obnoxious and Offensive

A Singapore-born stand-up comedian mocked Malaysia and made fun of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 during a skit at Comedy Cellar, a comedy club in Manhattan, New York in the United States. 

 

Jocelyn Chia then proudly posted her act on social media, sparking an angry fussilade of intense outrage in Malaysia. 

 

So much so that the Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had to take to Twitter on Thursday to apologize. He said he was appalled by Chia’s “horrendous statements” and that Chia doesn’t speak for Singaporeans. 

 

Chia had made crude remarks about Malaysia, which she said lagged far behind Singapore which is already a first world country, after the two separated in 1965. 

 

And not at all satisfied with insulting Malaysia, she happily joked about Malaysian airplanes not being able to fly. Chia continued: “Why? Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny, huh? Some jokes don’t land”. 

 

She was referencing Flight MH370 that was carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China when it vanished on March 08, 2014, and is presumed to have crashed in the far southern Indian Ocean. 

 

Jocelyn Chia is crass, coarse and churlish. An un-funny clod, who thinks a plane crash where hundreds perished is funny enough to turn into a “joke”. 

 

Listen to her belittling Malaysia here: 

  

Malaysians know full well that we have many things to improve. But Singapore is not a paradise either. 

 

This lawyer-turned-comedian should remember that a Silk Air plane crashed on December 19, 1997 killing everyone on board; Lee Kuan Yew’s family is split with one son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren living overseas, fearing to come back to the country their father and grandfather built; they have scandals like Oxley Road and government bungalows rented to their well-paid ministers, they have “unexplained” monies flooding the country (including our own funds from 1MDB which their “efficient” system overlooked)... . But these are not things we should find funny. 

 

No country is perfect. So, my point is, what’s the point of comparing? 

 

As for Jocelyn Chia, she is clearly enjoying her one-and-a-half minutes of notoriety. She even challenged her critics: “Tragedy plus time = comedy. It’s been long enough man”. 

 

At the time of writing, her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook page have been shut down after it was mass reported for hate speech. While her TikTok page can still be viewed, the video is no longer available. 

 

Downright objectionable, obnoxious and offensive – that's her alright!

A Record-Breaking Pub Crawl

On June 15, 2022, I had featured Gareth Murphy who broke the Guinness World Record by visiting 56 different pubs in a single 24-hour period and having at least one beverage at each. 

Nearly seven months afterward, 22-year-old Nathan Crimp took on the record for most pubs visited where he ended up going into 67 pubs in the Brighton, England, area in the space of seventeen hours. The recruitment account manager was joined by his two friends, Ollie and Archie, for the challenge – he started at 11 AM on Saturday and continued the pub crawl until 4 AM on Sunday morning. 

"It was easily the hardest thing I've ever done. I completely underestimated just how hard it was actually going to be", Crimp admitted to the Liverpool Echo. 

"The plan was to try and keep it sober for the first 25 pubs, but that went out the window 15 pubs in. I had to mix it up a little bit, I tried to drink alcohol in one and non-alcoholic drink in another – trying to space it out", he said. 

Guinness rules required Crimp to have a drink at each pub and collect evidence including receipts and witness signatures. 

"The hardest part was constantly having to go to the toilet, which took up the majority of the time", Crimp added.

Why am I not surprised? AirAsia received the most number of complaints against airlines in the country during the first half of the year, the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) revealed on Monday. 

The low-cost carrier accounted for 42.1 percent of all aviation-related complaints in the period, ahead of Malaysia Airlines (40.7 percent) and Batik Air (7.9 percent) according to Mavcom’s 12th issue of their bi-annual Consumer Report for 1H22. 

AirAsia suck big-time and Malaysia Airlines are not any better.

Malaysia Airlines Plane’s System Malfunction

A follow-up on the Flight MH2664 “diving” incident – kindly refer to my post this morning. 

Based on initial analysis of the flight data recorder, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia had determined that a technical issue occurred during the flight due to a malfunction in the pitot-static system, a set of pressure-sensitive instruments used to determine air speed and altitude. 

The affected 737-800 belonging to Malaysia Airlines had been grounded until further notice and Boeing are currently carrying out technical analysis. 

According to a FMT report today, CAAM are requesting the airline to complete a pitot-static inspection on all of their B737-800 series aircraft. 

In a Scottish Premiership match yesterday, Celtic demolished St Johnstone 7-0 to move nine points clear. 

Needless to say, Ange Postecoglou's boys dominated the entire 90 minutes. Reo Hatate (8), Giorgos Giakoumakis (22) and Daizen Maeda (36) put the leaders in total control at the break. And then Josip Juranovic (52, penalty), Matt O'Riley's double (70, 73), and Liel Abada (78) completed the rout.

The Hoops have not lost a domestic game since a 1-0 defeat at Livingston in September and show no signs of slipping up in their bid to bring the league title back to the east end of Glasgow.

Another Boeing 737-800 Experiences Sudden Dive

A mid-air incident – this time in Malaysia – is turning heads in the airline industry, after a Malaysia Airlines aircraft flying from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau in Sabah dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying capriciously before turning back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 

According to thethaiger.com, flight MH2664 had reportedly been cruising at an altitude of 9,450 metres, when it took an unexpected dive, dropping more than 2,100 meters in a matter of seconds, before it was stabilised at 7,315 metres. 

An online flight radar tracker showed the plane dropping suddenly from 7,620 to 7,010m… a drop of 610 metres over just a one-minute period. 

Passengers had claimed the entire terrifying incident lasted for about 10 minutes as the plane flew erratically. It reportedly experienced a sudden plunge of 7,000 feet from an altitude of 30,000 feet. 

The aircraft in question was an 8-year-old Boeing 737-800, the same model of aircraft that crashed in southern China last month, killing all 132 passengers and crew. 

The incident happened on April 03, 2022, but has only now come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media, prompting the airline to release a statement on Tuesday. They said the aircraft from KLIA turned back due to “technical issues” after encountering inclement weather along the route. 

Three passengers refused to buy the story. Abdul Rahim Awang Nong, 48, Halimah Nasoha, 39, and Chui Ka Wai, 48, lodged separate police reports on the said occurrence on Friday. They are seeking the airline and the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a transparent investigation into the plane's emergency situation as well as wanting the report of the probe to be made public. 

Abdul Rahim said the weather at that time was good and the pilot had also turned off the seat belt sign, while the stewardess was serving food, when the aircraft plane suddenly went out of control. 

“I am sure the plane was in a diving position. At that time, only death came to mind with other passengers screaming and crying”, he told reporters on Saturday. 

Halimah claimed that she “floated” out of her seat – her seat belt was unfastened at that point – and she was still traumatised by the incident which lasted about 10 minutes. 

“The weather was fine then, and I had taken some pictures a few minutes before the incident, the sky was blue, there was no rain, it was a hot and shiny day. A thorough investigation should be conducted immediately on the black box as it involves public safety”, she said. 

Chui said he too was traumatised by the episode and since then, he has been having problems sleeping. 

“Until now my chest still hurts. At that time, I had finished drinking and wanted to sleep when the plane dived, I floated and at that time, I thought I would die, and when the plane landed and we got out of the plane, I noticed that all the passengers looked pale”, he said. 

Meanwhile, Tawau District Police Chief ACP Jasmin Hussin confirmed having received the reports.

133 Million Cases and Vaccine Passports

Covid-19 cases have now totaled 133 million worldwide. 

Norway is the latest country to join C100K, having reached 100,149 cases today. The eighty-eight countries in the said grouping collectively account for 98.0% and 98.6% of global infections and fatalities respectively.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization said they are not backing vaccination passports for travel because of the uncertainty over whether inoculation prevents transmission of the coronavirus and not to mention, equity concerns. 

Even so, vaccine passports for the purpose of travel are primarily taking shape as free mobile apps where international travelers upload their proof of a vaccination as well as any necessary coronavirus test results or other health waivers. 

The goal is to digitize individual countries’ paper vaccination certificates into internationally recognized passes for travel. 

The International Air Transport Association, the IATA Travel Pass, has already been developed and garnered trial use on international air carriers, including Emirates, Copa, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines. 

So far, 21 airlines have signed up for the pass, and two – Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways – have launched full pilots.

117 Million Cases and MH370's Disappearing Act 7 Years Ago

The world is now saddled with 117 million coronavirus cases. Vaccine or no vaccine, Covid-19 obstinately marches on. 

Just as depressing is the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 

Time flies, 2,555 days have gone by. Today, March 08, marks the seventh anniversary of its fateful disappearance. 

It was supposed to be a routine six-hour flight to the Chinese capital Beijing, when upon its handover to Ho Chi Minh control, it went incommunicado and its transponder code disappeared from the air traffic controllers’ radar screen. 

The last voice transmission from the Boeing 777 which sounded perfectly normal was the now infamous, “Good night, Malaysian Three Seven Zero”. 

So much has been said, written and speculated about the disappearance of MH370, arguably the biggest mystery in modern aviation history. 

The internet is full of such stories, with videos about what could possibly have happened to the flight appearing on YouTube. All sorts of hypotheses and theories have been made by “experts” regarding the incident. 

But one fact is clear. The fate of the 239 people on board the twin-engine wide body jetliner – two pilots, 10 cabin crew and 227 passengers – remains unknown to this day. 

Celtic finally relinquished their nine-year grip on the Scottish Premiership title after a frustrating goalless draw at Dundee United yesterday. And this confirms Steven Gerrard’s Rangers as champions. 

Only a victory could delay their Glasgow rivals from sealing their first title since 2011 – but in spite of Celtic registering 27 shots, they all came to naught. 

The Liverpool legend’s side remain unbeaten with 28 wins and four draws from 32 games. Congratulations to Gerrard (left)! 

Of course, insofar as Liverpool are concerned, nothing surprises me anymore. 

They once again suffered defeat at home in the Premier League as Fulham claimed all three points when the latter beat the former 1-0. It’s the Reds’ sixth consecutive loss at Anfield.

Time to Sell Malaysia Airlines

Khazanah Nasional Bhd were being forthright when their managing director Shahril Ridza Ridzuan (left) admitted that loss-making national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd need RM1 billion of capital per year if the government intends to sustain their current operations.

As reported by The Edge Financial Daily on Thursday, year-to-date, Khazanah have already injected RM800 million into the ailing national carrier. 

That’s a lot of money to throw away that the country can ill-afford! 

Please face up to reality that the game is up and the government needs to let go. 

I join the chorus of many other Malaysians who say let's get rid of the airline to any interested parties who are competent to manage Malaysia Airlines – instead of depending on pinheads who are only good at bleeding the company. 

Yes, it's time to sell Malaysia Airlines! 

May I be so bold as to suggest that we woo a Chinese airline? 

We didn’t go wrong when we sold Proton to Geely, did we? And just like Proton, Malaysia Airlines too shall surrender a 49.9% stake.

Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match against the Dons was an easy win for Celtic. I had expected goals galore and they didn't disappoint. They delivered four goals, all in the first half. 

Odsonne Edouard gave us the first goal when he ran past Aberdeen defenders one by one before beating goalkeeper Joe Lewis with a low drive from the edge of the box in the tenth minute. 

Five minutes afterward, full back Jeremie Frimpong scored his first goal for the club, scrambling Tom Rogic’s deflected effort over the line and making it 2-0. 

In the thirty-seventh minute, Rogic was involved in the third, playing a through ball for Mohamed Elyounoussi who took a touch before James Forrest carried the ball forward to beat the Aberdeen goalie. 

The Dons’ day of dispirited despondency was complete in the forty-fifth minute when Elyounoussi chested down a Forrest cross before firing home the fourth. 

The only positive for Aberdeen was that the scoring stopped at four.

Revealing Styles in the Aisles

It is a fatuously flighty exercise in flippant frivolity when Malaysian politicians couldn’t find anything important to raise in parliament – that they decided to bring up the issue of cabin crew garb. 

I remember there used to be loud protests about AirAsia’s attire. Now, PAS parliamentarians are raising hackles about the outfits worn by Malaysia Airlines’ female flight attendants:

Why this preoccupation with uniforms? We are telling the whole world that Malaysians are prudish – assuming of course, you believe their apparel is really revealing! 

Compare us with how other airlines clothe their cabin crew – and you can decide for yourself: 

China’s Hainan Airlines show off Paris-based Laurence Xu’s creations, taking inspiration from the cheongsam:

Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air went with pink skirts and hats for women: 

Etihad Airways' uniforms combine 1960s Paris couture combine 1960s couture and contemporary runway looks:

Air Malta’s cabin crew wear suits complemented by colourful scarves and ties which mirror the uniqueness of the Maltese Islands with their proud heritage, colors, culture, symbols, hospitality and language:

China Eastern Airlines' uniforms, designed by Christian Lacroix are "simple, beautiful and dignified" – a fusion of an elegant oriental style and Shanghai style fashion:

Gulf Air's uniforms have a history of embracing French haute couture fashions: 

The red-hot AirAsia's uniforms. I'm referring to the color lah:

Virgin Atlantic’s uniforms feature a double-breasted ‘drape coat’, which can be worn fastened or open:

Korean Air’s uniforms are a mix of eggshell blue, white and cream but what is really striking is the gravity-defying neck scarves and the ribbon-like hairpins which remind us of “binyeo”, the traditional Korean hair accessory:

Russian airlines Aeroflot with their bright red vintage-inspired uniforms:

Emirates' uniforms are best described as iconic and they have remained relatively unchanged since 1997, with just a few minor tweaks in 2008:

Singapore Airlines have the same uniform since 1968 – in fact, they are considered to be the "longest serving uniform" in the skies:

Anyway, Transport Minister Anthony Loke yesterday advised the objectors to avert their gaze – it’s as simple as that! 

In case you’re wondering about my view – I love legs! Now, you know! LOL!