Got Flu?

So I arrive at work Sunday morning and find a Park & Shop bag with two packs of Calbee potato chips on my desk. I was absolutely puzzled. After asking the ticketing desk staff where it came from, they told me some lady with glasses that they believe to be cabin crew dropped it off Friday morning (when I was off on my weekend).

Then it came to me - I had mentioned on several occasions to CX crew visiting Bahrain that out here I missed Calbee chips more than Cantonese food (which I mentally substitute with Korean food here). Looked inside the bag. Nothing but a receipt. No message nor name. Very sweet of her, whoever she is.

Deployed to Dubai on an inventory study, as well as to meet the troops. James, our Country Manager UAE & Oman, was the most gracious of hosts. Spent most of the weekend talking about everything from route strategy to top 5 hottest women. Drove around the city, saw all that there was to see, ate all there was to eat, and even went on a run with him.

I originally planned to stay no longer than one night considering Dubai’s notoriety for bloodsucking hoteliers. Hard to fully despise them since part of my job is to be a bloodsucker myself. However, the rate for one night at the five-star Shangri-La during normal periods turned out to get me four during Ramadan, and so four nights it was. Yummy.

Called up Jin, Dubai’s own feng shui guru. A good Singaporean friend of mine from back in my days in Taipei who quit life as a doctor (and as a heterosexual) to have the time of his life in the Middle East. Did lots of catching up with him, and laughed about how we would never have imagined meeting up out in Dubai. I’ve learned to react to his gay sexual innuendos with nothing more than a shake of the head and a smirk. It helps that he’s emphasized over the years that I’m ‘not his type.’ Look out, Matt Swisher! I’m not trying to advertise on his behalf, but do look up his weekly column on the back page feng shui section of the SCMP Sunday Post!

My request for a visa to Iran was rejected, which I’ve been told was standard practice for first time applicants - apparently my next attempt, provided I have the same paperwork, will be approved now that I’ve popped my cherry. Can’t wait. To go to Iran, I mean.

Many other trips lined up for more unusual places - Dubai is ‘Middle East for Beginners’ just as Hong Kong is the same for Asia. But seeing as nobody ever leaves comments on my blog entries (ahem), I could just be talking to myself right now.

Mom just finished performing in the last stop of her Canto Opera World Tour ‘05 in London, but was getting increasingly worried as she will be unable to catch a flight home due to no seats available. With a little back office magic I managed to arrange for her to pick up free tickets to…Bahrain. She’ll get to see le monde de Max before she boards her flight, wide open in business class, back home. Lets hope she copes well with Ramadan.

Managed to spend a full week in Hong Kong when it ‘just so happened’ that I had meetings at CX City 4 work days in a row, and ‘just so happened’ to sandwich a long weekend in between : P Met up with friends and did the usual stuff. Owen milked a big hot-pot meal out of my re-departure, and Francis managed to seduce me and Peter into an overnight game of AOE2.

Sat in the back both ways, but considering the trip was free, I really shouldn’t complain. Was welcomed back to BAH with my ‘new old’ ride - a silver 2002 Nissan Sunny. It’ll get me from point A to point B, so it’s all good. FT really took the time to make sure it got a decent restoration, replacing the tires and cleaned up the interior. The leather was a little overwaxed though, to the point where my hands would feel waxy just from touching the wheel. I don’t know why, but they even waxed the brakepedal (?!) so now it squeaks a lot down there whenever I’m in a traffic jam.

Travelwise, the biggest disappointment so far has been the shifting of the Regional Meeting from Islamabad to…Bahrain. Pakistan visa problems for many of the managers. By missing out on Islamabad, it did make attending the Chinese National Day Celebration possible though. Lots of drinking, lots of eating and lots of standing and ‘blowing water.’ Bahrain indeed is not a huge place - over my 5 weeks’ worth of meeting people, I realised I already knew about a third of all the big shots that were at the celebration. There was so much variety at the celebration buffet I had to resist the temptation to try everything (which would have been impossible), and stuck with what I knew I liked. I wasn’t hungry then. I’m hungry now, and that buffet is all I can think about.

Speaking of hungry, Ramadan’s right around the corner. One month of daytime fasting up ahead, so I went to the supermarket to load up. Wendy and Alice showed (pointed) me around as I drove, and even led me to the local Asian market. Frozen shumai, chasiubau and fishballs…mmm…