BERSIH 4.0

Malaysians everywhere around the world, showed support for BERSIH in many of their own ways. 

This one caught my attention. 

Never expected to see this! Haha... Pic courtesy of The Malay Mail. 

And oh, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir and wife made an appearance at Dataran Merdeka at 7.20pm earlier..

Earlier, he swiped a sarcastic remark at that piece of shit "kalau bangsat itu pergi, kita tak bangsat" (if that asshole/son of a bitch/etc goes, we won't be screwed like this).

Salam BERSIH and Selamat Hari KEMERDEKAAN! 

Bangsat

Of late, we hear this word being uttered here and there, by people from the streets to the prime minister himself..

Bangsat - a derogatory Malay word for mother-fucker, asshole, son of a bitch and the likes, are used to label someone who is a disgrace to society.. 

Apparently, the prime minister himself used the word to say that if the ruling party falls, everyone falls.. Quite true actually but if the people are bangsat, it's because the leader who caused it puts us there, won't the leader then become a bigger bangsat than all of us combined? But for a person of high office to use such foul language is really unbecoming, and it shows on the personality and calibre..

Fact: Malaysia can still survive without him, without the ruling party.. Perhaps we'll fare and go even further.. I wish for a better Malaysia..

We have had too many bangsat trying to outdo one another with their stupidity that waking up everyday is akin to going to the circus to see clowns perform - and rightly so..

To all Gorgeous Fitness members, here's my take on your gym..

2 weeks ago, 1Shamelin mall management shut down the power to Gorgeous Fitness.. Plenty of angry members and Facebook keyboard warriors took to social media to pen their frustrations.. I can only feel them and agreed..

The gym defaulted over RM700K in rental and over RM70K in utilities bill.. where is the money they collected upfront from the members? People have been complaining they are paying thousand and thousands over a contracted period of time.. Do your own math..

On the part of the mall management, they have been very lenient and by not sealing up the outlet, it shows that they are still open to negotiations, which GF repeatedly ignored.. I used to work in IKANO (now IPC Shopping Centre) and when a tenant defaults rent or utilities, we sealed the outlet for good and serve eviction notice and haul them to court.. Easier said than done, right? Shutting power supply is only the very first step..

On part of Gorgeous Fitness, LesMills have terminated their licenses recently over complaints of non-payment to instructors.. I used to teach BODYCOMBAT in GF in Brem Mall in the early days when they took over WOW Fitness, and then I took on more classes in Puchong and Southgate branches, but as payments have been really slow even back then, I even have to call the accountant myself to chase for my cheques payments myself as the group exercise managers were lousy and incompetent to look after their instructors, I decided to decline teaching there.. I also agreed that facilities are not well maintained..

This is not the first gym that suffered this fate.. We have had Synargym in Sooka Sentral (MRCB shut them down, defaulted on rent), TM Fitness (Majlis Perbandaran Klang shut them down, illegally operating without license and even had the cheek to say renovation, power cut and a whole lot of bullshits), and the latest was E-Fitness in Subang Jaya which d
id not pay its instructors yet the gym is still operating, recruiting and selling memberships and group coupons online..

My advise to gym members and those who is looking for a gym.. Go with the big brothers.. Fitness First, Celebrity Fitness, True Fitness.. no doubt these gyms cost more, but have a piece of mind, knowing that nothing much can go so wrong.. Only once in a while you get some stupid policy or some staff or some members doing stupid things and kaboom...

I have introduced a lot of people into Fitness First ever since I switched from Celebrity Fitness, and I did not regret my decision to dump Celeb and move over to FF..

As for Anytime Fitness, yes - the gym is 24 hours and backed by a global name BUT each outlet is individually owned and franchised, as with ANY franchised business, the common rules apply..

There is nothing gorgeous about Gorgeous Fitness.. except the fact that I take pity on Calvin Hee..

Terminate your membership and move to other gyms..

Business Class Upgrade

Being in the travel industry, people often have the misconception that I travel in business and on business.. 

However, let me get the record straight.. I've only been upgraded ONCE while the other time, it was GIVEN to me.. 

On the upgrade instance, I was flying Lufthansa on a now-cancelled Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok route in June 2011, dressed casual smart and I was feeling exceptionally friendly and nice that day to the check-in counter staff - and I was given the upgrade right away.. Something that doesn't happen because I am a sucker for cheap economy flights.. I only buy tickets when it's at its cheapest, which don't permit upgrades.. 

On the given instance, I was flying Qatar Airways on a now-also-cancelled Kuala Lumpur-Phuket route in March 2013 but that was already pre-arranged.. And being the only passenger in the business cabin was superbly awesome.. with all the crew who's assigned to the cabin tending to only me.. 

All other times that I flew on business, were all on paid-tickets on Malaysia Airlines.. 

So - question - how do you actually land yourself and upgrade? 

Well, there's a few common factors but the list isn't conclusive.. So what gives? 

1. Single traveller

Chances of giving ONE person an upgrade is always easier than having to give TWO or more, so if you're travelling alone, there's a chance, however minute it is. 

2. Peak Times

Travel on peak routes on peak times, when flights can be overbooked and oversold, if there's seats in the premium cabin, chances are you can move up, otherwise, you can also be bumped off the flight onto another flight. 

3. Be extra nice and friendly

Somehow, this works too - and in almost any situation.. It pays to be nice and friendly to everyone you meet.. 

4. Ask but don't demand

If you are rude and demand an upgrade, you're certainly not get it.. 'nuff said.. But it never hurts to ask, and ask nicely.. forget about cooking up uncanny reasons.. the staff have heard it a million times before so it won't work.. Be genuine.. 

5. Frequent flyer status

The higher up in the tier, the more likely you can get bumped up.. So, travel more :) 

Have you scored an upgrade before? Share it, when, how and what happened that gives you the perk.. I'll want to hear from you! 

Random Act of Kindness

Sometimes I feel that when you do something nice for others in a random act of kindness, you don't have to tell the whole world what you did.. Just find it in your heart that you help because you want to, and not because you want to garner "likes"..

It's different than when others tell your story..

Just because you don't tell the world doesn't mean you didn't help.. because after all, God only need to know.. and He knows..

Don't stop being kind and nice, the world can use more of it..