Of ignorance and imbecilic...

From the Chan family PC in Melville Park, Singapore....
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I don't know if it was lucky or unlucky me that I had to encounter such ignorance and imbecilic attitude by a particular AirAsia stewardess on a flight from Penang to Johor Bahru AK6533 yesterday (Thursday, May 17th). To put it mildly, I wanted to smack her uneducated head and kick it off the aircraft (chopping of head similar to the ones in the movie the 300 continuously flashed in my head!)

This is what happened....

Being a first time AirAsia passenger, I did not expect much - it is after all a budget airline. Nonetheless, the treatment received was absurd. I boarded the plane alright... simply minutes before it poured. Two thirds of the passengers got caught in the sudden downpour and was made to board the plane via the rear of the aircraft. It was one of those planes where we had to walk outside and climb the stairs thingy. I stowed my backpack away, sat down and buckled my seatbelt. And immediately, reached into my handbag to switch off my cellphone.

In the US and similar to many other international flights, you are allowed to have your cellphone turned on until the door of the aircraft has been shut and upon touch down. For someone who has not been in the country for some time, a first time flyer with that particular airline and not familiar with the Malaysian air safety protocol, you would think that there would be signs and announcements made. Anyway, as I was trying to switch off my cellphone... along trot along the stewardess who impolitely crudely hovers over my head to see what I was doing. Gave me a rude tone and sneer and made sure I place the cellphone away. Which was my initial intention to begin with.

Right before we took off, as we took off, during flight and when our aurcraft landed in JB, I hear sounds of Nokia phone midis sounding off here and there. My initial reaction, why aren't these people receiving the similar treatment of hovering which I received earlier?! Why was I singled out? As we were taxi-ing to our *invisible gate (again with the walking outside on the runway make shift gate and stairs), I reached for my handbag for a mint and to make sure the most recent Nokia midi tone that was heard playing was indeed not mine. It's one of those paranoid reactions people have to check once again that they did turn off the lights before they head out and in my case, my cellphone.

Let me point out that in the US and in many international flight, no steward nor stewardess would get out of their chairs until the captain of the aircraft have finally turned off the seatbelt signs and have came to a complete stop at the gate. Asian passengers are always in a rush.... goodness knows why that they have to always get up and gather their luggage the moment the aircraft touch down! Even then, the stewards are all still seated and attempts to inform these passengers to remain in their seats. AirAsia flight AK6533's *hovering stewardess did not comply with her own training guidelines. As I pointed out earlier, the aircraft was still taxi-ing to our make shift gate when she got out of her chair and came right beside me... HOVERING again, she looked onto my lap where my handbag sits and reach her hand into it and grabbed my cellphone. WTF!! NO ONE just reaches into another person's belongings!! At that time, I was picturing that a black widow spider would crawl up her hand and give her one nice big BITE!!!!

My cellphone was still OFF and it HAD BEEN turned off since her last hover session. Add to her actions, she retorted, "I hear your phone on and I will let the security know. They will escort you out!". Still in disbelief that she reached into my bag without permission she is ACCUSING me of wrongdoing!! I responded to, "It's not me, it was someone else!" In fact, the very AH PEK next to me was the one who had his Nokia on.. with very low Nokia midi on and someone a couple rows behind me had the full blast Nokia Welcome Midi on. Hovering dunderhead assumed it was me because I happened to be holding on to one and she saw me with it earlier.

I was furious of course, in fact - I was looking forward to security to play out a discrimination game. Of all the bloody people on the plane... you want to target me?! You have it coming you nitwit!!! No security people came... no escort to deplane first... all talk but no action... that seems to be what all our local politicians are doing these days that it had successfully trickled down to such low lives such as this particular individual - AirAsia AK 6533 (May 17th, 2007) stewardess who probably has her panties in a twist! There were two stewardesses on this flight, the hovering one had long hair tied up in a pony tail and had excessively bad make-up.

As I write this blog, I am not in any way condemning AirAsia airlines... I appreciate their low fares and fairly on time departure and arrivals. I write this entry to voice out my frustration of the mistreatment by such an ignorant and imbecile employee of AirAsia. I have full intention on calling up Air Asia customer service to demand an apology and to correct such abuse.

Sad to point out, with such incidences - what if I were to be a tourist visiting Malaysia? What kind of an impression would I get?! Just because I happen to look Asian and Chinese she considers me local and show me her ugly colors. I could have been a visitor from anywhere in the world and her behavior would no doubt cloud one's judgement on the courtesy or lack of it of Malaysian people. Is this the so called Malaysian hospitality to be showcased?!

Pete and Michele said I should have grabbed her hand when sthe reach down into my handbag. I could have attempted a tackle while sitting down. My rationale - the stewardess was going to steal stuff from my handbag right infront of me. It is after all natural human behavior that you react - in my case... shock over rode my instant reflex which would have been to grab her hand/arm, pull it down and bang in against the back of the seat in front of me. (*okay... a little too much but I was fuming!!)

To conclude, as a decent human being - one should not....
1. be rude to others who are trying to comply with regulations
2. reach for personal belongings of others
3. be accusatory of actions that have yet been justified
4. threatened others with actions (which they cannot live up to)

To the hovering stewardess on this flight.... KARMA.

"Karma is not about retribution, vengeance, punishment or reward; karma simply deals with what is.The effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to others - Wikipedia"