Going West, Heading East

Finally found a spot near departure Gate 60 which has reasonable WIFI reception. Where? Land of fragrant harbour. Flight is 4.15 pm to LA which is going to be about 12 or 13 hours of sore bums. Then another 3 hours or so to Chicago. Why? In an effort to overcome climate change, I am burning up carbon. OK, don't jump. The organisers promised it will be a carbon neutral event. So, we have to tell them all about our travel mode to the conference so that they can offset it somehow (will let you know how).

This morning I was there at the Penang Airport bright and early. Ah, but there was drama fit for Hollywood. Even heard those scary stories about people booking their tickets online with their credit cards but refused boarding? Apparently, there is fine print on the e-ticket that says that the person travelling must be the person who's credit card is being used to pay for the ticket. So, some poor girl got stuck at the airport because her mom had booked it online with the mom's credit card. If that is the case you have to show proof it's not fraud or something.

My story is just as spell-binding. The organisers who invited me to the conference offered two options. One, I buy the ticket and then claim back the fare. Or get them to book, so no hassle with reimbursements. I chose the second option.

I them told what I wanted, they booked it, I said OK. They asked for my name as in the passport, seat preference, diet. Then came an email telling me I should go to the airline to get a physical ticket.

Hey, isn't everyone into e-ticket already? I asked around at the office. Should be OK. I called up the Penang Cathay Pacific Office (Boustead Bldg) .. no answer, 2 or 3 times. Called up their office at the airport, spoke to a man. He says, no problem, we use e-ticket. No need physical ticket.

Then on Saturday morning, when sending off my wife who was heading for Europe with my sister and sis-in-law, I brought the printout of the itinerary to the Cathay check-in counter to confirm. Guess what? Of course, no problem. e-ticket OK.

Fast forward to 6 am at Penang Airport this morning. Mr. Lee do you have the ticket? Huh, I said. I checked twice and you guys say e-ticket OK.

Well, apparently, the travel agent in Chicago screwed up. They originally booked my flight using Meng/Lik. After asking for my passport name, they send me confirmation of the change Lee/Likmeng.

But this morning I learned that there a "reservation/booking" record in the computer system. And then there is a "ticket" record in that same system. And they don't talk to each other. My reservation name was updated. But not my ticket name. So, they can't issue the ticket.

Who can change it? The original travel agent. So, does that mean I can't travel today. "I am sorry", says the Cathy people. I said, I am not coming back to the airport tomorrow. Either I travel today, or I am not traveling. What's my option? There's no way I can communicate with Chicago to get it changed on the spot.

Well, there's one option. I have to purchase a ticket on the spot. I asked them whether the organisers can get their money back from the ticket. They said no problem; maybe they have to pay administrative fee.

I gave the it about 5 seconds of thought and said, OK. I will buy the ticket. I will trust Harold to get me my money back.

The line is forming for the boarding to LA. A young girl beside me is very angry with his boyfriend. She keeps bugging the boy to call her before she boards (she was on skype or something) ... but she is furious and still no calls. So, where's the recession. And the H1N1 flu? Wow, the line is really long.

I better sign off now. Stay tune for more stories of my Journey to the East ... ahh, make that the West.

Hong Kong Airport

Green ur Lung

Usually, when we say "green lung" we refer to the parks or forests in a city - they help the city folks to breathe by giving them fresh air and at the same time cleaning up the foul air that humans, cars and factories breathe out.

A group of pharmacy students got creative when instigated to do something about the foul air given out by smokers (cigarette smokers, that is). Universities are one of those places gazetted by law as "no smoking" zone. Yes, the whole campus. But guess what, even the people who are licensed by that same law to enforce no smoking are themselves smokers. Yah, like asking the burglar to watch your house while you sleep (but burglar has left USM). You can also see the Pak Guard blatantly smoking away while on duty, in front of everybody to see. Visitors to the campus are also notorious for breaking the no-smoking law on campus, and we know where they do it. Contractors' crew are another big culprit. Of course USM staff and students do it without a care in the world.

So what are the Green Lung activists going to do? Education and awareness first. Then they are going around campus to detect for foul air - toilets, under the stairs, meeting rooms, offices, canteens. And then they will publish the hotspots where people smoke. Yes, we are going to be watching.

Enforcement, you ask? Hhhm, I personally don't want students to do the enforcement work. The VC says, let's shame them first. I kinda agree, but I would not want to use the word "shame". Let's make them feel guilty. How about that? Not just the smokers but the people who are supposed to upholding the law.

And much more.

Instead of gory pictures like those on the cigarette packages, these students are more creative in their campaign poster. U get the picture? (p.s. sorry the background is supposed to be solid black but came out smoky when uploaded to the blog)

When they asked for t-shirts I initially said no. But they convinced me that it is a crucial tool in their campaign. Volunteers will wear this t-shirt for a specific day every week to get people's attention. Do you want to be a volunteer? Contact : greenlung.usm@gmail.com. Don't forget to visit them at their inaugural exhibition at the USM Convex next week (their booth is near the Sg Dua Gate at the Eureka Building carpark). I am told they have recruited 100 volunteers. First target 500!

BTW, the name "green lung" for this campaign is completely original. 100% authentic USM product. Will this be the next "White Coffin"?

Life without handphones

Kampus Sejahtera gets roped in for many things, many of which I have no resource to follow up - so, I say no.

This one, I think I can't squirm my way out. My wife told me yesterday that I used only about RM4-RM5 worth of calls on my mobile but pay RM30 per month for the service. "Happily" my children now get to enjoy my unused credits because "we are family". Should we be happy? Probably not, since it means my children will be getting more radiation from the handphones. Well, actually, they are not using more but we will be paying less because of the package. But that's not the point of this post. The point is : do you know enough about the hazards of handphone usage? And what should you or can you do about it?

Now, think, can you imagine not being about to get a good reception for your handphone while on campus. I can remember the good old days when these strange people will be walking aimlessly around the room, pointing their "remote-control" (handphone lah) in various directions trying to catch the signal. "Try near the window", someone will helpfully advise. Well, those days could be back soon on campus.

I can tell you that the decision has been made to eventually phase out the telco towers on campus. Is the decision final? Can you still influence and reverse that decision? Do you know enough to support or oppose the decision?

I have asked a few students, and almost all say its a stupid idea (to shutdown the telco towers). My three children (and I think wife) share similar sentiments. Others however think that if there are viable alternatives, like superfast WIFI and landlines, they can live without the handphones.

So, what's the problem with the handphones? Radiation coming directly from your handset when you are talking on the phone - right into your brain. Any proof? Well, I have asked my son to do some detective work (he's studying to be a telco engineer; maybe). Also, there's talk about lowering sperm count. If you have some concrete proof, send them to me.

In the meantime, we will see how we can help everyone better understand the risks. If you have a view, post a comment. Or send email to vc@usm.my.

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