Satun, Thailand

I went to Satun, Thailand the other day for a business trip. It was my first time being in the country and it only took me about 2 hours plus from Penang, driving.

Going there through Wang Kelian Immigration is totally a different experience for me, far different from Singapore or KLIA or Manila immigration which I am used to. The checkpoint is very narrow, as I think lorries or busses are restricted. The custom also is not as strict as Singapore is. As for that, I didn't spend much time here, which was pleasant I guess.

After the checkpoint, everything was different. The road, the people, the building, their paddy field. How amazing it was, even after metres away, there is a lot of changes between the border. Many of the Thais in Satun can speak Malay, but some of the don't and Muslims are the mojority citizens of Satun. Buddhist temples here are very shining and big, which was amazing and different from what we have here in Malaysia. Is it? Or is it me who is not exposed to what Malaysian Buddhist temples look like? Hehe, sorry sorry...

And as I was very much interested on the economy status of the province, from what I can say is, it is difficult to for us Malaysian to compete with the price here in Satun, as their stuffs and food are very cheap. Besides, the buying power and economy status for most of them are not as strong as Malaysians. So I think, to get our products here is not a really good idea, but to have a collaboration with them would be great, as their manpower and materials are cheap and sourceful, plus with our skills, brand and knowledge, the economy between the the state and the province would be a boost, with the help of good relationship between these 2 governments.

Philippines check. Singapore check. Thailand check... Next please ;-)

The legendary Doraemon.

Remember this guy? Or this robot?

Doraemon is a manga series created by Fujio F. Fujiko. which later became a TV series by Asian Series. Doraemon is a cat robot which travels back in time to his master's ancestor, to change their destiny. The 1st appearance of the series is back in 1969, with 1,344 original series.

Back in 2002, Doraemon was selected as one of the Asian Heroes, listed by TIME magazine

After all this time, Doraemon is still my all time favourite cartoon series and comics.

Even after 41 years, Doraemon is a phenomenal to many, including myself. A true legend indeed.

p.s. Doraemon doesn't have an ending, but this video of comic page is created by a cartoonist which is the most suitable one for a perfect end.

The Best Service.

It has been a while since my last post huh? Quite busy with work and I've been outstationed for some time.

I was in Singapore the past 2 weeks for a task, and during my visit there I past by a competition on waiting service joined by some elite hotels and restaurants which have their waiter or waitress representatives.

It made me realize that waiter is actually a professional job. Well, ok, I do realize it way before that, but this time, it really knocked my head, saying that being a waiter is not that as easy as it seems. They have protocols and serving hospitality services to the customers. It's just that I didn't have the chance to have that kind of service quite often.

You'll never experience it if you eat McD or mamak stalls the whole time, but I think this kind of attitude of providing the best service not only covers well-known hotels or restaurants, but also everywhere. It is difficult to see someone greet you at 7 eleven, with a "Good day sir" or "Please come again", even a smile seems like an expensive treat.

As currently Datuk Ng Yen Yen is doing a great job in promoting Malaysia outside, then I think it is better for us to be prepared to give the best service to our guests. If you are not able to provide a protocol training to your worker, ask them to greet and smile would be enough :-) We are Malaysians after all, a friendly community...