Tuesday, May 21, 2013

TSDAYOUT Skypark Subang with Firefly and SimFlightKL

Have you ever wonder what is like to be a pilot? Or what is like to be in the cockpit? Aaaaahhhh....thanks to the brilliant people from Tourism Selangor, all 30 of us have the chance to feel, witness and even 'touch' some of the buttons during SimFlightKL at the recent TSDAYOUT -11 May 2013. Not only that, we were also given the privilege to check out the new refurnished Skypark Subang and how the bright orange-coloured air craft, Firefly doing their thing. And to top of the icing of a beautiful cake, we were also being treated for scrumptious Bubba Gump lunch at the world's 1st ever Peugeot Lounge. Yes you got me right..World's 1st ever! And all 3 great experience made possible at the one and only Skypark Subang! So those who didnt manage to scrub their time for this is probably crying out loud now while reading this.. hehe..just kidding..You guyz..yes you! If you managed to read till this sentence, then read further coz who knows you might be the next person joining this outing by Tourism Selangor. oh ya, you can also try out their SimFlightKL with a minimum charge of RM45 for a 15 minutes inside a Boeing 737 Flight Simulator. Yes its open to public!.


OK first thing first, that Saturday morning, I've decided to take the public transport to Subang skypark. So from KLsentral, you need to walk towards the nearest bus stop (5 minutes) just beside the Petrol Station/tennis court and take the U81 RapidKL bus. cost only RM2.50 plus you have a 'driver' to drive you all the way to Skypark Subang. Just remember to press the button for the driver to stop you at the nearest bus stop.. :P hehe
Good morning Skypark!

I was running slightly late..oppps..blame the driver   , but thank god they are still waiting for VIP tour passes from the authority. So after  registered, we were given a TSDAYOUT tshirt each and after a short briefing by Tourism Selangor team -Dian & Renu followed by Mr. Francis Anthony -Senior Vice President of Skypark Subang. 
Mr Francis Anthony -Senior VP of Skypark Subang
Everyone is ready for a sneak peek -yes 
A little introduction on Skypark Subang (also known as Lapangan Terbang Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah), this terminal is an aviation hub catering for Berjaya Air, Firefly and soon Malindo Air. However only ticketing counter of MAS and AirAsia are located there. Not to worry on the other facilities offered here, you can shop and dine, post that lovely postcard back home, trolley services, prayers room and facilities for physically challenged patron as well. 
shop and dine..let's go for a drink!
Let's grab some seats to an island!
Later En Rusli (Manager in charged under Skypark) gave us a tour for us to have a rough idea on the mechanics of how the operations and administration works. This is my 2nd time here so there are plenty of information learned from this outing.  
En Rusli giving a short briefing about Skypark and what to expect during this tour
Proceed if you have comply with the rules and regulations
Check in luggage counter
Finally after all that we were permitted to access in using only our VIP passes. But after entering and looking at all the passengers waiting for their flight, making me itch to fly to Redang, Koh Samui or even Medan myself..hehehe . 
Beep beep beep..security is their number priority..
An officer checking using the scanning terminal

Waiting for their flight
For the physically challenged..how thoughtful.
The lovely ladies with Firefly latest design outift. Nice!
off loading the luggage.

We also managed to check out what happening at the walk way area which was steaming with loud sound from the engine of the aircraft. There were private jet for those who wish to throw some surprise escape and early reservation need to be made. 
The air stewardess and pilots walking out after touch down
the usual scene with plane, buggy and staff doing some inspection
Have not taking Berjaya Air yet..maybe one day..:)
And this is where the luggage carousel 
Next we managed to bump into the chief pilot, Captain Ariff who by the way is really a shy person. He even refused to be photographed but was accommodating to answer all our questions nevertheless.   
Captain Ariff
Then we head to 1st floor for an insight on the SimFlightKL. Get ready to be a pilot! Sitting in the cockpit while taking huge responsibility to controls the aircrafts can be a mind boggling 'business', I mean the place are small, dark and filled with only pilot know what those buttons functions are for. Pretty intense for me. Anyway worry not coz Captain Wafi are here to advise us how it works. It was fun to experience the simulation however with a huge group of 30, not everyone managed to be able to explore further or  having in depth exposure on it. We were also told that the SimFlightKL was designed as the actual model so if during simulation and the flight 'crashed', they have to reboot the whole system to start over. So while you are trying to be a beginner, pay attention so you dont crash..hehhee
captain wafi explaining to us that the simflightkl is pretty much was designed like the actual model
boarding in
so many buttons
the crucial tools
the mock display on the screen
brand new seats
Orait, we are now at Tai Kat HK airport..boarding time!
Female pilot-respect
ok folks now that I am a 'pilot'..let chill and wind for some reading --WINGS!
After the SimFlightKL session, its time for lunch. So we head to the world 1st ever Peugeot Lounge for lunch. The best thing about this lounge is that it cater to all Peugeot's owner with a boarding pass to chill, grab some light refreshment before boarding. Admission is free if you can show your Peugeot's car key and your boarding pass. Cool eh? 
the entrance of Peugeot Lounge
Food was delicious. I was so hungry that I went for 2nd round of palate. hehehe Food was catered by Bubba Gump courtesy from Firefly. 
fruits decorated nicely
the lounge area
comfortable sofa seats
Shrimps, bbQ fishes, chicken

yummmy ..
Then as usual, during all TSDAYOUT, everyone is sending in their 6 best photos where it will be judged and announced at the end of outing. While waiting for the result, all personnel from Fireflight, Skypark and SimflightKL gave us a little bit of 

En Fazly (Tourism selangor) hand over the token of appreciation to  Peugeot personnel 

En Muiz , Head Sales officer of Firefly
This is my 1st TSDAYOUT in 2013 and first time winning the best photo category..yeeaahhhhh..
My winning photo..and there my private jet is waiting for me..hehee
There were also 6 best blog category winners prize presentation. All in all, the session was fun with meeting new friends, new stuff to be explored and experienced. 

grats winner!
one for the group!

And thanks Lily for the ride back home before finishing our huge bowl of cendol with Adam and Nadia at Section 17, PJ. 

WOuld like to take this opportunity to also thanks to the following for this informative outing :
SimFlightKL -Facebook Contact: +603-7847 4287 / +012 322 6076


SubangSkyPark or http://www.subangskypark.com/ Not just an airport, but an aviation lifestyle destination!  

and last but not least 

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I Am The Unstoppable Explorer

-Why do I call myself an unstoppable explorer?
I Dare to Dream and lead my life as interesting as possible. that include a lot of outdoor adventure or go camping in the wild! Curiosity keeps me alive and wander about life. And joining contests has been my passion as long as I could remember. Bring me any contests and I will be in it! Best of all, I can still watch my favorite GLEE or NATGEO with Astro-on th go while I'm on it. 

-The challenges I've faced in my most recent adventure and how I overcome it
Recently I packed my stuff and went on a 5D 4N trip to the Island of Gods, Bali . I am an aquaphobia but that doesn't stop me from running my stint of adventure by trying the first water exotic sport in Indonesia, the Underwater Scooter. I was pretty worried the minute I went in underwater, but I got myself composed and just enjoy the whole journey of feeding those colorful fishes without too much worry on the lack of oxygen level .. haha

-Essential gadget I can count on in my adventure?
I desperately need good smartphone that I could count on. Not only I could document all my adventure and travels escapade but also  helping me to be interactive via social media and inspire others to try it too. 

-And how Astro-On-The-Go allows me to continue being the unstoppable explorer? 
Well..super easy - anytime and anywhere I could check out my favorite programmes even while doing my yoga or while relaxing on a hammock after some splashing on an island.

pick me and let me continue being the unstoppable explorer

 www.astroonthego.com
Astro on the go

Sunday, May 5, 2013

PT. Aqua Star Underwater Scooter

The title says it all..yup you got it right! Presenting the 1st and one and only exotic watersport in BALI by PT. Aqua Star Indonesia, the Underwater Scooter. And you don't even have to worry about applying for a 'driving' license! Yes as easy as handling a scooter on land, it works the same underwater...except that this is even better as you could witness the colourful fishes and amazing corals around you. 

So as I was preparing for my 5D4N Bali trip from 28/4/2013 till 1/5/2013, I came across this unique photo uploaded by Churp Churp page few days earlier (Thank you Churp Churp for the heads up!). 
thanks for the heads up..woohooo I've made it!
And as "Dare to dream" + "Living live interestingly" as always been my motto, so I quickly email to aquastarindonesia@gmail.com with the hope that I could arrange for a try out during my visit. Guess what? Dreams do come true! haha.. So I managed to slot in on 30/4/2013 and bear in mind that only with good weather/water condition that this activities can be proceed. Luck was on my side even though it was raining heavily in Kuta area that morning. 

Almost 1 hour drive from the pouring rain in Kuta, we arrived  at this pristine sun-kissed brightly Nusa Dua beach feeling super excited, anxious, nervous and enthusiastic all in the same time!. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly Mr Alex and Mr Sergey Polovinko. After a short briefing, we are good to go. Before that, I managed to snap some photo of their awesome pool where they teach for beginners in scuba diving. 

Shower room and toilet plus locker to keep your items safe are also provided, so you dont have to worry about your belongings.
Toilets 
shower room
Lockers to keep our belonging before heading to the sea
Mr Alex giving the thumbs up-we are good to go!
First and the only certified in Bali perhaps in Asia, PT. Aqua Star Indonesia gives us an opportunity to be in the water without getting your hair wet and witnessing the colourful fishes flocking your scooter while you are riding on it. How amazing is that?? Don't worry if you can't ride a bike or swim or even dive, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Least you could do is to just press the button and grip the handle to the left or right for direction. This exotic water sport is open to public for US55 per person for almost 25 minutes ride. PT Aqua Star also cater for other activities such as snorkelling, jet skiing, sea walking, etc. 
Our boat is ready. 
So with the arrival of our boat at the shore, we hop on for a ride with colorful parade of water sports activities around us. It was like a scene from James Bond movie minus the Bond, our speed boat seems to know its route perfectly.Just imagine if one of the parasailing rope got tangled..man..i dont even wanna explain further. Anyway the synchronization was bizarre yet pretty new to me. I remember seeing only 1 or the most 3 parasailing but far apart from each other. This was like merry go round and you can see banana boat on the other side while 'flying fish' on the other. Pure crazy beautiful chaos on a bumpy ride..:) an eye opener i must say.
The beautiful yet chaotic scene of parasailing, banana boat and flying fish all in one place.
Finally, we reached the spot where we will be doing our underwater scooter. 
The friendly crew that are waiting for us 
ready?
check it out, this is the ride!
All crew are well equipped and professional on what they are about to do. Yeah this is pretty big stuff...well at least for me. For the record, I am not be wearing any helmet or with the help of oxygen mask..the water level are up to my shoulder once the scooter are down into the sea. Gulp...not to worry..no magic ..like what happen during our Malaysian GE13..just a little science theory put to test here. 
The scooter are set 
the scooter where we will be riding
water pressure are checked before going down
orait..going down down and under...few feet below...
A little scary but once I got myself settled, I felt a little better. But not until i accidently knocked on a coral, that left me feeling a little lost that it effect my balance. Don't ask me what happen next upon reaching up...kekekeeke

But overall I still enjoyed the moment underwater with colourful fishes swarming around us. It was one of the coolest thing wei!
Peace yo! ..Grace and yours truly
Amazing right???? simply awesomeee!
Come check out the video where PT. Aqua Sports managed to capture for us. They even burned the CD of photos and videos of us underwater..yeahhh! Thank you very much. Look so fun right? I bet you are so eager to try it yourself, your mind are probably bugging to book a flight to Bali now itself..hehehe..



So if you are up for something unique and fun in Bali, underwater scooter at PT. Aqua Scooter is a MUST try! With this I must give credit to PT. Aqua Star Indonesia's professional team including their friendly partners/directors, Mr. Alex and Mr Sergey Polovinko. Thank you so much for your hospitality and always ensuring our safety and that's really comforting especially for an aquaphobia like me. So those of you that are reading this and planning to try the underwater scooter, just email to them and mentioned that you get to know from my blog..maybe have special discount for you hehee..
The friendly crew of PT Aqua Star!
Not forgetting to Tune Insure, Tune Hotel & AirAsia for making this trip possible. Thank you! So what are you watching for??, grab that seats from AirAsia, stay in Tune Hotel and never ever forget for travel protection from Tune Insure. Oh Bubbly Bali, I will be back for more adventure! 

For more details of Underwater Scooter, please visit their website at www.aquastarbali.com . 
Address: 
JL. Pratama #112A
Tanjung Benoa,
Nusa Dua Beach, Bali Indonesia
Tel: +62 (361) 9264077 / 772226
Business Hour : 8am - 10pm
Email : aquastarindonesia@gmail.com / aquastarbali@mail.ru

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