Another 12 hours of treatment ;-)
Recently in business travel
Happiness often lies in small things : a good movie + a good dinner :-) First appearance of the DB5 in that James Bond. Oh and he even wears the same watch as I do, or rather I wear the same one as James Bond ;-)
Good luck to the Beijing's governement in their attempt to improve the local manners for the Olympics ;-)
A piece of answer from the US Department of Homeland Security regarding the systematic additional security screening I am subjected to when travelling to the US and/or on a US carrier:
"TSA prepares and maintains watch lists of persons who are known to pose, or suspected of posing, a threat to civil aviation or national security. These watch lists are compiled from information provided by Federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Inclusion on one watch list, the No Fly List, involves a prohibition from traveling by commercial aviation. TSA also maintains a Selectee List. Individuals on the Selectee List are permitted to fly, but are subject to enhanced screening at the passenger screening checkpoints.
TSA recognizes that some people have been inadvertently subjected to frustrating delays at airports as a result of being mistaken for an individual who, in fact, is on a watch list. We regret this inconvenience and have developed a procedure that is designed to expedite the clearance process for individuals who experience these delays."
Ok, so I have been systematically mistaken for an individual who is known to pose, or suspected of posing, a threat to civil aviation or national security ! Great... Supposedly, all I have to do to clear the misunderstanding is to fill a form and join a whole a bunch of certificates !
Guess what ? Yep that's right, I was once again "randomly" selected for an extensive security check by NWA. Always the same lady, always the same security officer, always the same bunch of wankers. When I tried to explain them that what they're doing resembles discrimination, they proposed me a frequent flyer card ! I didn't know having their frequent flyer card could exempt me from a security check. What I know for sure, however, is that a French passport guarantees you one !
This photo was taken at the gate, when they asked me to demonstrate that my camera was actually a camera !
Me: "the air conditioner in my room is still not working"
Staff: "we checked and it is working"
Me: "no it's not; there's no cold air coming out"
Staff: "oh you want cold air? open your window!..."
As someone once said: "asian airhostesses are polite, well-groomed, and professional because of their cultural background, compared to the generally older, unpleasant-looking rude aircrew of US and European airlines hired only because of Equal Opportunity Laws and the fear of lawsuits, if rejected on the basis of their demeanor."
On a fishing trip in the South of China, my colleague caught that blowfish.
On a fishing trip in the South of China, my colleague caught that blowfish.
Selecting the food for dinner. Suprisingly, seafood is a lot more expensive in Sanya than in Beijing!
