This time, we're headed for a whole new continent! :o)
We're busy running around getting all our things in order. Vaccinations cost a bomb...so if you'd like to make a donation...please feel free :o) Email us to find out how.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Giving away free daily contact lenses
I'm giving away disposable soft contact lenses from Focus.
They expire in two years,
There are two boxes and each one has 30 lenses. Box 1 has lenses with a power of -6.50 and Box 2 with -7.00.
For pickup in Penang, Malaysia, or can be sent to you using Pos Malaysia if you cover postage :o). Email us at info@nzwow.com
They expire in two years,
There are two boxes and each one has 30 lenses. Box 1 has lenses with a power of -6.50 and Box 2 with -7.00.
For pickup in Penang, Malaysia, or can be sent to you using Pos Malaysia if you cover postage :o). Email us at info@nzwow.com
Makeover!
Kyle and I decided it's about time we gave our website a facelift. We need to start cracking again and I thought perhaps a new, fresh look would motivate us to start moving again :o). Hope you like!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Complaint Letter to United Airlines
I've been contemplating writing a letter to United Airlines for a long time and today I finally did it. Below is the text. In the spirit of fairness, I will update with any response United may have.
Dear United Airlines,
I recieved an e-mail from you on February 20th. This e-mail did not say that my Premier Membership was expiring and that I was getting demoted to General Membership (even though that was exactly what was happening). No, the closest indication I had to my fate was in the subject line which read: Regain elite status in just 90 days. The e-mail went on to outline how great it is to have elite status and upon further investigation into my account I found that indeed I am now a General Member. This left me wondering What did I do to lose elite status?
If I didn't fly enough miles with your airline in the last year, it is because I have come to dislike your airline very much in the past year. I would like to take this time to recap all the ways United Airlines let me down and how it soured our relationship. If, after you hear my story, you still wish to keep me a General Member I will accept your decision, but every decision has its consequences, United, which you will find out about shortly.
My problems started early last year. I booked tickets from Singapore to Chicago and back again with my frequent flyer miles (evidently round trip tickets are the only kind you can purchase using miles). My fiance booked similar tickets a few days later, and we called up United Airlines in Singapore to attempt to get the two tickets on the same flights. After weeks of calling everyday and talking to numerous people (many who said it was impossible), we finally sorted it out even though it cost quite a bit of money.
On our way to Chicago, our itinerary had us stopping through the Tokyo Narita airport. We made sure every step of the way to clarify to United that we required Muslim meals. It was even printed on our tickets! However, on our first leg of the journey only one Muslim meal came, the other was the standard fare. Then our connecting flight in Tokyo had to have a generator replaced. United put us up in a hotel room overnight and gave us flight vouchers (which we thought was a nice gesture - mine was $150 because I was Premier at the time and my fiance's was $100 because she has General membership), but these vouchers were only good for travel within the United States! For us, this rendered them completely useless.
Circumstances demanded that we stay in Chicago for approximately six months. We left to go back to Singapore (we actually were going to Malaysia both times, but United doesn't serve Malaysia so we had to take a bus across the border) in November. Prior to this the customer service woman for United assured me we were sitting in Economy Plus (because of my Premier status my fiance was upgraded with me). However, as soon as we boarded we found we were not on Economy Plus, but Coach (every flight before this had been Economy Plus). I alerted the flight attendant, who talked to some people, but then informed me that I had to get off the flight (like an idiot) and go back to the gate agent to get it changed. The gate agent reluctantly changed the tickets but made it clear that she "Shouldn't be doing this".
On a recent Thai Airways flight from Kuala Lumpur to London, I had trouble getting credit for my miles (which is not entirely United's fault, it is also Thai Airways fault), and had to contact Mileage Plus Customer Service repeatedly just to learn why my flight didn't qualify. I am still waiting to hear the final word on this issue. I was told on January 28th that I will be notified within 60 days - which should be the end of this month. Now I understand that my Premier status is getting taken away, and I'm left wondering, how much I am supposed to take?
Over the last year I have had the good fortune of flying many different carriers. I have flown some of the best flights and some of the worst. In terms of my quality of service and overall satisfaction United falls almost at the bottom of the heap. Only budget and small airlines (like LAN) were worse. To United's credit, on one flight I did have the best flight attendant I have ever known, but I'm sure he'll be leaving you soon to find a more reputable airline. I just don't feel like I've been treated well. Gaining Premier membership was the last time I remember being happy with United Airlines. I think that is pretty sad.
It is important to alert you that I have been a United Mileage Plus Visa card holder for the past two and a half years. In that time I have never made a late payment, and never given any indication of being anything but a model of financial responsibility. For further proof you need look no further than my credit score, which at the time of this writing stands at 775. I actually took the liberty of reduceding my credit limit because I was worried about someone stealing my card and making a $20,000 transaction! In the past year, on this credit card (which gives 1 mile per dollar spent as I understand it), I spent a total of $1x,xxx. Whatever trouble this economy is in right now, it should be noted that I did my part last year to prevent it.
I don't make threats, because I think they serve no purpose at all. However, from a practical standpoint, I don't see any value in flying United Airlines if I do not have Premier membership. I also see no value in having a United Mileage Plus Visa card. I hope we can resolve this matter and continue our relationship, because as sour as it has become as of late I have always had hope that United could be the best airline in the world. I still think it could be. I would be more willing to share my wealth of knowledge with you on how to please airline customers, if you will only let me know how.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Dear United Airlines,
I recieved an e-mail from you on February 20th. This e-mail did not say that my Premier Membership was expiring and that I was getting demoted to General Membership (even though that was exactly what was happening). No, the closest indication I had to my fate was in the subject line which read: Regain elite status in just 90 days. The e-mail went on to outline how great it is to have elite status and upon further investigation into my account I found that indeed I am now a General Member. This left me wondering What did I do to lose elite status?
If I didn't fly enough miles with your airline in the last year, it is because I have come to dislike your airline very much in the past year. I would like to take this time to recap all the ways United Airlines let me down and how it soured our relationship. If, after you hear my story, you still wish to keep me a General Member I will accept your decision, but every decision has its consequences, United, which you will find out about shortly.
My problems started early last year. I booked tickets from Singapore to Chicago and back again with my frequent flyer miles (evidently round trip tickets are the only kind you can purchase using miles). My fiance booked similar tickets a few days later, and we called up United Airlines in Singapore to attempt to get the two tickets on the same flights. After weeks of calling everyday and talking to numerous people (many who said it was impossible), we finally sorted it out even though it cost quite a bit of money.
On our way to Chicago, our itinerary had us stopping through the Tokyo Narita airport. We made sure every step of the way to clarify to United that we required Muslim meals. It was even printed on our tickets! However, on our first leg of the journey only one Muslim meal came, the other was the standard fare. Then our connecting flight in Tokyo had to have a generator replaced. United put us up in a hotel room overnight and gave us flight vouchers (which we thought was a nice gesture - mine was $150 because I was Premier at the time and my fiance's was $100 because she has General membership), but these vouchers were only good for travel within the United States! For us, this rendered them completely useless.
Circumstances demanded that we stay in Chicago for approximately six months. We left to go back to Singapore (we actually were going to Malaysia both times, but United doesn't serve Malaysia so we had to take a bus across the border) in November. Prior to this the customer service woman for United assured me we were sitting in Economy Plus (because of my Premier status my fiance was upgraded with me). However, as soon as we boarded we found we were not on Economy Plus, but Coach (every flight before this had been Economy Plus). I alerted the flight attendant, who talked to some people, but then informed me that I had to get off the flight (like an idiot) and go back to the gate agent to get it changed. The gate agent reluctantly changed the tickets but made it clear that she "Shouldn't be doing this".
On a recent Thai Airways flight from Kuala Lumpur to London, I had trouble getting credit for my miles (which is not entirely United's fault, it is also Thai Airways fault), and had to contact Mileage Plus Customer Service repeatedly just to learn why my flight didn't qualify. I am still waiting to hear the final word on this issue. I was told on January 28th that I will be notified within 60 days - which should be the end of this month. Now I understand that my Premier status is getting taken away, and I'm left wondering, how much I am supposed to take?
Over the last year I have had the good fortune of flying many different carriers. I have flown some of the best flights and some of the worst. In terms of my quality of service and overall satisfaction United falls almost at the bottom of the heap. Only budget and small airlines (like LAN) were worse. To United's credit, on one flight I did have the best flight attendant I have ever known, but I'm sure he'll be leaving you soon to find a more reputable airline. I just don't feel like I've been treated well. Gaining Premier membership was the last time I remember being happy with United Airlines. I think that is pretty sad.
It is important to alert you that I have been a United Mileage Plus Visa card holder for the past two and a half years. In that time I have never made a late payment, and never given any indication of being anything but a model of financial responsibility. For further proof you need look no further than my credit score, which at the time of this writing stands at 775. I actually took the liberty of reduceding my credit limit because I was worried about someone stealing my card and making a $20,000 transaction! In the past year, on this credit card (which gives 1 mile per dollar spent as I understand it), I spent a total of $1x,xxx. Whatever trouble this economy is in right now, it should be noted that I did my part last year to prevent it.
I don't make threats, because I think they serve no purpose at all. However, from a practical standpoint, I don't see any value in flying United Airlines if I do not have Premier membership. I also see no value in having a United Mileage Plus Visa card. I hope we can resolve this matter and continue our relationship, because as sour as it has become as of late I have always had hope that United could be the best airline in the world. I still think it could be. I would be more willing to share my wealth of knowledge with you on how to please airline customers, if you will only let me know how.
Sincerely,
Kyle
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Smile Pinki, SmileTrain and changing lives all over the world
I woke up this morning aware of the fact that the Oscars is just around the corner. If you read the news daily, you cannot have helped but read a thing or two about this year's heavy favourite, Slumdog Millionaire. Of course, having an Asian contender in this year's Oscars more than piqued my interest somewhat, and Kyle and I sat down last week to watch the movie online. Definitely a must watch. It lived up to all it's hype and was as thought provoking as I had expected it to be.
But the real Oscar-related headline that caught my eye this morning was a piece on Smile Pinki, a documentary about a little girl with a cleft lip. I once took a Speech-Language Pathology class in college (one of my most interesting classes ever!) and all the reading I did came back to me as I watched the Oscar nominated trailer for Smile Pinki,
The organisation behind this modern day miracle is 10-year old SmileTrain. To date, they have helped provide free treatment to over 500,000 children from developing countries, children whose families in no way could have afforded it. How does SmileTrain do it? Instead of flying in qualified doctors to these countries to conduct cleft surgeries like the one on Pinki, they educate, train and equip local medical personnel to operate these surgeries themselves. This cuts down costs from about USD10,000 to about USD250 (you read that right, folks. USD250 for life-changing event).
Watch Walter Cronkite talk about it here,
To donate to SmileTrain, visit them at their website below.
But the real Oscar-related headline that caught my eye this morning was a piece on Smile Pinki, a documentary about a little girl with a cleft lip. I once took a Speech-Language Pathology class in college (one of my most interesting classes ever!) and all the reading I did came back to me as I watched the Oscar nominated trailer for Smile Pinki,
The organisation behind this modern day miracle is 10-year old SmileTrain. To date, they have helped provide free treatment to over 500,000 children from developing countries, children whose families in no way could have afforded it. How does SmileTrain do it? Instead of flying in qualified doctors to these countries to conduct cleft surgeries like the one on Pinki, they educate, train and equip local medical personnel to operate these surgeries themselves. This cuts down costs from about USD10,000 to about USD250 (you read that right, folks. USD250 for life-changing event).
Watch Walter Cronkite talk about it here,
To donate to SmileTrain, visit them at their website below.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Health Yums for the soul
As you may have noticed, my handle has changed from the waternymph to healthyyums in the past week or so. This is because Kyle and I have started a new blog, Your Favourite Food Channel aka Healthy Yums.
The blog is a healthy eating food blog, which provides healthy eating tips, recipes and other information related to healthy eating and food.
Come visit us, sometime over there :o).
We shall although, maintain this blog as our main blog to tell stories of our travels and other things.
The blog is a healthy eating food blog, which provides healthy eating tips, recipes and other information related to healthy eating and food.
Come visit us, sometime over there :o).
We shall although, maintain this blog as our main blog to tell stories of our travels and other things.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How to get a free digital camera
As some of you may know, I lost my camera on a recent trip to Borneo at the base of Mt. Kinabalu. I can't say I lament the loss of the camera itself so much (it was practical and useful, but the pictures were just okay) as I do the satisfaction of seeing a shot framed perfectly or being able to use the images to clarify my thoughts when I write on this blog.
Now I find myself in the market again, and basically open to anything. I'm not good at deciding weather I want a digital camcorder, an SLR (which I would have to learn how to use), or a tiny point and shoot that I can stick in my pocket (and don't have to worry about). When Ayu gave me the idea that I should research if there are ways to get a camera for free, and I started to do just that, I decided I would leave the choice up to fate. If I by some chance end up with a free camera-like gadget, I'll be happy. By free I don't mean it costs nothing, just that it doesn't cost money. Time I have plenty of, money not so much. Over the next few weeks I'll be trying as many ways out as I can find and hopefully be able to comment on them all. The only offers I'm leaving out are the ones that require you to solicit your friends.
Wish me luck...
*Update*
I've decided to use my hotmail account for all the e-mails I will be receiving for this project. I rarely use it anyway, and most of the sites require you to provide a (working) email address.
These are the websites that I have been looking at and a brief description of what to expect:
http://www.anovabooks.com/competition.asp (free entry for a chance to win a Nikkon D80 SLR. Competition closes 01 February 2009)
http://dpnow.com/5502.html (free entry for a chance to win an Olympus SP-565 UZ if you sign up for their e-newsletter during the month of January. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
http://www.z20fd.co.uk/ (if you play the game where the iguana catches the flies and you are in the top 10 you get entered to win a finepix Z20fd. I played for 7 minutes and was number 847)
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=32643 (free entry for a chance to win a Sony Handycam Digital Camcorder and a what looks like a Garmin GPS if you sign up for their newsletter. Competition closes 08 February 2009)
http://www.gqmagazine.co.uk/competition/default.asp (free entry for a chance to win a Fujifilm Finepix S2000HD digital camera and man on a wire dvd. Competition closes 06 February 2009)
http://www.holymoly.com/page/RandomDetail/0,,12643~1513274,00.html?WT.mc_id=comp2 (This one is rather vague. You can win a flip video camera and goodie bag if you e-mail them the name of Seal's supermodel wife - Heidi Klum)
https://whatdigitalcamera.ipcmediasecure.com/secure/competitions/5593/win-a-nikon-d90-camera-kit-with-a-18-105mm-lens.html (free entry for a chance to win a Nikon D90 camera kit with a 18-105mm lens. Competition closes 08 March 2009)
https://www.iwantoneofthose.com/competition.do?competitionCode=zohan (free entry for a
chance to win a Sony Handycam and two DVD films. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
https://instyleuk.ipcmediasecure.com/competitions/show/id/5581 (free entry for a chance to win 1 of 10 Disgo video Pro camcorders. Competition closes 16 February 2009)
http://www.inkandmedialtd.co.uk/acatalog/newsletter-signup.html (free entry for a chance to win a Canon Powershot A470 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera with 3.4 x optical zoom if you join their mailing list. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
I'll keep updating as I go...
Now I find myself in the market again, and basically open to anything. I'm not good at deciding weather I want a digital camcorder, an SLR (which I would have to learn how to use), or a tiny point and shoot that I can stick in my pocket (and don't have to worry about). When Ayu gave me the idea that I should research if there are ways to get a camera for free, and I started to do just that, I decided I would leave the choice up to fate. If I by some chance end up with a free camera-like gadget, I'll be happy. By free I don't mean it costs nothing, just that it doesn't cost money. Time I have plenty of, money not so much. Over the next few weeks I'll be trying as many ways out as I can find and hopefully be able to comment on them all. The only offers I'm leaving out are the ones that require you to solicit your friends.
Wish me luck...
*Update*
I've decided to use my hotmail account for all the e-mails I will be receiving for this project. I rarely use it anyway, and most of the sites require you to provide a (working) email address.
These are the websites that I have been looking at and a brief description of what to expect:
http://www.anovabooks.com/competition.asp (free entry for a chance to win a Nikkon D80 SLR. Competition closes 01 February 2009)
http://dpnow.com/5502.html (free entry for a chance to win an Olympus SP-565 UZ if you sign up for their e-newsletter during the month of January. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
http://www.z20fd.co.uk/ (if you play the game where the iguana catches the flies and you are in the top 10 you get entered to win a finepix Z20fd. I played for 7 minutes and was number 847)
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=32643 (free entry for a chance to win a Sony Handycam Digital Camcorder and a what looks like a Garmin GPS if you sign up for their newsletter. Competition closes 08 February 2009)
http://www.gqmagazine.co.uk/competition/default.asp (free entry for a chance to win a Fujifilm Finepix S2000HD digital camera and man on a wire dvd. Competition closes 06 February 2009)
http://www.holymoly.com/page/RandomDetail/0,,12643~1513274,00.html?WT.mc_id=comp2 (This one is rather vague. You can win a flip video camera and goodie bag if you e-mail them the name of Seal's supermodel wife - Heidi Klum)
https://whatdigitalcamera.ipcmediasecure.com/secure/competitions/5593/win-a-nikon-d90-camera-kit-with-a-18-105mm-lens.html (free entry for a chance to win a Nikon D90 camera kit with a 18-105mm lens. Competition closes 08 March 2009)
https://www.iwantoneofthose.com/competition.do?competitionCode=zohan (free entry for a
chance to win a Sony Handycam and two DVD films. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
https://instyleuk.ipcmediasecure.com/competitions/show/id/5581 (free entry for a chance to win 1 of 10 Disgo video Pro camcorders. Competition closes 16 February 2009)
http://www.inkandmedialtd.co.uk/acatalog/newsletter-signup.html (free entry for a chance to win a Canon Powershot A470 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera with 3.4 x optical zoom if you join their mailing list. Competition closes 31 January 2009)
I'll keep updating as I go...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Make a difference today
With all the things going on in the world right now...sometimes it's all I can do to stop myself from wondering what I'm doing with myself when so many people need help.
Call me idealistic and naive if you want. I probably am, more than a wee bit :o).
So if you're wondering what difference you could make...here's a little help. You could play games online in order to make a difference, help feed the poor, help provide clean water, help donate money! There are websites dedicated to getting sponsors to donate food and water to those who need them, at every click of a button...from people like you and I.
Personally, the best site I think there is in terms of how straightforward the layout is, how transparent and informative they are with who their sponsors are and where donations go, is
A few other sites are
www.freeflour.com
www.helpthirst.com
www.freepoverty.com
Click today! You can help so many people by just spending five-ten minutes out of your free time clicking clicking clicking. :o)
Call me idealistic and naive if you want. I probably am, more than a wee bit :o).
So if you're wondering what difference you could make...here's a little help. You could play games online in order to make a difference, help feed the poor, help provide clean water, help donate money! There are websites dedicated to getting sponsors to donate food and water to those who need them, at every click of a button...from people like you and I.
Personally, the best site I think there is in terms of how straightforward the layout is, how transparent and informative they are with who their sponsors are and where donations go, is
A few other sites are
www.freeflour.com
www.helpthirst.com
www.freepoverty.com
Click today! You can help so many people by just spending five-ten minutes out of your free time clicking clicking clicking. :o)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
I've stopped living out of my suitcase. For now.
I know it's been a while since I last posted. At least Kyle has been keeping up with this blog, somewhat. :o)
We're now in Greater Copenhagen, Denmark, and I will be here a while. Kyle has come along for the ride and we find ourselves in yet another country where we don't speak the language. At least before, I could at least read Mandarin and Arabic, hence it didn't feel completely foreign. The Danish letters with its strokes and tiny circles are throwing me off completely! But never fear! I downloaded a translator onto my trusty cell phone and I'm good to go :o).
We're going to do a little more exploring today. Might have stories to tell...later!
We're now in Greater Copenhagen, Denmark, and I will be here a while. Kyle has come along for the ride and we find ourselves in yet another country where we don't speak the language. At least before, I could at least read Mandarin and Arabic, hence it didn't feel completely foreign. The Danish letters with its strokes and tiny circles are throwing me off completely! But never fear! I downloaded a translator onto my trusty cell phone and I'm good to go :o).
We're going to do a little more exploring today. Might have stories to tell...later!
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