KINIBIZ Let me tell you how I had spent my Sunday this past weekend. I had a press conference to attend in Kuala Lumpur, scheduled to start at 3pm. Usually taking into account KL traffic, I would have left at 1.45pm to make sure I made it on time.

But this was not any ordinary press conference, rather it was US President Barack Obama’s press conference. So knowing there would be heavy security, I left at 11am instead to make sure I got there with plenty of time to spare.

The US Embassy, which had issued the invitation, informed us that security screening would start at 1pm. But by slightly after 12.30pm, there were already more than 30-plus reporters, photographers and cameramen milling about waiting to be processed through security.

At the designated time, White House officials began their security screening process. We were taken forward in groups of 10. Heavy equipment and laptops had to be left to one side for inspection by security officials and sniffer dogs were brought in as well.

Meanwhile, each person was scanned with a security wand similar to those used in airports or at stadiums. The checks took about 20 minutes per group.

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This article was written by Stephanie Jacob.