Weekend in Singapore
Nice long weekend in town. Spent Friday meeting up with old friends, new friends, and people I probably won't see again. Saturday's quiet and peaceful with just a short meetup over some french fries. Sunday will be good too, I suppose, another complain session with my classgirls over some beer.
This is bad. Too much alcohol content in my blood in one single weekend. But I'll admit-- drinking that much in a short time really helped take my mind off things from work.
I've to go get interviewed by the office people on Monday about a pax's complaint. Whatever. You want me to remember what happened on a flight from 3 weeks back? Forget it. I'll simply deny everything and just write that freaking report.
An apology? Maybe I'll just say it to get you jerks off my back. But my Sorrys are seldom true. I don't apologise even when I know I'm wrong.
Someone said this-- You only live once, but also, you only die once. I'm gonna live my life the way I want-- no regrets, no sorries. But I'll make sure I'll 'die' nicely. Stupid mistakes are certain to happen, just make sure you get over them before they crush you.
I love my life.
Stupid Schedule
Where should I start? Could it be the more-frequent on-day call ups for flights; Or could it be the long stretch of duty or standby days I see?
Sometimes you get a whole week of standbys, and sometimes you don't see a single standby day on your monthly schedule. Huh? What happened? Exactly...
Since September, my flights have been like-- SFO, KIX, LAX, LAX, JFK, KIX, JFK. I know some crew will have a catfight for a schedule like this-- no standbys and work all the way.
I don't mind, but no 7 flights in a row! I only get the mandatory off days in between them and off I go again. No wonder my cargo is starting to feel wobbly.
I need much much better luck, a better schedule, hopefully a better job, more money, and people I hate leaving me alone.
Why Can't I Say It?
I Blew It
I blew it-- my temper. And it's about time.
I slammed things down in the GLY on my last leg and just put on my ultra black face for all the Japanese crew to see.
Here's what led to it--
We had a refreshment service in the flight, and after that, some of the crew will get to go for their rest. I already had mine and will need to prepare for the next meal service.
Usually one crew will be busy preparing in the GLY while the rest will be out there watching the cabin, or just shake legs on the jumpseats.
Not this time. All of the working crew were inside the GLY (well, MY GLY), chatting away, and leaving the lavatories, call buttons, and basically everything to me.
Hey! That's not my duty! I don't mind helping out if it's really hectic, but not when you guys are drinking and chatting and laughing!
Surprise, surprise-- 2 of my 7 meal carts couldn't heat up, and I had 20 minutes before the service is supposed to start. Panic? You bet. I had no choice but to just take out the entrees one by one and heat up using the microwave.
And the rest of them? 'Oh, the meals are not heated??'
What the freak!
No one offered to help me slot back the entrees. And remember-- I had 2 carts, which means I had 72 trays to settle. By the time I'm quite done with the last few, the first batch is already 'warm'.
'GLY-san, can you heat them up? They're not hot!'
I just turned my face black and started throwing stuff HARD onto the GLY-top.
I did. And the Pax nearby could almost sense the tense air around. I hope.
Will blog again later...
I'm Not An Angel
Break It!
You'd have thought that one thing this job teaches me is patience. Nah, my tolerance level is much worse than when I started off. It doesn't take much now to piss me off, not to mention, make me fume and throw people around me a black face.
Let's see what happened in the past week that made me boil--
3 days of off-days in Singapore last weekend, all happily spent meeting up with friends. (Except for the Saturday gone to pee in a clinic.) (What? Me too vulgar?? Bite me.)
Then I got called on Monday morning to take up a flight on Monday night. Fine. If I reject it, I might get terminated. That's how my company makes people go to work.
Got back on Wednesday night, hardly time to rest and drink enough water for a second pee test on Thursday morning.
Come Thursday morning and I'm off to pee in the clinic again. The sample's not good. Yep. The nurse said I might have some infection.
WHAT!!! Infection?? From what?? I'm a healthy baby!!
So they'll have to send the sample for further tests and I'll need to call back next week to follow-up.
Tomorrow= Friday morning-- a flight out again.
No rest, no peace of mind, no retail therapy...
Break this bad luck and low-mood streak!!!
A Not So Lucky Streak
I need new, refreshed, good luck.
My bro formatted my PC, but now I can't connect to the Internet even though there's a connection signal.
I'm using his laptop for these few days but I can't download any stuff applications to his laptop. Argh. I miss my variety shows.
After receiving the call from office telling me to get my butt on a flight tonight, the company clinic called to tell me that I need to go back for a review. Something's not good about the urine test results. Fine. Maybe they found drugs in there-- caffeine.
Absolutely no luck in the r/ship department.
What's wrong!!!???
Called For Flight
It's happened again-- got called to take up a flight on the day itself.
Had a really great weekend:
Friday-- met with YJ and XF. Has been a long long while since I last met up with them. Thought the things might get awkward, but no, we just went back to our old, normal, crazy selves over lunch and KTV. Missed those days when we used to joke about all sorts of stuff in school, comment about CMI guys who walk pass, and just ANYTHING.
Saturday-- went to the company clinic to give them my final part of the annual medical checkup. And it's down to Orchard to color my natural dark-brown hair BLACK.
Sunday-- Had a lunch/high tea session at Wisma Ding Tai Fung with ZX, MM and JR. Great to see the girls. It's casual window shopping and a quick dessert break at Paragon's Coffee Club after.
Just when I thought I could sleep till I'm awaken naturally, I got a call at 11 this morning, telling me that I would have to take up a Osaka flight. Not that I mind an Osaka flight, but I just hate it when they call me on the day itself. This means not only are my current plans to rot and finish the HK serial is gone, I have to rush to pack up my stuff.
My next San Francisco flight will be replaced by a LA one due to this. Argh! Give me SFO anytime!! But LA?? Not a very keen taker here.
Shall work on my resume while in Osaka. No time to waste and a lot of ground to cover.
Quote saw on TV: There is no 'i' in team, but an 'i' in WINNER.
All Over Again
Was surfing around just now, looking for career opportunities in other airlines when JM MSNed me about an ad in Saturday's papers. Looks like one of them is hiring.
No, it's not our national carrier, which is on a recruitment-steroids nowadays; it's a European carrier, and Singaporean crew can be based here.
Just what I needed-- something really new and meaningful in my life-- a big challange. I'll be getting my resume and documents ready. This time I'm definitely giving it a shot.
The intake number is said to be small, and I suppose I really have to fight it out. This current job I have was somewhat different: I was a couple of months away from graduating and needed to settle into a job ASAP. This time round, I want to go for something that at least appear appealing enough.
Maybe I'll be good and lucky enough to be in a new uniform this time next year, maybe I'll still be in my current company, cursing it out. Who knows. ZX-- like what you said-- when life opens a door for me, walk through it. I'm walking towards it right now. Seems like the door is for career rather than love, that is.
A Thousand Miles Away
The new Jay Chou music video has what I like in a MV-- a storyline.
Story: A guy with lower social status is in love with a woman who's adored by many. The woman likes him also, but had to leave to advance her performing career. She didn't want to, but the guy packed her bags for her and sent her off, knowing that she'll make it big.
Three years later, she comes back. The guy is still there, still holding on to the old scarf she gave him before departing. She recognises the guy and the scarf; the guy knows that now, she's famous, and him, still a nobody.
He slipped into a dark corner, wishing her all the best.
~~~
I love MVs-- cos you see things that can never happen in real-life.
A Very Exciting Weekend
Bus for airport will be leaving in 10 minutes. I can't believe me luck this time-- managed to get a vacant Internet booth here at the hotel. It seems like every other time I'm here, the free booths are all taken. Lucky lucky me.
Well, will have to go back to the company clinic for a final part of my medical checkup tomorrow. And Saturday's for a Poly friends gathering; Sunday's for a old friends' gathering.
Ok, gotta go!
I Need A New Guy
I brought this upon myself.
I really mean it when I said that I no longer feel anything for my ex-boyfriend (which is pretty much like a teenager crush thingy). But there's this small part of me that wants to know what and how he's doing now.
And what did I do? I Googled him. Somehow along a very long and twisted way, I found his sister's blog. Yes! It's terrifying what technology can do.
And I just saw his newest pictures.
...
... ...
Good to know that he still looks alright, and he stil has that charming boyish look that caught my eye so many years ago.
But I don't regret not being together with him.
I hate rich people. And the photos were of him and his family taking a vacation in Switzerland and France. Case closed.
I need a new guy... At least give me something new to Google about.
Reflections
Since I have nothing better to do for the next 3 hours before the first shuttle bus leaves for the nearby (and only shopping center), I've decided to post yet another boring entry.
Very often, especially when I'm with my class or batchgirls that I nag and grumble and complain about how bad my company and my local manager sucks. And the suckiness appear much worse after I read blogs of crew from other airlines.
Well, the life onboard is rather much the same-- we deal with passengers we hate everytime, and get nasty remarks always. But they seem to have such 'happening' stuff happening after work.
They go out with their fellow cabin and even flight deck crew; they shop for local snacks in BULK; they take beautiful pictures in every layover city; they stay in 5-star hotels around the world...
When I was reading all these, all I did was to mumble and grumble about why I (or my airline) couldn't have it.
But hey, one year ago, I couldn't afford to visit the cities I did in my job.
I take things for granted, and I'm quite sad to admit it.
Things like:
-- My dad driving me to and from the airport for EVERY one of my flights.
-- My mum taking care of my laundry and drycleaning when I make the excuse of being too tired to leave the house.
-- My bro acutally having to take care of the house and my parents (not that they need 'taking care' of).
-- My friends sending me messages every once in a while to cheer me up when I had a shit flight.
There's really no end to comparison. I have long Pacific flights 2 to 3 times a month. That's pretty good, actually. What else do I need? (Erm ZX, dun try to tell me that I need some guy now.. the matchmaking's not working out).
I have a great family, great friends, and a good decent job. That's good enough.
One Year Before
This is where I get all nostalgic and disgusting...
One year (and one day) before, I flew the then longest flight in my life to reach Tokyo and started my 6-week life here. Tough one year...
Nothing special lately, unless you count taking a Pacific flight on Sep 11 interesting and 'exciting'. Shopping was normal and dull in LA, with me spending only cash, no card-swiping at all.
Reasons I love doing shopping in the States:
- The salespersons usually ignore me
- I get the sizes I want (and they're in S)
- Strangers/fellow shoppers/passerbys tell me I look good (or otherwise) in the stuff that I'm trying on
- I get a 'Have a Good Day'
Now, one year later, I'm getting the effects of jetlag. Reached the hotel at 6-plus last evening, slept before 9p.m., woke up at 3.15a.m., and it's not even 7a.m. here.
Just lucky that I get this free Internet counter. Didn't realise that it's open 24 hours a day. Great. Now at least I can surf the net for crap whenever I want.
Hot Face
There is this Chinese phrase I heard somewhere-- placing your hot face against someone`s cold buttocks.
So the stage I think I am in now. Before I force my face again, I think I`m going to take a minute here and just cool things off. Before I make a major fool of myself again.
The Search For Love??
Talked to MM on the phone yesterday. Good luck to her on getting the job she prefers.
Not only that, good luck to her on finding the first 'important guy' in her life!
What's going on lately? My friends are either getting keener on finding someone, or they're not giving up on getting me to meet guys.
And just now, my Poly friend sent me an SMS, which I had to choose among several characters. And the 'divination'---- I'm with someone nice, who really loves and cares for me.
Wait... am I the only one that lost here? I don't even have ANYONE!!
And my dear friend who's the ever-persistent part-time matchmaker actually said something about destiny and fate; that I should walk right through the door when it's open. I wish I could. But what if there's no doorknob on the door? And the only way to open it is to bang it open with my shoulders, which will only leave me injured??
Hmmm...
All She Wanted
What You See And Hear Is What You'll Get
Think I scared some crap out of my friend, her friend, and her friend's friend this afternoon.
You see, 2 of them are always trying to let me meet this supposedly very eligible, rich, straight, good-looking guy. For what reasons I have no idea.
So I finally met the mystery man this afternoon with the 2 very hardworking matchmakers. Not bad-- he was friendly enough to talk crap to me and made an effort to hold the conversation for as long as we both could stand it. (It was going nowhere...)
And someway through the high-tea session, in the midst of very scattered words, I cursed. Yessss!!!! I did. And then there was silence. For a while.
I'm not an angel, and I'm not sweet in any sense. You want a girl with perfect manners, perfect knowledge of what to say in every situation, with grace & poise? Happy looking elsewhere. I'm definitely not her.
I admitted earlier that I do have a cursing and swearing problem throbbing. I know it's not a nice 'habit' or something to get comfortable in. But tell me, how do you expect me to vent my frustrations from colleagues, customers, and even the equipment on 35000 feet?
Some people drink (I can't have alcohol on board); some eat (aircraft food? Won't that make the mood worse only?; some take deep breaths (Erm, it's heavily recycled air up there...).
Me? I go into the toilet and start scolding passengers who checked in their common sense together with their luggages. When all's done, I emerge with a bright fake smile.
Never heard a girl curse in front of you at a dining table? Well, you're missing out here. Don't expect me to be the little cute thing when guys generally do everything they want us to avoid.
Waht you see and hear is what you'll get. The true me.
Bite me.
Suitable Candidates For The Hot Seats
Have you ever gotten on a flight, with your oversized carry-on luggage (which you should have checked in) and glared with anger and envy at those folks who get the emergency row seats? I've seen those looks a lot of times. And have gotten quite a few when I was travelling on vacation a couple of months earlier.
Sometimes I can't help but wonder would why the check-in counter staff place certain passengers in those seats. Aviation laws require that those seated in the row help us crew when emergency situations really happen. They should be within certain age range, with at least an 'acceptable' physical condition, and have read the basic instructions at the counter.
Yet, I've gotten elderlies, big-sized people, teenagers, and frail-looking ladies occupy the hotseats. And when I do get passengers who fit the physical requirements, the first thing they do after sitting down is to sleep.
You want me to expect these people to actually be able to help me in a case of emergency? I seriously doubt so, considering that most incidents happen during the few minutes within takeoff and landing. And my 'helpers' are all asleep then.
Oh, before I forget, I do have some crew who're paxing on the flight. They're the ones I should call for assistance first also. But wait, where are they? I'm sure they're onboard. But where EXACTLY are they?
When I'm paxing, I always get the middle seat, a.k.a. the seat between 2 big men, with newspapers wide open, and arms and thighs always touching me. I'm always in the middle of a cramped cabin, with very little fresh air and leg room, and no way out across these guys to help the crew in the emergencies.
So you know what? Go ahead and throw dirty glares or swear-words at those who get the hotseats. Afterall, you all probably paid the same amount of airfare and he's the one who get to talk to the pretty crew and gets to stretch his legs as much as he wants throughout the flight.
Enjoy the flight!
Shampoo Freak
How many shampoos can a girl change in a year? If that girl's me-- the answer's a lot.
I started out bring a set of Vidal Sassoon to Japan for my training weeks. And it was there, on the trips to the supermarkets that started the whole shampoo/conditioner spree.
I bought a pack of Shiseido Moist Hair Pack (shampoo/conditioner/treatment). How could I resist that when the pack was going at 880yen?? And not to mention, the shampoo and conditioners were in Jumbo size...
After that, it's a Clairol Herbals Essence sample from a Japanese magazine. Not bad.
And another travel size Kanebo Sala.
Then a set of Japanese Vidal Sassoon.
A sample set of Avalon from a Taiwanese magazine.
The new hairbrand Tsubaki from Shiseido.
From New York: Aussie Moist Shampoo and conditioner.
Another Shiseido sub-brand: Fino.
...
Breathe, people, breathe. It's my hair that's gone through all these, not yours.
Will there be more to come? You bet. The shampoo freak is out fierce.
