Was in the back galley resting between services.
Mink spotted a hole in the left leg of my stockings and made some naughty remarks which I didn't catch.
Some moments later, I dug at the hole with my index finger.
Mink : Don't put your finger into your hole! (+ultra naughty smile)
Laughter all 'round.
Me : It's MY finger and it's MY hole! I can do whatever I like with it!
Everyone : GROANNN!!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Most Miserable Layover
Some inhuman guys changed my Frankfurt flight to a double sector Dubai-Addis Ababa-Entebbe flight.
Geez!!! I was even planning to buy some huge, fresh grapes and eating some Thai food in Frankfurt!
At first I thought,"Oh well, at least I had another Frankfurt right before this one," so I didn't think about it that much.
But when everyone started saying how I shouldn't have agreed to do that in the briefing room, I was having second thoughts. But it wasn't like I could really do anything.
Those guys at scheduling will only give shit to you or you can either absorb everything or give shit to them and end up being marked absent for your duty and have your manager send you a warning letter and basically have everything messed up for you in the company.
So, see, I'm just a poor little lamb.
In case you didn't know, Addis Ababa is in Ethiopia and Entebbe is in Uganda. Both are in the African region.
The names of places in Africa are all pretty funky, huh? Like, Mombasa. Every time I hear that name, I just feel like some black lady in a colourful tribal African dress is gonna dance with a cabasa in her hand or something.
Anyway, I thought that well, I'd just have to accept that.
But I regretted...BIG time when I reached the hotel.
The hotel looked up-to-standard though. Nothing wrong with it at first glance.
I dropped all my bags and checked out the hotel room first thing I got inside.
Bathroom was a bit too small but otherwise, everything was okay.
But then the shower cap was missing...
My hair turns into a big frizzy nightmare if it comes into contact with dampness or water, which is why I never wash it during normal 24-hour layovers.
If I have to wash it during long trips, then I'd have to bring along my hair straightening iron.
Thus, you could say that I can't live without shower caps.
I called housekeeping and horrors of horrors, the guy told me their shower caps were out of stock!
OH. MY. GOD.
Which self-reputable hotel in this world will allow its shower caps to be out of stock?!!
It's like, THE most basic of all necessities! And also the one that a lot of people don't use! So since so many people aren't using them, how can you still have the cheek to let them be depleted to zero? This is simply ridiculous!
The guy said that his colleague will find one for me and being the good guest that I always am, I thanked him and just asked them to try their best without making any fuss about it. I did ask them to try their best and send one to me as soon as they find one, though.
And as anticipated, no shower caps showed up.
I was starving and dead tired so I ordered room service. The menu choice onboard was pretty bad for that flight so I didn't really ate anything. As you can imagine, I was looking forward to some mouth-watering food.
But another crew told me earlier that the hotel food sucked. So she brought her own food.
But I had no choice and I thought, given the level of hunger I was in at that point, I was pretty confident that any mediocre food would taste like heaven to me.
The food arrived and I simply couldn't wait to dig in.
The room service menu didn't offer much variety either.
So I ordered Classic French Onion Soup and Penne Pasta in Tomato and Meat Sauce.
The soup was okay, but a bit too salty.
The penne pasta looked like a mountain, literally. It was in such a humongous quantity that I wished that it had better be good.
One mouthful and I felt like dumping the whole thing into the toilet bowl.
It was bland and the only taste was the minced beef.
I was telling myself that things couldn't get worse and was ready to submit to my poor fate that day.
So I thought I would just watch TV while I ate to take my mind off the less-than-sumptuous meal.
At first I thought maybe the battery of the remote control was out. And some of the wording printed on the remote's button were used so frequently that they were so worn out that I couldn't really know what I was pressing.
But as I found out, there was something wrong with the remote, but nothing to do with the battery.
I had to press the damn channel buttons so fucking hard that my thumb hurt. I felt like my nails were gonna snap or fall out. And I'm tellin' ya, my nails were quite short.
I actually had to use my left and right thumbs alternatively because it became too much for each thumb to handle. And I had to rest in between just to switch channels.
How miserable is that?
Geez!!! I was even planning to buy some huge, fresh grapes and eating some Thai food in Frankfurt!
At first I thought,"Oh well, at least I had another Frankfurt right before this one," so I didn't think about it that much.
But when everyone started saying how I shouldn't have agreed to do that in the briefing room, I was having second thoughts. But it wasn't like I could really do anything.
Those guys at scheduling will only give shit to you or you can either absorb everything or give shit to them and end up being marked absent for your duty and have your manager send you a warning letter and basically have everything messed up for you in the company.
So, see, I'm just a poor little lamb.
In case you didn't know, Addis Ababa is in Ethiopia and Entebbe is in Uganda. Both are in the African region.
The names of places in Africa are all pretty funky, huh? Like, Mombasa. Every time I hear that name, I just feel like some black lady in a colourful tribal African dress is gonna dance with a cabasa in her hand or something.
Anyway, I thought that well, I'd just have to accept that.
But I regretted...BIG time when I reached the hotel.
The hotel looked up-to-standard though. Nothing wrong with it at first glance.
I dropped all my bags and checked out the hotel room first thing I got inside.
Bathroom was a bit too small but otherwise, everything was okay.
But then the shower cap was missing...
My hair turns into a big frizzy nightmare if it comes into contact with dampness or water, which is why I never wash it during normal 24-hour layovers.
If I have to wash it during long trips, then I'd have to bring along my hair straightening iron.
Thus, you could say that I can't live without shower caps.
I called housekeeping and horrors of horrors, the guy told me their shower caps were out of stock!
OH. MY. GOD.
Which self-reputable hotel in this world will allow its shower caps to be out of stock?!!
It's like, THE most basic of all necessities! And also the one that a lot of people don't use! So since so many people aren't using them, how can you still have the cheek to let them be depleted to zero? This is simply ridiculous!
The guy said that his colleague will find one for me and being the good guest that I always am, I thanked him and just asked them to try their best without making any fuss about it. I did ask them to try their best and send one to me as soon as they find one, though.
And as anticipated, no shower caps showed up.
I was starving and dead tired so I ordered room service. The menu choice onboard was pretty bad for that flight so I didn't really ate anything. As you can imagine, I was looking forward to some mouth-watering food.
But another crew told me earlier that the hotel food sucked. So she brought her own food.
But I had no choice and I thought, given the level of hunger I was in at that point, I was pretty confident that any mediocre food would taste like heaven to me.
The food arrived and I simply couldn't wait to dig in.
The room service menu didn't offer much variety either.
So I ordered Classic French Onion Soup and Penne Pasta in Tomato and Meat Sauce.
The soup was okay, but a bit too salty.
The penne pasta looked like a mountain, literally. It was in such a humongous quantity that I wished that it had better be good.
One mouthful and I felt like dumping the whole thing into the toilet bowl.
It was bland and the only taste was the minced beef.
I was telling myself that things couldn't get worse and was ready to submit to my poor fate that day.
So I thought I would just watch TV while I ate to take my mind off the less-than-sumptuous meal.
At first I thought maybe the battery of the remote control was out. And some of the wording printed on the remote's button were used so frequently that they were so worn out that I couldn't really know what I was pressing.
But as I found out, there was something wrong with the remote, but nothing to do with the battery.
I had to press the damn channel buttons so fucking hard that my thumb hurt. I felt like my nails were gonna snap or fall out. And I'm tellin' ya, my nails were quite short.
I actually had to use my left and right thumbs alternatively because it became too much for each thumb to handle. And I had to rest in between just to switch channels.
How miserable is that?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
好烦哦！
好想去有人的地方。
我的意思是说，去一个像台北的地方，是台北的话最好。
感觉离文明越来越远了。
虽然工作上遇到很多人，但都不是我真的很想接触的族群，所以真的很想逃到一个比较熟悉的地方。
身上穿着我新买的衣服（有很多，买了都没机会穿，都没出门，难道穿给电脑看？），坐在广场旁，手里拿着大大杯的珍珠奶茶，嘴里嚼着QQ的黑珍珠，眼睛不由自主的欣赏着来来往往的人，他们的衣着打扮、发型、包包。。。。。好想马上就打开任意门，涉足于西门町哦！
但是，我现在能做的，就只有上网猛看康熙来了而已 :'(
我的意思是说，去一个像台北的地方，是台北的话最好。
感觉离文明越来越远了。
虽然工作上遇到很多人，但都不是我真的很想接触的族群，所以真的很想逃到一个比较熟悉的地方。
身上穿着我新买的衣服（有很多，买了都没机会穿，都没出门，难道穿给电脑看？），坐在广场旁，手里拿着大大杯的珍珠奶茶，嘴里嚼着QQ的黑珍珠，眼睛不由自主的欣赏着来来往往的人，他们的衣着打扮、发型、包包。。。。。好想马上就打开任意门，涉足于西门町哦！
但是，我现在能做的，就只有上网猛看康熙来了而已 :'(
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Turning myself in...
Gosh...I had so many guilt trips this month I should be locked up in jail!
Yes. I am found guilty of shopping too many times this month.
Spending this amount of money in a single month just for clothes and accessories is unprecedented in my thrifty life.
I kept tellin' myself, "Enough is ENOUGH! No more shopping!"
But look at what happened *sob*
I had unknowingly let my inner shopaholic out on the loose.
This is criminal.
Just look...
Yes. I am found guilty of shopping too many times this month.
Spending this amount of money in a single month just for clothes and accessories is unprecedented in my thrifty life.
I kept tellin' myself, "Enough is ENOUGH! No more shopping!"
But look at what happened *sob*
I had unknowingly let my inner shopaholic out on the loose.
This is criminal.
Just look...
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The Loots
Shoot me. This isn't even all of it.
Monday, June 30, 2008
完了。。。
在这里待越久，心里有一块就变得越空虚，或者只是单纯的空而以，我不知道。
心想会不会三年后，或更多年以后，当我要离开这里时，我已变成了一个空壳。
越想就越怕。
如果真的变成那样，离开了这儿，我还能做什么呢？
我压根儿不想变成那样！
也对啦，谁想啊！白痴哦！
喏，你看，我现在又开始语无伦次了。
也许我该出门做点什么，但宅女这个诅咒实在把我束缚的太紧了，我很难脱身啦。
再看看周围，全都是沙，天气更是可怕的不用说，温度都是摄氏四十度左右。
叫我去海边作日光浴，简直就是要了我的老命！真不了那些老外干吗那么爱晒太阳呗，难怪那么容易得皮肤病。
再说，本姑娘我要是真的晒黑了，可是会变得像村姑的，所以我才不干呢！
想晚上到公寓的泳池游泳，唉，那泳池看了连我都想跳楼，水面上浮着的都是沙。
天啊！这国家除了沙就没别的东西了！
这里除了沙，最多的就是购物商场了，但我实在是不想变成败家女啦，所以都没什么出门消费。
再说，这里东西都蛮贵的，选择又不多，我真的是买不下手啦。
朋友吗？最近都比较少跟他们联络了，是我的懒惰个性使然。但我不是没努力啊。
就拿住我家隔壁的朋友来说好了，每次说要来我家都没来，次次都是我去她家，煮好的菜拿去她家就我一个人吃，因为她已经吃过了，这不是很无聊吗？
当然我自己也不是完全无错的，每次她们找我时，我都在睡觉，但也没办法啊，我的生活作息就是跟别人不同。
唉，教教我该怎么办？
心想会不会三年后，或更多年以后，当我要离开这里时，我已变成了一个空壳。
越想就越怕。
如果真的变成那样，离开了这儿，我还能做什么呢？
我压根儿不想变成那样！
也对啦，谁想啊！白痴哦！
喏，你看，我现在又开始语无伦次了。
也许我该出门做点什么，但宅女这个诅咒实在把我束缚的太紧了，我很难脱身啦。
再看看周围，全都是沙，天气更是可怕的不用说，温度都是摄氏四十度左右。
叫我去海边作日光浴，简直就是要了我的老命！真不了那些老外干吗那么爱晒太阳呗，难怪那么容易得皮肤病。
再说，本姑娘我要是真的晒黑了，可是会变得像村姑的，所以我才不干呢！
想晚上到公寓的泳池游泳，唉，那泳池看了连我都想跳楼，水面上浮着的都是沙。
天啊！这国家除了沙就没别的东西了！
这里除了沙，最多的就是购物商场了，但我实在是不想变成败家女啦，所以都没什么出门消费。
再说，这里东西都蛮贵的，选择又不多，我真的是买不下手啦。
朋友吗？最近都比较少跟他们联络了，是我的懒惰个性使然。但我不是没努力啊。
就拿住我家隔壁的朋友来说好了，每次说要来我家都没来，次次都是我去她家，煮好的菜拿去她家就我一个人吃，因为她已经吃过了，这不是很无聊吗？
当然我自己也不是完全无错的，每次她们找我时，我都在睡觉，但也没办法啊，我的生活作息就是跟别人不同。
唉，教教我该怎么办？
Sunday, June 29, 2008
妈呀~！
我的肚子里住了个妖怪，长多大了我不知道，但是经常会听到它因为饿了而咆哮。
明明才刚吃饱，一下下有听到它饿了的声音。
不是普通的咕噜咕噜叫哦，它都会咯咯咯的，而且还很大声。
不知道是不是过期食品吃太多了，肚子里养了个什么样的怪物。
明明才刚吃饱，一下下有听到它饿了的声音。
不是普通的咕噜咕噜叫哦，它都会咯咯咯的，而且还很大声。
不知道是不是过期食品吃太多了，肚子里养了个什么样的怪物。
Saturday, June 28, 2008
瞎扯
人啊，无所事事，游手好闲的时候，就会靠着回忆，赖以生存。
可悲吧。
而且回忆越是甜蜜，越是开心，就更显得现在的悲伤，寂寞。
但换个角度想，若回忆是苦涩的，那就会越满足于现状。
若以前和现在没什么差别，没什么大起大落，应该就没能悟出人生的真谛吧。
你属于哪一种呢？
可悲吧。
而且回忆越是甜蜜，越是开心，就更显得现在的悲伤，寂寞。
但换个角度想，若回忆是苦涩的，那就会越满足于现状。
若以前和现在没什么差别，没什么大起大落，应该就没能悟出人生的真谛吧。
你属于哪一种呢？
Friday, June 27, 2008
I wonder
What if the person you love calls you everyday only because she is thinking of someone else?
She's only calling because she feels guilty. Or confused. She just wants to hear your voice just so she can become more confident in this relationship?
What would you do?
Would you continue to bath in the bliss of deception or are you sober enough to detect this little act of unfaithfulness?
She's only calling because she feels guilty. Or confused. She just wants to hear your voice just so she can become more confident in this relationship?
What would you do?
Would you continue to bath in the bliss of deception or are you sober enough to detect this little act of unfaithfulness?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Random things going through my mind...
Yippee~!!
They finally fixed my room ceiling lights yesterday! I no longer have to live in the dark anymore, relying solely on my bedside lamp. Problem is, they left a mess behind - wire butts and dust everywhere. But I'm still happy, cos 3 months of light-deprived months had made me a more lenient person ^_^
My ulcer under my upper lip is killing me though. Everytime my tongue touches it, I feel like my heart wrenches so much I'm going into cardiac arrest. Guess my threshold for pain isn't very high huh. Seriously my body is so heaty right now I have breakouts in my face as well! This is when I have to get my mom's herbals out.
I'm getting sick of how he keeps haunting me like a ghost from the past! Well, he is a ghost from the past if you think about it. Even if I exhaust all my brain juices trying to get an answer, I would never get it just by thinking about it myself. I have already talked to two of my girl friends, the opinions are one negative and one positive so far. I think I need a guy's view next. It's not gonna amount to anything even if I get the answer from he himself, but at least then I will stop thinking about it. It's pointless, I know but I just can't help myself.
They finally fixed my room ceiling lights yesterday! I no longer have to live in the dark anymore, relying solely on my bedside lamp. Problem is, they left a mess behind - wire butts and dust everywhere. But I'm still happy, cos 3 months of light-deprived months had made me a more lenient person ^_^
My ulcer under my upper lip is killing me though. Everytime my tongue touches it, I feel like my heart wrenches so much I'm going into cardiac arrest. Guess my threshold for pain isn't very high huh. Seriously my body is so heaty right now I have breakouts in my face as well! This is when I have to get my mom's herbals out.
I'm getting sick of how he keeps haunting me like a ghost from the past! Well, he is a ghost from the past if you think about it. Even if I exhaust all my brain juices trying to get an answer, I would never get it just by thinking about it myself. I have already talked to two of my girl friends, the opinions are one negative and one positive so far. I think I need a guy's view next. It's not gonna amount to anything even if I get the answer from he himself, but at least then I will stop thinking about it. It's pointless, I know but I just can't help myself.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Can you believe this?
Just came back from a Kolkata flight yesterday. Yeah it was formerly known as Calcutta.
I checked the flight info after I was pulled out. It was only a 4.5-hour flight. So I thought it would be easy, although I was definitely gonna face in du ren on this flight. And I heard the hotel there is amazing. The only catch was the layover was only a friggin' 13 hours.
I guess I was too naive, or I wasn't very lucky that day.
As usual, those fuckin' in du ren kept making me running back and forth to get them stuff. When I was busy, I just replied I would get back to them and forgot all about it. And when I finally got back to them, someone else had already got them what they wanted cos I think they just ask every crew who passed by. So I just didn't get back to them anymore cos it was just a waste of my time, seriously! I mean, I went back to a pax to give her the meal after she asked me to get rid of the chicken nuggets for her cos she was vegetarian only to find that another crew had already given it to her. And I returned to give a mother the baby food that she asked for but she too was already given one. What the fuck! So I was actually runnin' up and down the aisle for nothin'!
The most infuriating thing on this flight was the brats. I'm referring to their kids here. I tell you, most in du ren's kids are about the most un-adorable and horrible things I have ever encountered in my life. Think I'm biased here? Well then, have a listen.
An arabic mother came onboard with 3 kids (2 boys and 1 girl) and sat right on FOUR seats that didn't belong to her. The kids looked in du ren (IDR) though. Maybe she married an IDR-Muslim, I dunno. Okay, let's call them Family A.
Later, the original owners of the seats came. It was a lady with a baby and a little girl. We'll call them Family B. She was being quite understanding if you ask me. She was willing to wait for a while for them to sort out the seats when Family A refused to move.
After a while, Family B became indignant though. Cos well if you think about it, it was their seats after all. Why should they wait? She began to argue with the arabic lady. A few of us crew tried to talk Family A into moving but they just wouldn't budge. Even the senior stewardess came but it was still hard to get them to move.
Finally, the arabic lady asked her eldest son, who was around 7 or 8 years old, to move into their original seat. He was reluctant and was cursing in their own language the whole time. And he even raised his voice at his mom. The mom didn't say anything, which I think contributes to their kid's bad behaviour. Anyway, the little girl from Family B sat next to Family A in the end.
When I was giving out toys, the eldest son from Family A said,"Thank you, auntie. Give to my sister as well." Then as an afterthought, he said abruptly,"But don't give to the little sister!" I think he meant the little girl from the other family who kicked him outta the seat just now. True enough, he even went to the extent to pull out his sis into the aisle and told me,"Only this is my little sister."
You know, I don't mind if they call me auntie. IDR kids call every lady they see auntie. I know a lot of young ladies are offended when IDR kids call them that but I'm not one of them. I can only say that I've given up. I mean, why get stressed about something as stupid as that?
But I was uber-disgusted at the little boy's vindictive behaviour. He was only what, 7 or 8 years old? And already he was feeling vengeful toward others and showing it as well? The toys was for everyone and he actually asked me not to give it to them.
And they kept standing up when the aircraft was taking off. I had to turn around in my jumpseat and shout at them to sit down. They were even running around in the aisle when we were doing service with carts. Another crew told the kids firmly to sit down but it didn't work. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and told their mom as assertively as I could,"M'am, you need to keep them in their seats cos we can't work like this!" She just nodded but I couldn't see any efforts from her to try and do anything.
Then when we were securing the cabins before landing, all the IDR passengers stood up like it was during boarding. Can you believe it? ALL of them stood up and opened the hatracks to get their bags out! And we were like, 37 000 feet up in the air with potential turbulence hitting soon.
When I was securing my area, the paxs had multiple big bags either on the floor or on the seats. I was thinking in disbelief,"What, they think they can keep those in their seats for landing?" So i told them to put it back into the hatracks because it wasn't safe like that. They acted a bit blank. I actually told them to their faces that,"Yeah you HAVE to put those bags up right now cos we are landing. I don't understand why you take them all out cos you're gonna have to put them back up again. So please put them back NOW."
And I actually went back 3 or 4 times to personally buckle the seatbelts of those confounding Family A kids. But hell they just couldn't stop getting up! When 2 of them were suffering from pain because of blocked ears, I was actually sneering inside, thinking,"Serves you right, you brats! I hope that can immobilize you till we land!" But no such luck, they were still alive and walking around during landing.
Anyway, I could go on forever talking about them. But I'm not gonna do that now cos I'm getting tired of talking about those fuckin' bastards. And it makes me depressed anyway. So guess I'll stop cursing them for now.
I checked the flight info after I was pulled out. It was only a 4.5-hour flight. So I thought it would be easy, although I was definitely gonna face in du ren on this flight. And I heard the hotel there is amazing. The only catch was the layover was only a friggin' 13 hours.
I guess I was too naive, or I wasn't very lucky that day.
As usual, those fuckin' in du ren kept making me running back and forth to get them stuff. When I was busy, I just replied I would get back to them and forgot all about it. And when I finally got back to them, someone else had already got them what they wanted cos I think they just ask every crew who passed by. So I just didn't get back to them anymore cos it was just a waste of my time, seriously! I mean, I went back to a pax to give her the meal after she asked me to get rid of the chicken nuggets for her cos she was vegetarian only to find that another crew had already given it to her. And I returned to give a mother the baby food that she asked for but she too was already given one. What the fuck! So I was actually runnin' up and down the aisle for nothin'!
The most infuriating thing on this flight was the brats. I'm referring to their kids here. I tell you, most in du ren's kids are about the most un-adorable and horrible things I have ever encountered in my life. Think I'm biased here? Well then, have a listen.
An arabic mother came onboard with 3 kids (2 boys and 1 girl) and sat right on FOUR seats that didn't belong to her. The kids looked in du ren (IDR) though. Maybe she married an IDR-Muslim, I dunno. Okay, let's call them Family A.
Later, the original owners of the seats came. It was a lady with a baby and a little girl. We'll call them Family B. She was being quite understanding if you ask me. She was willing to wait for a while for them to sort out the seats when Family A refused to move.
After a while, Family B became indignant though. Cos well if you think about it, it was their seats after all. Why should they wait? She began to argue with the arabic lady. A few of us crew tried to talk Family A into moving but they just wouldn't budge. Even the senior stewardess came but it was still hard to get them to move.
Finally, the arabic lady asked her eldest son, who was around 7 or 8 years old, to move into their original seat. He was reluctant and was cursing in their own language the whole time. And he even raised his voice at his mom. The mom didn't say anything, which I think contributes to their kid's bad behaviour. Anyway, the little girl from Family B sat next to Family A in the end.
When I was giving out toys, the eldest son from Family A said,"Thank you, auntie. Give to my sister as well." Then as an afterthought, he said abruptly,"But don't give to the little sister!" I think he meant the little girl from the other family who kicked him outta the seat just now. True enough, he even went to the extent to pull out his sis into the aisle and told me,"Only this is my little sister."
You know, I don't mind if they call me auntie. IDR kids call every lady they see auntie. I know a lot of young ladies are offended when IDR kids call them that but I'm not one of them. I can only say that I've given up. I mean, why get stressed about something as stupid as that?
But I was uber-disgusted at the little boy's vindictive behaviour. He was only what, 7 or 8 years old? And already he was feeling vengeful toward others and showing it as well? The toys was for everyone and he actually asked me not to give it to them.
And they kept standing up when the aircraft was taking off. I had to turn around in my jumpseat and shout at them to sit down. They were even running around in the aisle when we were doing service with carts. Another crew told the kids firmly to sit down but it didn't work. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore and told their mom as assertively as I could,"M'am, you need to keep them in their seats cos we can't work like this!" She just nodded but I couldn't see any efforts from her to try and do anything.
Then when we were securing the cabins before landing, all the IDR passengers stood up like it was during boarding. Can you believe it? ALL of them stood up and opened the hatracks to get their bags out! And we were like, 37 000 feet up in the air with potential turbulence hitting soon.
When I was securing my area, the paxs had multiple big bags either on the floor or on the seats. I was thinking in disbelief,"What, they think they can keep those in their seats for landing?" So i told them to put it back into the hatracks because it wasn't safe like that. They acted a bit blank. I actually told them to their faces that,"Yeah you HAVE to put those bags up right now cos we are landing. I don't understand why you take them all out cos you're gonna have to put them back up again. So please put them back NOW."
And I actually went back 3 or 4 times to personally buckle the seatbelts of those confounding Family A kids. But hell they just couldn't stop getting up! When 2 of them were suffering from pain because of blocked ears, I was actually sneering inside, thinking,"Serves you right, you brats! I hope that can immobilize you till we land!" But no such luck, they were still alive and walking around during landing.
Anyway, I could go on forever talking about them. But I'm not gonna do that now cos I'm getting tired of talking about those fuckin' bastards. And it makes me depressed anyway. So guess I'll stop cursing them for now.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A Song to Sing
Goodbye four leaf clovers
Hello gone awry
Don't cry the fight ain't over
Unless you let it pass you by
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just looking for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin of me oooh...
You'll been thinking of me
All that I have found in reason
Is reason just to not believe
And all that you are left is treason
Is treason just to let it be
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just lookin' for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin' of
These blue yonder dreams and second hand shoes
You're so far gone that you're left to lose and
It's too late to go home all alone
You're the tar in that old cigar
And the worn out cable on a cable car
And you're too tired to admit you've got to choose
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just looking for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin of me ooh...
You'll been thinking of me
It's a song by Hanson from their album This Time Around.
Brings me heartache every single time I listen to it.
I dunno how they did it, the three of them must have been between the ages 15-20 when they wrote it. But it sounds like some old guy lookin' back on his wretched life and wonderin' what could it have been.
Every word is heart-wrenching.
A large part of the album is pretty upbeat. Their usual sugary pop-rock at the time, which is why this song was even more of a contrast compared to the rest of it.
Trust me.
Taylor's voice isn't flawless. In fact, I think it's heavily flawed. But it's what makes his expression of sad songs even more believable. The way his voice was breaking when singing this song actually broke my heart as well.
I don't even know why I'm writing this.
Lately, well, I've always have it. A wave of nostalgia swept over me and I kept wanting to have a copy of that album in my laptop. I used to have a cassette tape version of it when I was in high school. But I can't put that into my laptop, can I?
So thanks to technology and the generous people who uploaded it online, I was finally able to download it.
It was like the sounds of my youth.
Haha I sound like an old wretch myself, don't I? Okay I know I am not that old but I am not young anymore either.
The longer you live, the more memories you're gonna have.
I finally understand that.
So anyway, nostalgia, to me, is always a sad thing.
People often say "both happy and sad memories".
Truth is, sad and dark feelings often etch themselves onto your heart much deeper than happy ones.
I'm not a pessimistic person. It's just the way things are.
And I'm not even talking about specific memories when I'm listening to this song. It's just a song that makes me sad.
But I like it.
It's one of my favourites in the album.
Now if you'll please excuse me and my melancholy thoughts.
Hello gone awry
Don't cry the fight ain't over
Unless you let it pass you by
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just looking for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin of me oooh...
You'll been thinking of me
All that I have found in reason
Is reason just to not believe
And all that you are left is treason
Is treason just to let it be
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just lookin' for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin' of
These blue yonder dreams and second hand shoes
You're so far gone that you're left to lose and
It's too late to go home all alone
You're the tar in that old cigar
And the worn out cable on a cable car
And you're too tired to admit you've got to choose
I'm looking for a song to sing
Looking for a friend to borrow
I'm looking for my radio
So I might find a heart to follow
I've never been this longing for your lovin'
I've never been just wearin' down to nothin'
I've never been just looking for a reason
So that maybe you'll be thinkin of me ooh...
You'll been thinking of me
It's a song by Hanson from their album This Time Around.
Brings me heartache every single time I listen to it.
I dunno how they did it, the three of them must have been between the ages 15-20 when they wrote it. But it sounds like some old guy lookin' back on his wretched life and wonderin' what could it have been.
Every word is heart-wrenching.
A large part of the album is pretty upbeat. Their usual sugary pop-rock at the time, which is why this song was even more of a contrast compared to the rest of it.
Trust me.
Taylor's voice isn't flawless. In fact, I think it's heavily flawed. But it's what makes his expression of sad songs even more believable. The way his voice was breaking when singing this song actually broke my heart as well.
I don't even know why I'm writing this.
Lately, well, I've always have it. A wave of nostalgia swept over me and I kept wanting to have a copy of that album in my laptop. I used to have a cassette tape version of it when I was in high school. But I can't put that into my laptop, can I?
So thanks to technology and the generous people who uploaded it online, I was finally able to download it.
It was like the sounds of my youth.
Haha I sound like an old wretch myself, don't I? Okay I know I am not that old but I am not young anymore either.
The longer you live, the more memories you're gonna have.
I finally understand that.
So anyway, nostalgia, to me, is always a sad thing.
People often say "both happy and sad memories".
Truth is, sad and dark feelings often etch themselves onto your heart much deeper than happy ones.
I'm not a pessimistic person. It's just the way things are.
And I'm not even talking about specific memories when I'm listening to this song. It's just a song that makes me sad.
But I like it.
It's one of my favourites in the album.
Now if you'll please excuse me and my melancholy thoughts.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Relaxing in Johannesburg
Was pulled out to Joburg back to back, twice in a row. Hotel room heater didn't work and I was freezing like hell. The only solace is the big beautiful window in the room. When the sunlight was streaming in at sunset, I truly felt like I was in heaven, sprawled in the reading couch with my laptop.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Dubai...everything to complain about
Okay, this will be the last of today's many entries.
Did I mentioned the ceiling lights in my room are dead?
For 3 whole months.
I used to change the light bulbs myself but this time they simply don't light up at all. So I guessed probably the wires or the head had burnt.
In the beginning, I always call them to tell them which days I'd be in for them to come repair it. But they never came when I was home.
Then a really nice security guard tried out the bulbs for me and confirmed that there's nothing wrong with my light bulbs and he will write about it in the maintenance report.
After a couple of weeks, still no one came.
Then one day, an electrician came up to take a look at it. I told him it's something else cos there's nothing wrong with the bulbs. He looked a bit blank but he kept saying "yes yes yes". I doubted that he did and asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?" Again he answered yes and left. I asked him would he be coming back and he said yes. So I left the door open for him.
30 minutes later, the door was still opened but the electrician was nowhere to be seen. By now, I had given up trying to get them to work. A few minutes later, a guard called me and asked whether the repairman came up to fix my lights. I told him what happened. He blamed me for not telling the repairman what is wrong with the lights. I got really mad and retorted that I did and made sure that he understood me. Apparently, he said yes although he didn't understand anything at all. How was that my fault?
Since then, I have never asked them to come fix the lights. Especially this month when I'm on reserve, I dunno when is my day off until 2 days before.
A coupla weeks ago, security called again and asked whether they could send someone up to fix it. I replied groggily but sharply, "No. I'm sleeping."
I mentioned it to my friend next door and she said they also called her. But she waited for them the whole day and no one came at all.
That's why I tell everyone, if you have a better choice, don't ever come and live in Dubai. You will suddenly morph into a heart attack patient. That is, if you don't become limp getting rammed by a trolley pushed by an Indian or Arabic while doing grocery shopping. Or become clubbing-phobic because of being constantly hit on by sleazy Lebanese, Indians or Arabics here.
Did I mentioned the ceiling lights in my room are dead?
For 3 whole months.
I used to change the light bulbs myself but this time they simply don't light up at all. So I guessed probably the wires or the head had burnt.
In the beginning, I always call them to tell them which days I'd be in for them to come repair it. But they never came when I was home.
Then a really nice security guard tried out the bulbs for me and confirmed that there's nothing wrong with my light bulbs and he will write about it in the maintenance report.
After a couple of weeks, still no one came.
Then one day, an electrician came up to take a look at it. I told him it's something else cos there's nothing wrong with the bulbs. He looked a bit blank but he kept saying "yes yes yes". I doubted that he did and asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?" Again he answered yes and left. I asked him would he be coming back and he said yes. So I left the door open for him.
30 minutes later, the door was still opened but the electrician was nowhere to be seen. By now, I had given up trying to get them to work. A few minutes later, a guard called me and asked whether the repairman came up to fix my lights. I told him what happened. He blamed me for not telling the repairman what is wrong with the lights. I got really mad and retorted that I did and made sure that he understood me. Apparently, he said yes although he didn't understand anything at all. How was that my fault?
Since then, I have never asked them to come fix the lights. Especially this month when I'm on reserve, I dunno when is my day off until 2 days before.
A coupla weeks ago, security called again and asked whether they could send someone up to fix it. I replied groggily but sharply, "No. I'm sleeping."
I mentioned it to my friend next door and she said they also called her. But she waited for them the whole day and no one came at all.
That's why I tell everyone, if you have a better choice, don't ever come and live in Dubai. You will suddenly morph into a heart attack patient. That is, if you don't become limp getting rammed by a trolley pushed by an Indian or Arabic while doing grocery shopping. Or become clubbing-phobic because of being constantly hit on by sleazy Lebanese, Indians or Arabics here.
Dubai Taxi
If you call Dubai Taxi, after the welcoming message and you are put on hold, you'll hear, "We apologize for the wait. All our customer service agents are busy. Please hold and we will be with you shortly. Your call is important to us....."
After you request for the taxi, it will probably take them at least 20 minutes to send it. Sometimes they are late for a few hours. Sometimes they don't show up at all.
I missed a clinic appointment once because of that. There were also numerous times when the taxi just didn't show up on time at all. And may I tell you that it is very hard to get a taxi in my area. My apartment building is in the middle of a sand-pit, surrounded by buildings still under construction. Therefore I can't just go downstairs and hail a cab, unless I am lucky or I wait till another taxi comes up to drop off passengers.
I have tried calling them an hour or even two before but sometimes they are still late or they play a no-show. But if you tell them you are going somewhere far away, then they will show up on time or even early cos they will earn more. Can't really blame the taxi drivers either. They have no basic salaries.
If the place you are going is having a traffic jam (Dubai roads are jammed up 24/7), then they will refuse to take you. Or they will pretend that they dunno the way. Or they will take the long way where there is no congestion but you will have to pay extra. Some cab drivers are just plain rude and you can actually feel your blood pressure rising rapidly as you are talking to them.
There's a supermarket near my place which is about a 15-minute walk away. I seldom go out so whenever I do, I will buy a lot at one go. Problem is, after having a whole trolley full of heavy groceries, there's no way I can walk home. But at this supermarket, there are virtually no taxis. Even if you are lucky enough to spot the odd taxi coming through the parking lot to drop off passengers, they probably won't take you cos they know you wanna go back to somewhere nearby. They didn't wanna waste their time only to earn AED6.
That's why sometimes I had to wait 2 hours before getting a taxi or private cab because I am helpless.
If you call for a cab during peak hours, the operator will tell you they can't guarantee that there will be a taxi for you because it's extremely congested out there.
I really don't see how our calls are important to them.
After you request for the taxi, it will probably take them at least 20 minutes to send it. Sometimes they are late for a few hours. Sometimes they don't show up at all.
I missed a clinic appointment once because of that. There were also numerous times when the taxi just didn't show up on time at all. And may I tell you that it is very hard to get a taxi in my area. My apartment building is in the middle of a sand-pit, surrounded by buildings still under construction. Therefore I can't just go downstairs and hail a cab, unless I am lucky or I wait till another taxi comes up to drop off passengers.
I have tried calling them an hour or even two before but sometimes they are still late or they play a no-show. But if you tell them you are going somewhere far away, then they will show up on time or even early cos they will earn more. Can't really blame the taxi drivers either. They have no basic salaries.
If the place you are going is having a traffic jam (Dubai roads are jammed up 24/7), then they will refuse to take you. Or they will pretend that they dunno the way. Or they will take the long way where there is no congestion but you will have to pay extra. Some cab drivers are just plain rude and you can actually feel your blood pressure rising rapidly as you are talking to them.
There's a supermarket near my place which is about a 15-minute walk away. I seldom go out so whenever I do, I will buy a lot at one go. Problem is, after having a whole trolley full of heavy groceries, there's no way I can walk home. But at this supermarket, there are virtually no taxis. Even if you are lucky enough to spot the odd taxi coming through the parking lot to drop off passengers, they probably won't take you cos they know you wanna go back to somewhere nearby. They didn't wanna waste their time only to earn AED6.
That's why sometimes I had to wait 2 hours before getting a taxi or private cab because I am helpless.
If you call for a cab during peak hours, the operator will tell you they can't guarantee that there will be a taxi for you because it's extremely congested out there.
I really don't see how our calls are important to them.
The will to live
The other day, I came back from my 12-day leave to find my small potted plant lying dead. Well, it looked dead anyway. Shoulda taken a picture of it to show you what I mean. The leaves looked withered and the stems were not erect at all, as I said, it was just lying there lifeless.
I felt like I killed it.
Now, people always say it is bad to give a plant too much water, especially in an air-conditioned environment. But although the leaves looked withered, most of them hadn't turn yellow yet. So I thought why not.
Thus, I put a lot of water into the pot and went to bed.
8 hours later, I woke up to find one third of the stems were slowly beginning to stand up again. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I wouldn't have thought it only takes such a short time for it to recover. I was afraid that I can't save it after all but it worked.
The water was absorbed quickly. In just a few hours' time, the plant had soaked up the amount of water enough for 5 days. It was as though it was parched and thirsty. Well, I supposed it must have been.
By afternoon the next day, the plant was almost as good as when I left it 12 days ago.
Now it's even more robust than before. I guess what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger, aye.
I felt like I killed it.
Now, people always say it is bad to give a plant too much water, especially in an air-conditioned environment. But although the leaves looked withered, most of them hadn't turn yellow yet. So I thought why not.
Thus, I put a lot of water into the pot and went to bed.
8 hours later, I woke up to find one third of the stems were slowly beginning to stand up again. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I wouldn't have thought it only takes such a short time for it to recover. I was afraid that I can't save it after all but it worked.
The water was absorbed quickly. In just a few hours' time, the plant had soaked up the amount of water enough for 5 days. It was as though it was parched and thirsty. Well, I supposed it must have been.
By afternoon the next day, the plant was almost as good as when I left it 12 days ago.
Now it's even more robust than before. I guess what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger, aye.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
World's Worst HSBC Award
Where I come from, HSBC is a prestigious bank. It is also a reliable bank in many parts of the world.
However, HSBC in Dubai is unique.
It is so different from the rest that it stands out (like a sore thumb I might say). And once you have started becoming a customer, it is likely to be an unforgettable experience.
The day that we started our cabin crew training, the bank's representative came to our apartment and offered to open bank accounts for all of us. So there was no hassle...everything was taken care of. This is unheard of in Malaysia.
Then the credit cards arrived only after endless calls to the bank. Some of my friends who opened the bank account at the same time as I did haven't even received theirs. It had already been 9 months since. As you might have guessed, they have given up completely on getting their credit cards.
The most amazing thing is, they never send us our card statements. And when I told them about it, they replied saying that they already did. It also baffles me that I receive my bank account summary every month but never my card statements.
My friend also tried to complain to them about the card statements. But after doing so for a few times, she got really pissed. The final answer given by the customer officer over the phone was, "We have already sent it to you. We will try again but we can't promise you anything."
Right, no promises. If I remember correctly, no bank customers need any promises on getting their credit card statements delivered to them. It is simply the bank's job to ensure that it's done. It's their responsibility that isn't even worth mentioning. It's something that's taken for granted.
But right here in Dubai, it's the customer's own responsibility to make sure they pay their credit card bills on time WITHOUT having a statement. Cos if you don't pay on time, they will still charge you the interest while they have already saved a considerable amount of money (postage, printing, stationery fees) by not sending you your statement.
Recently, one of my friends here wanted to get a car. She needed to get her bank account summary printed out. So she went to HSBC and requested it. The bank charged her AED25 (RM23) for each printed page. She needed 3 pages.
Therefore, the World's Worst HSBC Award goes to Dubai HSBC.
P.S.: Even the main Internet service provider here doesn't send me the monthly bills. I have to call up their customer service line every single time I need to pay the bill. And each time, it would take them 10 to 20 minutes to answer because according to the automated voice recording, "all our customer service agents are busy at the moment". And the opening to the recording is "Welcome to Etisalat, we are here to make your life easier". I beg to differ, they are here to make our lives hell. See, they ban Skype and also another Korean communication software here. My belief is that they wanna monopoly the communication market here.
However, HSBC in Dubai is unique.
It is so different from the rest that it stands out (like a sore thumb I might say). And once you have started becoming a customer, it is likely to be an unforgettable experience.
The day that we started our cabin crew training, the bank's representative came to our apartment and offered to open bank accounts for all of us. So there was no hassle...everything was taken care of. This is unheard of in Malaysia.
Then the credit cards arrived only after endless calls to the bank. Some of my friends who opened the bank account at the same time as I did haven't even received theirs. It had already been 9 months since. As you might have guessed, they have given up completely on getting their credit cards.
The most amazing thing is, they never send us our card statements. And when I told them about it, they replied saying that they already did. It also baffles me that I receive my bank account summary every month but never my card statements.
My friend also tried to complain to them about the card statements. But after doing so for a few times, she got really pissed. The final answer given by the customer officer over the phone was, "We have already sent it to you. We will try again but we can't promise you anything."
Right, no promises. If I remember correctly, no bank customers need any promises on getting their credit card statements delivered to them. It is simply the bank's job to ensure that it's done. It's their responsibility that isn't even worth mentioning. It's something that's taken for granted.
But right here in Dubai, it's the customer's own responsibility to make sure they pay their credit card bills on time WITHOUT having a statement. Cos if you don't pay on time, they will still charge you the interest while they have already saved a considerable amount of money (postage, printing, stationery fees) by not sending you your statement.
Recently, one of my friends here wanted to get a car. She needed to get her bank account summary printed out. So she went to HSBC and requested it. The bank charged her AED25 (RM23) for each printed page. She needed 3 pages.
Therefore, the World's Worst HSBC Award goes to Dubai HSBC.
P.S.: Even the main Internet service provider here doesn't send me the monthly bills. I have to call up their customer service line every single time I need to pay the bill. And each time, it would take them 10 to 20 minutes to answer because according to the automated voice recording, "all our customer service agents are busy at the moment". And the opening to the recording is "Welcome to Etisalat, we are here to make your life easier". I beg to differ, they are here to make our lives hell. See, they ban Skype and also another Korean communication software here. My belief is that they wanna monopoly the communication market here.
The day I lost my mind
On reserve this month.
First they pulled me out from home standby to do a Johannesburg flight. Then they gave me an airport standby that lasted for 6 hours the very next day I returned from the Jo'burg flight. This is rare. The longest airport standby I'd known only lasts for 4.5 hours.
Didn't think I was gonna get pulled out again. At least not for another layover. At least not for another Jo'burg flight.
But I was.
Couldn't believe my bad luck.
On the way there, I was still feeling okay. As usual, it was a 24-hour layover. But around 2 hours before landing on the way back, I became agitated and angry.
A lazy crew who was imbecile enough to open a hatrack in my area and didn't close it while the aircraft was cruising pissed me off. The same crew who actually wanted to brush her teeth while we were just about to start blanket collection pissed me off. My own mistake pissed me off - I zoned out and started collecting blankets in that confounding crew's area. How could I be so inattentive? I ended up having to collect blankets in both areas due to my own negligence. Another crew used a giant plastic bag instead of the blanket collection bag and left the whole mountain at my door pissed me off. The damn thing couldn't fit into the lavatory and I had to get help while we were rushing to land pissed me off the most.
See, I got extremely pissed during that flight.
Then the company transport supervisor began talking rude to me when I arrived. When the bus driver said something to me and I couldn't understand it and he just waved his hand without explaining further, it finally set me off! I yelled, "Why do you people have to be so rude?!"
In the end, I found out that the driver was merely asking me whether I needed to go to the uniform laundry shop. I felt really bad and ashamed for taking it out on him. Especially when he was really understading and wasn't angry about it at all. I felt so bad and touched that I cried. I think it was because I was too tired and felt really broken.
Luckily, they crew scheduling people are humane enough to give me 2 days off now. And it's probably a bit weird cos I mentioned to my friends that I really enjoy airport standbys since it's normally only 3 hours and if you are not pulled out, then you get the whole day to yourself. Surprisingly, I get a lot of airport standbys this month.
First they pulled me out from home standby to do a Johannesburg flight. Then they gave me an airport standby that lasted for 6 hours the very next day I returned from the Jo'burg flight. This is rare. The longest airport standby I'd known only lasts for 4.5 hours.
Didn't think I was gonna get pulled out again. At least not for another layover. At least not for another Jo'burg flight.
But I was.
Couldn't believe my bad luck.
On the way there, I was still feeling okay. As usual, it was a 24-hour layover. But around 2 hours before landing on the way back, I became agitated and angry.
A lazy crew who was imbecile enough to open a hatrack in my area and didn't close it while the aircraft was cruising pissed me off. The same crew who actually wanted to brush her teeth while we were just about to start blanket collection pissed me off. My own mistake pissed me off - I zoned out and started collecting blankets in that confounding crew's area. How could I be so inattentive? I ended up having to collect blankets in both areas due to my own negligence. Another crew used a giant plastic bag instead of the blanket collection bag and left the whole mountain at my door pissed me off. The damn thing couldn't fit into the lavatory and I had to get help while we were rushing to land pissed me off the most.
See, I got extremely pissed during that flight.
Then the company transport supervisor began talking rude to me when I arrived. When the bus driver said something to me and I couldn't understand it and he just waved his hand without explaining further, it finally set me off! I yelled, "Why do you people have to be so rude?!"
In the end, I found out that the driver was merely asking me whether I needed to go to the uniform laundry shop. I felt really bad and ashamed for taking it out on him. Especially when he was really understading and wasn't angry about it at all. I felt so bad and touched that I cried. I think it was because I was too tired and felt really broken.
Luckily, they crew scheduling people are humane enough to give me 2 days off now. And it's probably a bit weird cos I mentioned to my friends that I really enjoy airport standbys since it's normally only 3 hours and if you are not pulled out, then you get the whole day to yourself. Surprisingly, I get a lot of airport standbys this month.
I met...Keanu Reeves!!!
Actually, his look alike.
One of my seniors actually resembles Keanu Reeves on a flight recently.
He was pulled out to do the flight so he was the last to arrive in the briefing room.
The moment he sauntered in, I couldn't help but stared. Really stared. And the corner of my lips just curved upwards as if they had a mind of their own.
Geez...can't believe my luck!
Later I discovered that depending on how close you see him from, he takes on his own looks when you are at a distance to talk face to face with him. But he looked 100% like KR from afar.
Whenever he walked into the galley I was working in and talked to me, I would flash him the brightest smile. I was looking forward to the return sector when he would work in the economy galley.
On the second day of the layover, a few of us crew went out to the city on the hotel shuttle bus. Him, too. Everything was fine and I was still looking forward to working with him the next day.
It was already dinner time when we got back at the hotel. Me and another 2 crew were planning to go to the seafood restaurant by the beach where we went the night before. One of the crew mentioned it to KR-lookalike and invited him to join us. At first, he didn't seem to interested in it and asked things like, "Is it expensive? Is it far? What did you eat there?". We told him how much we spent and the seafood platter there had mini lobsters, prawns, crabs, fish and calamari in it. On hearing this, he said to his friend, a crew from another flight, "Let's go, man!"
But later, they came down with another girl so that made 6 of us. The cab could only take 5, max. But KR was adamant about the driver taking all of us. Else we would take another cab. I was the one who asked the hotel to arrange the cab for us. And the driver was a nice middle-aged man who'd took us the night before. Me and the other 2 crew felt sorry for him.
Finally, after a few minutes of arguing, KR got it through his thick skull that taking all of us together was outta the question. Mainly because I prompted him by suggesting, "If you don't feel like going, it's ok, we can go by ourselves." Since he didn't look too happy already, I doubted he would enjoy the food there. But he insisted that he wanted to go and added, "But I wouldn't go with YOU", looking at us and the driver who refused his request.
So we all got into the cabs and stopped by a DVD shop before heading to the restaurant.
Me and the other 2 crew were just talking about never ordering any western food like pasta or pizza there. It was Colombo after all. If we had wanted those, we could have it in Dubai. We decided we should have some authentic spicy local food. But Mr-No-Common-Sense KR-lookalike didn't seem to think that way. He ordered pizza.
And that was when the real nightmare began.
He took one bite of the pizza and groaned, claiming that it tasted like cheese on toast and summoned the waiter over to ask whether there would be a discount. When the seafood platter arrived, he complained that the seafood buffet in Marriott Hotel in Dubai is a lot better. C'mon, the buffet costs around AED200 whereas the platter in Colombo is only AED60. How is it fair to compare the two?!? Later, he kept on pestering the waiter to make the confounding pizza FOC.
OMG, the shame. And he was the one earning more than everyone of us at the table.
Later, a crew tried the pizza to see how bad it was. She agreed that it didn't taste that hot. Then I tried. KR looked at me expectantly in order to get a negative answer from me. I told him to stop looking at me like that so I can enjoy the food. After I finished, I said that pizza probably wasn't their forte here.
After they finished their meal, KR suggested it was time for bed. We were gonna stay a bit longer because I ordered another dish just for myself. So we told them to go back first in case they wanna rest early, but of course it was entirely up to them. But KR made it look like we forced them to leave. At that point, I really didn't care. Got sick of him and his drama.
At first, me and a gay crew joining us for dinner thought Mr KR-lookalike was simply dashing but now we knew better.
As a man, he didn't take things very cool huh.
Best layover, Worst flight
Yeah that was what happened to me on my Toronto flight.
Right, I finally set my feet on the Canadian soil.
Been requesting it every month and finally got it.
I've heard that the flight on the way there is bad because it's full of demanding in du ren.
But I didn't expect it to be HORRIBLE! HELLISH! EXCRUCIATING!
14 hours. That was how long it was. I actually worked non-stop for 10.5 hours.
We had horizontal rest for 3.5 hours each.
By non-stop, I mean NON-STOP.
The moment I walked through the cabin, 10 paxs would ask me for something. When I went back to give them what they requested,another 10 paxs would stop me. It was a VICIOUS cycle!
My senior finally thought it was too much for me and asked me to take a breather. I told her I would love to, but I can't because it went onand on and on and on and on...
On top of that, many of the passengers were not only demanding but impatient as well. They will grab my arm and kept asking for things.I felt like I was running all over the aircraft like a mad woman! Seriously!
On a happier note, a passenger actually stopped me to tell me that I did a great job ^_^
At first, I thought he meant the whole team. But later when I was passing by and he was talking to my colleague, he actually pointed me out and said it again. I was both embarrassed and happy. He was asking me how was I able to do that, it was amazing. Well, at least my hard work paid off and a passenger actually appreciated it. And my wonderful senior was so kind that she made appraisals for 3 of us whom she thought worked really hard, just to let our managers know we did a great job.
By the time I arrived at the hotel, I was completely beaten. I felt like sleeping with all my make-up on and I am a person who always removes her make-up no matter what. Well, I did, in the end. I didn't even shower though. I felt sore from head to toe, literally.
Next morning when I was taking a shower, there was a weird sensation on the sole of my left foot. Straight away I suspected my skin there must be peeling. True enough, when I checked after the shower, a patch of skin the size of a 50sen coin was coming loose but it didn't actually peel yet. So I had to tear it open and peel it away. I also peeled another patch of skin on my big toe as well.Then I had breakfast with another crew and went out to Niagara Falls with a group of crew, including the Purser (head steward/stewardess).
The Purser was a really nice guy. I did a Zurich flight with him once. Thanks to his planning, we rented an SUV and he drove us to the Falls. Although there was a bit of hitches in the beginning because we didn't know the way, we still managed to get there safely and quite quickly. Best thing was, each of us only paid $20 for the car (there were 8 of us) and another $3 for the parking at Niagara.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I finally saw the Falls! I couldn't even believe that I was actually there. If it hasn't been for this job, I don't think I would ever be able to go there at all! Or maybe not so soon. And now I even have free accommodation and ride! Well, I had to work my way there. But it was worth it. However, I don't think I'll ever do that flight again cos it was a real killer. I've seen the Niagara Falls so that's it.
Weather was simply lovely! We were in luck cos I heard it was still rainy and cloudy a few days before. And the weather channel on Yahoo! says the highest temperature was only 8 or 9 degrees. But it was around 18 degrees in the afternoon so it wasn't that cold and I actually sweat a bit under my thick jacket and had to remove it sometimes.
It was a bit intimidating when looking at the Falls, actually. It was massive and it seemed like water was pouring down from everywhere. I imagined that my bones can be easily crushed if I were to fall over the barrier on the viewing bay.There was a lot of tulips in the area surrounding the Falls. Never before had I seen so many tulips together! Yellow, pink, red, orange, they were everywhere!And I'm telling ya, that place is huge! There were amusement parks, shops and aviary spread across the entire area.
After we were done with the Falls, we went to downtown Niagara. The houses that we passed by were simply amazing! All of them looked like dollhouses that I could previously only see on TV. It was so unreal. It was hard to imagine that people actually live inside but well, they do! There were farmhouses with trucks parked on the side; there were cosy cottages and also gigantic mansions.
Me and another Malaysian crew kept going OOH AAH WOW while looking out the window.
Now I finally understand why Canada is a popular place for retirement. It's full of wide open spaces and the country side is simply gorgeous! I would love to live there when I get old!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
What boredom can do to you
I think I'm gonna die of boredom one of these days.
And I think my laptop hard disk doesn't have long to live too, considering the rate I'm downloading things from the Internet.
I've been sitting in front of my laptop from dawn till dusk till my eyes bulge from radioactive waves just to watch dramas and read comics that I downloaded.
HELP ME!!!
This isn't the life I signed up for when I scribbled my signature on the flying contract!
I always feel that among all my friends, doesn't matter where I know them from - in high school, college, KL colleagues, or the friends I'm having in Dubai now; I am always the one being/feeling left out. I'm just a sore thumb that sticks out and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere.
When I try to tell my friends about it, they just don't wanna believe it. They think I'm this really outgoing and sociable person who's happy most of the time. I only try to be that way so that I don't stick out too much, to make it less obvious.
See, I'm always the one who doesn't know what's going on in my friends' lives. Maybe that's due to my own laziness as well. But sometimes when I do try, no one seems to have any time for me. My timing is always bad, I guess.
Since my last flight, I've tried to call my friends here who are having days off as well. But no one answered. So I just gave up and accepted the fact that I should lock myself up in my comfy bedroom and watch everything on my laptop till my eyes burn and dry out. And that's exactly what I am currently doing.
I've thought of going out on my own. But I woke up too late today and didn't feel like doing so anymore. And there's the money issue.
I realize that after 6 months of being here, and that includes 4 months of flying, I still haven't saved much. God, I still gotta save for the holiday my parents (mainly my Mom) wanna make later this year. And UAE Dirham is unfortunately on the fall these days. It's much more lower than Ringgit compared to when I first came here. No wonder I don't see any money whenever I convert it into RM.
Well, I shouldn't complain, at least it's still much better than what I can get back home. Counting my blessings here. Please give me the strength to stop complaining and start living.
Sometimes I'm so bored that I imagine how beautiful life would be if I suddenly get to know a fatally gorgeous Chinese guy here in Dubai with a heavenly personality and become really close friends. Of course there's the risk of falling in love with him and breaking my Shin Shyan's heart but I will try to control myself.
I've always wanted a, well, I dunno how to say it in English but in Mandarin it's 暧昧, relationship with a guy. It's like a vague relationship between friendship and love, if you know what I mean. I love that feeling so much cos one minute it feels like a knife is slicing through your heart and the next you just feel like the happiest girl in the universe just because that person pats you on the head or flashes you a million-dollar smile.
Shyan ended that vague relationship with me and stepped into the real thing too soon. That's the only regret I have with him. His reasoning was, if he liked me, then he shouldn't waste any time in letting me know that and start a steady relationship ASAP. Nah, no games, babe.
Otherwise, he's a dream. He tells me he loves me every single day. Not once a day but many times a day too. Our standard greeting during a phonecall is "Love you, laogong/laopo". Oh, and also "muack muack". He would just look at me while I'm still asleep and observe every little gesture I habitually make. Like, curling/uncurling my toes when I feel warm and comfy and a million other things that even I myself don't remember.
Geez, I think I talked too much. Those are supposed to be private right?
Anyhow, I know I'm being a greedy bitch but I still want my 暧昧 friend. Guess too much manga reading is contaminating my brain. But that will make life so damn more interesting ya know.
And I think my laptop hard disk doesn't have long to live too, considering the rate I'm downloading things from the Internet.
I've been sitting in front of my laptop from dawn till dusk till my eyes bulge from radioactive waves just to watch dramas and read comics that I downloaded.
HELP ME!!!
This isn't the life I signed up for when I scribbled my signature on the flying contract!
I always feel that among all my friends, doesn't matter where I know them from - in high school, college, KL colleagues, or the friends I'm having in Dubai now; I am always the one being/feeling left out. I'm just a sore thumb that sticks out and doesn't seem to fit in anywhere.
When I try to tell my friends about it, they just don't wanna believe it. They think I'm this really outgoing and sociable person who's happy most of the time. I only try to be that way so that I don't stick out too much, to make it less obvious.
See, I'm always the one who doesn't know what's going on in my friends' lives. Maybe that's due to my own laziness as well. But sometimes when I do try, no one seems to have any time for me. My timing is always bad, I guess.
Since my last flight, I've tried to call my friends here who are having days off as well. But no one answered. So I just gave up and accepted the fact that I should lock myself up in my comfy bedroom and watch everything on my laptop till my eyes burn and dry out. And that's exactly what I am currently doing.
I've thought of going out on my own. But I woke up too late today and didn't feel like doing so anymore. And there's the money issue.
I realize that after 6 months of being here, and that includes 4 months of flying, I still haven't saved much. God, I still gotta save for the holiday my parents (mainly my Mom) wanna make later this year. And UAE Dirham is unfortunately on the fall these days. It's much more lower than Ringgit compared to when I first came here. No wonder I don't see any money whenever I convert it into RM.
Well, I shouldn't complain, at least it's still much better than what I can get back home. Counting my blessings here. Please give me the strength to stop complaining and start living.
Sometimes I'm so bored that I imagine how beautiful life would be if I suddenly get to know a fatally gorgeous Chinese guy here in Dubai with a heavenly personality and become really close friends. Of course there's the risk of falling in love with him and breaking my Shin Shyan's heart but I will try to control myself.
I've always wanted a, well, I dunno how to say it in English but in Mandarin it's 暧昧, relationship with a guy. It's like a vague relationship between friendship and love, if you know what I mean. I love that feeling so much cos one minute it feels like a knife is slicing through your heart and the next you just feel like the happiest girl in the universe just because that person pats you on the head or flashes you a million-dollar smile.
Shyan ended that vague relationship with me and stepped into the real thing too soon. That's the only regret I have with him. His reasoning was, if he liked me, then he shouldn't waste any time in letting me know that and start a steady relationship ASAP. Nah, no games, babe.
Otherwise, he's a dream. He tells me he loves me every single day. Not once a day but many times a day too. Our standard greeting during a phonecall is "Love you, laogong/laopo". Oh, and also "muack muack". He would just look at me while I'm still asleep and observe every little gesture I habitually make. Like, curling/uncurling my toes when I feel warm and comfy and a million other things that even I myself don't remember.
Geez, I think I talked too much. Those are supposed to be private right?
Anyhow, I know I'm being a greedy bitch but I still want my 暧昧 friend. Guess too much manga reading is contaminating my brain. But that will make life so damn more interesting ya know.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
肚子会长虫哦。。。
发现最近我好像都在吃过期食物耶！
没办法啊，一去到超商看到食物，我的手就会不受控制的一直拿，拼命拿，死命拿，好像不用钱一样的疯狂抢购。唉，住在这种沙漠地带，有时真的会有错觉如果不买多一点的话，搞不好会饿死，其实也是懒惰出门所以一次过买多多啦。
最近已经有在控制了，可是有时还是会出纰漏的嘛。
前几天才刚消化掉过期三个月的水豆腐，而且煮好了之后还分了四五天吃哦，最后剩下一点点，忘了放冰箱，飞了三天后回来，已经长霉了，哈哈。不能怪我啦，迪拜的水豆腐不能吃的耶，根本都不水，干干的，还有一种酸味，我那过期的豆腐吃起来还比它新鲜！真的啦！
现在正在吃一包曲奇饼，牌子是 PEPPERIDGE FARM MILANO ORANGE，超~~~OISHII 的我跟你说！！！只是他三星期前就到期了啦，可是 COOKIES 这种东西啊，应该不要紧吧，还是蛮好吃的啊，只是有点漏风了而已，而且很贵哦！我怎么舍得丢掉呢！吃起来还是有种幸福的感觉哦！HONTO NI SHIAWASE NE！！！
没办法啊，一去到超商看到食物，我的手就会不受控制的一直拿，拼命拿，死命拿，好像不用钱一样的疯狂抢购。唉，住在这种沙漠地带，有时真的会有错觉如果不买多一点的话，搞不好会饿死，其实也是懒惰出门所以一次过买多多啦。
最近已经有在控制了，可是有时还是会出纰漏的嘛。
前几天才刚消化掉过期三个月的水豆腐，而且煮好了之后还分了四五天吃哦，最后剩下一点点，忘了放冰箱，飞了三天后回来，已经长霉了，哈哈。不能怪我啦，迪拜的水豆腐不能吃的耶，根本都不水，干干的，还有一种酸味，我那过期的豆腐吃起来还比它新鲜！真的啦！
现在正在吃一包曲奇饼，牌子是 PEPPERIDGE FARM MILANO ORANGE，超~~~OISHII 的我跟你说！！！只是他三星期前就到期了啦，可是 COOKIES 这种东西啊，应该不要紧吧，还是蛮好吃的啊，只是有点漏风了而已，而且很贵哦！我怎么舍得丢掉呢！吃起来还是有种幸福的感觉哦！HONTO NI SHIAWASE NE！！！
Saturday, March 15, 2008
房子
有时候，看着周围我凌乱不堪的房间，有一种奇妙的感觉。
整间房子超大的，住起来很舒服，但我几乎都不踏进客厅，因为那儿没电视。饭厅也很少用，都是躲进自己的房间里边用 LAPTOP 看 DVD 边吃东西。
感觉奇妙因为这房子即不是我的，也不是租的，但我就是能住在这里，纵使我把它布置得漂漂亮亮的，摆成我喜欢的样子，它终究不是我的。
想着想着，就觉得好寂寞。
不知道什么时候才能真正拥有一个属于自己的家呢？
这样讲好像突然之间老了几十岁吧 *笑*
最近比较有机会飞欧洲路线，常常会从窗外望进街上经过的屋子，尤其是天色稍微转暗的时候，一个个亮着金黄色灯光的窗口，跟外面的冷空气比起来真的好温暖哦！
觉得他们的房子面积并不大，但却布置的很有品味和风格，虽然并没有踏进过他们的家，可是从窗外也能看到各式各样的摆设和挂在墙上的画，很有艺术感。欧洲人高贵又有气质的 TASTE，应该遗传自他们的文化历史吧，看他们的建筑就知道了。
我最喜欢他们会在屋子里的任何角落摆着五彩缤纷的花花花草草，尤其是阳台或是窗边。这个时候差不多进入春天了，市集里都在卖那些五颜六色的花朵，光是看了就觉得很开心！看的我都好想把一盆盆的花抱回家，但听说它们只能耐三个月，然后要换土什么的，等到明年才又开花。唉，如果是我的话，还是算了吧！免得把花给弄死了。
好像有点越扯越远了，但就是好奇，将来我真正的家会是怎样的呢？
不需要很大，只要有温暖的感觉，有家的样子就够了。
整间房子超大的，住起来很舒服，但我几乎都不踏进客厅，因为那儿没电视。饭厅也很少用，都是躲进自己的房间里边用 LAPTOP 看 DVD 边吃东西。
感觉奇妙因为这房子即不是我的，也不是租的，但我就是能住在这里，纵使我把它布置得漂漂亮亮的，摆成我喜欢的样子，它终究不是我的。
想着想着，就觉得好寂寞。
不知道什么时候才能真正拥有一个属于自己的家呢？
这样讲好像突然之间老了几十岁吧 *笑*
最近比较有机会飞欧洲路线，常常会从窗外望进街上经过的屋子，尤其是天色稍微转暗的时候，一个个亮着金黄色灯光的窗口，跟外面的冷空气比起来真的好温暖哦！
觉得他们的房子面积并不大，但却布置的很有品味和风格，虽然并没有踏进过他们的家，可是从窗外也能看到各式各样的摆设和挂在墙上的画，很有艺术感。欧洲人高贵又有气质的 TASTE，应该遗传自他们的文化历史吧，看他们的建筑就知道了。
我最喜欢他们会在屋子里的任何角落摆着五彩缤纷的花花花草草，尤其是阳台或是窗边。这个时候差不多进入春天了，市集里都在卖那些五颜六色的花朵，光是看了就觉得很开心！看的我都好想把一盆盆的花抱回家，但听说它们只能耐三个月，然后要换土什么的，等到明年才又开花。唉，如果是我的话，还是算了吧！免得把花给弄死了。
好像有点越扯越远了，但就是好奇，将来我真正的家会是怎样的呢？
不需要很大，只要有温暖的感觉，有家的样子就够了。
Saturday, March 08, 2008
某年某月的某一天。。。
Cheryl ： 你不能再用 Baby Oil 来卸妆了啦！
偶 ： 为什么？！？很便宜噢！
Cheryl ： 因为“女人我最大”说了对皮肤不好丫。
偶 ： 是吗。。。为什么？
Cheryl ： 嗯。。。可能太油了吧。
偶 ： 可是如果婴儿擦了没事，大人用了应该也 OK 吧。
Cheryl ： 总之就别用了啦！！！
偶 ： 那用什么？
Cheryl ： 卸妆水丫！
偶 ： 噢，那最好最贵的卸妆“水”是不是 SHISEIDO 的？
Cheryl ： 那当然！
偶 ： 那个 SHISEIDO 卸妆的其实是油吧？
Cheryl ： 。。。。。
偶 ： SHISEIDO 的油又能用，BABY OIL 就不行哦？
Cheryl ： 。。。。。哎呀，不同的啦！！！
偶 ： ？？？
偶 ： 为什么？！？很便宜噢！
Cheryl ： 因为“女人我最大”说了对皮肤不好丫。
偶 ： 是吗。。。为什么？
Cheryl ： 嗯。。。可能太油了吧。
偶 ： 可是如果婴儿擦了没事，大人用了应该也 OK 吧。
Cheryl ： 总之就别用了啦！！！
偶 ： 那用什么？
Cheryl ： 卸妆水丫！
偶 ： 噢，那最好最贵的卸妆“水”是不是 SHISEIDO 的？
Cheryl ： 那当然！
偶 ： 那个 SHISEIDO 卸妆的其实是油吧？
Cheryl ： 。。。。。
偶 ： SHISEIDO 的油又能用，BABY OIL 就不行哦？
Cheryl ： 。。。。。哎呀，不同的啦！！！
偶 ： ？？？
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
My lovely flatmate who beats me at everything
I am the messiest and dirtiest person I know. But it seems like I've met my match - my flatmate.
Me vs My Flatmate
My room always looks like a tornado just hit it. Hers looks like 3 tornadoes, 1 hurricane and an earthquake just did.
I am pretty proud of my bathroom's tidyness so far. Hers has the trash bin overflowing with used tissues and some on the floor and feels like The Mask just spins through it.
I leave the dishes in the sink for days before I wash it. She throws tea leaves and food right down the hole and result in a sink blockage that I had to clear.
I make the fridge messy with all my food. She stains it with her leaky kimchi pack.
I only mop the floor when I have the mood. She never does and dirty the floor with black debris she got from God-knows-where.
I don't take out the garbage for days. She drops food on the floor and never picks them up until they stick to the floor and make it a real pain in the arse to clean.
I only clean when the house becomes unbearably dirty. She never cleans, makes a mess and never cleans up her own mess.
I am slow. She has no common sense.
I am 24. She is 27.
I can take care of myself cleanliness-wise. She displays extreme inability to do so.
I cleaned up when the kitchen became a garbage dump and smelled like a fish market that she had to close the door. She only thought of calling up the cleaners to clean up the mess she made that was a garbage dump and smelled like a fish market that she had to close the door.
I cleaned the entire living room and kitchen of our massive apartment. She asked for it to be divided into the living room and kitchen sections for us to clean it once a week.
After despatching the duties and she was on reserve (meaning she has a lot of idle time lazing around at home, and she really did laze around), she did not clean up her section as promised.
I left a note on her door that reads, "XX, pls remember to clean up the living room by tomorrow because we will start new duties by then". She replied by leaving a note on my door that says,"Hi, how are you. I'm sorry to say I couldn't clean the living room this week. I came back yesterday and felt sick. I'll clean as soon as I get back from the flight. Have a rest till I finish cleaning. See ya".
Right. I understand how little time she has when she's on a 12-hour home standby and she wasn't pulled out for any flights and two offdays afterward. She must be pretty damn busy during that time. Wonder what she did at home those 12 hours.
Enough said?
'Nough said.
Me vs My Flatmate
My room always looks like a tornado just hit it. Hers looks like 3 tornadoes, 1 hurricane and an earthquake just did.
I am pretty proud of my bathroom's tidyness so far. Hers has the trash bin overflowing with used tissues and some on the floor and feels like The Mask just spins through it.
I leave the dishes in the sink for days before I wash it. She throws tea leaves and food right down the hole and result in a sink blockage that I had to clear.
I make the fridge messy with all my food. She stains it with her leaky kimchi pack.
I only mop the floor when I have the mood. She never does and dirty the floor with black debris she got from God-knows-where.
I don't take out the garbage for days. She drops food on the floor and never picks them up until they stick to the floor and make it a real pain in the arse to clean.
I only clean when the house becomes unbearably dirty. She never cleans, makes a mess and never cleans up her own mess.
I am slow. She has no common sense.
I am 24. She is 27.
I can take care of myself cleanliness-wise. She displays extreme inability to do so.
I cleaned up when the kitchen became a garbage dump and smelled like a fish market that she had to close the door. She only thought of calling up the cleaners to clean up the mess she made that was a garbage dump and smelled like a fish market that she had to close the door.
I cleaned the entire living room and kitchen of our massive apartment. She asked for it to be divided into the living room and kitchen sections for us to clean it once a week.
After despatching the duties and she was on reserve (meaning she has a lot of idle time lazing around at home, and she really did laze around), she did not clean up her section as promised.
I left a note on her door that reads, "XX, pls remember to clean up the living room by tomorrow because we will start new duties by then". She replied by leaving a note on my door that says,"Hi, how are you. I'm sorry to say I couldn't clean the living room this week. I came back yesterday and felt sick. I'll clean as soon as I get back from the flight. Have a rest till I finish cleaning. See ya".
Right. I understand how little time she has when she's on a 12-hour home standby and she wasn't pulled out for any flights and two offdays afterward. She must be pretty damn busy during that time. Wonder what she did at home those 12 hours.
Enough said?
'Nough said.
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