I have this annoying fever that keeps coming and going for the past month. It's just a slight fever but the fact that it never really goes away even after I've taken medications really makes me mad! On top of that, I have flu too.
Went to the company clinic earlier this month to have it checked out. As it was only a very slight fever, they only gave me Lemsip, the kind that looks like Eno that you put into hot water and drink.
I was less than happy about that as I thought, well, I can get that myself from the pharmacy, if I want that, I'd have gone there and not to the doctor. But it was a slight fever, so I still took the medication anyway, just to see if it works.
The fever didn't go away completely and as I said, came back again on and off still. I already called sick once for a Mumbai flight because of this and the eve of yet another Mumbai flight, it came back again. Maybe even God doesn't want me to go there, I dunno. But I did it anyway. Can't call sick twice for the same flight, can I? Otherwise, they're gonna think I'm doing it on purpose.
Anyway, they already did, they give me another Mumbai flight again next month, on the exact same day of the month that I called sick. How evil is that? Geez.
Since the medication doesn't work, and because there've been some negative reviews about the healthcare facilities in Dubai, I decided to see a doctor in Kuala Lumpur the next time I fly there.
I was aware that I might be quarantined due to the recent swine flu outbreak but I seriously didn't think that was gonna happen. It was just a possibility.
I already made plans with my college friends to meet for Kajang satay. Have a sore throat which was getting worse so I thought I'd lay off it a bit and just have some drinks instead.
Was supposed to go see a doctor in Setapak and then get picked up by Wai Kiat at Evelyn's house.
However, the moment the doc got my temperature reading, he asked me to report to the Sungai Buloh Hospital straightaway. I was a bit taken aback. Sungai Buloh sounded really far away.
He didn't even wanna give me any medication for my sore throat. I hate sore throats.
I immediately informed Wai Kiat about it and discussed about the possibility of cancelling the meeting because I wouldn't wanna pass it to them if I really have H1N1.
Good ol' Wai Kiat still came to the clinic to meet me to see what happened. He's such a darling that he offered to give me a ride to the hospital. Initially I was doubtful about going, cos I had to fly back again the next day. It would cause a lot of problems if they quarantined me.
But Wai Kiat advised me that it's better to go than spreading the virus around. I felt sorry to let him send me there cos what if I really have it, then he might be infected as well. And I don't think I have it cos I don't have high fever. So why should I go there. But then again, I've read in the news that there was a guy who had it and didn't have any fever at all.
Wai Kiat asked me to get masks from the clinic first. I went to the nurse but they said they didn't have it, which is absurd. Which self-respecting clinics won't have any masks? Wai Kiat was surprised. But I couldn't do anything about it since that was their answer.
So I came out only to go back again to get some information about this hospital.
The moment I touched the glass door handle, the doc came out with his hands clad in surgical gloves and racing to get the door from me, immediately wiping the handles and I could smell disinfectant.
Then he said he would open the door for me and asked me not to touch anything else, saying that he had been disinfecting everything since I left. I didn't mind that, I understand it was a precaution.
Asked the doc about the contact details of the hospital and whether it was still opened. Yeah, stupid of me, I know. But I didn't think outpatient treatment opens 24 hours a day, which was normal. And I didn't know which category my case falls into, emergency or outpatient treatment.
Aside from knowing that the hospital opens 24 hours, the doc had no fucking idea any other info about the hospital, like, the contact details and how to get there.
What saddens me most is the attitude of the doc. Sure he was smiling and all but the way he was talking to me in gloves and disinfecting everything I touched was making a family of patients inside the clinic discriminating towards me. They were looking at me strangely. As a doctor, shouldn't he be more sensitive instead? And what's this that their clinic don't have any masks?
Wai Kiat asked the doc for masks and he gave it to us. I told him that his nurses didn't wanna give it to us earlier. He replied that they didn't know. Didn't know what? I know you don't simply give people free masks but if u don't sell it here, you can just tell me. How stupid are you to tell people that your clinic doesn't have a single pathetic mask?
Oh, and when the doc told me to go to the hospital, he asked me not to say that I went to his clinic cos they will all be quarantined as well.
And he himself told me that I must go to the hospital instead of spreading the virus around. If I was really infected and they were not quarantined too, imagine how much virus will go around! What kinda attitude is that for a doctor? Truly disgusting!
I'd never ever go back to that clinic again. There's another older doctor who's really good but he isn't always there. So I guess that's it for me.
Fortunately, Wai Kiat knows the hospital. We left for Sungai Buloh after I went back to the hotel to inform my Purser about everything. I even brought extra water and my contact lens case and solution just in case they needed to quarantine me there.
The swine flu unit was set up outside the hospital. A family of three was already there so I waited in line behind them.
Waited for 35 minutes and the medical personnel still haven't finished with them. Me and Wai Kiat went to look at some swine flu posters nearby. Then another personnel came to us and asked whether we were there to check for swine flu. He told us that we should have gone to the counter to tell them so we would be served. Wow, that meant we wasted 35 minutes for nothing!
See, me and Wai Kiat were there wearing masks so our visibility was no doubt higher than high. And the sign at the tent clearly stated that it was an area specially for suspected swine flu cases.
If I needed to go to the counter, the personnel who was serving the family could have told me when he saw me sitting there for a fucking half an hour! He could have at least ask why was I there! But he did nothing!
And the second personnel only came to ask us after a doctor told him to. Jesus! We could have been waiting there for a whole night without knowing what's going on!
It certainly isn't a good feeling knowing that you might have swine flu, and the people at the hospital certainly isn't making it any easier.
I wasn't afraid for myself but I was really worried about spreading it to the people I know.
Anyway, after gathering info about my signs & symptoms, medical and travel history, I was told to wait outside a room for the test.
Waited for a long, long time before I was called in and had a tongue swab done on me. A stick was inserted till the very back of my tongue and I felt like choking.
Doc put me on home quarantine for 24 hours the next day. If I received no calls from the hospital, that means that I'm cleared. It also means that I can't fly back with the other crew because of the timing.
We've been there for a whole 2 hours.
Poor Wai Kiat must be famished! He came to meet me straight after his badminton session and hadn't ate for at least 3.5 hours! Add to that that he runs the risk of being infected.
He said that it probably wasn't serious since I was being put on home quarantine. So we went to Jalan Ipoh to have dim sum.
I really dunno how to thank him. Wanted to pay for the meal, we both tried to give money to the waitress but as usual, the waitress only took money from the guy. Sigh.
Wai Kiat is genuinely a good friend. Can't put my gratitude into words. Anyway, must belanja him next time or buy a present for him.
Returned to the hotel and left a message for the Purser to call me once he woke up for the updates, that I can't fly back with them. He asked me to give him a copy of the quarantine form so that he can write a report on it.
I woke up really early and ordered room service, ready to start my day of being quarantined. Then called the hospital for the test results, if it was ready early, then I could still fly back on schedule.
Thank God and all my guardian angels that the result came back negative! Which means that I'm cleared. I have no H1N1.
But this fever is still bothering me. It's still here even after I took the medications they gave me.
The company clinic advised me to go in for a blood test if the fever still persists, just to see whether my red and white blood cells are normal.
I hope everything's fine.
God bless me. And Wai Kiat as well :)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
不要乱挖洞哦
发现吉隆坡金河广场六楼的售货员都蛮可爱的耶。
像我那天去血拼啊，看到一件裤子，想试但店家说不能试，那我就不买啦。他说一定合穿的，但我说我没穿过这类型的裤子，不知道好不好看，又不能试。
那个售货员的同事拿了我早前选好的衣服给我，我正在检查时，他跟我说，“这裤子没穿过就应该尝试看看嘛。”
我笑说，“问题是，我连试都不能试，你要我怎么尝试啊？”
他被我说的哑口无言。
唉，好端端的，干嘛自己挖洞自己跳啊，哈哈。
又一次，我看中一件上衣，但比那家店里其它的衣服贵，可是我倒觉得OK，因为它那种质料如果要在杜拜的话，一定要上百元，但这里才卖RM79。
我觉得价廉物美，总之就是平、靓、正就对了。
结帐时，售货员还问我，“这件衣服比较贵哦，你这样买，不觉得贵吗？照我看，应该是上面有刺绣的关系吧。”
我在心里窃笑。
“嗯，那有没有折扣啊？”
他有点为难的说，“我查一下喔。。。。嗯，有十巴仙，如果我老板问的话，就说你是常客，但只能给十巴仙而以啦。”
我当然说好啊，心想他也太可爱了吧，竟自己主动降价。
你觉得呢？
像我那天去血拼啊，看到一件裤子，想试但店家说不能试，那我就不买啦。他说一定合穿的，但我说我没穿过这类型的裤子，不知道好不好看，又不能试。
那个售货员的同事拿了我早前选好的衣服给我，我正在检查时，他跟我说，“这裤子没穿过就应该尝试看看嘛。”
我笑说，“问题是，我连试都不能试，你要我怎么尝试啊？”
他被我说的哑口无言。
唉，好端端的，干嘛自己挖洞自己跳啊，哈哈。
又一次，我看中一件上衣，但比那家店里其它的衣服贵，可是我倒觉得OK，因为它那种质料如果要在杜拜的话，一定要上百元，但这里才卖RM79。
我觉得价廉物美，总之就是平、靓、正就对了。
结帐时，售货员还问我，“这件衣服比较贵哦，你这样买，不觉得贵吗？照我看，应该是上面有刺绣的关系吧。”
我在心里窃笑。
“嗯，那有没有折扣啊？”
他有点为难的说，“我查一下喔。。。。嗯，有十巴仙，如果我老板问的话，就说你是常客，但只能给十巴仙而以啦。”
我当然说好啊，心想他也太可爱了吧，竟自己主动降价。
你觉得呢？
A little something to share
For those of you who don't know, the most preposterous things happen onboard an aircraft.
Perhaps because you are breathing recycled air at 35000 feet, you are stuck, have nowhere to go and can't really think straight (for some people anyway).
All you can do is eat, sleep and if the airline you are travelling with has an extensive selection of in-flight entertainment, engage yourself in an exciting movie or listen to some (hopefully soothing) music to calm your nerves.
Oh and observe the trolly-dollies while they are running around, hoping to find some faults with them.
I was operating a flight to Kuala Lumpur from Dubai a few days ago.
Departure was delayed for 1.5 hours. Some paxs were wondering about the reason, some getting impatient, and crew of course were even more frustrated, because we wanted to get to the destination ASAP so that we can SLEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Despite everything, we still tried our best to make paxs happy because if they are not, then they will make our lives hell during the flight. Believe me.
And of course for the reputation of our lovely company *smile coyly*
By the way, the flight was delayed because of a breakdown in the baggage system.
I was doing the bar after take-off and Pax A suddenly complained to me about the delay.
"Why is the flight delayed for one and a half hours? This is very bad. I'm gonna miss my connecting flight to Melbourne and have to stay overnight in Kuala Lumpur like you!"
I could understand the reason for his anger and frustration so I apologized,"I'm very sorry about that, sir. It was delayed because of a breakdown in the baggage system. So sorry about that, sir. Would you like to have any drinks?"
"No, I don't want anything."
"Then would you like any canapes (finger food) or mixed nuts?"
"Huh?"
"Any canapes or mixed nuts for you?"
"Mmmm.....anything."
Dissatisfied with the answer, I tried again. How would I know what "anything" is? Some pax tell you anything is okay but the minute they see someone else eating a different thing, they're gonna ask why didn't you offer that to them. And seeing that he was already irritated, I certainly didn't wanna set him off.
A lot of people don't know what canapes is as well, I didn't know before I was promoted to Business Class. Really don't understand why they give it such a fancy name, can't we just use English here?
Anyway, I tried to show him the bowl of canapes. You know when you are showing something to someone, you aren't sure whether or not they will take it so you don't just shove it into their face, out of courtesy.
"Sir, would you like some canapes or...." I was gonna show him the mixed nuts next.
But he said, "Okay, this one."
I passed it to him.
"Why are you scared to give it to me? The plane is delayed because all of you are doing this!" He was hinting that I was too slow, I guess.
And his expression didn't look like he was joking.
Initially, I was too bewildered to response because what he said was simply too ridiculous for words. Just because he couldn't do anything about the delay, he tried to pick something - anything, to make it our fault.
He couldn't scold the person in charge of the baggage system so he tried to take it out on us, the only face that he can see representing the company.
After pausing for like 2 seconds, I replied calmly, "Sir, I'm very sorry about what happened but the baggage system breakdown is beyond our control. And I didn't give you the canapes right away because I didn't know if you'd want it. I was trying to show it to you. And I'm sorry for the delay."
That seemed to embarass him and he shut up.
I certainly wasn't trying to embarass him or start an argument, I was just trying to make him see what really happened. He has a right to know as a paying passenger (and they pay a hefty sum to travel with us in Business Class).
I didn't want the flight to be delayed any more than he did.
Delays mean longer working hours and possible pax complaints and so long as the aircraft is still parked at the gate, we are not paid a single cent for it (uh-uh, no OT if the chock is still on). So why would we want it to be delayed? We would really sing Hallelujah!! if embarkation is done on time and the aircraft can just take off ASAP!
I gave extra attention to him and always checked on him for the remainder of the flight. But I think it was his unlucky day as well.
He wanted to buy 4 duty free items amounting to around AED3000 but NONE of them were available. I dunno whether it was the catering's fault or not as I wasn't the duty free operator that day. But the catering for that flight really didn't do their job well.
They didn't load enough 1.5 litre bottled water for us and didn't prepare the aircraft as they normally should. Not enough tumbler glasses either. We had to serve everything in wine glasses for the second half of the flight! And no more ice in Business Class as well for that same period of time.
Anyway, you can imagine how black was Pax A's face. I don't blame him. It was too much for a 6.5 hour flight. Gotta be extra careful now, anything could trigger an outburst. And he began to complain about the seats after a while.
Throughout everything, Pax B sitting next to him was fine.
He got the meal choice that he wanted. He was drinking red wine and I kept on replenishing it without being asked. He seemed happy with the service.
Towards the end of the flight, he pressed the attendant callbell so I went to answer it.
He wanted another small bottle of water. I promptly went back to the galley to get it but was told it had ran out.
So I went back to him with a glass of water and apologized for it. Telling him that just let me know if he needed anything else. He requested for a double shot of Baileys with ice.
I went back to the galley and remembered that we have closed all bars in Business. So I went down to the 2 galleys in Economy only to discover that all bars were closed.
Returned to Business Class galley and we had to open 1 bar. There was only 1 miniature Baileys inside. Dang. Went to the Economy galley again to get ice and finally back to the pax.
"I am very sorry, sir. There is only one Baileys left."
"It's ok."
He didn't seem to be mad or anything. If he had shown the slightest sign of being unhappy or dissatisfied, I would have opened other bars to get Baileys for him no matter what.
Approaching the top of descent, my colleague, Amanda was distributing hot towels. Pax B got hold of her and started going on about his list of complaints.
We eventually gave him a big bottle (1.5L) of water.
He also asked for a feedback form, which is, like, the most serious thing a pax can do if they wanna file a complaint.
The pax then proceeded to speak to the Purser. He told the Purser that he asked for a bottle of water and waited for 2 hours before anyone gave it to him.
As you can see, it was a big fat lie.
I answered his call as soon as I heard it and although I went to the wrong pax at first, I still went to him in less than 3 minutes.
Throughout the flight, Pax B got basically everything he wanted except for the small bottled water (of which I replaced with a glass of water) and double shots of Baileys (but he still got a single shot).
And still all our efforts didn't work and he had to complain.
I also think it's because Pax A was negative from the start and kept brain-washing Pax B.
I'm telling you that working onboard an aircraft is hard work although some people might think otherwise.
If you are working at any regular restaurants on ground, you can get almost anything a customer wants at the snap of your fingers. I mean, they normally only order from the menu and restaurants normally are capable of delivering what is stated there.
But let's say you see black pepper beef, chicken curry and omelette on an aircraft menu, chances are, the flight is only catered for 60% beef, 30% chicken and 10% omelette. And we the "glamorous" trolly-dollies have to break our skulls on how to tell paxs that the meals they order are sometimes not available (which is also stated in a disclaimer in the menu).
Or worse yet, the pax ask for a fish or seafood meal when they haven't even ordered a special meal beforehand. We are 35000 feet in the air, tell me how am I gonna go fishing for that meal?
If there is beef, sometimes they ask us to make it medium-rare. I'm sorry but we heat all the meals together for the same duration. And we do not have a chef onboard so I can't tailor the food to your needs. They are all mass-produced, in case you wanna know.
Some pax order special meals but suddenly feel that they wanna have the regular meal instead. And the moment you apologize and say you have to double-check whether we have enough meals first, their face turn as black as coals. Well excuse me, is it my fault that you ordered something and don't like it?
There are also paxs who still wanna stuff their faces with food even though they have already had 2 hot meals. So we are only left with offering them alternatives such as crew meals or sandwiches. If all the pax meals are finished, we can only eat crew meals. And if the pax wants it, then we have to go hungry. If it's a 7-hour flight, then so be it, let us be hungry and still have to answer pax requests and say goodbye to them with a smile.
If you are a regular waiter in a regular restaurant, you are not expected to do anything except calling the ambulance should a customer choke.
But we are supposed to do a Heimlich Maneuver to help him get the foreign object out so that he can continue breathing. If he faints, we have to administer oxygen. If he stops breathing, we have to perform CPR on him.
If a pregnant lady suddenly goes into labour, we have to deliver the baby.
If *touch wood* anyone dies onboard, we need to get the mortality kit out and take care of the body until we land. In addition, deal with the trauma (for those directly involved) for having someone dying before your eyes and all your efforts still doesn't help.
We are expected to remain perfectly calm and composed in all kinds of situations. Sometimes we make mistakes as well, simply because we are ordinary human beings.
Each of us are server, first aid responder, cleaner, security officers, all rolled into one.
Of course there are black sheeps among us, if any of us are discourteous to you, then I won't blame you for complaining about it.
But most of us are just trying to do our job and trying hard to keep you happy in the process.
Next time you see one of us, and if you feel that we've done a good job, we'd be ecstatic if you tell us that you really appreciate what we have done for you.
Perhaps because you are breathing recycled air at 35000 feet, you are stuck, have nowhere to go and can't really think straight (for some people anyway).
All you can do is eat, sleep and if the airline you are travelling with has an extensive selection of in-flight entertainment, engage yourself in an exciting movie or listen to some (hopefully soothing) music to calm your nerves.
Oh and observe the trolly-dollies while they are running around, hoping to find some faults with them.
I was operating a flight to Kuala Lumpur from Dubai a few days ago.
Departure was delayed for 1.5 hours. Some paxs were wondering about the reason, some getting impatient, and crew of course were even more frustrated, because we wanted to get to the destination ASAP so that we can SLEEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Despite everything, we still tried our best to make paxs happy because if they are not, then they will make our lives hell during the flight. Believe me.
And of course for the reputation of our lovely company *smile coyly*
By the way, the flight was delayed because of a breakdown in the baggage system.
I was doing the bar after take-off and Pax A suddenly complained to me about the delay.
"Why is the flight delayed for one and a half hours? This is very bad. I'm gonna miss my connecting flight to Melbourne and have to stay overnight in Kuala Lumpur like you!"
I could understand the reason for his anger and frustration so I apologized,"I'm very sorry about that, sir. It was delayed because of a breakdown in the baggage system. So sorry about that, sir. Would you like to have any drinks?"
"No, I don't want anything."
"Then would you like any canapes (finger food) or mixed nuts?"
"Huh?"
"Any canapes or mixed nuts for you?"
"Mmmm.....anything."
Dissatisfied with the answer, I tried again. How would I know what "anything" is? Some pax tell you anything is okay but the minute they see someone else eating a different thing, they're gonna ask why didn't you offer that to them. And seeing that he was already irritated, I certainly didn't wanna set him off.
A lot of people don't know what canapes is as well, I didn't know before I was promoted to Business Class. Really don't understand why they give it such a fancy name, can't we just use English here?
Anyway, I tried to show him the bowl of canapes. You know when you are showing something to someone, you aren't sure whether or not they will take it so you don't just shove it into their face, out of courtesy.
"Sir, would you like some canapes or...." I was gonna show him the mixed nuts next.
But he said, "Okay, this one."
I passed it to him.
"Why are you scared to give it to me? The plane is delayed because all of you are doing this!" He was hinting that I was too slow, I guess.
And his expression didn't look like he was joking.
Initially, I was too bewildered to response because what he said was simply too ridiculous for words. Just because he couldn't do anything about the delay, he tried to pick something - anything, to make it our fault.
He couldn't scold the person in charge of the baggage system so he tried to take it out on us, the only face that he can see representing the company.
After pausing for like 2 seconds, I replied calmly, "Sir, I'm very sorry about what happened but the baggage system breakdown is beyond our control. And I didn't give you the canapes right away because I didn't know if you'd want it. I was trying to show it to you. And I'm sorry for the delay."
That seemed to embarass him and he shut up.
I certainly wasn't trying to embarass him or start an argument, I was just trying to make him see what really happened. He has a right to know as a paying passenger (and they pay a hefty sum to travel with us in Business Class).
I didn't want the flight to be delayed any more than he did.
Delays mean longer working hours and possible pax complaints and so long as the aircraft is still parked at the gate, we are not paid a single cent for it (uh-uh, no OT if the chock is still on). So why would we want it to be delayed? We would really sing Hallelujah!! if embarkation is done on time and the aircraft can just take off ASAP!
I gave extra attention to him and always checked on him for the remainder of the flight. But I think it was his unlucky day as well.
He wanted to buy 4 duty free items amounting to around AED3000 but NONE of them were available. I dunno whether it was the catering's fault or not as I wasn't the duty free operator that day. But the catering for that flight really didn't do their job well.
They didn't load enough 1.5 litre bottled water for us and didn't prepare the aircraft as they normally should. Not enough tumbler glasses either. We had to serve everything in wine glasses for the second half of the flight! And no more ice in Business Class as well for that same period of time.
Anyway, you can imagine how black was Pax A's face. I don't blame him. It was too much for a 6.5 hour flight. Gotta be extra careful now, anything could trigger an outburst. And he began to complain about the seats after a while.
Throughout everything, Pax B sitting next to him was fine.
He got the meal choice that he wanted. He was drinking red wine and I kept on replenishing it without being asked. He seemed happy with the service.
Towards the end of the flight, he pressed the attendant callbell so I went to answer it.
He wanted another small bottle of water. I promptly went back to the galley to get it but was told it had ran out.
So I went back to him with a glass of water and apologized for it. Telling him that just let me know if he needed anything else. He requested for a double shot of Baileys with ice.
I went back to the galley and remembered that we have closed all bars in Business. So I went down to the 2 galleys in Economy only to discover that all bars were closed.
Returned to Business Class galley and we had to open 1 bar. There was only 1 miniature Baileys inside. Dang. Went to the Economy galley again to get ice and finally back to the pax.
"I am very sorry, sir. There is only one Baileys left."
"It's ok."
He didn't seem to be mad or anything. If he had shown the slightest sign of being unhappy or dissatisfied, I would have opened other bars to get Baileys for him no matter what.
Approaching the top of descent, my colleague, Amanda was distributing hot towels. Pax B got hold of her and started going on about his list of complaints.
We eventually gave him a big bottle (1.5L) of water.
He also asked for a feedback form, which is, like, the most serious thing a pax can do if they wanna file a complaint.
The pax then proceeded to speak to the Purser. He told the Purser that he asked for a bottle of water and waited for 2 hours before anyone gave it to him.
As you can see, it was a big fat lie.
I answered his call as soon as I heard it and although I went to the wrong pax at first, I still went to him in less than 3 minutes.
Throughout the flight, Pax B got basically everything he wanted except for the small bottled water (of which I replaced with a glass of water) and double shots of Baileys (but he still got a single shot).
And still all our efforts didn't work and he had to complain.
I also think it's because Pax A was negative from the start and kept brain-washing Pax B.
I'm telling you that working onboard an aircraft is hard work although some people might think otherwise.
If you are working at any regular restaurants on ground, you can get almost anything a customer wants at the snap of your fingers. I mean, they normally only order from the menu and restaurants normally are capable of delivering what is stated there.
But let's say you see black pepper beef, chicken curry and omelette on an aircraft menu, chances are, the flight is only catered for 60% beef, 30% chicken and 10% omelette. And we the "glamorous" trolly-dollies have to break our skulls on how to tell paxs that the meals they order are sometimes not available (which is also stated in a disclaimer in the menu).
Or worse yet, the pax ask for a fish or seafood meal when they haven't even ordered a special meal beforehand. We are 35000 feet in the air, tell me how am I gonna go fishing for that meal?
If there is beef, sometimes they ask us to make it medium-rare. I'm sorry but we heat all the meals together for the same duration. And we do not have a chef onboard so I can't tailor the food to your needs. They are all mass-produced, in case you wanna know.
Some pax order special meals but suddenly feel that they wanna have the regular meal instead. And the moment you apologize and say you have to double-check whether we have enough meals first, their face turn as black as coals. Well excuse me, is it my fault that you ordered something and don't like it?
There are also paxs who still wanna stuff their faces with food even though they have already had 2 hot meals. So we are only left with offering them alternatives such as crew meals or sandwiches. If all the pax meals are finished, we can only eat crew meals. And if the pax wants it, then we have to go hungry. If it's a 7-hour flight, then so be it, let us be hungry and still have to answer pax requests and say goodbye to them with a smile.
If you are a regular waiter in a regular restaurant, you are not expected to do anything except calling the ambulance should a customer choke.
But we are supposed to do a Heimlich Maneuver to help him get the foreign object out so that he can continue breathing. If he faints, we have to administer oxygen. If he stops breathing, we have to perform CPR on him.
If a pregnant lady suddenly goes into labour, we have to deliver the baby.
If *touch wood* anyone dies onboard, we need to get the mortality kit out and take care of the body until we land. In addition, deal with the trauma (for those directly involved) for having someone dying before your eyes and all your efforts still doesn't help.
We are expected to remain perfectly calm and composed in all kinds of situations. Sometimes we make mistakes as well, simply because we are ordinary human beings.
Each of us are server, first aid responder, cleaner, security officers, all rolled into one.
Of course there are black sheeps among us, if any of us are discourteous to you, then I won't blame you for complaining about it.
But most of us are just trying to do our job and trying hard to keep you happy in the process.
Next time you see one of us, and if you feel that we've done a good job, we'd be ecstatic if you tell us that you really appreciate what we have done for you.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Men's best friend
Just watched Marley and Me on dvd.
Yeah I know the hype is probably over by now.
I'm always a bit slow :)
But the tears came all the same.
I suddenly realize that a dog's love for its owner is truly what we call unconditional love.
Haven't had a pet for a long long time now.
But I still remember how me and my sister cried when our kitten was ran over by a lorry. She was the smartest cat we've had. We picked her off the food stalls by the street. And surprisingly, she had the intelligence of a well-bred feline.
Better than Siamese cats, I would say. How I just hate Siamese cats! They're lazy and selfish and high-maintenance and utterly useless!!!
Anyway, one day we actually found our kitty peeing into the squatting pan in the toilet! And we didn't even train her or anything. She was so clean all the time. From then on, she would pee and poop into the toilet. Of course she couldn't squat on it cos it was too big. So she would squat at the side and aim her excrement at the pan. How cute is that!
And I still remember about the black puppy we picked up from a fresh litter of pups. He was the only boy and his hair was black and shiny. But the next day, a lorry knocked him down (why do trucks always have to run over them?!?). I could see his intestines and all. And it was still a baby.
The pets that we've had for the longest time were Baby and Shaky. I think their breed is called Samoyed in English.
We got Baby first. She always reminded me of a cartoon dog. Whenever she runs, her short legs seem to be spinning like wheels and all my friends were terrified of her. Cos she always looks really fierce. But she's actually not. Maybe she was just trying to protect us, that's all. And she loves to give me a thorough facial cleansing by licking my face all over. I used to think it was disgusting but I really miss it now. She always keeps her long beautiful tail curled up and it really looked like a flower.
Later we got Shaky. He was smaller than Baby. Somehow, I don't think Shaky is as pure a Samoyed as Baby. But we loved him all the same. Next to Baby, he was just like a little brother who was always relying on his older sister for comfort. Baby's role was like an older sister who was overprotective of her lil' bro. But Shaky wasn't the quiet type. He was playful and liked to ride on Baby's back while she runs (please don't think about the sleazy doggy position okay).
They were just like siblings.
But later we gave them away cos my Mom was pregnant with my brother and they didn't want too much dog hair in the house.
I want to have a dog these days so very much! Haven't come into contact with them for a while now.
Having my eyes on the Siberian Husky and Tibetan Mastiff. All really big and powerful dogs. But probably a husky will be more realistic cos the Tibetan Mastiff is too aggressive to handle.
I want my dogs now!!!
Yeah I know the hype is probably over by now.
I'm always a bit slow :)
But the tears came all the same.
I suddenly realize that a dog's love for its owner is truly what we call unconditional love.
Haven't had a pet for a long long time now.
But I still remember how me and my sister cried when our kitten was ran over by a lorry. She was the smartest cat we've had. We picked her off the food stalls by the street. And surprisingly, she had the intelligence of a well-bred feline.
Better than Siamese cats, I would say. How I just hate Siamese cats! They're lazy and selfish and high-maintenance and utterly useless!!!
Anyway, one day we actually found our kitty peeing into the squatting pan in the toilet! And we didn't even train her or anything. She was so clean all the time. From then on, she would pee and poop into the toilet. Of course she couldn't squat on it cos it was too big. So she would squat at the side and aim her excrement at the pan. How cute is that!
And I still remember about the black puppy we picked up from a fresh litter of pups. He was the only boy and his hair was black and shiny. But the next day, a lorry knocked him down (why do trucks always have to run over them?!?). I could see his intestines and all. And it was still a baby.
The pets that we've had for the longest time were Baby and Shaky. I think their breed is called Samoyed in English.
We got Baby first. She always reminded me of a cartoon dog. Whenever she runs, her short legs seem to be spinning like wheels and all my friends were terrified of her. Cos she always looks really fierce. But she's actually not. Maybe she was just trying to protect us, that's all. And she loves to give me a thorough facial cleansing by licking my face all over. I used to think it was disgusting but I really miss it now. She always keeps her long beautiful tail curled up and it really looked like a flower.
Later we got Shaky. He was smaller than Baby. Somehow, I don't think Shaky is as pure a Samoyed as Baby. But we loved him all the same. Next to Baby, he was just like a little brother who was always relying on his older sister for comfort. Baby's role was like an older sister who was overprotective of her lil' bro. But Shaky wasn't the quiet type. He was playful and liked to ride on Baby's back while she runs (please don't think about the sleazy doggy position okay).
They were just like siblings.
But later we gave them away cos my Mom was pregnant with my brother and they didn't want too much dog hair in the house.
I want to have a dog these days so very much! Haven't come into contact with them for a while now.
Having my eyes on the Siberian Husky and Tibetan Mastiff. All really big and powerful dogs. But probably a husky will be more realistic cos the Tibetan Mastiff is too aggressive to handle.
I want my dogs now!!!
Meanwhile, here's a pic of me and a cheetah ;)
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