Diaries of a 74M Crew: Getting my panties into a twist...

It was such drag getting myself to work on Friday evening...
Inner struggle bordering on tears....

Our flight was super delayed outta Sin..
Damn drama lar the entire thing...

2145hrs- SPR must be parked at a remote bay of all gates... (read: no aero bridge... gotta take bus n climb stairs up one lar)

2155hrs- Crew all gathered in holding room after clambering up n down stairways w bags

2200hrs-Bus come liao n we all get on n brought to where aircraft parked. Climb up stairs w bags n all again into aircraft

2205hrs- Changed to safety shoes n switch off mobiles n stow bags safely n start ground duties le. IFS came onto PA n tell us to go back to terminal...

HUH?!?

Engineers wanna run engine tests... flight delay from 2255 to 0100 hrs then take off...

2208hrs- crew all retrieve bags, put on jackets/change back to sandals... climb down stairs exit a/c again... wait for bus

2213hrs- crew chanting "change aircraft , change aircraft". I was thinking.. "Step down, step down!!"

2216hrs- back in T2... arrival hall..

A Step down's never gonna happen.. unless duty period exceeds wat... 18 hours i think..
Change of aircraft, maybe... hopefully... though we later found out the London flight was delayed too.....

so now we have 1.5 hours to burn... before returning to aircraft at 2350hrs for ground duty..

So we had kaya toast n coffee n chats in T2 while waiting..
A check w the other girls revealed that many had worsening health since being assigned to this aircraft...
From zero days MC in yrs to a high of 6 in this yr..
Worsening back problems which require them to attend physio...

2345 hrs- All head back down again... repeat same thing to get back to aircraft...

0015 hrs- Pre-boarding n pax boarding commences...

0100 hrs- Still cannot depart... Aust requires dunno wat 2 certificates to deem aircraft fit to fly..
gotta wait for engineering to do for us.. EY goes out w rounds of drink...

0130hrs- still waiting... EY opened door 5 cos aft is too freaking hot liao

0200hrs- still waiting.. EY goes out with ice cream (meant for the supper service)

0220hrs- finally.... push back...
.....................................................................

Damn tired lar... by now we usually halfway to akl lor... crew rest time..

The drama din end there...

0230 hrs- aircraft still in ascent... take unusually long... IFS receives call n went down to door 3L.
First Officer comes down from cockpit to Door 3L

0240hrs- Overheard IFS on intercomm phone w cockpit... hmmmm sparks were seen upon take off????

Dodo thinks... "hmm... if not fit to fly... turn back... got chance to step down liao"

Capt goes on PA n reassures the pax.... nothing unusual... sparks due to statics or something...

Dang~
.........................................................
it's not my day lar...

was working 1 on 1 with this "famed" chief stewardess...
Let's call her Su for short...

During breakfast service... I got these catty remarks from her
"Do(my name)!! I think i must have done everything for you!! Is there anything else I must do for you!?!?! Can u tell me wat other things I need to do!!"

"Is it very hard to be a stewardess here??"

"I dun blame you for not being able to catch up with me... but it's either u r too slow for me or i'm too fast for you.."

"You r driving me up the wall."

"Im covering for you more than anything"

Even though the Dodo is smiling n panting on the outside... n still cordial w her n apologising for my so-called inability... inside... the tidal waves were building up...

I said "Su, I'm trying my very best to keep up with u. I'm sorry."

KNN!!

NO ONE, i repeat NO ONE has said the dodo is SLOW in business class work since the day I mastered the works.

There r instead people who say my work good... cos that's a fact. Dodo takes pride in her work n I know I'm thorough n go the extra mile even.

Yes there r days when I get jittery when stressed n drop glasses here n there... BUT my superiors can always tell i'm making the bloody effort to do my best.

Of cos she fast. She dun have to deal with individual pax's request for dunno watever shit...
She dun have to take care of the details... jus ask me for it...

WAt to do... Grin n bear it. The flight coming to an end le. I jus clear watever I have to n do my landing duties.

While plane was still taxiing upon touch down, she asked to speak to me.
She was still cordial though... cos i was still nice to her wat.. i know once i give her attitude.. i'm fried.

"I think something was going wrong jus now. we jus cant seem to work in sync. the thing is we r gonna work together again on another flight n we have to work this out u know??"

My reply?

I said "Su, seriously, I think u r too fast for me. I was trying my very best to catch up. I havent been told that im slow b4 N Im very sorry for that"

"But how can it be??? I'm so much older than u!! yr energy level should be better than mine wat!?"

Chow lelai...
NBei banabas...

Imagine how my heart sank when she said "We have to work this out cos we WILL be working together again on another flight soon"

Being 74M crew.. that's the reality..... oh gosSsH~ *groan*

I sat in the bus later thinking...n wanted so bad to be shouting all these tots out to her

Firstly, there r only 2 people working main deck in this chow aircraft... not the usual 3. 2 pple working is like dat one... u cover me i cover u... how can U expect it to move like it's 3 pple working there??!?!? U wan a hot choc i gotta prep a hot choc... how can i be in the bloody cabin doing clearing also!?!?!?

Secondly, yes i made mistakes taking order... but only becos I had to prepare the galley for meal service while u were resting.. n by the time u came down to switch on the lights.. the pax still sleeping... order taking takes time.. but u expect me to be fast... k i give it to u fast...
But im not perfect.. i m prone to mistakes when i do things hastily.

Thirdly, there is a reason YOU R A CHIEF N I"M NOT. IF u expect me to work like yrself... to be sooooooooooo fast at yr desired speed n so detailed... Y THE BLOODY FARK M I STILL A MEASLY STEWArdESS.???

I should b the same rank as you rite?? Cos I'm so good liao!??

I'm indignant not becos I'm one of those i-think-i-v-good-myself-crew... NO... But cos I know in my conscience that I did wat I could, n at my very best... for my passengers!

Im not even asking her to cut me some slack cos she too fast for me... NO, cos i KNOW I"M NOT SLACKING lar.

The pax were all happy despite the delay n crap.. n isn't that wat matters?

My head reeled n I got really angry...

Many leaders in this company r like that lor..
They get up there thru seniority ... many of them.. since the yesteryears...
N many of them r not far educated above the minimum requirement, N many jus dun understand the concept of leadership i feel...

Wat's teamwork??
I dun think teamwork is expecting the other pple to be working the same style same speed as u lor...

Isn't teamwork all bout each n every indiv doing the best they can, bringing the best of themselves into the team n contributing towards the end result???

It's all bout rhythm in a group n all that rite???

It's all i needed to console myself...
That this chief.. even though she is second in command on board a plane in this airline...
Outside... she is worth shits....
As many other 'chat-chat' leaders r in this airline....
They will never survive the outside world, n never be able to handle the subordinates in the real world lor.
cos they r so disillusioned as they have been working for the airline their entire life n it will be their one n only job for the whole of their lives.

So much for exposure n variety. They r just laughing stocks. Losers.

Yes, she damn good at handling pax onboard. N she damn fast at work.. I give her that. If that's the reason y she got the promotion, i respect her for that.
But sadly, that will prob b the only work she's capable of being good at lor.

N I reinstate tt im talking bout the 'chat chat' ranking crew okie?
........................................................................

So yes... dodo's got her panties in a twist this sin-akl flight...
been a looooonnnnnng time since..

But meeting pple like Su din not make me wanna quit immediately... it reminded me that the job of a flygirl as i have experienced so far... is learning to deal with such horrible pple...n more so... how to deal with their ineptness.

As I told the boyfriend in a tiff once.. "You dun have to protect me from other pple... If i need protection i wouldn't have survived these 3 yrs flying.."

At nite while snoozing.... the Su called me n asked me to join a drinking session...
That's my personal triumph...
*smug look*

Self-Banished n Demoralised...

Good morning peeps..
Wonder why i'm up so early right??

Well.. I actually slept at 1130pm last nite cos tired mah...
But the boyfriend's dog snore like dunno wat n woke me like 3 times in the nite....

The bf also cos of the sore throat I think...
All these while I was already wearing ear plugs!!!!
Yup... I could feel the tremors from their combined snores... esp the dog... :(

I gave up trying to go back sleep at 6am n camped out on the couch in the living room instead...
I figured i can try again later when they both go to work n I have the bed to myself...
Sigh... no point getting "mung zhang"
.........................................................................

I dun feel like working tonight...
It's Auckland again...
I'm so sick of the flight... the whole flight..
The smell of the aircraft, the look on the crew's faces, the small talk n bitching they make... the kind of pax profile, the food served...

Can I fucking have some variety???

Give me a turnaround anyday now..
Or a 3 day pattern aussie flight..

Argh.. u know wat??

I just dun feel like flying for awhile...
like a long while..
a period of 3 months...
I'm like so sick of the whole thing liao.

I used to feel like I can't let go of the advantages of flying..
like my fave food in certain stations...
Or buying certain stuff for cheaps somewhere.. getting things people can't get in sin...
the off days...
the mondays n tuesdays n whenever I can sleep in... (not forgetting those I have to wake like 0330hrs either, or forfeiting my public hols...)

But now i think... fck it....
M ready to give it all up...
Will I miss it?? Dunnooo.. *shrugs*
But I dun care readdddddddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! *screams*

Starting my dog groom class next tues..

Sigh.. but the rational side of me tells me the right thing to do is to finish my 5th yr, get my measly gratuity n during this time of 1 yr plus more , decide wat to do...

The irrational side of me tells me I can jus quit, sustain on crappy part timing like when I left advertising 3 yrs back n be happy... til I find my next calling...


Rational vs irrational
Right vs wrong

I shouldn't be wanting to do frivolous things anymore at my age rite??

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Tell u all a secret....
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I really miss working behind the bar......
sigh~


Off to do the Right thing.. the Adult thing...
Earn $$ n be unhappy...
tatas~

'Tis the season of painful sore throats n lingering fevers...

Aiyah....

I on 2 more days MC again... ;p
Wed n today...

I caught the bug again... this time prob from boyfriend..

I went to the Doc n "kow peh".....

"Why why why??? Last time fever goes away when I pop 2 paracetomols n go sleep. at most i wake up with jus the sore throat... but now the fever lingers on n on n I feel like my head wanna drop off!!!"

Is my health really deteriorating?
My immune system fucked??

Like I used to get sick bad only once a year lor!!

*anguish*

It was the same shit lar... tonsilities, inflammed wall of throat..
Doc said sometimes some people go thru a stage in life when they r more susceptible, more sensitive to the virus... prob a change in diet, sleep pattern.. etc..

But but... the only thing i changing is i smoking less!! I haven't smoked for... more than 52 hours liao cos been with the bf...

is my throat protesting cos of that!?!??!

Well... so the only way now is to stay away from sick people... cos he said "Normal people prob ju fall sick n recover... while u will just suffer really bad throat infection when exposed to the virus."

See... now the Dodo besides "hum chee" , she cannot sit around sniffling coughing people like she used to n boast that her immune system damn strong like last time le.

stupid stupid stupid...
>;(

Von's bday Pics

As Promised...

Von, Loy, Pad, Chia, Me

Adi n us

Appointment time was 3.30pm..
Only Loy n Chia on time...
Me n Pad were on the same bus from the West side toward town n both of us dunno until we got down at the bus stop..

And as fate would have it.. Adi was on his split shift at Senso.. n he freaking HAPPENED to walk past the Heeren bus stop just as me n Pad got down the bus lor!!!

So we caught up... n he managed to give Von a brotherly hug before we busy shift work people parted ways..

At 4.15pm... the Birthday Girl still no arrive...
A call to check told us she on the way...
but Chia mentioned she heard the Tv in the background...
"Oei I gotta go work at 5 lei... faster take cab come down!!"


So we finished our tea time snacks... (or rather.. early dinner for our working ladies Chia n Loy) at NYDC n moved on to Ice Cold Beer... where Ms Chia worked...

24..
Ah shiok... i remembered when I was 24...
it was before I turned the scary 25...
N also when I was in my EARLY 20s still...

So abound with energy... party drinkin party drinking flirtin...

Our birthday offerings to Le Vonnn..
N the Chia in the background clapping a spoon against an ice bin as we serenaded Von w bday song

Chia insisted we order a Ice Cold Beer Pizza...
Chicken Wings of cos.. are a must...
Shiok ah!!

WWF (our ex sup), Co, Me, Von n Pad lor...
The Loy go off liao.. got fly tonight..

The hassling started when we found out WWF sold off his cafe in Amoy Street n working in the Ben n Jerry's restaurant at Dempsey now..

"Oei got staff discount not!?!?! I wanna buy back 1 tub, the industrial size."
"WF!! I wan free ice cream when get there!!! how much can I get free??"
"How much disc can u sign huh?"

Eat Eat EAt...
I was like forever in the background eating the damn wings...
I had the most wings it seemed... like 4 outta 8.. -____-
No wonder I feel so unfit n fat now.. sobs~

.....................................................................................

At Double O the Saturday Nite..

Ms Von got lotsa frenz one lar..
I heard on the grapevine she cut a total of 8 cakes in 3 days...
N received many bouquets of flowers..
Now she has a total of 236 (or was tt 263) photos uploaded on her Friendster profile..
To see (n learn how) a popular person splits her time among so many groups of people... Go here...

Wahahaha~

Buzzin' off to Auckland again morrow..
Standby Call up!!! ;___(
N my first team LSS whom I fucking hate cos she made my life hell during my 1st yr flying is on the crewlist too!!!!!
FuuuccccCCCCCCCKKkkk*

Right Passion, Wrong Company...

Checkin' my webmail at the work webbie today...

N got this from my ward leader...



Are they sending me this to warn me??
Or r they concerned bout my well being??

N it sure took damn long to reach him lar.. since wat happened then..
So much for red tape...

"I trust you will take better care of your health from now on."

Like Wat the fuck kind of statement is that???
I not every year take MC one lei!!!
U even chose me to be a bloody Spartan n sentence me to Auckland every other flight...
So WTF else u want from me?!?!

I wanna quittttt.....
Sigh.. I is only flyin' for the $$.. for the sake of flyin...it doesn't matter no more...

Friends for Keeps...

You know you r truly loved by yr frenz when they all turn up for yr bday celebration...
Though everyone has different schedules, are fasting for the Ramadan or has to turn up for work 2 hours later...

Happy Birthday to my dearest Von...
Yes u know we all love u...
Though u r always late.. (well all of us are... but when u say "on the way" we do know u r still at home lazing on the bed ;p)

N I'm waiting for the photos in your cam so I can upload all the Dome Darlings on my blog ah.. quick quick.. when u recover from yr 3 day alcoholic bonanza...

So we await the photos from Von's bday w us.. amidst her busy schedule w other people....
Chicken wings n barfood galore at Ice Cold Beer n her 2 mango bday cakes (thanks to lack of coordination but so much telepathy between Loy n Chia) but lack of beer drinking cos the lady was hungover n had to drink more at night...

Me?

I'm just thinking rubbish thoughts...

Like how my friends are crazy weird people who work all hours of the night n all over the place in clubs n restaurants...

And how when we get together... the conversations r all bout sex sex n sex n genitals n relationships n more rubbish stuff... ;D

And how at one stage or other, the members of the group have had disagreements or misunderstandings w each other over dropped breadrolls n petty girl stuff but over time things resolved n we remain pals...

Through stolen frozen tiramisus n chix mushroom tarts n selfish hoarding of water glasses, I love you all my bitchy darlings...

Old Ain't Gold lor.

Right... so I got my mysterious migraines sorted out on Thursday afternoon..

As I sat across the bar from Vo at Sara's today n told her the diagnosis...
She shook her head n went... "Sigh... girl u lousy..."

Yar yar... I admit lor... I lousy... -_____- "

The diagnosis is... something dislodged in my ear lar... some little stones thingy.

He din really dare to say exactly wat... but jus assured me that no, I'm not gonna die of stroke or bloodclot in head but it's just the ears...
prescribed me 2 kinda of painkillers(yippee!! i like!! Numbness! ;p) n an antihistamine to open the airways to dunno wat... I just take when I feel like the pain is annoying me...

Wat struck me was... when he asked me "Are you the kind who is normally scared of things??"

Nabei bananas~

For a moment I was indignant...

People who have known me for a lifetime know that they dun associate the word "scared" with Dodo...

I used to run around boatquay n m.o.s forcing co-workers n frenz to down Bacardi 151s then proceed to drown them with half vodka half mixer glasses til everyone vomit... (or commit 1-nite stands... ;p)

I mix mercilessly knowing champagne kills me... following vodka n watever shit..

At most I (read: used to) projectile puke unintentionally n uncontrollably across the table at you at the Winebar after trays of kamikaze n sex on the beach...

I'm still game to down trays with you now... (as long as u leave a pail next to my seat... ;p)

I so wanna do bungee jumping n sky diving n watever as long as I can scream out loud...

I'm a moderate risk taker... in all aspects of my life, esp my direction... sometimes preferring to take the road less travelled... Why do I have to do what people would expect of me??

But thinking bout it more now...

I realised that as I grow older...
I dun feel the need to prove the size of my balls to pple anymore...
Why, Im a woman of child bearing age le... I need my eggs to b fertile n healthy so my children dun come out retarded
I would also like to preserve my liver til a ripe old age... so i can see my first grandchild...

Projectile puking or puking of any kind in public is no longer considered cool...

I stopped watching horror movies which I sooo soooo loved last time b4 I started flying...
I dun like to imagine a ju-on- sarah michelle gellar-moment when washing my hair in hotel bathrooms...

The last time I was at some resort in Christchurch, I was tempted to try the bungee jump but got the chill down my spine n told my teammates i would prefer to do it when im on holiday.. (see.. the start of my "hum-chee"-ness sigh)

So my reply to the doc was this huge "NoooOOoo?!?" in that how-can-you-imply-that-im-a-scaredy-cat-doc?! kinda tone w a look of mock horror on my face...

But I sheepishly added as well that I have been more hesitant when it comes to joyrides these days.... ; p

So yeah..... wo(3) ren(4) lau(3) le larrr...
I dun wan bacardi 151s anymore... eeks...
hmmm but I have got a couple of little bottles of Greek absinthe I "brought" back from Athens sometime ago... hmmm..

*hiaks hiaks*

Argh.. im still a hopeless alcoholic!!!

A Fish is a Fish is a Fish....

"Dun be too practical... it drives me up the wall...
Dun wake me... I like to dream...
Dun tell me wat's real... cos I like to live in my surreal world...
Or how I like to think it is...

Dun be a realist... I think it's fake..
I think the grey's always really out there.

Dun assure me with positive words... I like to cry...
Unless u r sure to stay with me...

Dun jump at me... cos I will not fight...
But will quietly slip away.

Dun be hard like a bull on me....
Cos I will not be softer...

But do go do wat u like..
Dun ever let me think i'm holding u back...
Whether was I paranoid or not...

But then again... when m I not?
I know... u assured me using words again...
But ... but ... but... still....?? ... ?? "

Heavy Hearted...

The grandma got warded while I was away on my hkg sfo weeklong...

Was taken aback when dad informed me as I single handedly hauled my cargo bag into the doorway Monday...

Not helping that I been having mysterious migraines since I took the stupid freefall-drop ride in Ocean Park...

-___-"

Yeah... Im old n useless now lor...
Last time i super 'gian' crazy heartstopping rides in amusement parks...
The older I get the more "hum chee" I m le... Nb~

Seriously tot my vessel in head was gonna pop the second time when I looked down from way up n started feeling so so tense n upset n worried...

And the bf even said it wasn't scary at all.. -____-


Sigh.....
Wo(3) zhen(1) shi(4) mei(2) yong(4)!!!" ;(

Seeing the doc morrow to get a clean bill of health...
N spending more time in the hospital w granny cos she starts her radiotherapy morrow..
its heartbreaking to see an old lady weakening day by day in front of you...

N Im determined to give her all my love... watever I have to give... to keep her spirits up...

Also... my mom has been expending all her energies at the hospital daily...
There is a possibility of her breaking down with having to juggle the stress of grandma falling more sick n taking care of the household.

My headaches r manageable still thank you...
I did ask that whatever grace I have be transferred to my grandma so she can be relieved of pain..
It just cruel to let a 76 yr old granny suffer such pain.
Cancer I hate you...
Sneaky $%^%&*(#% pest of a %^%^^&&&^#~
Dun u dare take her away when I'm not in Sin...

BangKok August'07, n Aaron In Sin!!

I finally got my lazy ass to upload n package the pics so I can blog...

We went to BangKok!!! Weehee... one of my favourite cities... never get sick of the food, never get sick of the shopping, always love the people n the smells n sounds of the city...

Day 1:

Prob the World's Yummiest Pig Trotter Vinegar
The skin melts in yr mouth..

The boyfriend had 3 plates, the housemate had 2 n I stuck to 1...
Cos I was really full...
Only 25baht per plate.... that's.. S$1.20?!?

Was told there was supposed to be really good R'n'B moosic at the R.C.A stretch n was looking forward to it...
But according to the boys Forte used to b fun too....
But the music was bad.. n I couldnt make out wat the band was singing cos their diction was bad...

Anyhoo... there's alcohol... n CAN SMOKE indoors!!!
Which both can cure boredom...
I spent the nite quaffing Chivas (excellent service from the staff though, they kept our glasses filled up ALL the way, n they provide hot towels for the drunk n sick.. hee hee..)

Day 2 Lunch at Siam-dunno-which-mall

Me n Alan, aka housemate...
Heee....

The Boyfriend brought me to this gorgeous gorgeous spa...Devarana
At the Dusit Thani Hotel...

All round me are indiv orchids sitting in shot glasses...

Dinner after spa at Spring Summer
The Phad Thai was the yummiest I've ever had...

Day 3:

The boys got nice haircuts, while I spent a bomb at Diesel at Siam Paragon

Left to roam Siam Square on own as the boys went to play basketball....

Some Gatsby campaign going on...
N a flea market smack in the middle of Siam Square swarmed by students..

I miss this....

And this...

Somebody bring A&W back to Sin please please please!?!?
So junk foodies like me have more choices... ;p

Day 4:

Overslept n fouled plans to go to Chatuchak market...

Discovered that roadside stalls do really good food...

3-some at Evergreen...
I love our apartment...
Can play crew hide n seek in the dark n it will b fun lor!

Onward to home...
Full load on Tiger man...
Lucky it was only 2.5 hours flight... I like to bring my own h2o onboard... but gotta but from them cos of the LAG restriction... I drink loads onboard!! esp as a pax!

I had fun...
The Bf fed me the bestest food I ever got in Bkk... yums~
............................................................................................................................

Aaron Kwok Nation'07 Concert in SIn...

The boyfriend bought good tickets!!!
N rekindled my first love..

I used to love Aaron so much when I was in Primary 5...
Used to glue my ears to the 93.3FM charts every Sunday afternoon...
Lost it when I was in Pri 6..
But man.. the amount I spent on Aaron's posters n pictures n watever memorabilia was crazy...
I remembered throwing away like 4 albums of those 'ming xing' cards...

Kinda surprised when found out boyfriend liked him too...

On the way to Indoor Stadium...

I was excited... never saw Aaron in concert b4...

In fact.. I was never a concert person...
Only remembered going for the No doubt/Cranberries one... n the Red Hot chilli peppers w my sis...

Musicals n plays yes... but i hardly listen to chinese songs mahhhh

The Boyfriend has cheena-fied me...

Absolutely love his outfits...
I love men in Silver Pants!!
hee eee

My face was hot n prob flushed......
SO exciting!
he so gorgeous lor!!

His Sax solo..
Though he boo booed...
He brought back so many of my girly fantasies from eons ago..
Boy playing sax...
Boy so cute...
*swoooon*

His final.. prob Encore outfit..
SHInnnnyyyy!!!

Sequinned from head to toe...
I told Deniz after n he was like "Oh myy GWad"..

Dragonfly for more cantopop at nite...
With May (who was at Aaron's earlier too!) n Paddie...
N the boyfriend's first solo to St James...

He cheena-fy me... I will beng-ify him...

PVD was at Zouk lei... but sure packed like a madhouse
We were not in the mood for pushing n straining w the beautiful crowd...
Plus, i tot it appropriate to chase our cantopop nite with more cantopop...heh heh

I got drunk on Whisky again...

A friend was like "Aaron Kwok concert then Dragonfly?!?!? Wat did u do to Dodo?!?! Huh?? Where u keep her!??!"

Heeee...
Im a bonafide Ah Lian...

"Seng seng I love you!!!!" ;p