Wednesday, February 28, 2007

US: Very Soon

The schedule for US [crew] Visa interview was released today. We're going for April 3rd. And unlike some of my donggis, I ain't really thrilled. Allow me to enumerate the reasons.

1. If April is the interview, by May we're probably flying US already. I fear that my [birthday] Manila dayoff request will be affected with the intrusion of US flights.

2. Longer and more difficult flights.

3. More expensive layovers. (It's like London every time na, which I'm starting to hate but am going there tomorrow.)

4. I don't really have relatives in the US.

5. Most probably US flights would make up our month's schedule. (And gawd I'm gonna miss: shopping for perfume at Singapore; eating pho at Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi; Thai massage in Bangkok; beaches of Phuket and Saipan; and more shopping.)

Anyway as usual, I always make the most out of anything... So NYC, LA, SanFo, Seattle and Chicago, here I come.

Monday, February 26, 2007

152 bpm

I am strong. I am. Am I?

Two years, and I still have not gotten over an incident that I deem have forever changed my life. My outlook, my social skills, my self-worth and the way I trust.

I guess time really doesn't heal all wounds for here I am now, two years later, and I still have that fear that makes me tremble everytime it crosses my mind. My heartbeat races up to a hundred and fifty two.

Yes, I am not alone, but what good does it give? There are still those sleepless nights--nights like these--when you can't do anything about it but let your fingers express how you feel.

...And I thought I crushed somebody's life, when in fact it is I who got so crushed that I can't even glue myself together. Everything I do, everything I say, is undeniably still a product of it.

I hate this feeling. And I can't stop hating it.

Feeling: Low
Location: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Saturday, February 24, 2007

So much for my happy ending

Feb's almost over; only one more flight and it's March already. Wee. I've surpassed my fifth month in this job. March is the 6th and I'm sad that some of my donggis have drafted submitted resignation letters already. To those who still think this is the most rockin' job on earth, it's not, especially with this Korean culture. Geez. Anyway we have a PHP50k bond for 6months that's why they let themselves suffer for half a year before giving up.

Trivia: Did you know that when I get really annoyed with my passengers, I sing during collection (of meal trays)? You know, you just get their meal trays back and force it in the cart so I don't really have to say anything to them so I sing. I remember that last flight I was singing My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne.

---

I've got to do this; I got the disease from Niko on his WhichBaby blog.

Leave a comment and I'll:
1. Tell you why I friended you.
2. Associate you with a song/movie.
3. Tell a random fact about you.
4. Tell a first memory about you.
5. Associate you with an animal/fruit.
6. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
7. In return, you must spread this disease post this in your own blog.

Friday, February 23, 2007

REP: Could Not Ask for More!

Darn! My first uber-delayed flight ever. Outbound (to Siem Reap) we were delayed by one hour due to flight connection (in simple lingo: ang tagal dumating ng plane na gagamitin) and was further delayed due to aircraft maintenance. When we were still on ground at [Seoul] Incheon, the question among crew members wasn't even, when we're gonna fly, rather it was, are we gonna fly. But then we did, eventually. Halfway through the flight, captain notifies crew members that we might stop over at MNL* (yes, Manila!) for refuelling. How doomed could a flight be? I picture Air Crash Investigation on NatGeo already.

After fifteen minutes, captain decides fuel is sufficient to reach Cambodia. On we go. I just realized how clueless passengers could be.

All's well, we land at REP* which pretty much looks like just double CRK*. Then layover--nothing to do, i just swam eight laps and sunbathed til I got sunburnt.

Two hours prior to showup time at the hotel lobby, front desk rep calls up to inform us that the flight from Seoul to Siem Reap was delayed (again!) and so showup time was delayed as well. Apparently heavy fog (read: zero visibility) almost cancelled flights that day and that our return team yesterday had to land at a domestic airport in Korea to wait til all's well at Incheon. Terrible.

After a few more hours we arrive at the airport and check which gate we're supposed to wait at (and then realizing it doesn't really matter coz you see everything regardless of gate numbers) and there it was: OZ 738 - Seoul - DELAYED 1hr40mins. Talk about a big flashing red remark.

As expected, passengers are all over the waiting area, brows furrowed, most are sleeping already, and all are irate.

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*Airport codes, sorry.
MNL: Manila Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport
REP: Siem Reap Angkor Int'l Airport
CRK: Clark Diosdado Macapagal Int'l Airport

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Congratulate ...them.


Woohoo! Award! Hehe. We (Asiana Airlines) got a Global Traveler award (again, for the third consecutive year) for Best Onboard Service and Flight Attendants. As if I had contributed to those three years! Haha. Nagfi-feeling. (read more...)

Which reminds me, when I was to go home last Feb 11, my cabin manager was Cho Young Su. Among crew members, he's one of the most famous managers, coz he was formerly a Safety instructor at the training center and, as you may have guessed, one of the toughest. Now that he's no longer an instructor, he still acts like he's still one by asking too many safety-related questions during pre-flight briefing and sometimes if you don't answer them right, he won't let you take your flight. Imagine my fear of not being able to take my flight home.

Come pre-flight briefing, out of thirteen cabin crew members to work on that flight, guess who's the lucky one to get asked? *Sigh. And I was lucky indeed, coz I got asked with an easy question. It so happened that that flight was one of the lightest loads for a Manila flight ever so Mr. Cabin Manager had all the time in the world to interrogate each of them pa while we've nothing to do inflight. So in the end they get more difficult questions and lots of uneasy feeling throughout the flight while I'm serving drinks with a big smile. Hehe.

Whew. And I thought I've survived? Last night my donggi sent me a message: Cho Young Su tom. Aral n. Ulit. Aw c'mon?! How lucky could I get? And as if Mr. Cho heard my prayers, he swapped his Manila flight for a Hong Kong flight late last night. Success!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Mistaken Stopovers


I learned this today from a friend (a bit of rewording, if you don't mind).

"Love is hoping for that something good. That you could get beaten, bruised and played upon. But it should never stop you for hoping to get to the end of the line where someone would be waiting to put you around his arms and make all the aches of the journey go away. You won't know when this end would be, if it's with this guy or the other. But it certainly wouldn't help if you sidetrack yourself so often to look back at all the mistaken stopovers. You just have to go forward and hope."

--
Photo credits: Kamil Turowski, The Spider Awards

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Bridget Jones (mind the Brit accent)

Ah, bliss. (Going home and) sleeping very late and therefore waking up late.

Yesterday was that date which ended early this morning. Three bruises after (one on each shin and another on my left shoulder) and a wet left foot, I'm still alive. I can't believe how unsafe Star City is. C'mon, it wouldn't hurt to add a li'l more padding to harnesses, or make rollercoaster tracks smoother. I prefer EK now. I still prefer real parks over theme parks though.

The good thing is that my date's superb; absolutely no boring second. (Thank God!) So in between trying to ease left shoulder pain with the cold of Zagu and shaking off water in my shoes, I'm laughing til eternity.

For the first few rides he was wondering why I wasn't even batting an eyelash when all the other people are screaming their hearts out (I was talking and laughing while everyone else is shrieking). And then he realized (and remembered) that I'm a flight attendant so I'm most likely used to it. And I guess he's right. Haha. With all the turbulence you experience on board, who'd freak out with Anchor's Away (or whatever they call it at Star City)?

'Nuff about the date. Won't want to bore you with uncalled for details. Haha. A few days ago I've decided I'd stop (making my friends go) searching for dates and just let those guys find me. And surprisingly, they indeed do. Haven't even left and I have five pending for March. (Six if you count the second date with yesterday's date) Ironic, isn't it?

Anyway am glad my requested days off for March was granted, coz it's dad's birthday on the 15th. And finally God granted my wishes for a Saipan flight. Wee. Beach! (But three gruelling long flights in return: two Londons and a Sydney!)

This is so Bridget Jones:
Total dates so far: 6
Second dates: 1
Ditched: 2
Pending firsts: 5
Pending seconds: 1

Friday, February 16, 2007

Randomness

I'm seriously excited about tonight's date. StarCity! Forgive me, but I've never been to StarCity. Plus my date's all about sense of humor. Wee.

---

Next month I'll be home on the 10th, according to my dongki. Will recheck once I get back to Seoul. Dad's birthday is on the 15th and Meloisa's is on the 8th so I'm guessing I'd be on a night out immediately after arriving.

---

Enough dates already. Haha (give up agad?) I mean, no need to look for 'em. It's raining men...(I'd keep the promise, Tin.)

---

Please recommend more songs to download. (Hint: I'm into alternative.) I'm thinking of getting myself an iRiver E10.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

VDay Dinner

Happy heart's day everyone! Whether that's a broken heart or the other way around, I'd still greet you. (And Tin, come out and don't mind all the lovers! *wink)

Despite a very unexpected phone conversation with my now ex-boylet last night (and another at 4am) I woke up lighthearted. Smiling, greeting everyone, even "bitter to bits" Niko and my dongkis who are terribly sad in Korea, being miles away from their boyfriends and looking out to a snowing weather on VDay. (Darn I never get to be there when it snows!) A few hours later my kuya wakes up and so I consult with him regarding our VDay plans. Turns out he doesn't have any (oh, poor girlfriend!) so I suggest they come with us. We call up about ten restaurants and nobody seems to accept reservations. Argh. Anyway, a little more discussion and we've decided.

Noontime and I turn the radio on hoping to listen to a few of the latest hit songs here in the Philippines, so I go for LSFM for their noontime countdown. Lo and behold, I had to blink twice and check if I had chosen the right frequency. Whatever happened to LS?! In the words of Niko, they've become "masa". And it sucks, big time. (And yes Niko, with the same DJs, it sucks even more.) Ugh.

Anyway, 5pm I start prepping up for my VDay dinner. By 5.30 we're off. To Manila Hotel. It's got one of the best buffets in town (like prawn salad is actually prawns with mango bits and not mango with bits of prawns), and besides, ambience is very conducive to conversation. Dinner starts 6. It isn't the usual a couple or three tables occupancy today; a couple or three tables unoccupied. Still, it doesn't sound like we're in a market, unlike if you dine out at say, Saisaki, today.

Eat, coffee, kwento. Repeat. Hehe. After three hours it's pay time and I pick up the bill coz it's my treat. Whew. Never paid so much in one blow. Hehe. But it's worth it.

No, I didn't have a date. It's a family dinner. :P Coz Valentines is about the people you love. :naks:

Monday, February 12, 2007

Feb2007 dayoff

Won't be hearing too much from me for a week. Am in Manila and lovin' every minute of it.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

New Arrivals

Just got back from Taipei quickturn flight and I'm so sleepy. I had just three hours of sleep prior to work so... Anyway, don't you worry I'm lucky I didn't encounter another one of those passengers or else all hell breaks loose.

I actually found, on the contrary, a Filipina. Twenty-five, she's studying in Taipei for her MBA. Graduated from La Salle and is going to Korea for one week. All I could tell her was, "adik ka naman mag aral?" Haha. We exchanged calling cards and hopefully she'd drop me a line. Too bad I don't have a day off before I go home, I can't even take her around.

Plug: Just updated my links down there so I hope you visit the new arrivals. Maxi and Katia. Yes, she's got the same name. Same spelling. We love the same color. And her blog is PurpleStars. My Friendster profile's got purple stars all over. Coincidences. Wee.

Monday, February 05, 2007

LHR firsts

Lotsa firsts for this February London flight for me.
1. First add-duty schedule. (Add crew to London meaning you go as passenger. Duty to Seoul.)
2. First time at the addcrew hotel nearby High Street Kensington.
3. First time without a batchmate.
4. First time to stay for just two days.
5. First time to talk with Filipino/s working in London.
6. First time I didn't change USDs to GBPs. (Save, save, save!)
7. First time I finished 20 sudoku puzzles in one seating.
8. First time I received a gift from a passenger. (I asked why. "Good service." Aw.)

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Terrible Chinese

Monday night:
I notice Chinese crew at our hotel home in Seoul. I ask one where she's from. "Guangzhou," she says. Reminds me of my recent ex who lives in the same city.

Tuesday evening:
Off to Hong Kong night flight. Arrives at HK at midnight. I felt a sudden urge to send him an SMS to come over as he's just an hour away. Decides against it eventhough I've already composed a message as it's too late and I only have 12 hours layover so I'd better sleep to prep for return flight.

Wednesday early evening:
Arrives at hotel in Seoul from HK flight that's so terrible that my senior would whine, "Terrible Chinese!" Signs in to MSN and finds offline messages from that Chinese guy. Sweetness. Regrets I didn't send that message.

Wednesday night:
He signs in to MSN. Chats with him in between chatting with a lot other people on YM. He's sad I didn't even tell him that I was there. More regrets. "Even if you'd stay [in HK] for just a few hours, it's okay, at least I'd see you," he said in Mandarin. Gaaaad. And my Chinese (language!) is terrible as well.