Sydney afterMATH

I can't believe I just got off a Sydney flight. I can't. It felt like a prolonged Hanoi flight.

[Ed's note: The Hanoi flight is a dreadful one, it's one of the cheap destinations so imagine who takes those flights. To cut the chase, a Korean crew once told me that most of Hanoi passengers are farmers and/or first time flyers. In turn, they try to squeeze out all that they can from the fare they paid, thus resulting to shortage of soda, beer, peanuts, and even postcards. Passenger call chimes might eventually create a Mozart masterpiece or something. And then you get the tap on your behind, the old ladies shouting for water--to the point you'd want to pull the earphones off their ears to let them know it's actually a quiet surrounding sans the movie on high volume, the drinking sessions of the old men by the emergency doors, and the sleeping people on the aisle. A worse version of the Hanoi flight is the Siem Reap flight.]

Add that difficulty level to the fact that I'm a walking zombie. Been awake for:
7 hours prior to show up time
+ showup time and travel time to airport and passing through immi, customs and all the x-rays on earth (1.5 hour)
+ waiting time by the gate due to delayed connection (35 minutes)
+ ground preparation (30 minutes)
+ boarding time (30 minutes)
+ ground movement (20 minutes)
+ actual flight time (10 hours)
+ landing (30 minutes)
+ deplaning (20 minutes)
+ going through Incheon airport (20 minutes)
+ waiting for the bus (15 minutes)
+ travel time from airport to hotel (50 minutes)
+ from then til now (4 hours)
= 25 hours 40 minutes?

Add them again to the fact that I only had breakfast. We serve two main meals on board and a sandwich for long flights but due to how terribly busy we were, I got to eat a hurried first meal and that's it.

Multiply those by the fact that my galley jang (leader) is an ultimate bitch. The mangne (most junior) actually told me, "Sunbaenim (senior), I want to cry." To which I reply, "Na do." (Me too.) Not just coz the jang is bitching us, but because it's difficult times like these that we expect our seniors to actually help out. Or at least try not to drain us emotionally when we're drained physically. [Ed's note: In Korea, seniority is everything.]

Whatever happened to Sydney flight?

Mara

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda can't change your mind..."

My lunchmate during medical exam day, neighbor throughout training days, the one who could relate to one of my deepest (darkest) secrets, the one who downloaded the songs I now sing and most of all, a dear friend.

I have just hugged her for the last time as she prepared for her last flight.

Sad to see you go...

Sick of LHR

Song lyrics stuck in my head throughout the London flight:
"No I'm never gonna give you up for someone else's love..."

+ + +

Layover, I was with my donggies Mica, MM and Karen. New experience: Pizza Hut's pizza, pasta and salad buffet for lunch. Yum!

+ + +

Seoul to London, I was an add crew so I spent 12 hours as a passenger. I finally watched The Prestige and gawd, it's as if all the seven capital sins were elements of the movie! Unbelievable! I who dislikes weird endings and costumed-movies...actually appreciated that movie.

Five hours into the flight I flip through the movie listings available on board, I decided to watch a movie I've noticed through TVCs in Seoul. (200-pound Beauty is the English movie title.)

And it's good. It made me laugh so hard that I actually wondered if passengers on the nearby seats would complain about me anytime soon. And made MM teary-eyed towards the end of it.

Missing school

I miss my classmates, I miss fun, I miss sneaking out of classes.

When I went home this month, I met up with college barkada (minus one, who suddenly couldn't make it). We still talked endlessly like we do back then. (Now over milkshakes. Before over kikiam. =P) No particular topic, no barriers, no nothings.

Last night I had dinner with Rica, a college classmate who went back to Hong Kong during our junior year. We haven't seen her for three years and it's great seeing her again. She's getting married very soon, April to be exact. And a four month baby inside her to follow her first daughter Freya, who's four.

+ + +

I got tagged! (Rule: You're not supposed to say who tagged you.)

1. Your lunch today

- Should that be the second meal of the day or the food you ate at around noon today? Hmm. I'm guessing tuna and SkyFlakes with mayo on top. And coffee, decaf.

2. Last movie that you have seen?

- "Because I Said So." But I slept halfway through the movie. Not that it's bad, I was just so sleepy that night.

3.Song you never got tired of listening

- I can't single one out. There's a lot!

4. TV show you are watching right now

- I ain't a TV person.

5.Missing someone, a boy, perhaps?

- Yes.

6. Movie you want to see this month

- I don't even know what's showing next. But prolly, "It's a Boy Girl Thing," for the lack of updates on movies.

7. Last song you heard/watched on MTV

- The Reason by Hoobastank. Saw it on MTV China, while in HK.

8. You want to eat

- Shrimps.

9.Ever cried because of a boy

- Malamang.

10. First movie you’ve ever seen in a movie theater

- I can't remember but prolly Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast.

11. First blog you’ve visited today [excluding yours]

- PurpleStars

12. Do you want guys to be the ones who’ll make the first move?

- Whoever has got the guts and the feelings, then it's fine. No stereotypes for me. And yes, I do first moves.

13. Ever had a crush on someone of the same gender?

- No, but I can tell who's hot and who's not.

14. The last person you’ve ever taken a photo of

- Me with Rica ^

15. Did somebody ever say you were good at cooking?

- Yes. When me and my sister lived in Baguio for three months with our maternal grandparents, twas a Sunday and Lola had stuff to do in the city so I'm left to do with all the cooking. And all I find is chicken. Barged through the cabinets to find anything else to add. When Lola came she asked what I was cooking. I have no idea. Come lunchtime, she said it was good. I was a good cook--on the no-menu category.

Let's tag... Hmm. Niko, Tin and ate CheChe? Sorry guys if you're too old for this. =P

Single on '07

I spent the entire yesterday with somebody.

No, I don't have a boyfriend. Seriously, I don't.

And I intend to be single until next year.

A few years back, kuya and her girlfriend of six years broke up (from what I heard) because kuya wanted to experience singlehood. Dating. Late night parties. Flings. Booze. Whatever. And I think that's the single most regretful thing he'd done. His [ex] girlfriend was undeniably one of the greatest catches you could ever find and he'd let that go so that he'd have time to meet girls that's far beyond in comparison.

Which is why, I wouldn't want that to happen to me. And I'll go do everything I want now. Dates. Blind dates. Party. Spend. Save. Work. Booze (lakas ng loob a, allergic naman). Beach. Flings. Boylets. (Sorry, "one-night stands" not in the menu.) And then settle for a more quiet life later. =)

+ + +

US flights on April sched already. Looord.

+ + +

Credits:
MikeRoush.com

Pick 'em out

I saved all my [alternative genre] audio files on mp3 format in a single disc so it's mainly what everyone could listen to here at home. 128 songs. A few of my fave lines:

I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind
- "Collide" by Howie Day

Would I be out of line if I said "I miss you"?
- "I Miss You" by Incubus

Will the love continue, when the walk becomes a crawl?
- "What If I Stumble" by DC Talk

The world seems bigger than both of us
Yet it seems so small when I begin to cry
- "I Think God Can Explain" by Splender

Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said that it would be this hard
- "The Scientist" by Coldplay

And I absolutely love Josh Kelley's To Make You Feel My Love. =)

Amused

Haha. That's what I am now, on Meebo. Notice that I even put a Meebo Me on the sidebar of this blog? Cool.

+ + +

You might want to be part of this; I know I do. (The election of) The New 7 Wonders of the World. Results to be out on July 7th. 07/07/07.

+ + +

Random: An ultimate high would be becoming part of this monthly contest. That's far from possible now coz I haven't even joined. =)

+ + +

Weird that now my posts appear on a site where I cross-posted this. A few posts back, it doesn't.

FA talk

"Admittedly, I shop more often now than I do before. But basically that's it."

That's me--last night at Greenbelt 1--telling my college friend Lyka (on an FA to a soon-to-be-FA pep talk), on what difference my job had done. I advised her to prepare for stereotyped concepts of an FA from other people. There are a lot, most interestingly that we're high-maintenance now.

I dare to disagree. I still eat at carinderias, take the jeepneys, or shop at Divi. What's so high-maint about that? Let's go over pros and cons.

The Perks:

1. Obviously, a bit more salary than what you'll usually get if you take a regular job in the Philippines. That said, of course you'll satisfy your material wants in less time than you expected. If you see me buying stuff, it doesn't mean wala na 'kong mapaglagyan ng pera. Those things, I'd still buy them even if I'm on regular wage. Pagiipunan.

2. I get the best prices. (I'm still on the shopping topic?!) Sure I never shopped in M&S before, but why do I now? Coz in London M&S is just like SM: department store and supermarket. Where could you get a small bottle of J.Lo perfume for less than P800? Singapore. Lacoste shirts? Delhi. Gadgets? Singapore and Seoul. iPods? MacBooks? US! So the next time you see an FA sport a Bulgari watch or something, keep in mind that maybe she didn't buy it as expensive as you think. Or maybe, it's even fake. (Korean crew's gratitude to unbelievably believably real merchandise at Ho Chi Minh!)

3. Photos. Of course. Priceless.

4. Variety of culture.

Cons:

1. This had never happened to me--thank God I had such wonderful friends--but to some of my donggis. Your friends call you, you go all out partying and then hand the bill over to you. Aw c'mon! Do we look like the bank or something? Sure we could pay for that, but the thing is, you never even told us it's on us. Sana kung kami nag-aya. And we'd surely shell out more than the equal share had you not slapped the bill to our face.

2. (In relation to number 1) Suddenly everyone wants to be your friend.

3. (Still on the same line) Suddenly everyone wants to be your boyfriend. In hopes you'd give a TechnoMarine on his birthday? Or that you'd get him the latest pairs of Nike in town. Or for the mere fact that you're an FA--so that he could brag about it. Silly, but it happens.

4. On the contrary: Insecurities. Out of nowhere your ol' friends seem shy and insecure around you. The hindi-ka-na-mareach spiel. G**damnit. High-maint. Duh!

Anyway, screw stereotypes. I don't effin' care. I shopped yesterday and spent a lot. I ought to reward myself at least every quarter. Haha I made that up. =) What did I buy? Hmm.

+ Neutrogena Body Oil. Lotion just can't get past the dryness in Seoul.

+ My first perfume ever. Escada Pacific Paradise. It was on sale and I unfortunately don't have a Singapore flight this month so...it's about time! Weee. This made me soo happy.

+ Nivea Lip Balm. I couldn't imagine I've finished one already.

+ Two polo-shirt tops from Surplus. Same style, different color. Haha.

+ A pair of brown flipflops from SM Department Store. Summer! :)

Unfortunately the department store run out size 38s for one of the top things I'm looking for: a pair scarlet red pumps that I'm dying to have ever since I saw them while window shopping in London. Sayang!

A

I almost didn't make it to my flight home.

Slept at 12mn, requested a wakeup call for 4:30, set my alarm clock for 5am.

No use. When I peeped through my eyemask, it was 5:20. I was horrified. I ran around like crazy. My "ref bags" aren't prepared yet, my trolley's still hanging open, and I haven't ironed my apron. My laptop still running and connected.

I tried asking for help. Precious, in the adjacent room. I dial her room number.

"Pre, tulungan mo naman ako, kakagising ko lang."

"Ha? Ganun? Ah, sige."

5 seconds. Then 10. I knew she must've been too drowsy to understand what I was asking her for. I became Speedy Gonzales.

I tie my hair--no gel nor hair spray--then don my uniform plus stockings. Threw everything I need to bring to Manila inside my trolley and everything else inside my ref bags. Gulped a glass of milk and munched on the only thing I could eat: Mars, perfect for an instant sugar rush. Replied to a few open messenger windows and hit Shutdown, pulled the LAN cable and stuffed it inside my laptop bag.

Jumping into my uniform 7-cm shoes and clutching my makeup case, I drag all 6 bags (2 big 'ref bags', 2 uniform trolleys, 1 uniform bag and 1 laptop bag) out of my room and into the elevator. I hit the "1" button with all my might and check my watch: 5:45.

The moment I stepped out of the lift, I uttered, "You did not give me a wakeup call." To which the front desk rep rechecks for my room number and apologizes. After I pull out all bags to the lobby I proceeded for check out procedures, plopped onto a sofa and started doing makeup sans foundation and eyeliner. My face looked pale with just a silver eyeshadow, a few dots of gel blush and a dab of lipgloss on.

I was still worrying about my no-hair spray bun when my senior comes out of the lift. I whined.

"Muntik na 'ko ma-'miss flight'. Di ako nagising. Di rin na-wakeup call. Mukha pa kong basura, wala pang makeup and sabog yung hair."

"Okay lang yun add crew ka naman eh."

"Duty po ako. Working. Si Miss Sophie po yung add crew."

"Hinde, dalawa kayo."

"Weh?"

I was redo-ing my hair as I ran to the business center to check on CreWorld:

701A Katrina Naval 622554 A

A! I am, indeed, an add crew. (Nonworking, I'll change into casuals and let my hair down once I get on the plane and take the flight as a passenger.)

Don't you agree that God just loves me so much? Now I understand why I wasn't able to iron my apron, do my hair neatly and makeup perfectly...coz I'll just sleep through the flight! Amazing! Thanks God! *wink*

For the love of Saipan

http://www.saipan.com

http://www.cnmi-guide.com

http://www.welovesaipan.com

Washed Away

Check out my "I've been to..." list.

Woohoo! An addition! I'm here right now in Saipan, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. (Wow, that was complete.)

Yesterday I left Seoul with a heavy heart because I learned that it was raining here in Saipan. And true enough, it was pouring by the time that Airbus 330 landed at the airport. So I prayed last night to God to let sun shine today. I woke up at 8am and ran to the veranda only to find out that it's still wet everywhere. Frowning, I went back and curled up in bed.

10:30 my alarm clock goes off as it's an hour from the buffet lunch that I'll be having with my Filipina senior, Ms Cathy. When I peeked through the drapes, lo and behold, sunshine! I'm like, "Oh yeah!" Photo ops. Although not too much as I'm really shy to the camera when somebody's taking my picture. (I'd rather take the picture.)

If God permits and it's still sunny later, I'll go sunbathing and swimming. Thank you God. Ang lakas ko talaga! ;) Last month I was praying for a Saipan flight and now I'm in Saipan; last night I was praying for sunshine and now I almost got toasted. Ayos!

Little-known but observable

(Note: Sinisipag ako mag-blog lately.)

Little-known but observable facts about me. Haha. Suddenly I'm self-centered?

1. I rarely brush my hair. Especially when I'm not going anywhere. Like, I take a bath and that's it. Nagkakasubukan kung aling hair products ang maganda sa hair. Haha. And I like it when my hair's all messed up. (So if you saw me on webcam with my hair looking like a riot, wonder no more.)

2. Never have I worn watches until I learned that it was part of our uniform to wear one. Never a jewelry girl, but if I'm to wear at least one, I'd go for earrings. I'd wear a ring only if somebody gave me.

3. I never really wore makeup (not even during college). I just wear them now for work. Imagine how difficult it was for me to learn how to do my face in a matter of weeks. Even now, it still takes me 5-10 minutes to put on [liquid] eyeliner on my lids.

4. On my phone's notes, I have a "Things I Want to Do/Be Before I Die" list.

5. Somebody wrote me a poem! Woah.

6. I could stick for years to a phone that I really like and replace it only when I can't make a call na. Never mind those Nseries thingies.

7. I'm a crybaby. (Okay so this isn't really little-known.)

8. I type 55wpm without looking at the keyboard. And I'm proud of it.

---

I've been asked with "What's your ideal guy like?" so often lately so here goes.

Physically, I'm into neat looking people so goatees and bald guys are out, and preferably taller than me. Yun lang, ganun kasimple, seriously. On for the tougher requirements.

Masarap kausap. Meaning mabilis ang pick-up and with good English. Sorry naman, coz sometimes I blab about in straight English so it makes me awkward kung maghihintay ako bago madigest nung kausap ko yung sinasabi ko. And as with any girl, a plus factor would be sense of humor. Oh and being a li'l smart won't hurt. =)

Ayoko ng mas maarte pa sa 'kin, coz I'm never the maarte type so...

Confident and never insecure. Especially regarding salary. OMG. You cannot imagine how people get insecure over a simple thing like that.

Not insensitive. I don't want to put "sensitive" coz it might mean something else.

Someone who's got dreams and strives to make them come true. Like, there's a will and there's a way.

And last but never the least. Effort.

Blown Away

I witnessed light snow today. I was on the treadmill (yes, I was trying to sweat out all the Mars bars I ate in London). Pardon me but it was my first time to see [light] snow falling down. Hindi pa nga mukhang snow talaga, but I'm so amazed. They seem like light feathers (alam nyo yung 'wish' na feather) getting blown by the wind to all directions. People wore their hoods to prevent them from getting stuck on their hair.

My run became a leisurely walk all of a sudden. Thoughts came to mind. I was half day dreaming, half thinking of reality:

US flights. It's snowy in Chicago now. I can't imagine myself having a flight to Chicago and trying to fit boots and winter coats in such a small uniform trolley bag.

Bangkok. My college friend Lyka will be in Bangkok from March 28 til sometime May for her training at JAL. And I'm thinking I might not be able to request for a weekend Bangkok flight coz it's March already. Requests for April are so over and I already have a May request (my birthday dayoff in Manila).

Saipan. My first flight to Saipan tomorrow. I was soo excited to spend time at the wonderful beaches but unfortunately it's raining nowadays. *slump*

Manila. And after Saipan I get to go home. Weeee. I miss home. I'm excited to bring home the cereals (Triple Chocolate Crunch) I bought from M&S Food.

I heart Big Ben

Yes, I'm back from London. Weather was absolutely gorgeous. Look at those clouds. And so I had good Big Ben photos.