On the plane

During these 2 months I spent about 45 hours in the air, taking 9 different flights on 3 different airlines.

My first flight was on a KLM B777 (thank goodness for B777s) from Singapore Changi Airport to Amsterdam Schipol Airport, which was a very beautiful airport with lots of shops selling lots of goods which I could not afford. Chocolates - 10 EURO. Parker pens. Cheese. Wooden Clogs. Salami. Cameras. DVDs. Expensive European newspapers (why buy when you can get it on the plane?).

My second was on a KLM Fokker 50 (which seats 50 passengers in a single class) from Amsterdam to Koln-Bonn Airport. The Fokker 50 was a propeller plane with 2 prop jets on its wings. When I embarked the plane, the temp was 0 degrees C. I was freezing, yet the pilot said on the PA, I'm sorry that our heaters are malfunctioning today. We will turn on the engines to keep the temperature comfortable. And so he revved up the propellers, and i smelled kerosene. Was frankly a bit worried but I told myself, it's KLM. Royal Dutch Airline. It's safe. And off we went to Cologne!

When I arrivded at Cologne, I found out my passport was missing! I put it in my back jeans pocket but it's not there anymore! OMG. Was terrified. I searched high and low, checked my pullover pockets, my jeans, my bag, no where to be found! Thankfully I stood up and found out I have been sitting on it all along! Relief man!

My third flight was the same KLM Fokker 50 back to Amsterdam. Watched the beautiful sunset from 20,000 feet. Was gorgeous i tell you. The guy beside me was irritating tho. he was doing something on his laptop and was probably racist.

My fourth was a KLM B777 back to Singapore from Holland. Because I did not sleep the previous night and had a pretty long day (flight's at 9pm), i slep throuhout the flight depsite having a world class entertainment system in front of me. The KLM entertainment is not bad, with good songs and up to date movies (I watched Simpsons and 2 episodes of Heros and lots of comedies on the way to Holland). but due to sheer exhaustion, I just slept. Until the fat flight attendent in the KLM Blue uniform came and put a tray of breakfast in front of me... I ate some breakfast (no mood really, cos I was very very sad that I had to leave my friends from around the world after a week of joy and fun)... and listened to classic Elvis songs. Cant help falling in love, in the ghetto and Bridge over troubled water moved me to tears (well, nearly)... I wanted to whip out my camera to see the photos all over again which was in my jeans pocket but I couldnt... I had to stand up to loosen the pocket and i did not want to stand up because i was sitting right smack in the middle of the centre.

My fifth was a JAL B777 (thnak goodness for B777s, I just love the plane).. I sat beside a Japanese dude who kept asking fro Bi-ru bi-ru from the flight attendent... Luckily he's quite nice to me, and the best thing was that I had the window on the B777! Hahhaah.... 2 noisy Singaporean kids were seated behind me, so I had to adjust the volume of my Die Hard 4.0 movie to ultra loud... Food was good, completely own the KLM food.

no.6 was back from Narita Airport on a JAL b747. Sat on the last last row of the B747 (thankfully window seat again), and the view was fantastic. Food was good, movie was good (Bourne Ultimatum), service was good. Absolutely perfect except that the trip was over :(

I was apprehensive about flight number 7, a Garuda Indonesia B737 flight from Singapore to Jakarta. But the food was good (or I was just extremely hungry)... Turbulent flight but it was quite okish... The couple from France behind me kept talking and talking, but i'm ok... Was thinking about what to present in the conference to eavesdrop...

Number 8- Garuda 747 from Jakarta to Bali. Btw, did I mention that Indonesian Airports are quite cool? Jakarta has this kampong roof like structure which was culturally appealing to me. I slept during the 2 hour transit in Jakarta on the seats... too tired...

Number 9- Garuda 737 from Bali back to Singapore.. Also did not sleep much the night before. Was sitting at the emrgency exit, i read the emergency operating manual at leats 5 times, I could memorise it already. The pkane kept bouncing up and down throughout the flight, and I kept looking out of the window...saw nothing but clouds. Beautiful. Did not eat the food served on board cos I full from the big mac meal which i ate in Denpasar Airport. There was a taiwanese couple (who apprently are Singapore citizens) sitting in front of me and I could sense that there maariage was on the rocks man. Their son is some snobby dude who is only 13, and so the flight attendent told him not to seat at the emergency exit where only 15 year olds and above could be seated at. So he took his ipod from the baggage compartment above and scooted to the bakc of the plane to sit, leaving his parents at the seat in front of me. The father is some grumpy idiot who is very typical Singaporean and likes to complain here complain there. Not cool. Not cool. His wife is ok, luckily did not lie back and give my legs a hard time. Behind me was a bunch of crazy British talkative tourists who keep thinking Batam was Singapore. And the british woman behind me keep pushing against my seat, i wanted to turn around and say something but decided to give Singapore a god image. Aiyah, tolerate a bit and let the Singapore tourism prosper more lor. After all, if I turn back and say something, the women will not come back to Singapore, so whats the point?

So after my 3 trips, I returned (for good) to my bed in my home. Home Sweet Home. I love my home, and my room and my bed.

No hotel can beat my home. No hotel bed can beat my bed.

My mum also came back from Taiwan on Xmas eve, and my sis from Kathmandu, Nepal, more recently. My sister kept her poor father and mother and brother waiting outside for her while she shops for perfumes and cosmetics inside! We waited 2 hours already for you cos your flight was delayed! Thankfully she bought lots of stuff for me so i'm not complaining:)

What a long post... Sigh.. I better go plant trees to offset my carbon emissions already...