In Case You Missed It...

Hello again!

Over the last few weeks I've been busy with flying, training courses and all those lovely things that keep me away from my blog and Twitter. Now that I've got the opportunity of a few days of R&R, I'm planning to spend some time working on someblog posts that have been floating around in my brain for a while now.

In the meantime, in case you missed it, a couple of weeks back I guest-posted for Steve at Flying With Fish. You can read my post HERE, for an insight into those of us who love aircraft and airports.

While you're there, make sure to check out Fish's posts on the latest travel apps for the frequent globetrotters amongst us!

It Means a Lot...

After my computer dramas, I'm finally able to get back online with some regularity. I've missed chatting with all my Twitter friends and of course updating my blog. Hopefully now, the computer dramas are past and I can catch up on everything that I've missed.

Logging into Blogger, I see that I have hit 100 followers. It means a lot to know that there are that many people out there who are interested enough in what I have to say to come back again and read it. So know that each and every one of you who drops by to read, comment, email, follow or Tweet me is much appreciated!

I have somefun stuff in the works, so keep dropping by. Hope to be back to regular blogging schedule soon, along with some juicy flying gossip ;)

Happy New Year!

It's the first day of 2010 & as I sit here waiting for my breakfast I thought I'd type a quick post to wish you all a great new year. I had intended to post last night before I went out but our cocktail hour got started a bit early so it didn't happen.

2009 has been an interesting year, that's for sure! It didn't start out so well, with the loss of JournalSpace and four years of my blog, but the need to move on and start again meant that I had the chance to make new friends through a new blog & site.

In Case of Emergency started out as a blog to chronicle my journey through airline recruitment and has become a window into the world of my fellow crew and passengers alike. I enjoy writing and connecting with you all and the support everyone has given me through comments, emails and new friendships has been fantastic! I've even made 'real-world' friends and hope to do more of that in 2010.

With new beginnings in mind, I've come up with some resolutions for a few different aspects of my life. Most of them are changes I aim to make, rather than specific numbers or things to do, but regarding my blog I've come up with some more measurable goals which 'd like to achieve.

TT's Blogging Goals for 2010

1) Be more committed to updating & maintaining my blog, being more professional & less "hobby" about it.

2) Work more on my writing & content. The tie in with Ciao Bella Travel has been a really fun experience for me and I hope to build on it and other similar things in 2010.

3) Get serious about my plans for a business related to my blogging. Sit down and come up with definite plans I can do to make this work alongside my job.

4) Build on the relationships & friendships I've made through my blog and Twitter.

5) Enjoy what I do!!! :)

Hope you all had a great New Year's Eve, wherever you were, and I wish you a happy, healthy & fantastic year ahead for 2010 :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ciao Travellers!

Finally I can let you all in on a project I've been working on. I'm a big fan of the Aussie site, Ciao Bella Travel, makers of the handy 'Single Shots' travel toiletries range.

Aside from these extremely popular products, CBT also carry a wide range of cute travel accessories- from bags and tags to gadgets to make life on the road easier.


The girls at Ciao Bella also have some great travel tips, blog articles, city guides and a travel forum- so you'll never miss those must-see places or local secrets on your holiday.

I'm also pleased to say that the CBT girls & I have teamed up to bring you 'Ask the Flight Attendant'- a new section of their newsletter aimed at answering those things you always wanted to know about travel & flying, but were too afraid to ask!


So pop on over to Ciao Bella Travel, check it out & sign up for the newsletter- you'll be glad you did! In case that's not enough to tempt you, check out "Bella Benefits"- great discounts at some cool places. Best of all, Ciao Bella are based in Brisbane- I love Aussie brands! :)

If you have a question you'd like to see answered in the next Ciao Bella newsletter, send an email to info(at)ciaobellatravel.com.au or Tweet me! :)

Makeover!

Now if there's one thing that many flight attendants love, it's a makeover! Common galley gossip topics include haircuts, beauty treatments, makeup and new clothes... so what better for me to do than makeover my blog!

I hope you like it, but if there's anything which needs a little tweaking, please let me know, as I don't know how it looks on different screens & browsers. What do you think? :)

Apologies...

I've been a very negeelctful blog owner lately... so sorry to my faithful readers! There's a lot going on at Casa de Tray at the moment, but I'm hoping to have some new posts for you very soon. It's been some eventful flying lately, with some medical emergencies, lots of roster changes as well as plenty of interesting work gossip! There's been so many things to blog about, but sadly just no time. It's a sad truth that if one is not making money from writing a blog, that earning money must take priority... but rest assured that I haven't forgotten this completely!

Stay tuned for more from TT!

I've Got the Power

Life as a flight attendant has changed dramitcally in these modern times. Where once one had to keep in contacvt with family via letters & telephone, we have progressed to email, Facebook and other gadgets to keep in touch with our loved ones at home.

However having this modern convenience comes at a price- having to firstly bring the equipment with you, and also keeping it charged up and running.

Some of the things flight attendants carry around include:

Laptop/Netbook (essential for we blogging/Twitter/Facebook addicts)
Mobile phone/iPhone/Blackberry (Non-negotiable now for FAs so Sched can contact us)
Digital camera (Ditto for the bloggers)
iPod
PSP/Nintendo DS/Other gaming device

Along with these devices we must also carry the various chargers and adaptors. The drawback to this is, we are trying to minimise the stuff we carry, and also it's quite easy to lose plugs. I'm sure nearly all FAs at one point or another have left a phone charger plugged in at the hotel, only to realise halfway to home base where it is. There's also the issue of not being able to charge things in airports where plugs are blocked, or on the plane during a delay.

Enter the PowerMonkey, a nifty device I picked up duty free on the ferry across from France to Dover.


This handy little gadget is basically a portable recharging device. It comes with a wall charger, but unlike other chargers, it has interchangeable adaptors for different countries so you can buy it and use it anywhere. Included with the PowerMonkey are various adaptors for devices and different models of mobile phone, so you only need the one charger. I can charge my iPod, my camera and my phone all with one. Laptops are trickier as they need a lot of power, so I haven't tried, but it cuts down my required units from 4-5 to 2. You can also buy additional clip-on connectors for other devices if they're not included.

All in all, you should check this baby out if you travel with lots of gadgets! The PowerTraveller website also has lots of other useful items, including a laptop version, aviator's torches and solar-powered chargers for you adventurous types!!!

TT is Off the Hook!

That's TT as in me, not Tiger Airways, by the way. (I was TT way before they even existed in Australia!)

Well if you have read my Tiger Airways trip report, you may recall I had a little run-in with the staff regarding taking pictures on the tarmac. It wasn't so much being told I couldn't take pictures that was the problem, but that the staff member concerned tried to fob me off by saying it wasn't a Tiger policy, but an airport one.

Boy, she picked the wrong person to use that line on. Thing is, I used to WORK for that airport, and there was never any policy in place at that time, which she tried to tell me had been a policy since 2006. (Wrong).

Anyway, just to clarify and make sure nothing had changed since then, I got in touch with the airport authority. I was referred to their security operations manager. I had a nice chat with him regarding this little exchange. (EDIT: For clarity, the airport concerned is Perth)

The outcome was that taking 'holiday pics', or photos for personal use (i.e. not to sell) is ABSOLUTELY 100% FINE according to airport rules. The only time it's not allowed is if you want to do a commercial photo shoot, in which case you just need prior permission & access agreements. In his words, taking a photo of the plane you are boarding is not a crime, it is not forbidden, and it is most certainly NOT against airport policy. So really, Tiger staff were wrong to say that the 'no photo' rule came from the airport. As the security operations manager said, if it were against airport policy, they would have signs saying so, as they do with the 'No Mobile Phones' sign at the gates.

So Tiger, please tell your staff to stop giving out incorrect information to your passengers. You can tell us not to take photos on your planes (if you really want that crappy publicity on your hands) but you can't say no to us taking our holiday pics on the tarmac!

PHOTO: Zimbio.co

EDIT: Tiger Airways responds that Melbourne Airport advise them tarmac photos are not allowed. Perhaps in the interests of clear information, Tiger should add this to their website, as currently there is no information aside from mobile phones. Interestingly, there's a Facebook group for Tiger staff and at least one photo in thhere is taken on the tarmac at what looks to be Melbourne airport. So, either it's a security breach, or it isn't...

Anyway, I'll always do what staff ask me on board flights, but in Perth at least, I'll happily snap my pics thanks very much!

Working...

I have no idea how, but even with being on vacation, I'm suddenly swamped with things to do! I suppose it might have something to do with my picking up a work trip for the extra money, so I now have 3 less days to get everything done.

Somewhere in there, I have on my list of things to do Part 2 of my Singapore Airlines trip report, as I know there are a few of you waiting for it. Also coming up over the next week, I'll be making a trip report on Tiger Airways (Australia), so we shall see if it really is like their tv show, Airways!

Trip Report- Flying the Skies With Singapore's A380 (Part 1)

Finally I'm in the mood to make a blog post, and seeing as my main theme of my blog is aviation, I thought I'd start with writing about what it was like to fly on the Airbus A380- giant of the sky.

Airline: Singapore Airlines (SQ)
Route: SIN-LHR (London Heathrow)
Aircraft: Airbus A388 (A380-800)



Before joining this flight, I had another sector with SQ from my home town to Singapore Changi Airport. Transit time was approximately 6 hours.

So many flights... and only about 3 or 4 hours out of the day!

On the flight up I traded watching tv for legroom, as the exit row at door R3 was unoccupied due to broken IFE. I asked one of the crew if I could sit there, and they were at first concerned I should know the tv's didn't work. When I assured them I was fine with it, they let me sit there, so I had the two seats to myself.

Strangely enough, I ended up receiving a special meal, even though I am neither Hindu or vegetarian, it ended up being tasty enough.

As a bonus, I got my meal before anyone else. If you tend to be hungry on flights, I recommend ordering a SM so you get to eat early. You will sit with your tray a bit longer too, though.

During my transit, I mostly looked around at the shops in the Terminal 3 transit mall. It certainly is a very traveller-friendly airport.

They had recharging stations for all possible gadgets (except USB for digital cameras, boo) a butterfly garden, free massage chairs and lots of other cool stuff.


Flowers in the butterfly house

Some really pretty butterflies, they were everywhere & there were lots of fake flowers with nectar pots in the middle to feed them.




The only thing lacking for an airplane nerd like me was a proper observation deck. The windows were big but didn't afford a view of the entire landing runway. I still got some good pics though.

SQ Boeing 777


QF A380

After lots of waiting around, we were finally ushered into the new boarding lounge which included gates for the A380.


While there, I tried to get a pic of my SavvyNavigator bag tag. Sadly the cool ones got corrupted on my camera card so this is the best of the remaining shots.
(Yes that is the A380 engines you can see in the background)

Our crew assembling to board the plane. I counted about 23 all up, that's a big crew!


After being welcomed on board & settling in, hot towels were passed out before take off which was a nice change. After departure we were given the amenity kits. Oddly, they had no eye shades, which I thought was really strange. Just some airplane socks & a small toothbrush. Of course I souvenired them for later, maybe I'll use them for a give-away later on.


As this is quite a big post, I'll write the rest of this one in the next day or two.

Checking In & Taking Off

It's me, I'm back again! Phew, busy few days, so not much time for Tweeting... noticed I dropped a few 'followers', guess I'm not chatty enough for them! :P

Aside from a couple of flights I also had to go do a bit of training, nothing bad just routine stuff. It was ok though, as I got to catch up with FAs that I know in other bases, and also meet some new ones who were cool.

Speaking of meeting & cool, I once again got to hang out with Mel of Tampax Towers while she was back in Oz. We had only a short visit, but managed to fit in browsing in Borders bookshop, eating sushi & teriyaki chicken in DJ's food hall (mmmm, yummy!) and of course Gloria Jean's (apparently they're evil, I wass reminded of this random posting someone made on my blog awhile ago, which we laughed about)

Also being both flight attendants, and girls, we even managed to shop a bit. Mel got some goodies for her dad, and I to-ed and fro-ed over a skirt which at first looked a bit hideous but then I actually liked. Mel's sage advice was to think about it and not buy it on the spot. (I went back later & bought it- hehe!) Hope you had a good flight back to Dubai, and have fun on your holidays!

As if one meeting wasn't fun enough, I also had dinner with SkyHighBoy, we had a nice walk around Darling Harbour

then stuffed ourselves with food. Oh and of course made a detour to the fudge shop. I got Choc Macadamia, and SHB being the foodie he is, couldn't resist the sampler, so he could get as many flavours as possible!

The train ride back to the hotel was interesting, let's just say Sydney is full of some strrrrrange people on the train! But it was ok, not scary at all & still quite busy that time of night with people going home from work or out with friends. Managed somehow to still shop, by going to Woolworth's to buy water & cereal and walking out with new foundation (?)

I probably won't be around much, if at all before my vacation, so I leave you with the following picture... enjoy & be good!


And before I go, make sure to stop by and say hi to Fe, a new blogger and soon-to-be FA who is joining Etihad Airways in October. Welcome to Blogger Fe! =D

(All photos (c) By Traytable 2009)

Week's Wrap-Up

I've been a bit slack again (I blame the disgusting weather) so those posts are gonna be a little bit longer coming...

The winter PJ's are out, the heater's been cranked up, and all the crew are complaining bitterly about the rainy weather, struggling in from the crew carpark looking like sad wet seagulls caught in a gale. The dryer in the bathroom has been working overtime as we struggle to maintain uniform, hair and make-up to company standards. Needless to say, it's only kind of working.

The incidences of medical problems has gone through the roof. Whait is it about cold weather-does it make everyone depressed and thus more likely to get sick?

Amongst all that, I managed to have an awesome meet-up with both SkyHighBoy and Vanishing Point on my last Sydney layover. It was awesome, one of the first and one of the more recent bloggers I have known, got to meet, and of course there were stories & gossip galore! The weather was a bit funny but I had a great time, and I hope they did too. Poor SHB was still waiting back for an answer to his mystery allergy, but still came out to meet us. (I think he was getting a bit sick of being off work huh). More on the adventures later.

And in news today, Yemenia Airlines have lost an A310 off the Comoros Islands. It's always a sad thing to have a crash, but I think even more so as this has been a very sad month for aviation. Hopefully they can get to a cause as soon as possible, and more quickly than AF447, as it's quite close to shore this time.

For my faves, if you haven't already, check out my 'Laviator' pics on the Galley Curtain blog!! =)

10k

Just noticed that my blog has hit the 10,000 visitors mark. Thanks guys!

it's not quite the nearly 100k I had on JS right before the crash, but I appreciate all the comments and feedback just the same! =)

Tweet Tweet!

I did it. I'm a sheep. Yes, I've joined Twitter. If for some strage reason, you decide that you want to 'follow' me, you can do so at my Twitter page!

Internet Geek! :P

There's More Than One Way to Spread Your Wings...

(Props to "Donna Jensen" for the title quote)

It was a comment from 'M' of Aviation Crazy that got me thinking back to when I first thought about a career in the skies. M mentioned having a life-long dream to be a flight attendant, and having many obstacles which so far have stood in the way. I too know how this feels... for you see, FA was not always my preferred job choice.

My mother tells me that from a very young age, I was intrigued and obsessed by anything to do with aircraft. I'd sit in the backyard for hours, watching planes fly over. My first wood shop project was a model airplane with a swivelling wing to store it away neatly. My favourite cartoon was about a jumbo jet and his airport vehicle friends. (At age 3)


Both during and after school, I eagerly devoured any book on aviation I could find, loving the day I found a box of aircraft magazine at the local charity shop for $4. That box kept me entertained all winter! I drew planes, I watched planes, I learned their shapes and engine sounds and liveries and airline uniforms and all that sort of thing. Most of all, I loved going to the airport with my dad and watching the planes taking off and landing. It was always a thrill when a friendly crew would wave from the cockpit.

But at this stage, my focus wasn't on the glamorous flight attendants with their perfect hair, cute uniforms and model makeup. I wanted to be wearing pants and a peaked cap, and sitting up the front left seat, the best one in the house! Yes, before she was cabin crew, TT wanted to be a pilot!

I went to flight school, learnt theory, flight law, meteorology and all those things that pilots need to know. I sweated over navigation exams, fuel calculations, weight and balances and loadsheets. I even got my student license and had a full medical. It was then that my plan hit turbulence. I didn't quite meet the requirements to hold an airline license. I remember being very upset. At the time, I felt what was the point, if I wasn't going to sit up the front of an airliner, and wear the jaunty cap, jetting all over the country and maybe even the world?

So I went on with life, hoping that over the next few years either the requirements wouuld change, or a solution would be found in the medical world. Then along came LASIK eye surgery. I wasn't so keen on this, plus I was running out of money to train. Then Emirates happened to come to my city. I saw the ad in the newspaper. I'd never even thought of becoming a flight attendant before. Looking at the ad, with the crew wearing her glossy red lipstick and the hat at a jaunty angle on her head, I thought- What if there is another way to get where I want? wouldn't be flying, but I'd still be in the sky.

So there began my journey to become a flight attendant, as I shared some of it on my JS blog, in the very beginning of that one, in late 2004/early 2005. (I'll try to re-post some of those entries if anyone reading is interested) It wasn't easy, and it took quite awhile, but eventually I got there. I took a detour, through the ground side of the airport, through baggage halls and help desks, answering angry phone calls and checking bags, then moving on the dispatching and ramp operations, until one day, interview after failed interview, rejecton letter after rejection letter, I got that 'golden phonecall'- I finally had a job as cabin crew.

Do I wish I were up in the pointy end of the plane? Sometimes. But I do know this- that quite possibly, I am better suited to being a flight attendant than I ever was to be a pilot. It just goes to show, you might be aiming for a specific target, but just being among the stars around it can be just as enjoyable.

A Little Blog Tweak...and a Good Read for Crew

Just to let you know, below the blogroll I have added links to 'Airportal', an e-magazine made by crew, for crew. (Ok, or for fans of crew!)

I had it on the blog since the start, but as it was at the bottom of the screen, and the blog is so long now, I thought I'd 'bump' it up closer to the top. It really is a good read, and a brilliant job by the girls considering they write it while flying long haul!

You can also join the Liz & Julie fan page on Facebook, where the girls are putting together the sequel to "You For Coffee, Sir?!", titled, "Let's Get Trollied!" Well worth it for a long haul flight, or those boring reserve days. Plenty of crew shenanigans and 'secret hostie's business' in there!

Hoping to make a few small changes to the blog over the next few weeks, and just improve it a little, seeing as I have neglected it a little during the Laptop Downtime.

Also, a welcome to a new blogger (well, new to me!) 'M' of Aviation Crazy, longtime poster to blogs such as Airboy and Tampax Towers. Check it out for some cool aircraft photos. Believe me, it is not so easy to get pretty photos of these flying machines, and to get decent composition to boot!

Welcome to the blogroll! =)

Another Week Goes By...

I'd love to make an exciting post about what's been going on, but truth be told, there's not a lot happening at the moment. Work has been really REALLY slow, and I've found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. Ok, so I squandered the first bit of free time by sleeping in and watching lots of cable tv, but I'm planning to make use of being home on reserve and hardly ever getting called out to fly.

Now that I've got my EeePC, I can do all those things I've been meaning to do, like:

* Post more here (including pic posts on my friends-only blog)
* Use my language learningg program again
* Get tax done
* Study for SEP (recurrent exams) using the online learning modules and virtual aircraft walk-throughs. (Those are pretty cool!)

This weekend is ANZAC Day in Australia, basically it's like Veteran's Day I suppose, except it's about remembering all Australian & NZ people who have ever served and died in war.

I plan to make a bigger post about that on the actual day (Saturday the 25th) which will include some pictures from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The cool thing is, SkyHighBoy will be in my base city this weekend, and we are planning to meet up at some point. We were actually meant to meet up last time he was here, but because the stupid courier was late to pick up my laptop, I didn't make it as he had to catch an early flight the next morning. All going well, we can have a drink or two and of course the flight attendant favourite, lots of gossip! =D


I also had a bit of a big night out a few days ago, so aside from doing housework and watching tv, I've been taking it easy. That will all change once SEP comes closer though!

Off Shopping I Go!

This morning I'm off to get myself a netbook. I've had ENOUGH of stupid HP and their crap customer service. I fully intend to lodge a complaint with consumer affairs. Now the extended warranty company have been lovely, but I don't feel they should have to replace the laptop seeing as it was still under manufacturer warranty when it went splat!

Anyway, as it has been over 2.5 months since this whole saga started, I am going to buy myself a netbook. I have SEPs coming up, and I can't use my sister's borrowed laptop anymore. It's older than the hills! (Plus, I can't take it with me!)

So, I still have a store card, and the computer store is doing one of those 2 years interest free promotions. Same as when I bought my fridge. So, with te good netbooks running at around the $500 mark, that will be easy peasy to pay off in that time. (Thanks Ruddy!!) Still leaves $400 from the 'stimulus package' (lol does that ever get jokes made on tv!) to put in my travel fund.

At the moment, I've pretty much decided to go with the EeePC. I liked the look of the Acer Aspire One, but the battery life is pretty crappy. Given the amount I've spent deadheading, 2hr when watching a movie is just not going to cut it! The EeePC 1000HE has a whopping max battery time of around 9 hours (depending on settings)

Think that might be the way to go. (I just wish they came in pink too! Hehe!)


I'm staying well away from the HP Mini Note (obviously!) and I tried the Dell Mini 9, but the keyboard totally pissed me off from the get-go. As I do a fair bit of typing, they keyboard matters! :P And the tiny size means it is TRULY portable. Not like my HP, which in comparison, feels like a brick, and takes up a whole pocket of my rollaboard bag. Ew.

Bikes, Bookings & Beach

Well. Where to begin. Such a lot to update on, I've nearly forgotten all the stuff I wanted to post about!

Exercise: I've been pretty good lately, yes ok I admit I've slacked off some days, but overall I don't think I've done too badly. Once in Perth I did a fast walk from South Perth (near the Mends St jetty) up to the park near Burswood Casino. And back. Not too bad. I was getting a little sick so haven't been riding the bike as much, but I did get out with my friend J yesterday and we did 45 minutes before deciding the weather was so nice we'd rather be at the beach! =D

I think the ride was overdoing it a bit as when I got back tot he car I had to lie down and put my feet up, feeling lightheaded. While I was lying there some guys playing football nearby kicked their ball over and it nearly knocked me out! Haha! But they were kind of cute so I forgave them.

J and I dumped our bikes in our cars then headed for the beach. Much better. The water was a little cold but it was really refreshing, being the Easter long weekend, it was really crowded but it was so nice just to be there, floating on the waves and talking. I also took the opportunity to take my new (waterproof) camera for its first test drive for underwater shots- as we were near the shore it wasn't too interesting underneath the water but it was fun to be able to have it with me and not worry about someone stealing it from my bag. The only drag to the day was that I was on call reserve, so had to keep checking my phone, but luckily I didn't get any calls so it was all good in the end.

Once we got too cold in the water we took our towels up onto the grass and just got some sun for awhile. I think I needed it after spending a few days mostly sleeping in bed. Once we dried off we decided we were both really hungry and went to get fish and chips. The line for the most popular place was really long, plus we decided it was a bit too expensive. There was a simple kebab joint down the road which also did fish and chips for half the price of the trendy place, so we got our food then sat down on our towels on the grass and ate. Our reward for being good about exercise was a really pretty sunset, which we watched the end of while going for a quick walk down the beach and back to work off the fried fish :P

Some lifeguards were training in their powerboat and it was really funny when they rounded a corner too quickly and threw the female lifeguard off the dinghy. Of course she screamed as she went over unexpectedly and the guys had to go pick her up out of the water, red faced. Hehe.

I've also done a couple of work trips which were really good, one to Singapore with some new crew which turned out to be a huge trip, mainly because we went out on the town the first night and stayed out til 3am (I only had 3 drinks the whole night as I'm kind of not into the drinking thing anymore, it doesn't do much for me, plus I already had a massive headache from work that day. SO I just had a vodka tonic or two and watched everyone else. We went to the bar Clinic which is decked out like a hospital, and you get drinks in drips and test tubes. But it was kind of expensive so really we sat around dithering over the menu while taking photos of us mucking around in the wheelchairs. All was good until two of the crew who had had more drinks than us decided it would be fun to take off in the wheelchairs down the street. So we got the 'move along' and then headed back for the hotel. On the way some of the crew decided it would be fun to go on the Reverse Bungy ride. Fun for all, even if you're only watching! Hehe


Singapore at night!

Next day I shopped a bit, had a fantastic pedicure (including leg massage and heat treatment), stocked up on my faves from the Body Shop (which I can't buy here at home) and found a fantastic pair of shoes to go with a new dress of mine. (More about the dress later!)

Plans for holiday going well, got my leave approved so now just waiting on booking confirmations. Singapore Airlines are having an awesome sale which will get me to London and back for around $1499. Emirates had a similar offer which I really wanted to do as it had a stopover in Dub-Dub, but I had to pay by tomorrow and my bank transfer won't be through by then. Oh well! SQ it is! I do like a Kebaya, and I'll get to fly on the A380. (I'm such a plane nerd, just had to include it so I could check it out.)

I plan to make a few posts today while I can as I am off on another trip tomorrow, so be sure to scroll down and check for the others =) Will also add some photos, once flatmate gets home with her work computer which isn't so slow as this one!

Not Again!

Hey people! I have a piece of rather frustrating news. After waiting around 6 weeks to have my laptop fixed, after one day of fuss-free operation it has decided that it wasn't fixed after all and is acting so stupid I could just throw it at the wall.

I'm a little suspicious that they didn't actually replace the logic board like they said, mainly because the computer is exhibiting the same crazy symptoms of squiggly lines across the screen and randomly shutting down- same as before. My theory is, had they actually replaced the part, it would have gone longer than a day before it crapped out.

I'm thinking maybe I just want to call them, rant about how I waited 6 weeks (or whatever it was) for this to be fixed, then was without my laptop over the easter weekend and couldn't do my bids!

I going to ask for a refund/new computer as they've tried to repair it once and I'm sure the laws here say that after repair I have the option to choose repair or replacement. Replacement it is!!!

So am typing this on flatmate's computer so hopefully can still get my planned posts done.