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!!!

Flying the A380- Singapore Airlines Trip Report (Part 2)

Once I had boarded & stowed all my stuff, I set about getting some pictures. As I hadn'tdone much long-haul flying as a passenger, I erred on the side of caution & requested an aisle seat. It was a bit annoying as I usually like a window seat for that reason, but the people sitting in my row were nice enough to let me lean over them to snap a few pics.




(The seat layout on the SQ 380 is 3-4-3 on main deck economy- I think it's the same for upper deck as well, though I only got a brief look)


I'd also like to add I really love the seat pockets- not only was there a section for the afore-pictured magazines & safety card, but additional elasticised pockets for iPod, camera, water bottle or whatever else one wants to cram in there. I could fit all the essentials near to hand without having to resort to rummaging in the overhead every 10 minutes.

Another neat feature (sadly forgot to photograph it) was the footrest. I found it a bit awkqard when sleeping, but good when I was awake watching tv,and wanting to take the weight off my feet. I think this might be better than the foot-net that Qantas have, but as I haven't yet tried that I can't be certain.

After take-off, the crew came around with a drinks service. Looking at the menu, I saw they were offering a Singapore Sling. Of course, I had to try it, in honour of my first trip on the SQ A380. I had thought it would be made with a pre-mix, but no, the friendly Singapore Girl mixed it all to order from the drinks cart:


That was really cool, but quite strong, so I also got a lemonade to have with the peanuts.


Next was our meal, which was really tasty. Again with the metal cutlery, which is kind of strange to see after dealing with plastic knives for so long! I ate pretty much everything, and then they gave out some icecream which was small pieces of icecream covered in chocolate. They were really good!

After lunch, most people went to sleep or watched movies, so I took the chance to have a wanfder around and look at the plane. I'm still kicking myself, at the time I felt like I was taking lots of photos but later when I looked at them I realised I didn't have any of the stair case or upper deck. Oh well, next time!



View out of the Right 5 door viewing window. The clouds were really cool, but they also gave us some turbulence. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I found it odd that the seatbelt sign didn't seem to be enforced. An announcement would be made, but after that people still got up and walked around with not really any interference from the crew. (They do things differently I guess!)

The plane nerd in me had to take a picture of this...
Airbus logo on each of the doors.



One for my flight attendant readers:
The door mechanism is a lot different from what we might be used to... although it does have similarities to others in the Airbus family.

Just think, it once took a week to make this trip! Now it's under 14 hours.



Getting there...


About an hour and a half before we arrived we also got a supper/dinner. This was chicken with noodles and was really good! Kind of like chicken noodle soup, but without the soup :P

And a few final 'plane geek' photos :)

The Heathrow Express train from Paddington to the airport. It's pretty high-tech, a lot like a plane itself. See the exit-row lighting, and the folding seats near the door which look like crew jumpseats. It even had wi-fi!! Took about 15mins to make the trip, which was well worth 16 pounds. (Hint: If you're crew, show your airline ID, the nice guy at the ticket counter gave me a crew ticket for 8 pounds!!)


The iPod connector on the seatback entertainment console:

The A380 also has AV input for a portable DVD or similar, and also allows you to view content from a USB stick like PDF files and Word documents. If you're not sure about what plane you're flying, or what facilities it has on board, check the airline website or the ever-handy Seat Guru website.


The IFE handset. The reverse side has a keyboard (for seat to seat messaging that hot guy ;) and gaming buttons for the multitude of games such as Mummy Mania and WHo Wants to Be A Millionaire. Hours of fun!

And I found this amusing:

The A380 is so big they give you a map to fiure out where your seat is!!!

Overall, I really enjoyed the flight and the crew were great- nothing was too much trouble. It's true- Singapore is a great way to fly!

Stay tuned for a Singapore Girl pic on the Galley Curtain blog =)

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.

In-flight iPods & Medical Emergencies

Hey all,

I'm feeling a little too drained at the moment to do a proper update. Have had a huge past week at work, not least of which involved some medical emergencies. (Last time it was SHB's turn, now it seems, it's mine.)

I promise I will post in more detail, once I've had a chance to rest up.It's just a hugely big weekend at the moment, being Australia Day and everything. (Our version of July 4th, for my US readers.)

Yesterday I dropped my sister in at work, the funny thing was, passing one of the major hotels I just about ran over two of SkyHighBoy's colleagues, who weren't watching before crossing the road. Oops! That could have been a nasty flight delay!

In news for travellers, Singapore Airlines have announced new technology to allow iPod & iPhone connectivity inflight. Pretty cool news for travellers. Other airlines, including Emirates and Delta, are said to be following suit.