Change is in the air.

There must be something going on. Not only am i leaving but at least 2 of my friends are going to also. Another friend has changed almost overnight from being this shy decent guy to a guy who no longer thinks girls have cooties. Our building security guards are being changed over to a different company too! I'm going to miss them, they are really nice and are even willing to bend the rules for you...i know I'm leaving and it wont matter - its just sad is all.

In other news items, I've been trying to plan this get together before i go with my friends but the most suitable date (3rd) is when it seems everyone is flying! So i guess I'm going to have to try to see everyone when i can which i can tell will be problematic with me trying to fit everyone in around my days off, paper work for leaving etc... Oh well cant really do much about that.

Now here's something you may find interesting. I went for a manicure today (no that's not the interesting bit) and i don't normally go unless I've been severely biting my nails. Anyway I've always known that a lot of people who work here have very dismal salaries and work conditions (see this post i made last year) and today i chatted to the lady doing my nails. Get a load of this: She gets paid half of my basic salary and less than a quarter of my total salary. She has been here 6mths and will stay here for 2 years to support her husband, 8yo son and her parents back in the Philippines. She works 12hr days/6days a week. She doesn't get a free annual leave ticket home and every 2mths she has to take a plane trip out of the country and back (paid by her company) because they wont process a resident visa for her. She also lives in a 3br apartment with 19 - count them - 19 other employees! And shes really nice.

And on that note, i count my blessings once again.

VP

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Coffee catch ups

Hearing: I'm not missing you - Stacy Orrico

There is something so wonderful and comforting about catching up with friends over coffee especially when its with really close friends. Oli and Tomas are 2 of my closest friends here. We started together and though we don't really see much of each other we keep in touch and when we do get together its wonderful. We tease and talk and laugh. We share everything about whats going on in our lives, can be honest and there is a comfort in knowing you can just pick up where you left off.

It was such an afternoon for me that made me realise what I'll be missing when i leave. I will miss you guys so much! Make sure you come visit me when you come to Sydney.

Speaking of which, I'm on Sydney standby tomorrow and I've already told crewing that if anyone calls in sick to pull me out first. It would help me a lot as i want to ship some of my heavier stuff home, its one of the cool things about being crew, you don't have a weight limit. As yet no one has called in sick...bummer, but I'll pack and be ready anyway. Fingers crossed.

VP

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Resignation Proceedures

I have just returned from a trip to the office. I just went in to find out what i needed to do before leaving and ended up doing my exit interview where, and trust me when i say this, i didnt hold back from saying anything. It was another relief to put one more step behind me. After my final day of flying, i am to return some company stuff, uniform/manuals/etc, get signatures and then hand in my passport, ID etc to finalise any paperwork. I already know the date I'm supposed to leave and that makes me feel great.

The time I've left now means packing and finalising all my stuff here (thankfully i get an extra 40kg to ship stuff home), seeing my friends and enjoying the time i have with them. Anyways, i should go, Oli is dropping by and we have loads to catch up on.

VP

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Floods and Potter Mania

I write this as I'm going through CNNs Harry Potter news videos. I cant remember if I've said this before but i am a Potter fan. I haven't seen the new movie yet but i have a couple of days off coming up so i will be hitting the cinemas first thing. The book....I'm going to wait and make sure i don't run into any spoilers and hope my flatmate keeps her mouth shut since she just bought the book today. Shes a bit of a Potter fan too and is dragging her boyfriend off to see the movie tonight. I, unfortunately have a flight but its a short one so not a big deal.

Tomorrow I'm on available (which means crewing can give me whatever they like) fingers crossed for an off since i have a dentist visit to go to and then if Oli can manage, we're catching up. After that I've 2 days off. Its going to be difficult to resist the temptation to buy the book and get into it but i am determined not to get it. I would like to buy it from duty free as i leave here and head home. I'll have loads of time to kill on the flight back to Sydney and what a better way to get over the embarrassment of a deportation than in the realms of the Harry Potter world. You see here, once you resign they literally escort you to immigration to make sure you leave and it can be quite embarrassing, even though you have chosen to resign they still treat you as a deportee. It wont be a nice experience. So Harry Potter will be lovely compensation and an indulgent treat though it will be very sad to see the story finally come to an end.

It is funny how such hype about the release of the book was not dampened by the weather. The rain i mentioned in my last post flooded areas of England and over 100 flights were cancelled, roads were closed, some tube stations were not operational and it was chaos. I saw one picture in a newspaper of a guy rescuing someone from their 4x4 through the sunroof. The nearby flood sign said it was at 6feet and no joke the whole 4x4 was immersed in water with just the roof showing. Despite all this - people still queued up for the midnight release and braved the downpour of rain, thunder, lightning and wind. Now that's dedication! Or madness...

VP

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Adieu London

Hearing: Soul Mate - Natasha Beddingfield London.

I'm really going to miss you.

Yesterday i arrived into horrid weather. It was pouring! A storm made it seem as though it was still the middle of winter. For a long while i gave up hope of being about to go out and see my loved city for the last time. Even after sleeping a few hours it still didn't clear. Normally i would have been content to sit in my room and watch the rain but i yesterday i wanted to go out, i didn't want to miss my last chance to see the city. Someone up there must like me as it cleared up around 2pm and i headed out with my umbrella just in case.

Now as i sit in my hotel room looking out at the scene in front of me, i can see my first trip here, the excitement i felt, the streets of London as i walked around yesterday. I went back to a few places like Tower Bridge and Tower of London, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Charring Cross Rd. I had hoped to see the latest Harry Potter Movie at the Odeon in Leicester Square but the screening ended at 11.30 which meant that it would take forever to get back to the hotel and i had an early pick up the next morning. If it wasn't for that i would have stayed, watched the movie and went to the midnight release of the final Harry Potter book to see the excitement and the madness. I would have loved to buy the book from there.

Being a Friday, as i walked around i saw the effect of the new ban on smoking (I'll post a photo when i get back) and i had to laugh. You gotta love the Brits, they wont be discouraged!!







I do feel sad about leaving here. One of my regrets about resigning is that i wont see this place anymore. That's not to say that when i did get layovers here i went into the city every time (it can be a hike in). But just being here, breathing the air seeing the greenery, i feel very much at home here. And it totally sux, more than sux, that i don't know if or when i will get the chance to see it again. As the clouds move gently over the sky and the weather is at once warm yet cool, its time for me to get ready and bid Adieu to London.

VP

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Lion Park - Johannesburg, South Africa

Hearing: Say it Right - Nelly Furtado

I loved it! Even though its not exactly a safari in the wild, its still interesting. We drove through vast areas of land to see the Zebras, Wildebeest and (im not sure about this) a bunch of kudu (kudus?).

We then drove through different "camps" where the lions were. Boy did we get close!! The guide was pretty good telling us all sorts of stuff about the animals. Like did you know that the Wildebeest is a scardy-cat? That there is a difference between white lions and albino lions?

There was bit of a gross moment when i got giraffe saliva all over my hand and sleeve of my jacket. But they are wonderful creatures. They had a stand built up so you could be 'level' with them and feed them too if you wanted. And they KNOW when you have food trust me. The best, i have to say, like pretty much everyone else, was the lion cub visit. They were so adorable. Mostly they wanted to sleep but they didnt mind so much if you patted them. Its really amazing being with them, a baby wildcat is still a wildcat and its a rare experiance. Im really lucky.

Here are a bunch of photos i took. Bet you can guess which is my fav.

VP

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Eww Gross...

What do you do when the galley drain starts overflowing and builds up such momentum that the liquid runs down the aisle past pax and 11 rows of seats??? Laugh of course!!! Who do you blame it on? The guy who jinxed it. The silver lining? Its top-of-descent.

For no reason at all a drain in my galley got sick and decided to throw up loads of water which thankfully was clear though not clean. Even closing the water shut-off valve didnt help. When it did ease and stop i went to get some used blankets to soak up the water during landing. Unfortunately a few minutes later there was a stream running down the right-hand side of the cabin past weary business class onlookers.

I must have piled loads of blankets into that galley just to stop anymore from going down the aisle. A potential safety hazard but a water logged floor in an emergency isnt better. But we had to laugh, the look of the pax faces and the sheer "what tha?" of the situation not to mention it was just before landing so we didnt have to deal with it very long made the situation more funny than it would have been otherwise. The guys down the back earlier had found that the sinks in the toilets were regurgitating brown liquid and so much so that it too, was leaking out into the cabin.

Who do we blame for this?? The crew who jinxed the whole thing. He was just saying how on a previous flight this had happened and thankfully it hadnt on this flight (yeah right) and moments later - the drains protested.

Other than that, my first and last Johannesburg flight went without a hitch. I had really nice crew and a lovely Aussie CM (who looks a bit like Hilary Duff i think, though others may and probably will disagree) and an easy going flight deck. The layover was nice, we went for a steak dinner the first night (YUM!) and the next day 4 of us went on a tour to the Lion Park (cute cubs galore!) Photos to come later. For now i should get some brekkie.

VP

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The Begining of the End

Its done! Ive resigned. I went in today to hand in my resignation letter and that's it. My months notice starts today. I felt much better once it was signed and accepted. I guess that's a sign that I'm definitely doing the right thing. Thankfully i had a friend nearby to talk to and distract me. Thanks Matty for being there today.

I know that i will miss the travel, my friends and a few other things but there is a lot i absolutely will not miss. And so my countdown begins again.

VP

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Musical wishes

Hearing: Try Again - Aaliyah

In a very un-VP-Like move, i neglected to bring my camera along when i went to see Wat Pho (aka the temple of the Reclining Buddha) yesterday. It was the first time I've been there and a place I've always wanted to visit. Walking into the temple i was struck by exactly how large the image was - and all gold plated! The other thing i noticed was an almost musical ting-ting-ting... After taking in the Buddha from the front and the detailed mother-of-pearl mosaic images on its feet, i made a donation and picked up a small bowlful of 1/4bht to go through the same ritual as everyone else.

I cant remember exactly but i think you offer a prayer/wish and then you drop a coin into each of the cauldron-like containers that line the wall. If, when you reach the end you have the exact coins as containers then your prayer/wish will be granted... i had too many coins left over *sigh* But it was fun and the ting-ting-ting of my coins dropping into the containers was pleasant too.

And since i didn't take a photo I've included one from this website.















VP

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