Weekender

Well there goes the week and the end of my one-week stint as Acting STSE Interiors. It was fun I must say, and thankfully nothing too major occured during that one week span, making the whole period of me being at the helm of this beloved section, enjoyable to say the least.

I am in love with my job. And I'm not trying to comfort myself. Really I do. Sure, the technical side is all meticulous and detailed and precise etc. But the whole experience of being in charge of the sole section of the aircraft that leaves the passenger with the final impression of the airline is actually fulfilling, and quite overwhelming, in a positive manner.

So, I think my aim to actually gain as much experience as I can in this field is something that is good for me and hopefully will land me in the position I really desire to be, one day, in this beloved company of mine. Although the management has a lot to make up for, I'm sure, one day, everything will fall into place and the whole mechanism of running this airline, at least from this aspect, will be on par with the rest of the 5-star airlines today. I am planning to ensure this will happen, and it requires nothing less then being on top of the arena; knowing as much of every inch of the field of aircraft interiors as realistically possible. (trust me, at the rate technology evolves, it's almost impossible). I love my airline, and nothing anyone can say about anything will change my mind about it. I may leave the job, but only in hopes of returning to my pride and joy as a more efficient, proficient and knowledgable leader. This I promise myself. Because, one day, I want to see my airline be ranked number 1 in every possible category for a commercial transport enterprise. Not so much because it represents my country, but rather because I grew up with this airline and, without any exaggeration whatsoever, it makes me feel at home as soon as I step on board at any foreign airport that I have been in. That's why, my company is so special to me.

Say what you want about shortfalls and weaknesses of our flagship carrier. The price, the service (both on and off ground), the meals, the seats, the punctuality etc. Sure, it may seem far below par or does not meet expectations or does not come close to making it worth your ticket price. But coming from the aviation industry, I can assure you, that all the negative things being said about my company is common within any airline serving the world today, including the other 5-star airlines. People say our neighbouring airline is 10 times better. Sure, you may be right. But did you ever actually stop and think about why you feel so? Did it ever occur to you that you feel so harshly towards your airline because it is your airline? Because it is your flagship carrier, any weakness will be amplified numerous times in your feelings and expressions because of the dissapointment and shame that it impedes onto you. It is exactly that, because if these weaknesses and voids were found in other foreign airlines, the complaints won't be as strong and harsh because you don't really care because it doesnt cost you anything in terms of pride and dignity. It's someone else's airline. But if it was your own, you would be more worried or offended more than the others.

So you see, it's not really the fact that my company is bad. But rather, its the perception that our flagship carrier should be perfect. There should be minimal weaknesses, or better yet, none at all. Because it represents our country. Our pride. Our identity.

Be that as it may, I am not denying that there is a lot to ask for from our current level of service. I am staff and I don't deny it. But hey, we're working on every inch of it. Trust me, we really are. Of course I will not disclose any of the work being done to address these issues, as clearly it is not my prerogative to do so. But things are being done and is being forcibly and strenuously being put into action. With the current leadership, everyone is pulling their weight to ensure that our service remains on top, in our strive to, one day, become the number 1 airline in the world. However, I won't put any optism on this. Because it doesn't require any. It WILL happen.

And why are am I so adamant about this? The answer is very simple. Because of money or rather, lack thereof. No I'm not complaining. I am saying that I am not making as much money as I am supposed to be. And of course, being the person that I am, this matters greatly. But for some reason, the realization, which has beseiged me for quite a while now, has rendered no negative effect on me. Instead, I am content. I love my job. And I don't mind putting the long hours and sometimes even weekends, just to get things done. It's just simply because I want everything to be correct so that I give my best product to this airline. And being in interiors, which pretty much is the only section within engineering that has most effect on the passenger during their travel, I find it the most fulfilling. (of course, there are more, much more critical areas within engineering that ensures the continuity and perfection of the day-to-day operation of the airline, but the passengers won't feel or see the same siginficance of this compared to that of the cabin, as they sit and wait until they reach their next destination)

Bottom line is, I love what I am doing and I will ensure that I give my very best, so that my pride and joy can continue to fly and serve our loyal passengers, and, most importantly, continue to be recognized as a 5-star, global airline leader, in our strive, to one day become the number one airline in the world.


Okay enough serious stuff,
I am feeling a little dizzy right now. Facebook is boring. The net is boring. No one is online at 4am. And of course, my email account is full of spam. So, to entertain myself, I was thinking of accepting and setting up all the invites I got on facebook (290). By the time I reached 287 I thought "screw this" and was trying to find a delete all the invites, but to no avail. It's amazing how people can keep the invite count down to zero. Their facebooks must be full of useless, mindless and pretty much cluttering crap. Although, it did keep me entertained for the past 15 minutes (while installing the software and inviting random ppl to install it - of course, by the time I realized how gay and boring this was, I was stressfully looking for the 'Clear All' button.

On a more trivial note, I got a plant today. Don't ask from where, from who or for how much. I just got it, and I think it's pretty cool. It's sort of a not-so-dense plant with long stalks but really small leaves. It's kinda big but I think it looks really cool in my cube. Sort of gives me a slight zen feeling, like how it was when I had all those awesome table-top mini fountains back in college. I wonder if the office allowed me to install those fountains in my cube... hmm, interesting.

So that pretty much wraps up my rambling about almost nothing. It's formula 1 weekend here in KL, and I really hope I get some last minute tix. I wonder if my sister was serious in her offer the other day. But then again, it might have been a "oh, by the way.." kinda thing and she totally forgot about it. Its cool. Watching it on the tube at home or at Chillis is way more comfortable and fulfilling anyway. (even the food is cheaper than the crap they sell at the circuit!)

Oh, and today I went to a wedding of a sort of a cousing of mine. And a lot of my extended family members were there. It sure was nice to meet up with them again and mingle. I can tick with them a little bit. Even though we meet almost zilch times a year. I met a lot of old but yet familiar faces. And even though I fumbled with their names, it gave me a sense of belonging and togetherness. The wedding was simple and nice. (Congratulations Mas - well done). I left the place with a sense of .... I don't know. Happy is not really the correct word. I think satisfied and relieved is more like it. While driving home, I couldn't help but think of planning some sort of a reunion kind of thing where I get in touch with all of them and we go for a 2 nite stay in some resort and just simply catch-up, and get to know each other better. I dont know if its a good idea, or even if its a feasible idea, but I think I'll put more thought into it. I mean, it's family. And in my life, they are almost non- existent. And I think, in so many ways, that's just wrong. Regardless of whose fault it is. If our elders weren't good at staying close, there's no reason we should do the same right? Right. So more thought it is then.

I hope it's really because of that (family), and not because I miss the sense of belonging...