SEP - Ain't Nothing Gonna Break My Stride....

Safety and Emergency Procedures or SEP.
Emergency evacuations, fire fighting, resuscitation, life raft survival.

There is a good argument that cabin crew should know these things.
There is a good argument that cabin crew should regularly refresh their knowledge on these subjects on, let's say, an annual basis.
There is a good argument that Jesus is the son of God and his birthday is December 25, and that work should be cancelled that day.

Yes. Life is full of good arguments.

Ok, this is my way of venting re having to do my two day SEP refresher on Christmas Eve AND back again Christmas Day. It SUCKED. No question about it.

Good news?

Getting to spend Christmas night with some of my very closest friends, munching away on a German buffet plus alcohol. Merry Christmas. Or as they say in Japan - Sumi Masen. Nicole, Franck, Mat, Brigitte, Holly, Ema were guests of the Hofbrauhaus and we had a ball, tired as we all were. 

(and on that note, I just realised all the good photos are on Nicole's camera)

Marcos arrived that night from Sao Paulo (his parents came to Dubai to see him for Christmas and he spent the holiday back home thanks to Emirates!) and we exchanged gifts the next day... But more on that in a moment.....

....ok, the moment's over. I scored a PS3 and an EMPORIO ARMANI WATCH! I was always taught never to gloat, but come on! It's the best friggin present anyone could ask for (Middle East peace and an end to poverty aside.) Mind you, Marcos didn't do to badly in the exchange. In a few weeks when he gets his new Mac computer he'll be composing symphonies thanks to his brand new Logic Studio software, the music software of champions! Look out Paul McCartney!

It's Christmas time in the City!

Moscow - catch flight to...

Dubai - catch bus to...

UP Tower, Apartment 306 - pack bags then....

Bed for an hour - catch bus to....

Abu Dhabi - catch flight to....

Singapore - buy obligatory magazines on stopover then....

Brisbane - get picked up by Mum (lovely treat) then....

Caloundra - for Christmas dinner!

My brother Ben, sister Jessica and mum Lolita

I only realised I had 5 days of leave a few weeks back and got very excited. I wanted to go back to Brisbane to meet Mitch and Tracy's new baby and get into some pre-Christmas Aussie atmosphere. Think sun, retail, parties, food, retail and retail. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I spent in ten days (yes, I extended my leave and almost my credit card limit) but I had a fantastic time - beginning with Christmas dinner (albeit a week early) and the family spending some time together. As usual the Brisbane sector was hectic and wonderful. It too began with Christmas dinner, Asian style, thanks to Kim, Ben and Jodie, with special guest appearances by Catherine, Sandra and Graeme (Zara was at home with Mr and Mrs Sampson but we got to play later in the week.) I stayed with Jodie due to the new guest at 12 Skinner St, West End. I also managed an array of catchups with the likes of Nathan, Sacha and Rochelle, Tania, Shannon, Benassi, Melita, Dominic, Josh and of course Macy, Ava and Ed!

An awesome week - won't bore you any more with the details - as always we'll get to the photographs.

Christmas dinner, nee-ho-ma style, at Addiction Asian. L-R: Graeme, Sandra, Ben, Jodie, Kim and me.

Rochelle and Sacha                                                                               Beautiful Zara 

The crowds hit the Queen St Mall

AND MAKING HIS JUBE EYE DEBUT........ 

MR ED JULES GAYNOR

and his supporting acts, Jube Eye regulars, Macy and Ava....

Yes, hello Moscow! How ARE you?

What a cheery mob those Russians are! What a lust for life, or "rassa sayang" as we say in Indonesian class. The incessant snow fall, after-effects of communism, karaoke - it's all there in Mockba and then some!

Armed with a lovely set of cabin crew, we made the 5 hour plus journey from the sandpit to the snowpit with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts. And when we got there I was in heaven. I had been in snow before but not while it was actually falling. Nor had I been in temperatures that cold possibly ever. I LOVED it.

The trip on the crew bus to the hotel was painful to say the least. Over two hours of layover eaten up by the rush hour Moscowian traffic. From there however it was all systems go. 30 minutes to change into winter woolies, and onto the subway. Next stop: Red Square.

Removing all sarcasm and wit and being flat out honest, it was one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. Stunning architecture, falling snow, Christmas spirit in the air. Even the crew who had seen it before were a little gob smacked about how amazing it was. I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

(view from my hotel room the next morning - joyous!)

And from Moscow it was a quick night flight back to Dubai, a few hours sleep before driving to Abu Dhabi for my first Etihad experience to Brisbane, but more on that in the next post...

Give the boy his wings!

ONLINE meaning 1) being on an actual line, eg. string, cocaine, clothes; 2) on the internet (col.); 3) getting ripped from training college and thrown on an aircraft with a vague recollection of how things are actually done in business class.

This was the predicament I found myself in (option 3 that is) on Saturday just gone. I was scheduled for Glasgow, but found the idea of Malta a little more enticing. Yes, we stop on Larnaca, Cyprus, both ways. But it is worth it. The hotel is perfectly in reach of the beach, the clubs, the restaurants, the movies, and Maccas! I LOVE this country!

It was cold and wet when I got there so I took in a Quentin Tarantino movie I had been desperate to see. This was immediately followed by dinner with a very uninterested crew. I have never had to try so hard to start a conversation before! One exception being the lovely Kemi who was one of my very own angels (see below). It was strange being her trainer one minute and her colleague the next!

Dinner was followed by 12 vodka/red bull shots in a bar with the few men standing, and by the end of it, as evidenced in the picture below, I was well and truly ready for bed!

12 hours later.....

Time for a brief walk around the area to digest the hotel buffet breakfast and kill some of the three hour delay we had due to fog at Dubai airport. I really love this place and look forward to coming back for a holiday some time soon....

Sumi Masen ;-)

On ground in Larnaca. I couldn't resist the feeling of fresh air, cool breeze and sunshine - so I  jumped on the stairs ramp for some happy snaps. The ones of me were definitely not fit for blog consumption...

Crappy weather on arrival (think Geelong in July) but SO happy to be there!

and now they're all very empty... oh my head!

and finally, the empty economy class on the way home. Oh, to be in economy again!

I have just applied for the Senior Flight Steward program, which is the person in charge of each cabin during the flight (one step below the Purser) so I find out in the next month or so if I get it. I'm hoping all that report writing being a trainer will get me over the line!