Hello peeps. Not very much has happened these last few weeks. Other than the fact I was (and still am) kind of sick. I was grounded for around 10 days because I suffered from severe headaches and was unable to operate.

So I’m basically trying to figure out a way to overcome those, and one of the remedies I’ve come across is Brufen. Strong, strong Brufen. It’s been quite dull to be honest and I’m finding it extremely hard to have a decent day. As I’ve probably told you before, those headaches are the result of exhaustion as per my doctor. Flying a ridiculous amount of hours in the past 4 to 5 month has taken the better of my health. Since EK has introduced Unpaid Leave for Cabin Crew in April, the crew that decided to stay on and fly saw their work hours increase by a good 25-30%. And you can really see the difference. Things have changed since I started with Emirates. For sure. Morale among the crew isn’t at it’s best. Cost-cutting measures are drastic, pressure is on everyone. I have been to see my manager twice which isn’t a good sign here at Emirates. I only saw her twice in the two years I’ve been with them. And both times translated into something I really didn’t need. Not the best of profiles really.

Funnily enough, we have made a profit in the first half of the year. 205 million US$ which really came as a surprise from what we had achieved the previous year. Hopefully the top dogs will share the moolaah with their employees. Because we’ve been through so much crap in the past year it would only be fair. Also surprising is the interest in the A380. Emirates has just expressed a will to buy even more Super-Jumbos. Another order on top of the 58 already waiting to be delivered.

Since, I managed to operate a Paris flight. Enjoyed it. Sold 12 bottles of champagne and managed to rake in some $ 100 for the Duty Free operator. You’d think I get a share out of it ?? ahaha NADA ! NICHT! not even a cappuccino from First Class. Landed in freezing Paris. Picked up my dough at the hotel and Father came to pick me up so we could zoom home for dinner and Gin Tonics. Wasn’t feeling at my best, so I stayed home and decided to go out for lunch time the next day. Ventured downtown to Pont-Neuf near the Seine river so I could check out Habitat and the cool stuff they have there. I saw a couple of snazzy table lamps and some kick ass photo frames that I might well get when I’m there next. I had a real good time just wondering around the streets. Even managed to squeeze in some window licking at Colette’s and I think I have a gift idea for TampaxTowers. She had got me a pot-noodle mug from Japan as well as the Swedish version of the IKEA catalogue (yep, it’s now my bedside bible) so I really need to get my act together and find the coolest gift.

We also went for a few drinks here and there. But only pictures can describe :

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The way back was far less enjoyable. We were delayed an hour and a half on ground because “of a minor technical problem”. I had to go round the cabin and reassure scared passengers, not the easiest of tasks. In fact I had great difficulty in being persuasive enough to keep some of them on-board. But I managed and it involved an endless flow of Red Wine once we had taken off.

But yesterday the dull side of life turned a little brighter as I skyped half a dozen Flight Attendants from around the world. Was hilarious because we did a conference call (new Skype feature) but I was unable to understand a thing because of the limited connection I had the time. I was downloading some movies, rendering the conversation to near chaos. All I could hear was the sound of six R2D2’s with a communication breakdown. Still it was funny. Big-up to Traytables, The Flying Pinto, Brajit, Calimdreamimp, SkyHighBoy. If I’ve missed anyone : hit me hard and leave a comment so I can rectify !

OZ welcomes you into our CRIB :

But the really interesting event yesterday that totally put a smile on my sad face was the fact that I was quoted as one of the “28 Awesome Aviation Pros On Twitter“. I must thank SimpliFlying for the quote :

“People often do not talk about the individuals that actually make an airline work. Not the corporate executives, but the group that work closely with passengers day in day out — the airline crew. Twitter’s aviation community counts among its numbers a bunch of airline crew tweeps that you can follow. Listen to their adventures, joys, and grievances in being at the forefront of such an industry, perhaps tweeted from a jumpseat.

@Sodwee – Airboy, also known as Sodwee, is a 23 year old male flight attendant currently working for Emirates since March 2008. Although his professional experience in the airline industry is not as extensive as some others, he has a really popular blog and podcast where he not only writes about his adventures on Emirates, but also the latest happenings on the region’s other carriers.”

Thank you Shashank Nigam for the plug ! Really appreciate it !

And finally we have a failed second attempt at lypsynching :

Hope you’re enjoying the things you do, wherever you are. Take care people !