This particular letter struck a chord within me. A young man serving his national service wrote in to share his story- a beautiful encounter with an angel where he least expected it.? This is a classic example of what I have been stressing in the Mile Hi! Club. It is the angel within that makes one service provider distinct from another.

If you are the angel reading this… I thank you on behalf on this grateful young man.

“Hi Janet. I’m Abdul here. To be honest, I didn’t know that there was such a book that enabled me to know more about the true life of a cabin crew until recently when I came across a particular blog which links to your MILE HI! CLUB website. My apology for that since the period your book was promoted, I was in camp (still serving my National Service), in Tekong. So, on a particular Saturday, a day after my book out, I rushed to?the nearest National Library which is at Lot 1 Shoppers Mall, Choa Chu Kang to find a copy of your book to be borrowed. To my disappointment, your books was all loaned by others and therefore, I got to make a reservation in which I was allocated as the 37th recipient of the book loan. I waited for a dying 2 weeks or so before I was informed about the collection of the book. I was so overjoyed; I rushed to the library immediately on my book out day.

But this isn’t the main story afterall. What I’m about to share with you is a story that touches my soul and mind and made me have a better understanding of fellow flight attendants. A few years back, when I was a 10 year old kid, a primary 4 student back then, I was walking on the way to school that morning. It was about 6.15 am when I came across a black cat.

To be honest, I am afraid of cats because of the bad experience before that and until now, I still do. I knew our path will cross if I need to carry on walking but I dare not to. I cleverly stamped my feet hoping that the cat will be frightened off and leave that spot so that I could continue on walking. Eventually, the black cat stood up instead and stared at me angrily and by then it was already walking near towards me.

I was already half crying when suddenly a lady in a green sarong kebaya, her hands holding onto her cabin and cargo luggage came near me. She asked me what happened and I pointed my finger to the cat. She then turned and looked at the cat for a moment and surprisingly, god knows how she does it, the cat ran away. She squatted in front of me and gave me a smile. An assurance smile indeed. I still remember clearly what she told me; “Don’t be afraid anymore. I already shooed the cat away. Come on give me a smile. You’re on your way to school right?. Do you need my company?”. I replied no thanks definitely and gave her a big wide smile and a simple thank you. Before I walked away, she shuffled my hair and what I appreciate most was that she actually stood there for a moment to see me walked off and cross the traffic light safely before she waved and moved on.

Up till this day, I will remember her as a stewardess with a big heart. I mean, when will you ever see such a thing? I believe she just came back from a long haul flight but she just spent her time to shoo the cat away and waited for me to cross over safely. That was really something I could not describe. To me, a true stewardess is someone like her or better. Someone who not only think herself as a service provider but someone who has a genuine heart with a simple mind of helping and giving to others in times of need and difficulties. They are really awesome.

So that is the reason why whenever I saw a stewardess, especially leading stewardesses, I was reminded of her and I hold a higher degree of respect to these?group who had contributed a lot to people to give more than just a smile, but also touching our heart that leaves us a great impression on them. However, sad to say, I have yet to complete reading your book. I have only completed less than half the book mainly because I had like 1 1/2 days spent at home over the weekend and had to booked in back to Tekong camp on every Sunday and also because I had to returned the book?to the library because of the due date and I can’t afford to renew the loan as many others are still waiting to get their hands on that popular book of yours. Haiz.. Anyway, the book is really great and interesting although I didn’t manage to complete reading it. Will there be a continuation to this book?? I really hope there is. Thanks again.

Yours Sincerely,

Abdul

?Hey, did you hear about the playing cards case?? ?Sharon was in a gossipy mood.? ?A stewardess was caught with ten packs in her cabin bag and sacked!? And just before Chinese New Year somemore, so suay??

Indeed, to be fired for lifting something just before a festive period is certainly nothing to be celebrated.? If this piece of CCN (Cabin Crew News) rings true, I suspect the culprit is regretting a moment of greed and folly.? Whenever an isolated case like this spreads through the vines, the ripple effect can be felt almost immediately.?? Sms texts and emails would be sent to and fro furiously, warning members of the cabin crew family to take extra precaution during the ?lie low? period.

Not that everyone have reason to fear a spot check.? It was more a case of carelessly being in possession of certain company items like ?Do Not Disturb? stickers, pens and Post-It pads tucked conveniently into the pockets and bags.? These are commonly used onboard during the service.? Strictly speaking, if one was to step off the aircraft with a company pen (used and returned by a passenger earlier), it should constitute pilferage right?? Nobody was going to take their chances.? They did a self ?body search? after each flight, just to be doubly sure.? After all, they do intend to celebrate Chinese New Year still.

The cabin was fast asleep, shrouded in cool darkness on a long night flight. Every thirty minutes or so, we took turns to patrol the grounds, armed with a tray of fluids for the occasional passenger whose eyes refused to rest a wink. I would have gladly grabbed one such nocturnal owl for a little chit-chat; anything to keep the eyelids from drooping. Business is slow, we joked as the tray came back intact. These were the moments when I longed for a soft pillow myself. The low activity in the galley was clearly evident as sleepy crew members down their umpteenth cup of java to stay alert.

Restless, I grabbed the small tray of apple juice and went out to the cabin in search of a parched soul. The flights can really be drastic. One sector can have us racing against time without a half chance to catch a breath while another like tonight makes me long for interesting conversation with someone, anyone.

Treading softly, I scanned the rows of heads slanted to the sides, deep in slumber. One had forgotten to switch off the in-flight entertainment program, leaving flickers of light bouncing off his face. It was one of my favourites cartoon, Monster Inc. I moved closer to his seat, enjoying a silent movie with tray in hand. It must have been a good five minutes before the passenger stirred.

In an instinctive haste to leave, I failed to notice that his long legs had changed from a locked pose to a less dignified sprawl. One moment I was on my feet. The next, the carpet was kissing my nose. Pong! The silver tray went crashing onto the floor, sending a chilling rain of sweet juice over my body. I ended on all fours, bruising my knees in the process. That was the last thing on my mind though.

The passengers! How many did I wake?

Miraculously, apart from a slight stirring, no one turned on the reading light to investigate the clamor. Daddy-Long-Legs took one look at me and immediately pretended to be asleep. What a gentleman. I picked myself up and gingerly returned to the galley.

? Wa, Janet is a tok gong ( excellent) sales woman. Look, her tray?s empty!? one stewardess exclaimed.

?Ya, more like suay ( wretched), not tok gong.? I brought her attention to my knees and wet front. ?It?s bloody embarrassing, right out in the cabin. And it hurts.?The steward joined in. ?Well, at least the cabin?s too dark for anyone to have seen you. They may have heard a sound, but by then you were already flat on the floor. Haha ?? Before he continued his laughter, the unsympathetic guy threw me another thought. ?But wait, during disembarkation, they would be able to sniff you out because you smell like open carton of apple juice! Haha??

Fine. Laugh. I hope you choke. With colleagues like him, who needs enemies? From that incident on, I reminded myself to spread my attention scope on night flights. While the activity at eye level may be more enticing, the stealth trap of passengers? legs beneath could deal a mean blow below the helm of our pretty skirts. Oh yes, and I?ll stick to water, just in case.

Not that i love dishing the dirt on my fellow flight attendants, but these simply serve as an excellent case study of how greed can cause one’s downfall, so to speak.?This happened two years ago.? It involved a leading?attendant who was slated for promotion.?Getting a promotion to a chief position is no easy feat, as many of the ‘old birds’ (seasoned crew) can attest to.? So, much to celebrate about, isn’t it?

?During the last few months as a leading crew handling in-flight sales,he fell prey to his greed and snitched several expensive items from his colleague?s sales cart.? Nobody knew what came over him and rendered the man completely selfish and totally foolish.

?Fortunately, a final item count brought the discrepancy to the leading stewardess?s attention.? She knew the last person seen around her cart and did not hesitate to tell the supervisor.?

A?consensual search of the crew’s cabin baggage?followed. All except Mr Thief here,who announced that he had the right not to allow a bag search.? He was right, of course but what did that prove about his guilt and fear?? Apparently a great deal.

He?was promptly caught red-handed when the station authority intervened and?dismissed shortly after.? No one shed a tear naturally except for him perhaps.? We were not surprised.

? Dishonesty cannot be tolerated in the airline, much less if you play a supervisory role. ?But what got every one pissed was the fact that he deliberately took the?pricy items from his colleague – the same one who would have to fork out good money for the discrepancy should she had not been sharp enough! ???

When the third crew member complained of a lost mobile phone, things started to look fishy.? Word travels fast.? The victims warned their colleagues and traced the pattern of the disappearances.? Surprisingly, this ?neighbourhood watch? method produced results.??

?It seemed that such thefts occurred whenever a particular steward was on these flights.? Thus, when yet another stewardess failed to locate her phone previously last seen in her handbag, she raised the alarm bells.? Not wanting to turn a wrong accusing finger at any one, she merely highlighted her doubts against this particular steward when he seemed uneasy in her presence.?

The rest of the cabin crew volunteered to be searched, apart from him, who cited ?personal rights?.? After the flight, as the set walked towards the immigration counter, the steward murmured a need to visit the toilet and left the group.?

The station manager followed at a near distance.? What do you know?? After the steward made his exit, he fished out the remnants of a mobile phone from the trash bin, the very one that belong to the stewardess. ??

Pick?an outfit?from?your wardrobe, preferably something uncomfortable.?Wear the same outfit for four consecutive days, every week, all year long.

Go to an airport and watch airplanes take off for several hours.? Pretend you are standing by for them and they are all full.? Go home.? Return to the airport the next day and do the same thing again.?

Fill several large boxes with rocks.? Lift them over your head and place them on the top shelf of a closet.? Slam the door shut until the boxes fit.? Do this until you feel a disc slip in your back.??Smile.?

Turn on a radio.? Be sure to set it between stations so there is plenty of static.? Turn on the vacuum cleaner and garbage disposal.? Run them all night.? Smile.?

Remove the covers from several TV entrees.? Place them in a hot oven.? Leave the food in the oven until it’s completely dried out.? Remove the hot trays with your bare hands.? Serve to your family.? Don’t include anything for yourself.? Eat peanuts.? Smile.?

Serve your family a beverage one hour after they’ve received their meal.? Make them remain in their seats during this time.? Ask them to scream at you and complain about the service.? Eat peanuts.? Smile.?

Scrounge uneaten rolls off the plates for you to eat two hours later when you’re really hungry. Eat peanuts.? Smile.

Place a straight-backed chair in a closet next to a bathroom, facing a blank wall.? Use a belt to strap yourself into it.? Eat the stale rolls you saved from your family’s meal, preferably while someone’s?using the bathroom.? Smile.?

Ask your family to use the bathroom as frequently as possible.? Tell them to make splashing water a game and see who can leave the most disgusting mess.? Clean the bathroom every hour throughout the night.? Drink stale coffee in the closet next to the bathroom.? Eat peanuts.? Smile.?

Make a narrow aisle between several dining room chairs and randomly scatter your husband’s wing-tips and loafers along the way.? Turn off the lights and spend the night walking up and down the aisle while banging your shins against the chair legs and tripping over the shoes.? Drink several cups of cold, stale coffee to keep yourself awake.? Smile.?

Now you get the idea?

Many years back, a senior supervisor was on the way back to his room when he chanced upon an unmanned amenities cart.? The chambermaid was nowhere to be seen.? His eyes roamed the items on the cart casually.?

?He laid eyes on a white and blue electric kettle nestled between the tissue boxes and towels. ?A quick check revealed that it was a brand new item with the tag still attached.? Apparently, it was meant to be a replacement for one of the guest rooms.? ?

He probably thought that this new ?find? would come in handy when he operates to Europe stations where the kettle is usually not provided for the crew members (apart from London).? Little did he realised that while self-help to the cart for the odd tissue box or bath gel usually goes unnoticed, the disappearance of a kettle spells theft.? Thanks to modern technology, his image was lifted off the video recording and subsequently identified.? It didn?t seem such a bargain to have lifted the kettle afterall.? ?

I will always remember this incident that my senior chief, (now supervisor) related when we went towards the Singapore customs.? The slightly heavyset man with gelled-back hair has a toothy smile, the type which often gets him into ?trouble with customs.???He blames it on his looks, which resembles a gangster, albeit a beaming one.? He had tried several expressions but to no avail- from the serious, the stern, the puppy-look to the wide grin.? Each time, he would be singled out for a random check of cabin baggage, much to his dismay.

?Catch you later in control (centre), I?ll take a while, ? he declared just as we neared the counter.? True enough, the customs officers took one look at us, gave me the go-ahead and beckoned my chief steward to open his bag. ?As I slowly made my way down to the basement, I thought how convenient it often is for people to label based on exterior appearances.??? While the officers were not wrong to check suspicious looking individuals, I certainly hope that the basis for their checks stretches far and wide. ????