I went through part of the book last night. It is very witty, funny and enlightening. I have to salute you. I know the process of writing and can empathise with you the anguish of a writer’s block. The book is very well polished, very seasoned – You don’t sound like a newbie at all!
To sum it up, it is a legacy which your son will be so proud of. :O)

-Liza Tan

brilliant work you did. Finally someone shed some light into our world. (The unglamorous side of it) Read bits of it, found it so hilariously true and indeed brought back fond memories. So very proud of you.

-Elise Sin

Congrats Janet, am so proud of you!

- Jill Yow

I’ve always wanted to be a steward since i was a little boy and thus since i was studying, i figured since i wanted to be exposed to such an environment, i was blessed with the opportunity of working an a Customer Service Agent and seeing what goes on. Beyond that, as i listen to crew stories, i too have experience some of my own.

Along the way, each time a crew tells me his/her experience, subconsciously it just became a habit that i love listening of even reading them. Thus far this book is the best. I just received this book via delivery this morning and been reading it since and so far im indeed loving it. EVERY SINGLE BIT OF IT…

Thanks Janet for sharing your experiences. Somehow given the experiences, i guess many aspiring cabin crews can learn a little something from it. for starter, being early for flight and always introduce yourself. And always remembers your “I’m Sorry”, “Thank You”, and “Excuse me”..

Once again, awesome work.

-?MileHiClub forum member

I?m fucking proud of you. I?m sorry, not allowed? heck! i missed you, my buddy!
Let me tell y’all what Janet did for me when we had our sny to Tokyo. it was a morning wake up call, she woke me earlier, guided me to the toilet and had prepared me a hot bath in a tub! (nah,she didn’t jump in with me). she is so sweet!!? i remembered in Taipei, our ears were cold and the visit to the opera house in Sydney. she has more confidence than me during sny flights. I was scared, no blood on my face, white as a fucking corpse. she’s cool! i laughed out loud when i read during training times and it is all oh so true! well done Janet. luv ya!

-Norleena Rashid

I don’t really have a favorite chapter or section in the book, since each chapter contains its own interesting stories and insights. But more than the collection of your experiences, I like the perspective and sense of balance that you have, which I feel really strings all the chapters together and offers a point of view that is fresh, yet which many (especially those in the service industry) can relate to.

I think having a good attitude that believes in hard work, not taking short cuts, and going the extra mile is something that is not promoted enough these days, and that’s a great metatext in your book.

Other than that, some parts that I like are: your thoughts on “class”, your account of the handicapped passenger in the lavatory, the story about Xiao Gua, the appraisal system, and how you had to adapt after you’d left the job (reminds me of when I quit my previous job)

-D.F.

TOUCHED BY A LETTER

Dear Ms Chew,

My name is N and I’m one of the book people.? I stumbled upon your article in The New Paper (Sunday). I am intrigued and I wondered aloud that this autobiography of yours might be one of the popular books in the coming weeks. I was just about to highlight the newspaper article to my buyers the following day, but it proved unneccesary as 10 copies of The Mile Hi! Club duly arrived on my shopfloor the same afternoon.

I was esctatic as I need not have to wait long to have it in my hands. For your info, I finished reading it within 2 days and a half.

Ms Chew, the reason for writing this e-mail to you, is not to share any flying experiences. Although I have flown to LA (twice), Zurich, London, Cairo & Christchurch, none of them warrants any interesting events that I can proudly share it with you.

Your early involvement in flying, subsequently what chronicles thereafter, the passengers and the crew stories makes it hard for me to put your book down. I have heard many a stereotypes of what a flight attendant is, but with your own experiences and perceptions written in such a wonderful way, I am touched and certainly cast a doubt on all the hear-say. Your 13 years journey has open my eyes and heart as I follow your stories. As I am also in a service line, I can relate and understand how nice or difficult it is, to handle passengers (customers in my case).

And yes, Singaporean are sometimes difficult, I can agree with you on that. I was reminded of some paragraphs, that mention complaints and/or stuffs related to it.

I have a good laugh near the end of book when you wrote about your male colleague who are of different orientation than most of us. I was smiling each time I remembered it, so much so, my own colleague call me “siao” for smiling for no reasons. haha.

What really moved me to write this e-mail to you is that the ending was sincerely felt by me. I was dumbfounded and was in deep thoughts after I finished up the last few words of the chapter.

I wished you well, Ms Chew. I enjoyed reading it as much as I assume, you enjoy sharing it with others.? Please do drop by at my outlet if you are in the vicinity. I hope to see you around.

With Warm Regards
N

Letter From Patrick

Hi Janet,

Was browsing Borders at Parkway Parade yesterday and chanced upon Memoirs. Saw a newspaper article about your book previously and I must admit I was curious. Picked it up and flipped a few pages to suss out what’s it about. Half expecting some mindless superficial rambling about trolley dollies and their stratospheric adventures, I was prepared to put the book back on the shelf as quickly as I picked it up.

I am glad I did not.

The first few paragraphs I read had me hooked. Your writing style is conversational and easy to read. Standing by the book shelf, I read your newbie years. Felt I wanted to know what happened next and how mom’s girl made it. Needless to say, I bought the book.

Was busy the entire Sunday until late last night. Picked up the book again prior to bedtime and started from page 1. Suddenly I was transported to a different world. A world that I had fleeting glimpses here and there. You see, I travelled quite a bit in my work and have encountered some of the incidents you related. Spilled drinks? I had my fair share of OJ, Tom Juice on my lap. Spooky hotel rooms? I have stories that rival The Ring. I was lapping up chapter after chapter. One moment sharing your fears, another your joy, then a poignant moment here and another trying to suppress a laugher. And before I knew it, I finished the entire book! The time on the iphone glowed 3:30am. No kidding.

As a passenger (on the othe side), I can only guessed what’s it like. Being always immaculately groomed despite a red-eye direct flight to LA. Always in soft tones and a readied smile despite being on your feet for the longest time. Your narration as you stepped from 1 chapter to another is akin to reading a diary; except this diary spanned 13 years! It must be tough deciding which parts to include and which to exclude. I am very sure there are more, much more that you have experienced and I (and many others I am sure) will be very interested to know more.

So perhaps a “Memoirs of a Stewardess – The Years in Between”? Or perhaps in your usual tongue-in-cheek metaphoric descriptor “Memoirs of a Stewardess – Between the Sheets”?

Janet, thanks for a good read. I enjoyed it tremendously. Keep the stories coming.

Patrick