The 747 Farewell Flight: Foreward

It was foretold and its time was approaching - Singapore Airlines (SIA) would finally be phasing out the B747-400s from its main fleet with its last commercial flight to Melbourne and back on 24 and 25 March respectively. For me, that hit a soft spot because I used to frequently fly on their B747s during my childhood days. The B747 was, and still is my favourite plane. It is a majestic and handsome plane, serving over 40 years with SIA and with a long history and milestones for its time. 'Jumbo' or 'Queen of the Skies' as it was dubbed, were common nicknames for the B747. That was soon going to be a thing of the past (as of now, SIA has no future plans to acquire the B747-8).

SIA B747-400 'Megatop' (9V-SMA), circa 1993

With the Singapore Airshow around, I had heard that SIA would be displaying one of their remaining B747s (9V-SPQ) at the Changi Exhibition Centre, complete with a tour and limited edition boarding passes. I took the chance to acquire some trade passes for a chance to catch sight of the Jumbo in all its glory. I headed down with my colleague on the first trade day of the airshow but alas, the plane was only scheduled to come in on the last trade day and the tours would only commence on the two days it was open to the public. Dang! Nevertheless, I told myself I'd make an effort to come down again and in the meantime, enjoyed whatever was already at the airshow. 

Come Saturday, the first public day, I caught a serious flu and fever and all my plans went down the drain. I was drained from just ending my night shift, and I was in a condition no better than shit. I headed home and knocked myself out for some very needed rest and recuperation. 

Clockwise from top left: 'A Great Way to Fly' car decal, 'Big Top' fan, cute B747 sticker, and a stack of historical B747 postcards

It was a nice touch, giving out all these memorabilia and I soon found myself looking for online posts hoping to catch a glimpse or idea of what the tours were actually like. I noticed the binding strap for the postcards had a link (http://www.siajourneys.com/) which paid tribute to the B747 which I checked out and to my delightful surprise, found something that immediately struck a chord: SIA would be holding two B747 commemorative flights on 06 April as a sort of farewell flight. What went through my head then was almost instantaneous; I soon bought my pair of tickets - SIN-HKG-SIN, Economy. 

Those of you interested, there are still tickets left (at this point of time) on the return leg of the commemorative flight (SQ748, HKG-SIN). Also, the details of the flight and all are in the link I provided above - do check it out, as well as the nice tribute page! As for me, this more than makes up for missing the airshow tours. 06 April will definitely be a day be filled with nostalgia and reminiscing. 

On my way to work one day, I happened to catch sight of this:

SIA B747-400 (9V-SPQ), circa 2012

I took the shot for memory sake, boarded my transport and sighed as we drove off. You will be missed.

Crazy Idea

Some crazy idea I'm having now (look at the travelling time!). I must be out of my mind. Never mind, one day...muahahaha...

MSA Nostalgia

I just love this video. The golden age of aviation. And that catchy song.

Albothyl (Policresulen Solution)

I recently had an ulcer in my mouth and usually when that happens, I turn to this wonder called Albothyl which I obtained while in Korea some time back. Albothyl - which is actually policresulen solution - is just a commercial name very much like Panadol. This thing in my opinion so far, is the BEST cure for mouth ulcers. Why? Because it 'burns' your ulcer away and within two to three days, you're on the way to recovery! (the box even has a picture of an arrow stuck in a girl's mouth - that must explain the pain you encounter when using it.) I am not one who enjoys pain, but I will take it if it will cure something fast. 

Anyway, I went to my bottle and to my dismay, there was no more solution left. Dang. How now... I knew previously that this medicine was not available locally as 1) I had never seen it on the shelves, and 2) my friends had also never heard of it. I decided to do a search on the Internet anyway and typed 'Albothyl'. My search unexpectedly brought me to a medicine website which told me Albothyl was a medicine for some-part-of-a-woman-which-I-shall-not-mention-here. Many other medicine/pharmaceutical websites yielded similar results. Whoa. From treating mouth ulcers to this. 

Okay. Never mind. I remembered the proper chemical name was policresulen, so on a visit to a Watson's outlet, I approached the pharmacist. I explicitly chose not to ask for Albothyl. Instead, I asked, "Excuse me, do you have policresulen? ...I think it's for mouth ulcers?" The pharmacist looked like she knew what that was and began searching the cabinets, finally found it and turned to me, "Yes, I have it but it's for piles." Right. 

The next moment, I was queuing up at the cashier with a bottle of Listerine in my hand. No better choice for now I guess (I don't really think Bonjela and Oracort are as effective). I'll have to remember to pick up another bottle if I head back to Korea.

Gold Silver

Today, I will 'fight fought for glory'. I've done it before, so I can could do it again. I will jump jumped like a rabbit kangaroo, pull pulled to the sky, sit sat up forty times, shuttle shuttled below ten, and but the biggest hurdle of them all - run like the wind I did not run fast enough like the wind.

6 seconds cost me $200.

FML.

Disappointed.

Phase Shift

It is funny. Nowadays, the thought of finding your other half, getting a family and kids tends to come up in my mind. Me and my buddies were talking the other day about relationships and the progressions of life and it dawned on us that a few years back, this had never registered in our brains. All that was last time was: when our next LAN session was, how I fragged my friend with that head shot, or how my friend used that massive ass Pershing/Sherman tank group to support my Airborne infantry as we overran the enemy. And now? How's A doing with B? You're dating someone? I heard C is getting married soon. D's got a kid on the way. E broke up after 4 years. F just proposed! I wonder when is my turn. And so on and so forth...

Is there some biological clock that triggers these thoughts at a certain age? I find myself looking at couples and their kids at times and picturing myself in that situation. Noticing how that baby looks in worry as his mother disappears to the toilet, only to smile when she returns. Or how you'd imagine yourself bringing up your kid or having your own family gatherings. Or thinking of future plans... what you need to save on... how much would you need at this age... down-payments... loans... future holidays... Frankly speaking, I had never considered these things prior to graduation. Student life was all about getting through that semester, enjoying life, having fun with friends, not worrying about a boss or deadline to meet but instead, how you'd finish that lab report which you procrastinated and was due the following morning. I was at my alma mater some weeks back to run at the stadium after work and during then, the sight of a group of students playing touch rugby brought memories of my student life flooding back. The look on their faces was different - they played with full enjoyment, as if there was no worry tomorrow. When you've got a career, you get a different face.

After graduation however, 'life concerns' which I mentioned above started to fester in my mind. Almost automatically. As if it was 'time'. And this has only grown with time. I wouldn't think that I'm thinking too far ahead as it is only wise to have some plan and direction ahead. I haven't really thought of the details yet but the general idea is there and I'm just taking it as it comes. Whether it's an age thing or just me... well, it's just... funny. Hah.

One month... and counting!

Woohoo! It's been a month already going solo at my job and also my... ...anyway looking ahead, lots of stuff coming up and to keep improving on. I'll do what I can, while I still can. Gonna make it!

Hey, have you ever tried

Really reaching out for the other side?

I may be climbing on rainbows

But, baby here goes

Dreams, they're for those who sleep

Life is for us to keep

And if you're wondering what this song is leading to

I want to make it you

I really think that we can make it girl

No, you don't know me well

And every little thing only time will tell

If you believe the things that I do

And we'll see it through

Life can be short or long

Love can be right or wrong

And if I chose the one I'd like to help me through

I'd like to make it with you

I really think that we can make it girl

Baby you know that

Dreams, they're for those who sleep

Life, it's for us to keep

And if I'd chose the one I'd like to help me through

I'd want to make it with you

I really think that we can make it girl