Aug 23, 2009

A Reflection on Chinese on board Air China

By coincidence I got a chance to fly a non-Cathay Pacific flight to Beijing and fortunately or unfortunately I was able to experience the flight was an Air-China flight operated by Air Macau. Experiences during this 3-hour flight was really fruitful. Here are my thoughts:

- Seats size for Economy class is almost universal. Being in Asia doesn’t mean your Economy seats are bigger or smaller. However, people keep on complaining about the size of their seats. To be honest, Chinese aren’t that big in size but their mouths just keep on shouting and complaining! Reflection on this: What about those big guys from the western world?

- Not disturbing others on board is an etiquette where something where all flight that all should maintain their etiquette. This includes not pushing, not kicking, and not verbally disturbing. On board this Air China flight exposes me to the breaking of such etiquette! I was seated in a row, next to two ladies and behind them was a “kind of crazy” woman stabbing around saying that she can’t sleep on board. The thing is: (a) it is a short haul 3-hour flight. How much sleep can you get?; (b) every Chinese is of similar size, how can you make such a fuss? She isn’t really that fat. Just a normal sized middle-aged lady; (c) she shouted and laughed so loudly

- On board I was unfortunately seated closed to a person suffering from fever. Passengers on board all moaned of this. Now, one thing for sure. If you are suffering from fever, don’t fly! Second, if he is on board then for your health, stay onboard!

- Food served on the flight was either Fried Rice or Fried Noodles. If for whatever reason one is flying Air China again, please opt for Special Meals. I did that and I was lucky to escape from the horrible rice and noodles!

And still the old saying goes. The flight may differ by a few hundred. But for a better passengers, better services, and above all, better hygiene on board, fly the two Swire-operated airlines!

October addition: Thanks to Jess, this is another proof that Air China is not a suitable flight to fly on (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6e7HSeq3OY&feature=player_embedded#)

Aug 7, 2009

Objectivity vs. subjectivity

Seeing people coming and going should be something that I have grown accustomed to. However, to be emotional is something that embeds in every single human being. No matter it is I myself leaving a place or someone leaving, sadness do arouse.

Nevertheless, God has always keep us passionate by amusing us by the changes in our surrounding(s). Some may seem joyful while others may sound baffling. Sensation of mankind simply overides the subjectivity of the situation without a trace. What baffles in your mind seems to overflow like an eruption from an uncontrolled volcano. Not that I am being philosophic here but truly this is what we are facing in our society. We forget the importance of subjectivity or worse to say, based the so-called "subjectivity" on monetary terms. What is given by nature and what our society is founded on (the nature) is forgotten or even too much taken for granted.

So, what should we do then? Stand there and be the servant of papers with digits printed or start screaming to the society that everything is wrong? Or should we escalate to the position of equilibrium and maintain what we are granted from both our nature and society?