About Flight Attendants & Toilet Cleaners

Went blog hopping and stumbled across Afdlin's Shauki's (the actor, comedian, director, producer and now writer) blog. I hate to appear as a star struck fan, because I'm not but man, can this guy write. Really enjoyed reading it. I'll definitely bookmark it.

Anyway just to bring up a matter which concerns him that I feel is close to my heart. The issue of MAFAA (Malaysia Airlines Flight Attendant Association) demanding him to apologize and retract the whole 'toilet cleaner' line contained in a scene of his latest movie.

Gosh, it's things like this that makes me ashamed to reveal that I was once a flight stewardess and proud of it too. I can't believe that this group of people who are supposedly 'worldly wise' are actually a bunch of uptight ninny's who can't laugh at themselves. I marvel on how they won best cabin crew when these people apparently don't have any sense of humor. Their so called winning smiles are probably of the wind up variety.

I read in NST that the MAFAA claims that they don't clean toilets because they have ground people to do it (talk about arrogance), they merely and I quote 'freshen up the toilets whenever a passenger have little accidents'. Duh. Same thinglah dorks. You just said "we clean toilets" in a more fancier way.

Seriously, just because you are able to utter a couple of English words and spent two weeks training on safety equiptments and how to evacuate an aircraft and a couple more days on how to perform CPR and first aids doesn't make you at par with other professionals. And let this be told, every year when these self declared professionals come in for their refresher course examination...more than half cheat through it.

I remember my first flight to London. A group of us went to dine at Malaysian Hall. A student there who had mistaken us for fellow students came up and asked to sit with us only to be told by a senior stewardess clad from head to toe in Versace (I thought she looked a bit tacky but since I was the most junior didn't dare to say a word) "I'm sorry we are all cabin crews, who are you to sit with us?" and laughed hysterically at her so called wittiness. I've never felt more embarrassed in my life, and that incident taught me a lot about the people of my profession. If your shallow and superficial, you stand a chance of lasting in this profession.

If I was asked what I missed most about flying, I'd say the people I meet on board. Not the people I work with but those flying as passengers. The Chinese Australian man with his sick mother, the deep sea photographer, the 'ham sap' hilarious datuk, the arrogant sheikh, the famous artist, the nervous first time flyer medic student, the old kampung folks on their way to perform umrah, the Indian workers whom seem so eager to go home to their loved ones, the royalties, the VIPs, it would be justified to say just about all sorts of people. The people that I have served all those years probably don't realize it but they have taught me a lot about humanity. That is what I missed most about flying, learning about people from all walks of life. Getting to be at exotic destinations is also another perk, hehehe.

Well, if I was given a chance to fly again, I'd definitely decline. I've seen everything there is to be seen. It's not for me anymore. That part of my life is definitely over. What I want to see is watching my children grow. Nothing can beat that thrill.