Monday, April 30, 2012

Larry's High Silk Hat

I was going to take lots of photos for this post, especially as today was particularly Blue, lovely and warm.  However, then life caught up with me and battered all my aspirations into splinters of photolessness.  Thank you for accepting my apologies.

Today was day 1 with Skywest.  Day 1 of induction (which took up the morning) and CPL Law (which took up the afternoon).

By the way, if you have a problem with a) my punctuation and b) my grammar - send an email to katebaileyreallydoesntgiveaflyingfiddlers@grammarandpunctuationareoverrated.com

Back to today.

We met lots of people this morning, during Induction.  The CEO, COO, HOFO etc.  If you know what those are, you're doing really really well.  They were all fairly pleasant, and we received lots of threats about hats.  Or namely, the lack of them.  The HOFO (ok, for those who don't - like me to start off with - dont understand, this is translated as Head of Flight Operations) explained that we could either wear ALL of our uniform, or none at all.  The majority of us decided that walking through the airport stark naked was definitely preferable.  It appears that Skywest - and Virgin in particular - take their 'professional appearance' very seriously.

After the Induction, and the DoNotBreakAnyOfOurRulesEver lecture, we started into the real work, namely Air Law.  We have 3 days to master this subject... after which, on Friday morning, we sit the exam.  Unsurprisingly, the majority of the previous class (last month) failed this subject, although for many of them this could be put down to a language barrier, as the questions are not exactly easy to read.  Lots of RTFQ=1/2BA.  Apparently, it's a 3 strike you're out policy with the exams, from now on - some people are apparently on take 3.

We have 30 days in this apartment.  Or rather, I have 3 days in this apartment, and everyone else also has 30 days in their individual apartments.  We have to set up a bank account, find somewhere to live, find a car, get measured for uniforms, get IDs, pass 4 exams, get tax numbers, get our medicals sorted out... the list is endless.  And most of these things can't be sorted until one has either an address... or proof of salary, or something that you can't actually have until you have one of the others... and vice versa.  Hmmm.

Im afraid today's is a very boring post, but then, so was today, and I feel that you should at least feel some of my pain.  If writing this post and forcing you to read it is the only way I can make you suffer, so be it.

Now that I have finished stuffing my face, I must leave you for...


Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage:
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Let it pry through the portage of the head,
Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it
As fearfully as doth a galled rock
O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,
Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.
Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide;
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. On, on, you noblest English,
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers that, like so many Alexanders, 
Have in these parts from morn till even fought,
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument.
Dishonour not your mothers: now attest,
That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here
The mettle of your pasture: let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,
Cry 'God for Harry! England! and Saint George!'

Or something like that... TTFN!

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The view from here

I suppose it's sort of cheating to have a third post so soon after the second, but there's nothing else to do, and you did demand relevant photos.  Whoever you are.  You know.

As it has stopped raining (I mentioned that before, but it is definitely worth a second mention, and probably even a third, or a fourth)  I stepped out onto the balcony (yes, I have a balcony.  It is 1 metre (blogger wants me to write that as "meter") wide, and as long as the living room is.  I'm not sure whether the grammar in that sentence is good enough for some of you, but I'm afraid this is something you will have to live with.  OUCH.  And I did it again.  *cringes*

This is the view from here.



See?  Blue sky!!!

how about a photo of some palm trees?


That's not Brisbane though, that was Kuala Lumpur.

TTFN!

No Rain

It has stopped raining.  This deserves a blog post all to itself.


Welcome to Brisbane

I've come a long way in the last 48 hours.  Literally.  Although actually I'm not sure how many hours/days/weeks it has been, as night and day have merged into one, and given the time difference, Who Really Knows?

The trip went well - as well as a 24 hour trip can go.  The first flight to Heathrow was delayed "due to weather in Heathrow".  EGLL 260720Z 20012KT 9999 VCSH FEW015 SCT035 09/07 Q0991 TEMPO SHRA.  I do like checking to see whether people are telling the truth - although, to do them justice, it was very bumpy on the approach.  Lots of gasps from the cattle.  Passenger sitting beside me in shock horror at my using my phone on the departure "You are supposed to turn that off!  We might crash!"  Brainwash much.

Made the Malaysian flight in Heathrow at STD-10.  I think we were almost the last people on the flight, and it made it just a little bit more nerve-wracking that we couldn't get our boarding cards until we got to the gate.  We made it though, and so did our bags!

12.5 hours from Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, it didn't seem all that long a flight though, as I watched a movie, slept for 3 hours, listened to an audio book, and then slept for another 3 hours.  The tough flight was the 8hr one from Kuala Lumpur, as I succeeded in staying awake for the entire flight.  The last 2 hours involving lots of ice-sucking and walking around the airplane - if I had had any cocktail sticks I would've used them to prop my eyelids open !

And then Brisbane!  And I know you can't start a sentence with a conjunction.  But I really don't care.  Apparently La Nina is here in all her glory, gotta say, it's not hugely warm (19C today) and hugely wet.  Reminds me of Galway with its slanty rain, except real Galway slanty rain is cold, and this stuff is warm.  Warmish, anyway.  Got through customs without having to get my bag opened, which was awesome, and saved a lot of time (and saved my nutritional yeast, ha ha ha)  Apparently they wont even let you bring dirty shoes through customs!  Maybe it's a good thing I fell in the Irish sea and had to wash my runners.  LOL.

It gets dark really early here - around 1700.  I guess it is winter so I shouldn't be surprised.  The nice thing about being on the 14th floor is that one can sit in the apartment with one's curtains open and the only people who can see you are the ones in the apartments in the opposite skyscrapers... which are really too far away to see anything much (I hope).  The Truman Show starring Kate Bailey.  How did they edit the bathroom breaks, anyway?

This is a very long post, and realistically should have some photos.


Oh I'm SORRY, did you mean relevant photos???  TOUGH.

I don't really have anything more to report, unless you (who are you anyway????) want boring details such as what I had for lunch (cup-a-soup) or whether I've done any dishes yet (no).

Au Revoir !!!