The Kiasu-Land Diaries Part 1

It feels good to be back in my desktop, sitting and writing my post. Thank God for a safe journey to and from Singapore. Surprisingly, I love Malaysia more after I visited Singapore.

It is also a personal financial achievement because I managed to stretch SGD 120 in 5 days (or average of 24 dollars a day). I don’t think I can write a full chronological account about the entire trip, but I did write some details about my money spent, and hopefully, that account will reignite some memories about what happened. It is unfortunate that I didn’t own a camera, so I guess I will have to use words to recreate the entire journey. =)

11 Dec 2008, Thursday

Summary of Financial Transaction

248.00 Total money brought (rate: SGD 1= MYR 2.40)

8.00       SingTel prepaid card with SGD 10 airtime

5.69        A Burger King meal set

6.00       Singapore Public Transport Map

3.00      Supper (Yee Mee)

1.40      MRT Fare from Novena Station to Ang Mo Kio Station

18.73    Anne Frank’s Diary

———————————————–

213.18 Balance at end of Day 1

*all currency are quoted in Sing. Dollar (SGD) unless stated.

After a 5-hour journey from Bangsar LRT, I arrived at my destination in Singapore – Novena Square. My bus, First Coach, dropped us off at the entrance of Velocity @ Novena Square. Novena Square is relatively a small shopping mall compared with KLCC and MidValley Shopping Mall in Kuala Lumpur. But, I guess when you’re short of land, everything goes. =)

I was really blur and disoriented when I arrived in Novena Square. In fact, earlier, when I reached the Custom and Immigration Complex in Tuas, I was so amazed when I stepped into a foreign for the first time. (This is my first time leaving Malaysia in my entire life, remember?)

In Singapore, the penalty for drugs is death. During transit into the country, I was slightly paranoid of drugs. I was hallucinating for a while… what if there are drugs in my bag and the penalty in Singapore is death… that is the end of my life…. it was silly, but it was very real then….

As I travelled from the Tuas Checkpoint (the bus used the Second Link to cross into Singapore; if the bus had used the Causeway, it would had taken hours) to Novena Square, I was amazed at the roads and buildings in Singapore.

The roads are so well-maintained, unlike in some country that I know of. The buildings are painted and designed beautifully. The pedestrian walkways are mapped out nicely. There are no rubbish in Singapore. There are no Proton Sagas, or Kancils in Singapore. (Proton Sagas and Kancils are Malaysian-made cars, although the authenticity of their designs are disputed. There are lots of them on Malaysian roads.) In Singapore, there are only Mercs, BMWs, Toyota Camrys, or the very least, Honda Vios(es).

The buses are allocated special lanes on the far left of the roads. The two major bus companies in Singapore are SMRT and SBS Transit; both also operate the MRT trains. No wonder all their buses arrive on time. =) Very unlike Malaysia’s Rapid KL buses.

Wow, what a great diversion. Anyhow, I arrived in Novena Square and walked around the mall. Basically, I covered the entire mall in 2 hours. In MPH, I bought a map of Singapore with its public transportation system mapped out. The map provides information for travellers to take which bus, at which bus stop, at which road. It was a great investment, and all for only 6 SGD.

I was supposed to meet my friend in Ang Mo Kio MRT Station at 10.30 pm because he had tennis session with his buddies. Technically, that means I had to spend five hours loitering in the mall. Since I conquered the mall in 2 hours, it was a real bore sitting and waiting. Thus, I headed to MPH and bought Anne Frank’s diary for SGD 18.73. What a great book to fill my time!

For dinner, I ate at Burger King. I sat at Burger King for quite a while because I had no where to go. I was still new and very foreign to this country.

Telecommunication-wise, I panicked! My Malaysian SIM card didn’t work! Dad was right to have a Plan B. I went over to a SingTel retailer and got myself a SingTel SIM card. For 8 dollars, I get 10 dollars airtime. In Singapore, whenever you get a new number, you are required to produce your passport. I did. A scanner scanned my passport, and 10 seconds later, I am checked into the system.

I managed to surf for free in Novena Square. In KL, there is no such thing as free surfing in any of our malls. Read my inbox, checked out some news on Malaysiakini. Again, prior to surfing, I needed to produce my passport for identification. I can’t believe how important my passport was. Imagine losing it…. hmm, unimaginable… deported back to Malaysia? swim?

Right, so at 10pm, I took the MRT to Ang Mo Kio.

But Winson, where you took the MRT from?

Under Novena Square. That’s right, under Novena Shopping Mall, there is an underground MRT station. It cost me SGD 1.40 for a single trip. At the counter, I was a total squid because I don’t know how to use the ticketing machine. Singaporeans are quite nice; I think someone taught me how to use the ticketing machine. Anyhow, it was a new experience.

The MRT train was huge, and punctual. Ang Mo Kio was 4 stations away from Novena. It took me about 10 minutes to get to Ang Mo Kio MRT station. I waited for a while, and at 10.40pm, I met Kiat Siong, the one who was going to host me for five days in Singapore.

At the Ang Mo Kio MRT, we went underground again. More malls and shops underground. More pedestrian walkways underground. I guess they are short of land. But, it’s amazing to see how the Singaporean government utilised their lands to the max. If you cannot build on the surface, go underground! Built-in with the MRT station are a bus interchange and a shopping mall. It was a really long walk to Kiat Siong’s apartment.

OK, in Singapore, people live in apartments called HDB flats, where HDB stands for Housing Development Board. All apartments are built by this government arm. In the HDB flat I lived in, it was a 900-square-feet unit with two rooms, one toilet and one kitchen. HDB flats can cost from SGD250k till 500k. Practically, that means if you can afford a SGD 250k HDB flat, you can own a big semi-D in Malaysia (which is what most Singaporeans do in Johor Bahru, southern Malaysia).

Also, on the first floor of most HDB blocks, there are shops and eateries. (first floor in Singapore means ground floor in Malaysia.) There are supermarkets, hair salons, restaurants, and slimming centres. In the block I lived in, they were mostly restaurants. Furthermore, every HDB block in Singapore is numbered. I lived in Block 130. The highest number I saw in the whole Singapore is 851.

After a shower in Kiat Siong’s apartment, we went down for supper at first floor. Yee Mee at 3 dollars was a great deal me thinks. Kiat Siong bought me a Milo Peng (Hokkien for iced Milo, a popular chocolate drink both in Malaysia and Singapore.)

That wraps up Day One. I spend 40 dollars on my first day. I thought I was going for broke.

P/S: I am too tired to edit. I shall publish my first draft. i will edit it if I have time in future.

PILOTING: MYTHS AND REALITIES DECODED

Boeing 787 is the dream plane that most aviators out there would like to fly. Some might cite the Airbus A380 – Airbus claims that it is the largest commercial jet plane ever produced. Some may even like the Wright brothers’ Kitty Hawk! I don’t know about you, but as for me, my favourite airplane is the Boeing 777 and I would prefer to be in the cockpit rather than in the passenger seat. Mum used to tell me when I was 7, “Son, don’t be a pilot because you wouldn’t know when the plane will ‘fall down’.” Fall down in the sense crash. So, when September 11 happened, her face expression (at home, when we don’t talk, we read faces) was quite glad, ironic to the fact that the tragedy was mankind’s black spot in history, as if saying “See, I told you so.” For a second, it made quite a bit of sense. However, on second thought, that is part of the job (I salute the pilots of American Airlines Flight 11). Every flight a pilot goes into may be his last.

There are many misconceptions about the nature and expectation of the job. For instance, pilots get fat paychecks every month, travel around the world in the coolest jets, push buttons in the cockpit, and get to date air stewardesses. While some of them might have a certain degree of truth, the rest are completely nonsense. In fact, there are so many types of pilots around, not just the “hey-I-am-flying-an-Airbus” type. Therefore, in this article dedicated to pilots and their professions with due respect, we shall sieve the realities from the myths:

Myth Number One – Get rich and paid very well

One of the greatest myths that the general public and pilot wannabes have today is this – pilots are rich and get paid very well. It is true, but only to a certain extent. I know that Emirates pay their pilots very well because their pay is tax-free. It comes with perks like night-stop allowance, meal allowance, and a many more. As good as it seems, most pilots DO NOT get rich from their paychecks alone. Furthermore, during these times when budget airlines are up and coming, conventional airlines are trying to cut cost (I shall give you guys some space to figure out the connection to pilots’ pay, okay).

Guys, if you are doing it for the money, don’t do it. Pilots are still employees who are receiving their salaries monthly. The reason they are paid so well is because of the risks that they need to face. In fact, commercial pilots are one of the most volatile job positions today due to various external threats on the aviation industry. SARS, surging oil prices, Sept 11, Iraq war, and H5N1 influenza to name a few. If one wants to be rich, there are so many other avenues out there. As a commercial pilot, his paycheck is none but from his paying customers. In layman terms, that means pilots at the mercy of their passengers, and their employers, who may be quite nasty at times.

Myth Number Two – Travelling around the world

I have a weird feeling saying that I am like one of those Myth Busters on Discovery Channel. Anyway, let’s continue. The next myth to debunk is the “travelling” myth. A bit about the myth, pilots can “travel” around the world while commencing their duties. London, Milan, Florence, New York. Perhaps enjoy some Hong Kong dishes when I am landing at Chek Lap Kok Airport (or Hong Kong International Airport).

I like this myth the most because it is the most deceptive myth ever invented. Just to burst the bubble politely, pilots are paid to fly, not to travel at their will. I bet, from the interview I had with an ex-captain, pilots are too tired to travel when they land. For you information, pilots are given time to rest after a long-haul flight. Pilots are expected to be fit again after this period so as they can resume flying. If they do not rest well, they are actually endangering the lives of not only themselves, but also the crews and passengers. What I am trying to say is that, optional travelling or sight-seeing is alright but getting paid to travel around the world, not exactly true.

Myth Number Three – The “Push Button Only” Job

A new co-pilot is asking his captain, “Captain, I guess today, as a new co-pilot, we shall have a great time in the air.” “Why?” the captain asks. “Well, that’s because, we just need to bring the plane up and land it later, pressing some buttons along the way.”

Sorry guys, if it’s a bit dry or to an extent, lame but I am trying to illustrate that pilots are not there just to press some buttons in the cockpit, bring it up, and land it down. There are so many other tasks in between during a climb to a safe landing on the runway. To tell the truth, the job of a pilot begins even before the climb. There are the planning, getting approval, buying of fuel, and signing of papers, just to get the plane off the gate. It is quite saddening to have this myth around as I believe this not only undermines the profession but also shows that all those hard work and pain during flying school mean nothing to a pilot, which is untrue of course. If pilots are there in the cockpit just to press some buttons and sit in there, I would not dare to be on the plane!

A pilot needs to communicate well on the radio, responds to instructions given by the control tower, manages ‘problematic’ passengers if any, maintains the altitude, and makes sure the plane flies straight! If there is turbulence, the workload increases. If the weather changes unpredictably, the plane may need to be rerouted. If the engine fails (touchwood, it won’t happen), pilots make sure the plane still fly even on single engine!

The reason why the “push-button-only” myth exists is because we have all taken the job of a pilot for granted as we all have enjoyed safe flights. Imagine if your pilot knows only how to “push buttons” and do not know how to prepare for the unexpected (God bless you, my child). A pilot cannot afford to know only how to “push buttons” as they are required to take tests and medical check- ups to ensure that they are fit to fly and their skills are still sharp.

Finishing the story earlier, Captain replies to tower, “Control tower, please send backup, there’s a suspected case of hijacking in here, roger.”

Myth Number Four – Dating an air stewardess

It’s true that pilots and air stewardesses are in the same plane, therefore the chances of getting to date a stewardess is considerably high. The “I-can-date-air-stewardess” myth survives, in my opinion, because pilots, decades ago, are mostly males. And up to now, most pilots are still males. Hence, no wonder.

I strongly believe relationships should be based on common understanding and mutual appreciation for each other, not because one is so happen to be among the presence of flight attendants. I cannot deny though that pilot-stewardess relationships are quite common. Thus, it’s quite true that being a pilot, you can date a stewardess. However, I have a piece of advice to you guys out there, don’t look desperate!!

Now, sieving the realities from the myths, being a pilot is by no means easy. It requires multi-tasking, great communication skills, the ability to cope under stress, and most of all, passion to fly. For true aviators, this does not bother them as all they are interested is the flying, nothing else! They are willing to go at all cost just to satisfy every requirement of and expectation from a full-fledged pilot. To aspiring pilots out there, go and start reading about the job to know if you are a pilot material. There is so many “need-to-know” stuff. Know the difference between a 747 and a 777. Know what the term fly-by-wire means. Know how an aileron functions.

Therefore, unless you are super passionate, can cope a great deal of stress and very sure that you can tolerate a low pay, or even a dismissal, when the bad times hit, by all means, realize your dream. Did I mention that pilots are prone to radiation and thus potential health risks like cancer, high blood pressure, and heart attack. Oops, I guess not.

The Bible teaches us to put our trust in Him. As a Christian who wants to be a pilot, I shall surrender my dream and desire to Him. I do not know whether I will get there, but deep down I am secure in the thought that I am God’s favourite pilot because He has made me to soar in life. Even when I have made it there in the skies, I will still put my trust in Him, not my plane, for we wouldn’t know when the plane will, putting it in my mum’s words, “fall down”. Only He knows. God, I promise I will pray before and after every flight.

*This was first published in Think Tank Mag at http://thinktankmag.net/issue9/article.php?id=4 .

P/S: The author has decided he needs more time to think about whether piloting is really for him.