My Flight Back from the US

I wrote this post on my flight back.. and due to some extreme red tape, it finally get to see the light of the internet tonight:

So here I am, in a twist of fate, enjoying the Business class life on my SFO-Incheon (Korea) leg in a SQ15 Boeing 777-300ER back home. I initially requested to switch my middle seat to an aisle seat (I feel my lengthy legs need some more room than an Economy could provide), but the request couldn’t be met as the plane was at maximum capacity – or in Economy terms. You can piece the rest of the puzzle. There was so much to take in, and I thought this is a feeling that many of us would have felt – and it’ll only become more frequent as time goes by. First, let’s just list some key features: 1) omg such a huge ass seat. 2) the table is huge, it’s even bigger than most tables in the lecture halls back in UCB 3) there’re so many places to stash your belongings 4) the legendary Business class service (they know my name :O) 5) last but not least, just this general feeling of swag. I’m sure many of you would be able to relate to this: you’ve been used to a certain life, and suddenly, by a stroke of sheer luck, you are whisked away into this land of privilege. To top it all, all your pre conceived notions about the “elite” or “rich behavior” come flooding your brain, you wonder how you should act, you wonder what you should be doing, you wonder whether what you should do to not make a fool of yourself (I spent a good 5 minutes trying to ease the table out of its hiding spot because it was like a behemoth trapped in a small cave), you wonder what do the air stewards think of you, you wonder and you wonder and you wonder. Then again, it’s a really nice feeling, this feeling of privilege, because after all, I’m an Economical person.

3 course meal? Fresh prawns? Steak? Omfg (well due to health reasons they only made it Medium-Well done. I prefer my steak Medium-Rare but it’s fine) And champagne. I thought I was dreaming – what did I do to deserve this luxury?

So I just watched Fast and Furious 7, and I must say it was an amazing movie. Yea, there were some plot holes, some inconsistencies, and the heroes always win. However, the action scenes were great, the story was well paced, and there was this overall theme about family which I thought was really great. And at the last part, the tribute to Paul Walker just made me board the feels train. I don’t know him personally, nor am I such a great fan of Fast 7, but what I really liked was the camaraderie between the actors (and the team in Fast 7). I guess that makes us human, this friendship that keeps us together. And when I see a group that has so much synergy, you just can’t help but feel great on the inside – and jealous too.

And now I’m listening to a playlist of the National Day songs of Singapore, arranged by, surprise surprise, SIA. I heard that this might be Kit Chan’s last NDP ): Our original Home singer won’t be around for the future NDP, and I hope the newer generation of singers don’t defile the original NDP songs. Just stick to the classics please? Listening to these songs can really invoke the patriotism in you. Just read Sumiko Tan’s (Omg it just hit me that I’ve not read her columns for a year! I used to diligently read her columns every weekend in the Sunday Times) rumination on how the intangibles are the ones that keep you “Singaporean”. I have to agree though – I seriously can’t wait to meet my parents, my relatives and my friends. And here’s a shout out to the friends who have stuck with me for so long – I’m talking about my primary school friends.

I was browsing the menu for the inflight catering service, and I saw that most of the items were pretty Western inspired. In fact, in retrospect, the very surprise that I had when I saw steak as a menu item, was a surprise in itself. I talked about this to some guy before, about how in Singapore, we still look at Western “culture” or “things” as more superior and exquisite. While the Singapore Girl still wears the traditional SIA kebaya – which I really admire, the air steward wears ironed out Western jacket and tie. This does not apply to just the air steward, but to the general business scene in Singapore. We’ve been taught that to look “professional” is to wear “long sleeve shirt with tie”, and if you want to look even better “add a jacket (which we all know is pretty stupid in Singapore)”, and these are, I think, very Western views. Of course, to pander to the Western clientele, we should dress the way that impress them. But is there any room that can accomplish both? The Singapore Girl’s kebaya is an example. It’s so elegantly done, it’s colorful, it’s uniquely “Un-Western” (although ironically it’s designed by a Westerner I think, have to double check), yet I doubt anyone can say it’s any less professional. I’ve grown up in such a culture long enough that I can’t think of any new designs that will be more Singapore yet not throwing away a “professional” image. I think I just like my polo shirt and jeans.

Sadly I won’t be able to enjoy this luxury on my final leg, unless I get incredibly lucky – I think I just spent all my karma points on this flight. Well I won’t mind if the seat beside me is empty. But this Business class business has got me thinking – one thing about first living as a regular man on the street before being able to get bumped up to a “higher tier” is that you get to appreciate all these finer things much more. You compare between what you used to have, and what you have now, and you go “oh my god, there’s so much out there”. But then again, does this mean I was any less privileged when I was flying Economic all the while? You can have this Business class, but it does not take away the fact that I’m here on this flight alone. And assuming that I get the money to keep flying Business class, will I end up taking this for granted? It reminds me of this story that was circulating around the internet for some time: *Let us celebrate this moment, a brand new day awaits - oops* In a classroom, each kid was given a paper ball and they have to toss the paper ball into a bin that was placed right at the front below the chalkboard. Naturally those at the back saw their position and complained of unfairness; but those at the front are unable to see their luxury of having the bin nearer to them. Well it’s meritocratic – whoever lands the ball in the bin gets rewarded, but how can you judge what is based on merit? A child who has to help his parents to earn money may be as smart as another child who has the privilege of his 3 meals taken care of, but because he has less time to study he’s already worse off compared to the latter. Meritocracy is definitely a good social equalizer, but there is opportunity to improve on the system. So now that I was given the taste of being in luxury, is this luxury something that is an unfair advantage? (Rambling detector turns on) Well, the Business class is also a way for SIA to rake in higher profit. I’m not sure exactly how much more SIA earns from a Business class compared to a group of Economy class (technically 1 Business class seat is about 2 Economy class seat), but having a plane full of Business class will earn SIA more than a plane of Economy class – or maybe there’s a golden ratio that statisticians in SIA has figured out.

The air stewards/stewardesses are really well trained. I’ve heard of the grueling training and selection that each staff has to undergo before they can actually step foot on the plane. In addition to the impeccable service (they were so polite I find it uncomfortable,  I’m just not used to it), whenever they walk past your seat their eyes do a quick scan and will remove any trash that is within reach automatically.

End of story: I would love my friends to experience this luxury once in a while. But remember to stay humble in person. It’s definitely a good tale (and bragging rights), and definitely good advertisement for SIA Business Class. And if you are wondering, I am not paid by SIA. Just keep this in mind if I do get successful in the future.