Things I Don’t Understand About Planes

Other than the fact that I HATE flying, there are a few things that I quite simply just don’t understand when it comes to planes. These are the things that have been troubling me since my flight to Oz two weeks ago…

1 - Toblerone  - why can you only ever get giant Toblerones at airports? It seems to be the same world-over. What is that about?!

2 – Safety demonstrations – I understand being shown how to use your life jacket and oxygen mask just in case the cabin depressurises or you land in the Hudson River, but why bother with a ‘brace position’? Having your head leaning against the seat in front is not going to help you if the plane crashes (although I’ve been told this is so that your neck is broken on impact which avoids any suffering). And bizarrely, if you’re in First Class, you’re told to sit in an upright position with your hands on your lap… as if that’s going to do anything except make you feel a little bit stupid! Someone please explain this to me.

3 – Cup? This is more to do with my Qantas flight to Australia. What exactly is this:

Is it a cup? And if it is a cup then why have I also been given an actual cup? Is it actually for something else? Is this an Australian thing? Admittedly this was a 22 hour flight and I only had a couple of hours sleep over that period, but I literally didn’t know what to do with this… so I resorted to using it as a rubbish bin.

thing with actual cup. confused.

4 – Orange juice in a pot – they always do this on flights. WHY? How exactly am I supposed to open and drink this without spilling most of it down me? It’s like drinking from a yoghurt pot. Why not just give it to us in a bottle?

Can anyone shed any light on the matter?

Becoming A One-Man Wolf Pack

So I made it! I’ve been here just under two weeks now and I haven’t done anything particularly disastrous yet (touch wood) which I think is an achievement in itself!

It’s a very bizarre feeling being here – I’m not sure it’s a feeling you can really explain to someone unless they’ve been in the same situation. All I can attempt to describe it as is an overwhelming mix of stunned fear and absolute contentment - when you think about it in a literal sense it should be terrifying but in reality it’s actually quite cool. Think of it in the same way as doing a bungee jump or sky dive – throwing yourself off or out of something should be scary but when you actually take the leap its brilliant. Or so I hear. I’ve never done either!

Anyway, hooray for me because I can now tick off four things from my bucket list – fly to Australia, open a bank account, sort out a phone and make some friends  (although this is a work in progress). I only just realised this a few days ago, but I actually got on both of my flights without going through the usual freaking out, crying and needing a strong drink (or five!) to calm my nerves. Maybe I was too preoccupied with what lay ahead or maybe I was too tired to care about the wing falling off. Either way, I got on a plane without crying or turning to hard spirits to help me through it. Check me out guys, I’m growing! 

Before I left England, I opened up a bank account and transferred my money across like a proper grown-up. Now that I’m in Australia I have a bank card and internet banking set up so I can spend everything I spent months scrimping and saving up for. Win! My phone has also been sorted. I’m on a rolling contract with Optus where I have to top up with $30 every month – pretty sweet, especially as all social networking is free! And finally, I have made a few friends who are doing the same or similar thing to me. All of this will feature in ‘How to’ posts as soon as I no longer have to pay bucket loads for internet time!

So there we have it. I’m in Australia and embarking on my One Man Wolf Pack Adventure! More to follow…

Freedom & Reflection

Last week, after 16 months of being stuck in a role where I can honestly say I never once experienced a day I could categorise as ‘good’, I left my job.  5pm arrived, I shut down my computer for the last time and stepped onto the streets of Farringdon where I did a little victory dance and skipped off into the sunset. FREEDOM.

On the train home I reflected on the past year or so, trying to piece together the highlights. I couldn’t think of any. In fact, there were no working days I could actually remember - everything just blurred into one. My only memories came from colleagues’ birthdays and leaving days where we’d gone out for lunch or drinks. Proof that I have absolutely done the right thing in leaving.

Thinking back, I was applying for so many jobs at the beginning of 2010 that I don't even remember applying for this one. I knew nothing about the company as it was undisclosed, only the basic details of the role and nothing about the salary. Fail, fail, fail. When I was invited for an interview the first thing I did was Google the company and, ironically, for a company that said it specialised in websites, the company website included little to no information. In hindsight I should’ve know there and then that this wasn’t for me. Nevertheless, the interview took place the next day in a small room with no windows but plenty of artificial yellow light, they offered me the job and here I am today.

All in all, I wouldn't say the last 16 months have been a complete waste - if anything they’ve reminded me of who I really am, which was someone I had lost amongst the previous few years: I want to live rather than exist, and actually make something of my life.

My levels of non-achievement at work have caused me to take up running, do more with friends, see more, travel more, meet new people and generally just have fun.  On the flip side, doing a job I really didn’t enjoy has been difficult and at times really got me down. But now I’ve escaped and vow to never go back to that situation. There will be no more masquerading as someone else. Life is too short.

It’s now only a few days until I leave and everyone is asking me if I feel scared, nervous or excited. To be honest, I am looking forward to it but I don’t really feel any of those emotions. The only way I can describe it is that I feel content. It just feels right. I’m finally embarking on something I’ve wanted to do since I was young and something I’ve been planning since University, and it’s come with the added bonus of having a bit more life experience, more money, and not having to share it with someone who caused me to lose who I was in the first place.

Since applying for my visa back in February everything seems to have been working in my favour and falling into place. Even in the past couple of weeks I’ve managed to recognise the opportunities that are out there for me and find closure on other issues. My philosophy these days is just to trust the universe and go with whatever happens. If it’s meant to be it’ll work itself out. I’m in the best place I’ve been in since I was 18 and I’m worried I’m tempting fate!

I know what I’m doing is going to be challenging. I know there are going to be times where I hate it and want to jump on the next plane home, but I also know that even if it’s an awful experience and I lose my limbs to a hungry white tip reef shark / rabid possum then at least I will learn something from it and will have a story to tell. (And I’ll be able to talk about it at TED!) Unless I die… in which case it will have been the biggest mistake I ever made.

Hooray! :)