the mile high club

This is not about raunchy escapades on-board a jet plane, neither is this a book review, although it may eventually appear like one, but i have in my possession 2 books written by ex-stewardesses.

the 1st, "single picky girl" is a collection of personal observations & experiences spinned by janice wong, a stewardess-turned-financial-buff whose unique writing style is as refreshing as she is charming - not that i have met her, but her book probably will sell a few extra copies just from that strategically-placed photo of herself....yeah, right smack on the front cover! i have read a few books by local authors but these are essentially serious stuff eg. mahathir's hard-hitting malay dilemma, lee kuan yew's detailed autobiography & karim raslan's political perspectives. so it was a really pleasant surprise to savour janice's collection of literary gems - not exactly a giant leap of faith, given her stint as a columnist for a now-defunct tabloid - spiced up by a wicked sense of humour. she waxes lyrical about life, love & relationships, & asks,"why settle for less than love?". yes, why indeed!!

not so with debutante yvonne lee's "the sky is crazy", a somewhat even-keeled, down-to-earth (??) account of life in the majestic clouds but no less hilarious. believe it or not, i can actually identify with her - "how can that be?", i hear you query. even though our vocations seemed as diagonally opposite as champagne & enema, i didn't realise that a stewardess's life is governed, very much like mine, by that dreaded piece of paper called "duty roster". so, she's also on standby duty, whereby she could be called, at the drop of a hat, to fill in for a sick or missing colleague. & if she's not there when the call comes thru, all hell will break loose. hmm, i can definitely relate to that!

i'm hardly what you'd called a high-flyer; neither am i a frequent -flyer. so when i take a flight, my ticket is invariably marked "Y", which means my seat is located in a row of 7 or 10 & i eat meals off a plastic tray. not so on a trip to amsterdam in 2001. on that flight, a passenger needed medical attention, & being the dedicated medic that i was (& still am, ahem!) , i felt duty- bound to step forward to offer assistance.

the young chap in business class has had abdominal pain since take-off & was in some distress by the time i saw him. an early inflamed appendix, i thought, so i gave him a pain-killer injection - did you know 747s carried a medical bag as well, complete with medication, syringes & stethoscope? - & he rested well after that. i advised the chief steward that the chap should be able to make it to amsterdam safely but he'll need a re-examination & further tests there.

as a gesture of goodwill, i was moved up to business class & sat just across the aisle from my new patient - i suspect this seating arrangement also served the purpose of providing close surveillance on the chap's progress - & everything thing yvonne detailed in her book was true - the plush, semi-reclinable seat, the neat toiletry bag, & free flow of gourmet food & drinks. ah, this is the life! did i mention i was also given a bottle of bubbly to go for my trouble. nah, no trouble at all, buddy!! we reached schiphol without further incident, & the young chap lived another day to share his ordeal.

on a flight to london the previous year, i had also offered medical assistance to an elderly lady with acute severe exacerbation of back & joint pain. yeah, i know what you're thinking - am i jinxed or what, as people start falling ill when i'm on board? i'm beginning to wonder myself.........will i need to give mouth-to-mouth on my next flight?? i believe everyone, & i mean everyone, should learn basic 1st aid & resuscitation (called "basic life support" in medical circles) because it's a simple yet invaluable skill to possess. the next life you save could be a loved one's.

the point of this post is this - there are actually talented writers amongst our midst, only that i am not aware of them & until such time local publishers give them a chance to express themselves, they remain undiscovered. a real pity since these hidden pearls could be future contenders/winners of the whitbread or booker awards.

oh, did i mention that, on impulse, i purchased tash aw's "harmony silk factory" at the neighbourhood popular bookshop at an unbelieveable price of rm17.95? a hardcover at that, too!