Planning for Takeoff

I'm sitting in Terminal 2 of the Changi Airport in Singapore. While taking advantage of the free leather massage chairs, surrounded by views of cascading waterfalls emptying into peaceful koi ponds, I can finally unwind and reflect on the events that transpired today to bring me here.


I booked my plane tickets to India a couple of weeks ago on a total whim, the deciding factors being the India Airfare sale going on, combined with the fact that if I didn't visit my little sister (who's doing an internship in New Delhi) for her last week in the country, chances are I wouldn't be able to see any of my family for the next 18 months, a thought that's tough for me to handle. The cheapest fares happened to coincide with the day of my last exam. Perfect! What better way to celebrate the end of my first term in Australia? Several days later, my travel agent contacted me to say he found even better tickets with a sweet airline (Singapore Airlines) and a much shorter layover. Awesome right? The more time I get in India, the more bonding time I get with mini V-Ho.

Fast forward to Sunday evening as I'm going over final exam notes, when I get a phonecall from someone who sounds like they're hosting a Japanese gameshow. After a few seconds I realize its a Korean exchange student looking for a tutor to practise conversational English. Her and a friend are willing to pay $20/hr for 10 hrs, which would pretty much solve my money situation for the rest of the break. The only catch is that they want to meet before I leave for three weeks, to which I agree because it sounds perfectly feasible. Which leads me to today's events (best read while listening to Stress by Justice):

6:30 am - Wake up, eat 6 bowls of cereal, shower (a totally pointless task, I would soon discover) 7:30 am - Leave house to walk to school
7:31 am - Being Australian summer, it is already 31C and I am covered in sweat
8:00 am - I sit down and commence my final exam
9:00 am - I'm finished! With 30 minutes to spare! Wooooo! India here I come!
9:15 am - Walk to my friends house for a farewell breakfast. I arrive covered in sweat.
10:30 am - Run home, pick up my pre-packed bags and rush out to catch a bus to the city.
11:00 am - I have been waiting for the bus while wearing my travel pack in the hot sun for 5 minutes already. My bag is soaked with sweat.
11:30 am - Meet with the Korean girls for an hour-long, high-pitched, giggly and semi-productive conversation. I get the job!
12:30 pm - Leave the library to catch the 12:41 airtrain to the airport
12:35 pm - Hmmm this walk was longer than I thought it would be...
12:38 pm - Reach central station and the lights are flashing the 3 min countdown for the airtrain
12:39: pm - I'm almost at Platform 3 when I encounter a sign saying 'escalators are closed. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please find an alternate route.' Interesting...
12:40 pm - I locate another set of stairs and FLY through them, just in time to ease through the closing doors of the airtrain
1:20 pm - Arrive at Brisbane International Terminal and check in
1:45 pm - Boarding for flight SQ236 begins
2:45pm - Take off. The best part? I'm on the plane.

This post was meant to put my parents at ease. India should be a breeze.





-Aiport Planner Extraordinaire