Inflight Insight
Alright, I’m in the plane right now, heading towards Heathrow Airport, London. I’ve been in the air for almost 3 and a half hours. My butt is so numb but the stupid seat-belt lights won’t go off due to turbulence. I just finished watching “Cheaper by the Dozen”. It’s a nice movie. I know “Artsie’s” probably dissing Hilary Duff now. I don’t know how she sings, but I wonder if she’s as nice as that smile. I should follow up on that.
I’ve been only posting short blogs recently since I felt that no one could bother reading through them. “Puff” says that I can write well and keep my readers interested. However, I don’t know if anyone else feels the same way.
Still another 3 hours to go. Then, I watch the sunrise in Heathrow after which I get ready to go to Dubai. My parents are already planning on taking me to visit people as soon as I arrive. I’m homesick. Not for Dubai but for Toronto. For Chestnut. For the amazing view from my room of City Hall, the Sky Dome and the CN tower. For the friends who I spent so much time with. For my “western life”. I don’t have much to look forward to, in Dubai. I have family… In Pakistan, I have family… That’s all I’m going to these places for.
I mentioned that I would sing the praises of a few things in my life. Might as well do it now. Keep in mind, I’m limiting everyone’s niceties to 3 - 4 lines each.
“Artsie” – A friend who remains true and respects others. He never oversteps any boundaries and he can so easily become the sort of friend that others want. I’m not being clear, am I? His friendship is the sort that I’m happy has held on for so long.
“Banana Man” – I could talk about him for hours. Studying him, I found that he’s much more intense than I am and could teach me so much. However, he knows exactly how much he should say and how much I should find out for myself.
“Cheshire Cat” - Interesting fellow who I regret not knowing better. Still, there's next year. He's got a silent sense of humour. He picks the mot unsuspecting times to say something which just makes me crack up.
“Froggie” – A friend who’s head gones in the clouds every now and then to “admire the view” but also has her feet firmly on the ground. She won’t abduct frogs to find a prince but rather, to take care of them. She won’t be looking for personal gain (all the time, except if chocolate is involved) but prefers to help others.
“Hyper Dude” – He’s got friendship as his highest priority, it seems. Perhaps second (after food). No matter how depressed he may be, he won’t let it show when all around him are happy. He can fit in anywhere and that’s no easy feat given his “special” circumstances. He takes every friendship seriously and it won’t be his fault if things didn’t work.
“Lone Ranger” – A guy who’s one constant source of amusement. I could spend hour after hour making fun of him and he wouldn’t mind a bit. I wonder what runs through his head half the time. Just observing his actions makes me realise that he takes great interest in the work he enjoys doing.
“Midas” – I don’t know her well, so I can’t say much. She’s got a sharp tongue which I don’t really find compliments my own style of making fun of others, but it’s always hilarious watching her pick on people. I admire how she can run a place of her own, study hard to get good grades and still manage to find time for sops like me.
“Powerpuff” – So passionate… When she’s debating or just talking about anything in general, she seems so “in to” the subject. It amuses me just listening to her talk and trying to understand why she’s so passionate.
“Puff” – She’s got wit, level-headedness and a touch of intelligence to make her into a friend with whom hours can be spent talking to. Her advice is more valuable than stupid pearls of wisdom and her opinions (which almost always disagree with mine) help me get a better understanding of the “other side of the story”. I met her properly while helping with her talent show. I can only say, “She was the most talented there.”
I don’t like Air Canada. I’m as comfortable as I could be in any economy seat, given my height. However, they have nothing to make the flight pass quicker. One movie is all they showed. I’m so bored but I’ve got crosswords to do after this so they should help me pass the time. Still… I’ve got 2.5 hours left. Been flying for 4.5 hours now.
Nelly Furtado’s on the screen now. She’s got nice eyes. I can spot nice eyes from a distance. The first and only things I see while talking to someone is his or her eyes. I’m going to miss seeing coloured/nice eyes in Dubai. Only dull brown eyes there.
My stupid pen is having troubles. Apparently, the pressure (or rather, lack of pressure) up here makes it leak at times and stop writing at others.
To sleep or not to sleep? Or to eat? EAT!! Snack time. I hope I don’t finish them off before I reach Dubai. Still got half a day’s travel left.
I’m surrounded by old geezers. The man next to me is snoring peacefully. The women in front passed out while hitting the recline button so her head is almost in my lap. I’m being too nice to them. Took me forever to get into the bathroom. Was afraid that if I didn’t let them go first, their bladder would burst, killing them.
Anyhow, I’ll wrap this up until I’m back in the air, heading for Dubai on Emirates (a good airline).
Alright, back in the air. My butt is already sore. Flight was delayed by 1.5 hours. Interesting watching other planes take off into the clouds. As they reached the cloud-line, they would seemingly just disappear.
As I was coming through the clouds at Heathrow, the clouds themselves struck me as English. They were recognisable. I felt I was going home. Same when I talked to the people. I had so much fun there. Now, I’m lost in the clouds listening to an Arabic dude continuously interrupt my viewing of Paycheck.
It’s been a long time since I had a window seat during a day-flight. Not that I get day-flights all that often. Then again, I have to keep pulling down the blind because of the bright sun.
Weird coincidence. Both times during take-off, it began drizzling.
Quite a few movies on. I hope I have time to watch them all.
On my left, I’ve got a nice view of the clouds. I get lost staring at them. On my right, I have a woman whose never traveled via Emirates before. She’s quite interested in what I’m writing. Pen’s leaking again!!
Now here’s the interesting part. There’s a rather striking desi girl with nice eyes sitting in front of me. She’s supposed to be next to me!! Now some idiot with spiked hair and yellow touches and earrings is talking to her every now and then. Bah! I’m considering passing her a note to open a conversation.
Ok, finished Paycheck. So-so movie. The girl ahead is disturbing me. I must talk to her. On the other hand, if she’s chatting to that guy so easily, she’s not my type! Bah!
My pen’s run out of ink… More like it leaked out all its ink.
I was thinking of a few times in Toronto that stuck out in my mind.
The first was on the 8th of April. I hadn’t seen “Uber-bachi” for an uber long time. Anyhow, I met her at breakfast, and then at lunch. I was waiting for the elevator to go to the bank, make a draft to send to my travel agent and withdraw some money to get some stuff for a friend. After I got the draft, I headed off towards Staples to mail the draft. As I entered, I spotter “Uber-bachi” down some aisle. However, I headed towards the Canada post section and got in line. She saw me and waved but I just nodded. Anyhow, I got my stuff and then was about to leave when she popped up from behind me having just paid for her items. I was talking to her as we headed off towards residence and she told me that she was going to Eaton Center. She asked me to join her. Meh, I had nothing to do… so I did. Besides, I decided that while I was there, I would stop over at Fido to ask about cell phones. Spent the next couple of hours walking around with her while she went into a whole bunch of stores looking for clothes. She’s nuts about green. Finally, I helped her pick out a green shirt which she tried out and liked. She got a phone call 1.5 hours in. Her friend had arrived at the residence and was waiting for her. So we quickly moved from one shop to the other and finally headed over back to residence. I handed her back her subwoofer stereo speakers that she had bought from Staples and which I had been carrying since then and then left for my room. Met her again, when I went down to eat!! Saw her the next day, wearing that shirt. It’s weird… Didn’t see her for days and then one day… overflow!!! At least she was easier to shop with than “Artsie” or “Hyper Dude”.
The second was on the 26th of April. My exams had finished so we went out at night. Since we left so late, the good places had closed down. So we trudged up and down Yonge Street. Near the Hard Rock Café were some small fountains of water shooting out of the Dundas Square. How could I resist? I ran through a few times and got a pretty good picture of me mid-drenching. Was soaked for hours after that. It didn’t help that it had been raining and was a bit chilly. It was easier leaving Canada knowing that I had done one last nutty thing. Found a place to eat near the cinemas which were 15 minutes away. Had shawarmas and the bubble teas before heading back to residence.
Once I got to Dubai, I started chatting to the girl as we got off. She seemed nice enough. However, at the visa collection, she didn’t go to the Desi section but to the “Others” section. I had already been wondering if she was really Desi. Might have been an expatriate. However, I had lost any interest by then. Watching the Malayalams was more interesting (Hehe, sorry “Puff”). They were drifting around the lines not knowing what to do. Some would seemingly be passing through the line but then suddenly stop and begin waiting. People were so shocked they didn’t say anything. Then one guy cut in front of me so I talked to him and made him bugger off. Then the way, they clung to each other afraid of losing one another. They had no idea what to do at the counter and would keep pissing off the person waiting on them, until finally a Malayalam security guard guided them all through the routine. They were so hilarious that it was worth waiting for them to finish their antics.
I got my visa after an hour and then headed off. They opened a new counter when I got to the immigration section, so no wait there. Got my luggage instantly since it had been unloaded. After all, when luggage isn’t collected after an hour, they might as well take it off. So I didn’t need to wait for my bags. Luggage check took a minute since it was empty too. Walked out, to be greeted by… a gust of hot air! Found my mother and grandmother and went home. Spent the next few hours talking to family. Went to sleep. Woke up the next day, to go to Al-Ain. Yep! As I expected, the mountain is still there and the springs are still gushing out hot water. Awesome! Spent the whole day there. So, I still haven’t had time to relax.
Now, I just decided to catch up on my e-mail, buddy correspondence and type out the blog. It was 5 pages on paper, but even with the additions, I only managed to get up to 4 pages.
Oh! I came back and thought I would get my cell phone back. My uncle’s using it, though. I don’t mind that. Here’s the annoying part. While I was gone, my parents gave my cell phone to Adnan’s uncle. Bah! That’s bad enough. His uncle in a feat of ultimate *****dity deleted my whole phone book. All my phone numbers GONE! My little black book was secretly hidden in there… GONE! I should break each of Adnan’s fingers when I see him (just for a little satisfaction) so that he can’t play any instruments for a while. In fact, I should chop them off, so he can’t play EVER AGAIN! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sigh… So much time left here in Dubai and absolutely nothing to do. Might as well hope that something good is on the telly and then go sleep.
I’ve been only posting short blogs recently since I felt that no one could bother reading through them. “Puff” says that I can write well and keep my readers interested. However, I don’t know if anyone else feels the same way.
Still another 3 hours to go. Then, I watch the sunrise in Heathrow after which I get ready to go to Dubai. My parents are already planning on taking me to visit people as soon as I arrive. I’m homesick. Not for Dubai but for Toronto. For Chestnut. For the amazing view from my room of City Hall, the Sky Dome and the CN tower. For the friends who I spent so much time with. For my “western life”. I don’t have much to look forward to, in Dubai. I have family… In Pakistan, I have family… That’s all I’m going to these places for.
I mentioned that I would sing the praises of a few things in my life. Might as well do it now. Keep in mind, I’m limiting everyone’s niceties to 3 - 4 lines each.
“Artsie” – A friend who remains true and respects others. He never oversteps any boundaries and he can so easily become the sort of friend that others want. I’m not being clear, am I? His friendship is the sort that I’m happy has held on for so long.
“Banana Man” – I could talk about him for hours. Studying him, I found that he’s much more intense than I am and could teach me so much. However, he knows exactly how much he should say and how much I should find out for myself.
“Cheshire Cat” - Interesting fellow who I regret not knowing better. Still, there's next year. He's got a silent sense of humour. He picks the mot unsuspecting times to say something which just makes me crack up.
“Froggie” – A friend who’s head gones in the clouds every now and then to “admire the view” but also has her feet firmly on the ground. She won’t abduct frogs to find a prince but rather, to take care of them. She won’t be looking for personal gain (all the time, except if chocolate is involved) but prefers to help others.
“Hyper Dude” – He’s got friendship as his highest priority, it seems. Perhaps second (after food). No matter how depressed he may be, he won’t let it show when all around him are happy. He can fit in anywhere and that’s no easy feat given his “special” circumstances. He takes every friendship seriously and it won’t be his fault if things didn’t work.
“Lone Ranger” – A guy who’s one constant source of amusement. I could spend hour after hour making fun of him and he wouldn’t mind a bit. I wonder what runs through his head half the time. Just observing his actions makes me realise that he takes great interest in the work he enjoys doing.
“Midas” – I don’t know her well, so I can’t say much. She’s got a sharp tongue which I don’t really find compliments my own style of making fun of others, but it’s always hilarious watching her pick on people. I admire how she can run a place of her own, study hard to get good grades and still manage to find time for sops like me.
“Powerpuff” – So passionate… When she’s debating or just talking about anything in general, she seems so “in to” the subject. It amuses me just listening to her talk and trying to understand why she’s so passionate.
“Puff” – She’s got wit, level-headedness and a touch of intelligence to make her into a friend with whom hours can be spent talking to. Her advice is more valuable than stupid pearls of wisdom and her opinions (which almost always disagree with mine) help me get a better understanding of the “other side of the story”. I met her properly while helping with her talent show. I can only say, “She was the most talented there.”
I don’t like Air Canada. I’m as comfortable as I could be in any economy seat, given my height. However, they have nothing to make the flight pass quicker. One movie is all they showed. I’m so bored but I’ve got crosswords to do after this so they should help me pass the time. Still… I’ve got 2.5 hours left. Been flying for 4.5 hours now.
Nelly Furtado’s on the screen now. She’s got nice eyes. I can spot nice eyes from a distance. The first and only things I see while talking to someone is his or her eyes. I’m going to miss seeing coloured/nice eyes in Dubai. Only dull brown eyes there.
My stupid pen is having troubles. Apparently, the pressure (or rather, lack of pressure) up here makes it leak at times and stop writing at others.
To sleep or not to sleep? Or to eat? EAT!! Snack time. I hope I don’t finish them off before I reach Dubai. Still got half a day’s travel left.
I’m surrounded by old geezers. The man next to me is snoring peacefully. The women in front passed out while hitting the recline button so her head is almost in my lap. I’m being too nice to them. Took me forever to get into the bathroom. Was afraid that if I didn’t let them go first, their bladder would burst, killing them.
Anyhow, I’ll wrap this up until I’m back in the air, heading for Dubai on Emirates (a good airline).
Alright, back in the air. My butt is already sore. Flight was delayed by 1.5 hours. Interesting watching other planes take off into the clouds. As they reached the cloud-line, they would seemingly just disappear.
As I was coming through the clouds at Heathrow, the clouds themselves struck me as English. They were recognisable. I felt I was going home. Same when I talked to the people. I had so much fun there. Now, I’m lost in the clouds listening to an Arabic dude continuously interrupt my viewing of Paycheck.
It’s been a long time since I had a window seat during a day-flight. Not that I get day-flights all that often. Then again, I have to keep pulling down the blind because of the bright sun.
Weird coincidence. Both times during take-off, it began drizzling.
Quite a few movies on. I hope I have time to watch them all.
On my left, I’ve got a nice view of the clouds. I get lost staring at them. On my right, I have a woman whose never traveled via Emirates before. She’s quite interested in what I’m writing. Pen’s leaking again!!
Now here’s the interesting part. There’s a rather striking desi girl with nice eyes sitting in front of me. She’s supposed to be next to me!! Now some idiot with spiked hair and yellow touches and earrings is talking to her every now and then. Bah! I’m considering passing her a note to open a conversation.
Ok, finished Paycheck. So-so movie. The girl ahead is disturbing me. I must talk to her. On the other hand, if she’s chatting to that guy so easily, she’s not my type! Bah!
My pen’s run out of ink… More like it leaked out all its ink.
I was thinking of a few times in Toronto that stuck out in my mind.
The first was on the 8th of April. I hadn’t seen “Uber-bachi” for an uber long time. Anyhow, I met her at breakfast, and then at lunch. I was waiting for the elevator to go to the bank, make a draft to send to my travel agent and withdraw some money to get some stuff for a friend. After I got the draft, I headed off towards Staples to mail the draft. As I entered, I spotter “Uber-bachi” down some aisle. However, I headed towards the Canada post section and got in line. She saw me and waved but I just nodded. Anyhow, I got my stuff and then was about to leave when she popped up from behind me having just paid for her items. I was talking to her as we headed off towards residence and she told me that she was going to Eaton Center. She asked me to join her. Meh, I had nothing to do… so I did. Besides, I decided that while I was there, I would stop over at Fido to ask about cell phones. Spent the next couple of hours walking around with her while she went into a whole bunch of stores looking for clothes. She’s nuts about green. Finally, I helped her pick out a green shirt which she tried out and liked. She got a phone call 1.5 hours in. Her friend had arrived at the residence and was waiting for her. So we quickly moved from one shop to the other and finally headed over back to residence. I handed her back her subwoofer stereo speakers that she had bought from Staples and which I had been carrying since then and then left for my room. Met her again, when I went down to eat!! Saw her the next day, wearing that shirt. It’s weird… Didn’t see her for days and then one day… overflow!!! At least she was easier to shop with than “Artsie” or “Hyper Dude”.
The second was on the 26th of April. My exams had finished so we went out at night. Since we left so late, the good places had closed down. So we trudged up and down Yonge Street. Near the Hard Rock Café were some small fountains of water shooting out of the Dundas Square. How could I resist? I ran through a few times and got a pretty good picture of me mid-drenching. Was soaked for hours after that. It didn’t help that it had been raining and was a bit chilly. It was easier leaving Canada knowing that I had done one last nutty thing. Found a place to eat near the cinemas which were 15 minutes away. Had shawarmas and the bubble teas before heading back to residence.
Once I got to Dubai, I started chatting to the girl as we got off. She seemed nice enough. However, at the visa collection, she didn’t go to the Desi section but to the “Others” section. I had already been wondering if she was really Desi. Might have been an expatriate. However, I had lost any interest by then. Watching the Malayalams was more interesting (Hehe, sorry “Puff”). They were drifting around the lines not knowing what to do. Some would seemingly be passing through the line but then suddenly stop and begin waiting. People were so shocked they didn’t say anything. Then one guy cut in front of me so I talked to him and made him bugger off. Then the way, they clung to each other afraid of losing one another. They had no idea what to do at the counter and would keep pissing off the person waiting on them, until finally a Malayalam security guard guided them all through the routine. They were so hilarious that it was worth waiting for them to finish their antics.
I got my visa after an hour and then headed off. They opened a new counter when I got to the immigration section, so no wait there. Got my luggage instantly since it had been unloaded. After all, when luggage isn’t collected after an hour, they might as well take it off. So I didn’t need to wait for my bags. Luggage check took a minute since it was empty too. Walked out, to be greeted by… a gust of hot air! Found my mother and grandmother and went home. Spent the next few hours talking to family. Went to sleep. Woke up the next day, to go to Al-Ain. Yep! As I expected, the mountain is still there and the springs are still gushing out hot water. Awesome! Spent the whole day there. So, I still haven’t had time to relax.
Now, I just decided to catch up on my e-mail, buddy correspondence and type out the blog. It was 5 pages on paper, but even with the additions, I only managed to get up to 4 pages.
Oh! I came back and thought I would get my cell phone back. My uncle’s using it, though. I don’t mind that. Here’s the annoying part. While I was gone, my parents gave my cell phone to Adnan’s uncle. Bah! That’s bad enough. His uncle in a feat of ultimate *****dity deleted my whole phone book. All my phone numbers GONE! My little black book was secretly hidden in there… GONE! I should break each of Adnan’s fingers when I see him (just for a little satisfaction) so that he can’t play any instruments for a while. In fact, I should chop them off, so he can’t play EVER AGAIN! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sigh… So much time left here in Dubai and absolutely nothing to do. Might as well hope that something good is on the telly and then go sleep.
