Has Virgin lost its lustre?

A tinge - but I must confess only a microscopic twinge - of guilt zoomed through me.  I was checking in, clearing customs, sitting in the lounge, boarding, sipping champagne.  And whither?  To London, in Virgin Upper Class.

But the guilt quickly subsided.  This was my treat and why the hell not?!  I'm lucky and I appreciate the fact, and now that I was sitting in seat A1 on the tarmac at NBO (read Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - about to jet off to LHR (read London Heathrow) I was loving every second of it.

It was quite some time since I'd flown VS (read Virgin Atlantic Airlines) in their business class.  And I remembered it well.  The seats had changed to the herring bone configuration with a flat-bed option - but surprisingly the safety video, complete with its quirky animations - was the same from about 10 years ago.  That was fine - actually, it was still quite amusing.

The in-flight service, after only about half an hour in, was impressive - even if the champagne served was lukewarm - an ice cube delicately dropped into the generously filled flute soon remedied that.  I was then cocooned in my bubble-of-a-seat and ready for the 8.35 hour flight.

BRB - as the youngsters say.

*    *    *

Well, I'm almost landing and it's been a mixed flight - if truth be told.

The seats are actually quite old; the rough-around-the-edges feel you get from years of rdisrespectful passengers is showing through.  You can see from the photos crumbs in the personal stowage pocket and wine stains on the seat where I was to place my head when snoozing.

The crew have been pleasant enough and the food very passable - but I haven't been wow-ed.  One of the best things has been the cosy duvet you get to lure the sandman in - it beats the hessian-type blankets one is thrown from many other airlines in so-called business class.

What was good?

The seat configuration - if the guy in 2D hadn't spent the first hour of the flight perched on the "guest" seat of 2A - next to me  But there I stumble...I, unfortunately, find many more things to urge improvement on.  The entertainment system was primitive: tapes on a loop with no interactive options.  Even the magazine choice was limited to at least 6 six copies of the same edition of Conde Nast Traveller magazine - I love to travel but even I can't skim the same jaunting journalism six times in succession!

Something I didn't mention earlier was the schlepp to the aircraft: we cleared security screening (with two separate passes through the x-ray conveyor belts) at gate 10.  This was apparently a UK Department of Transport requirement: apparently the Kenyans can't be trusted to get it right first time..!  Then we trawled down stone steps to the tarmac, where I presumed to find an expectant bus driver complete with bus to ferry us to the airplane boarding steps.  But that wasn't to be.  We then had to walk about 200m towards gate 12 and climb the 2 flights of stairs to access the ganty to the plane door.  

Now, I suspect the aforementioned additional security can only be accommodated in one place - NBO (remember what that stands for?!) not being the best organised airport on the planet.  It would have been nice to get an apology from VS as we boarded - but not a peep from anyone on the matter.  One would have they thought could lobby the airport for a bit more coordination - sigh.  And at least an apology from either the in-flight supervisor or the captain would have been a nice interjection to the inocuous, rambling, nauseating "do"s and "don't"s list - which I'm sure gets longer and longer each time I get on a plane (especially UK-based carriers).  (Can you believe on Virgin they even warned against standing up while wearing ones earphones: reportedly this unmeasured action can result in damaging the earphone sockets and impair your listening pleasure for the remainder of the flight.  Geez!!

So I'll be disembarking a wee bit disappointed, and think next time I'll take premium economy out and the bed in Upper Class back for the night jounrey.  As a research man, I'd give the entire experience a rather lukewarm 7/10 - just like my champagne upon boarding.  

Come on Virgin!  You can do better.

Moving in.

Sometimes we don’t think things through as well as we might – something after two wondrous years in Japan, I know the Nippon people would never be accused of – very high tsunami, failed diesel generators and a near-meltdown-Fukushima-situation notwithstanding.

But as I trudged up the 4 flights of stairs to my new Nairobi apartment, a sinking sensation set in.  I grasped the front door handle, breathless from the climb, pushed it open and a rush ensued.

Happy to be “home”; excited by imagining my furniture in situ; perturbed at the apparent lack of light bulbs; and dismayed by my realisation that the unfurnished flat, was truly unfurnished.  I scanned the kitchen to find no fridge, no washing machine and no cooker.

Merrily, yea merrily, I skipped off to the local hyper-market, Nakumatt, for a stock-up.

Anyway, after 1 hour and with 700 pounds sterling evaporated from my bank account, I got back to the flat and struck a few matches.  As the phosphorous filled the air and a flame flickered into life on my candles’ wicks, I settled down, snug on my newly acquired mattress to watch the penultimate episode of Gavin and Stacey.

iPads are surely blessed things.

Although it did feel strange: I had a 21st century gizmo, a glass of Australian whisky (cut over so slightly by Kenyan filtered water) and a faint glow of candlight illuminating my very empty bedroom in a decidedly 18 century way.

Not a picture one sees every day of the week.  (Thank goodness!)

Sometime a speech is hard to give

Unaccustomed as I am not, giving my speech of farewell in Singapore was a little more troublesome than usual.  I first was in an impromptu fashion (thanks Baxter@!) propelled to give an improvised one at my flat leaving party – standing on a chair, I had to think on my feet.....I think it was OK – but I do love planning a speech.  That said, I’m sure the guests were relieved it was short and pithy.

Then I wrote a speech for my official Synovate leaving do, with clients and all.  Well, the venue wasn’t appropriate and not many clients turned up, so it didn’t get read.

I thought of recycling it at my cake-cutting final day in the office – and that didn’t feel appropriate either.

So I recycled it a 3^rd time at a final brunch at the China Club and it almost worked.

Here it is for your enjoyment...and indeed mine – I thoroughly enjoyed writing it and when I eventually got to read it out, was moved – and saw others moved by it.

“After 8 years of living in wonderful Singapore, I’m moving on. 

8, as we know is a very auspicious number in Chinese culture and that surely bodes a good omen.

So staying with the number 8, I thought I'd list a few things in the same vein:

Favourite foods: roti prata, mee goreng, xiao long bao, fish head, kaya, ikan billis, satay, Starbucks green tea latte....!

Favourite sayings: taxi uncle, can what?, what you mean leh?, cannot!, kiasu, paiseh, fill up a form, u-turn back.....

Favourite landmarks: Orchard Road, Ann siang Hill, Esplanade, Bras Basah MRT, Ritz-Carlton (for brunch), Fullerton Bay Hotel, Gold Class cinemas at Vivo, shop-houses – especially in Little India.

And what about 8 momentous events while in Singapore?

1.         I completed my MBA at Chicago Booth.

2.         I joined Synovate 7 years ago.

3.         I bought landed property.

4.         I had my first (and so far last) fish foot spa.

5.         We moved office at work – not for the faint-hearted.

6.         I started to learn Mandarin and gave up – then I started to learn Arabic – and also gave up.

7.         I got my iPhone and convinced IT at work to allow emails on it..!

8.         I was part of the first Pink Dot.

I saw amazing places all over Asia and the most memorable 8 must be:

1.         Bali and a bungee jump.

2.         Langkawi.

3.         Bagan.

4.         Borobadur and the Amanjiwo.

5.         Colombo & Galle – Sri Lanka and the Amangalla.

6.         Angkor Wat and the Amansara.

7.         Chiang Mai – and a hot air balloon flight I will never forget.

8.         Phuket and the Amanpuri.

And fabulous people to thank: [this portion was all about work and when I read it at my brunch setting, the thanks were all adrift, so (again thinking on my feet) I decided to choose one word to sum up the various guests around the table.  Some words were inspired, some flattering and some, unfortunately due to my brain cells at the time, peculiar.  "Loyal", "friendship", “thank-you”, "emotional" and "beautiful" were amongst the sane, while "food "and "complex" might be considered amongst the less sane ones.  But that’s spontaneity for you.  

My dear Baxter, couldn’t be summed up in a single word, so I didn’t bother....except upon reflection, there is a SINGLE word for Baxter – that’s Baxter – what else?!]

That was my last list.  (thank goodness, you say under your breath.) 

So as I move on, Nairobi and the vast expanse that is Africa awaits.

It’s exciting and a little scary.  But that makes it more fascinating. 

I’ve got an office and a desk, I’ve got a work permit, and I’ve got a short list of cars to choose one from.

But the best thing of all is I have an apartment – and the unit number?  A8. 

The signs are clear: I will miss (dearly) Singapore and all of you – and after 8 years it will be a wrench to board that plane on the morning of 3rd July.  But I’ll be back and with a lucky 8 greeting me each time I return home in the evening on my front door, Singapore and all the wonderful things will never be far from my thoughts.

Now let’s get drunk.”

Well by this point at brunch, we were quite merry and while there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, the Peking duck was getting cold, so we dried our eyes with the China Club extra large napkins – complete with a large red Maoist star – and got stuck in.