Of service and sacrifice

I'm on my Singapore Airlines flight, which thusfar has been comfortable, convenient, and so, so much better than Delta or United treated me. I haven't actually been on a United Flight ever, but I was treated better by on-ground Delta employees than on-ground United employees, and further the flight attendants on Singapore Airlines are genuinely pretty, if not gorgeous. They sell this image on their website of a relatively attractive Singapore woman "Singapore Girl," and they DO live up to it.

Oh, and they DO wear those dresses.

And are they just pretty? No. They're both attractive AND patient. They're helpful and by all appearances enjoy their jobs.

And what they serve you over the course of the flight is impressive in sheer quantity; I've received a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a pair of socks (for sleeping), a pillow and blanket were on my seat when I walked in, they served us a dinner of either chicken and rice or fish and potatoes, and multiple snacks, including peanuts, a slightly dark chocolate pastry sandwich-ish thing (basically a sweet cracker with chocolate in the middle; I can't remember what this would otherwise be called), and the occasional apple juice, orange juice, or perfectly chilled water.

The entertainment system is impressive, if a bit outdated. That is, the hardware is outdated; to call the selection of movies outdated would be a cruel miscarriage of truth. I watched If I Stay for the first few hours out of the airport, and I believe I saw a number of very recent releases listed in the options as well.

The flight and its proceedures are somewhat structured, windows being closed about at 8PM or so, and lights going down an hour or two later. I personally would have preferred to crick my neck and watch the sun set, but hey, when a gorgeous young woman asks you to close a window, you at least unwillingly heed her bidding.

I'm on a window seat, which is nice; better than the Delta window seat, but in both cases I've had an empty seat next to me. The man to my right, next to the aisle, apparently married a Thai woman who taught English back when he first met her. He's flown with Singapore for years, and has had only one complaint on a single occasion. His flight was once delayed, and Singapore Airlines apparently put him up in a nearby hotel for free.

It's like they're continually asking, "Are you happy yet? Are you happy now?"

I might be able to finish Crime and Punishment here on my planes, but most likely I'll choose another movie or sleep the majority of the remainder of my trip.

I hope you all are well, and I assure you that between God's hands and those of Singapore Airlines, I also am well.

February 4th 01:37

Out my window I see snow. Snow and ice. It's bright again, so I'm guessing we're pretty far north, and probably well under 4 hours to Moscow.

We're coming up on some clouds, and I can see the morning light shining on them; I can't see the sun yet, though. The sun also illuminates the further 20-30 feet of the wings. I kinda wish the pilot would make a circle so we could see the sunrise.



!Noah!