The Red Has Landed
0 Comments Published by Kevin Broken Scar on Thursday, December 06, 2007 at 3:35 PM.
Okay, so the in-flight entertainment system was down for the entire eight hours of my flight from Melbourne to KL. I couldn't sleep and there was pretty much nothing to do. It was a small plane, a Boeing 777 and it was a little cramped. What do I do?
An eight-hour plane ride, without the entertainment system, breathing recycled air can drive one crazy if they don't do something. Thankfully for me, I made friends with the person sitting next to me. So between trying real hard to sleep and listening to music on my mp3 player, I had really nice conversations with my new found friend. A potential plane-ride disaster turned out pleasant after all.
It also kept my mind off my not-so-pleasant experience at the Melbourne airport when I checked in. I thought I did really well with my luggage. I only had to check in one small suitcase which was around 15kg when I had an allowance of 30kg. I had my guitar and backpack which I intended to bring onboard with me but the guy didn’t let me do so. He insisted that I checked in my guitar. I was like, “what? How can I check in my guitar? It doesn’t even have a hard case and it’s an acoustic. It’ll arrive in 2 pieces!” I mean, what’s the problem? All of my luggage combined won’t even come anywhere near 30kg!
I tried to persuade the dude to let me bring my guitar on board with me, but it was declined. Then I was tempted to bring it up anyway and see what happens, but knowing me, I played by the rules and checked it into the oversized baggage area instead. There, I met an old dude who was in charge and we had this conversation.
Me: Good afternoon, how’s it goin mate?
An eight-hour plane ride, without the entertainment system, breathing recycled air can drive one crazy if they don't do something. Thankfully for me, I made friends with the person sitting next to me. So between trying real hard to sleep and listening to music on my mp3 player, I had really nice conversations with my new found friend. A potential plane-ride disaster turned out pleasant after all.
It also kept my mind off my not-so-pleasant experience at the Melbourne airport when I checked in. I thought I did really well with my luggage. I only had to check in one small suitcase which was around 15kg when I had an allowance of 30kg. I had my guitar and backpack which I intended to bring onboard with me but the guy didn’t let me do so. He insisted that I checked in my guitar. I was like, “what? How can I check in my guitar? It doesn’t even have a hard case and it’s an acoustic. It’ll arrive in 2 pieces!” I mean, what’s the problem? All of my luggage combined won’t even come anywhere near 30kg!
I tried to persuade the dude to let me bring my guitar on board with me, but it was declined. Then I was tempted to bring it up anyway and see what happens, but knowing me, I played by the rules and checked it into the oversized baggage area instead. There, I met an old dude who was in charge and we had this conversation.
Me: Good afternoon, how’s it goin mate?
Old Dude: Good. (Grumpily)
Me: So, do you reckon it’s safe to check my guitar in although there is no hard case? You reckon it’ll arrive in one piece?
Old Dude: Yeah, we get hundreds of these each day. (Repeated a few more times)
Me: Yeah, I’ll take your word for it then. As long as it doesn’t arrive in two pieces, I’ll be fine.
Old Dude: Well, it’s just a risk we have to take, isn’t it?
Man! After handing my guitar over to him, I just had to shut it out of my head. I was prepared to be on the receiving end of a ten-piece firewood set.
So when I arrived in KLIA, I took my own sweet time and checked out the duty free shops, just trying to prolong the time before I had to come to terms with reality. But the moment of truth came. When I walked towards the carousel, I spotted my suitcase. But where was my guitar? I looked around and spotted it lying on the floor. I picked it up and I think I felt that there were moving parts inside the case. In my heart, I thought, “Yea, this is it. It’s plywood now”. But it must have been my paranoia because it was all good! Well, except for the output jack which was a little loose but otherwise, all in one piece. Phew!
Fast forward. I got home, took some time to adjust to my surroundings. I mean, I have been away for a year already. Things changed. I couldn’t sleep much and it was very likely due to the time difference and my body clock was still operating on Melbourne time.
It’s been good so far. I had my dose of mee goreng, roti nan, the tarik and some awesome home cooked food!
I can foresee a very busy few weeks ahead. I wanted to keep myself busy when I got back and I think I’ve done it for myself this time. Starting from this weekend, I’ll be having rehearsals, gigs and interviews while trying to catch up with all my friends! I've hit the ground running.
Man! After handing my guitar over to him, I just had to shut it out of my head. I was prepared to be on the receiving end of a ten-piece firewood set.
So when I arrived in KLIA, I took my own sweet time and checked out the duty free shops, just trying to prolong the time before I had to come to terms with reality. But the moment of truth came. When I walked towards the carousel, I spotted my suitcase. But where was my guitar? I looked around and spotted it lying on the floor. I picked it up and I think I felt that there were moving parts inside the case. In my heart, I thought, “Yea, this is it. It’s plywood now”. But it must have been my paranoia because it was all good! Well, except for the output jack which was a little loose but otherwise, all in one piece. Phew!
Fast forward. I got home, took some time to adjust to my surroundings. I mean, I have been away for a year already. Things changed. I couldn’t sleep much and it was very likely due to the time difference and my body clock was still operating on Melbourne time.
It’s been good so far. I had my dose of mee goreng, roti nan, the tarik and some awesome home cooked food!
I can foresee a very busy few weeks ahead. I wanted to keep myself busy when I got back and I think I’ve done it for myself this time. Starting from this weekend, I’ll be having rehearsals, gigs and interviews while trying to catch up with all my friends! I've hit the ground running.
I will be updating my blog as much as I can! Cheers!
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
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