(Oct. 25, 2005) The trip to Singapore via Tiger Airways was uneventful... well, almost. I arrived at the back of SM Megamall building just in time to catch the 7AM Philtranco bus to Diosdado Macapagal Airport in Clark, Pampanga. I hopped on, paid the P300 fare and found my seat beside a lady who was going to Malaysia on an Air Asia flight. No time for kwento-kwento though as I found myself dozing off inside the bus all the way to the airport. I just had to catch up on my sleep.
At the airport, the check-in was a breeze. After paying the requisite travel tax and terminal fee and going though customs unimpeded, and convincing an Indian-Singaporean citizen that only his Filipina wife and baby need to pay the travel tax, I was already at the departure holding area at 9:00AM waiting for my 10:50AM flight. It's a good thing I was able to copy the praise songs to my phone from some CDs a friend lent me, and with the earphones, my phone became an instant mobile iPod.
We boarded the plane on schedule. I got a seat at the back near the plane's restroom and settled down comfortably as I continued listening to the songs. As the plane was taxiing off, someone shouted "Emergency! Emergency!" I looked up front and someone came running towards the restroom carrying a baby with outstretched arms. It was the Indian-Singaporean guy I talked to earlier.
"Sir, where are you going? You have to be in your seat!" said the stewardess.
"I want to change diapers" the man said back, going directly to the restroom.
"Sir, it is very dangerous. You have to sit now. The plane is already taxiing on the runway." I could hear noises inside the restroom and some banging sounds. I even heard the man talking to his baby and telling him "Of all times to poo, why does it have to be now?"
There were already three stewardesses talking to the man and urging him to go back to his seat with the baby and resume what he was doing after the plane had taken off. I was just listening amusedly at the conversations; the man wouldn't hear anything of the stewardesses' suggestions. He kept doing his thing, banging around the restroom, wetting some tissues to wipe the Baby's behind, disposing of the diapers, washing his hands, while all the time warding off the nosy stewardesses.
Finally after less than two minutes and before the plane could finish taxiing off to the end of the runway, the man emerged triumphantly from the restroom, all smiles, and carrying his baby who was still naked from the waist down but very clean already and smelling like a real baby! Wow! That man was amazing! I was half-expecting the take-off to be delayed because of this commotion at the back of the plane.
And so the plane took off on schedule to another uneventful flight. This would be 4 hours of flying so I just had to get comfortable in my seat, listening to music and dozing off casually. The band members of River Maya were travelling to Singapore also and were seated at the seats opposite me and they were also casually listening to their ipods and cellphones. Hmmm, so much for turning off your mobile phones while inside the plane.
As we neared Singapore, the pilot announced on the Intercom that our landing would be delayed due to "attrocious rains, winds and lightning" down at the airport. The plane would continue to circle above the clouds while waiting for the weather below to calm down. "Not to worry, we still have plenty of fuel on board" the pilot said as we continued to circle above singapore.
Finally, after 30 minutes of circling above the clouds, the pilot decided to land the plane. "Attendants, flight stations, please", he announced on the plane's intercom. The fasten your seatbelt lights blinked one last time and I felt the plane start to slowly descend. The plane shuddered violently as it hit the clouds and I could see water stream sideways on the windows as the wind and rain started buffetting the plane. I could see flashes of lightning outside as the plane continued to shudder and vibrate from the wind and the rains. I suddenly found myself saying a silent prayer for a safe landing. Everyone was silent and alert, no one was talking or breathing.
Finally, I could see the runway below and I could feel the plane slow down as the pilot pulled back on the throttle. It seemed as if the plane was gliding. Everyone was still silent. Then ever so gently, the wheels touched down, skidding slightly as the they hit the wet runway, and the pilot applied reverse thrust at the right moment to catch the skid until the plane slowed down to a comfortable speed. I could hear everyone heaving a sigh of relief. Someone started clapping and immediately, as if on cue, everyone followed suit, applauding and cheering and clapping, even the stewardesses clapped. If the people weren't strapped to their seats, I was sure they would have stood up to give the pilot a standing ovation.
The rains have stopped as I got out of the airport. Everything was so clean and shiny, the plants were all wet and shiny, too, and breathing in the air was so refreshing.
I had been given the best Singapore welcome possible... It was another "Storm of Perfection."
I'm off now to meet with my family and have a wonderful time. =)
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