I am on this trip to UK. As a confident experienced traveler, I thought I could activate my instincts, like auto-pilot, and everything would smooth itself out. But the whole trip there was one disaster after another one.
The night before my sister ,Nina , who works in the airline checks out some online information for me since I am using staff standby tickets. (referring to a person hovering over the counter waiting for leftover ticket!) She said "oh, it is gonna be full, and maybe you should take this CX 406 around 4 thirty, later on you can catch another..." I wasn't even paying attention to her since I was busy packing in the last minutes. Little did I know, What she has said that evening made a firm imprint in my head without me really noticing it.
At first, I was calmly taking my time, browsing the duty free shops, finding a comfy spot to play with my Mac. Looking at the clock and waiting at the boarding gate 90 minutes before. Then, at three twenty, my name was announced every where you can imagine, and I can assure you, I have never get this much attention and so many people repeatedly calling my name. Turned out I wasn't even on that CX 406 flight. I just assumed it. I grabbed my bag and ran to the aircraft. The moment I stepped in they closed the door. As I walked down the isle, receiving the eye-ing of the fellow passengers and I could read their loud silent comments: "how inconsiderate" "oh, my, can you be any where slower?"...struggling to my seat and sweat in my own mortification.
But I quickly resumed my calm posture, thinking nothing can bring me down. A brand new woman again. I marched triumphantly and prancing around in HK airport. Read some trash magazines, ate in my favorite gongee restaurant, bought a multi-counties adopter and even sat down to do some work. I went to the counter two hours before to line up for my connecting flight to London. The helpful staff told me that I should have come here earlier since it is a full flight and there are 5 people before me on the waiting list. I have this bitter flash back: while I was gracefully eating my congee and reading about Brad Pitt still fancy Jen, the flight to London is slowly filling up...
And it is not finished yet.
