It's a bird, it's a plane... it's Nancy Bird Walton

Nancy Bird Walton was an aviatrix. A pioneer, the founder and patron of Australian Women Pilots' Association.

So it's not a big surprise when QANTAS the Australian flag carrier decided to name their first Super Jumbo after her. Registered as VH-OQA entered service on September 2008. The namesake attended it's naming ceremony. Nancy Bird Walton was in her 90's at that time. On that day, she made a witty remark "I've made my business to stay alive for today's ceremony" 2:28

It's a custom to break a bottle of champagne when a Christening a ship. It's no different to this particular aircraft. Responding to the smashing of a champagne bottle at the fuselage by a fellow female pilot, she said "I hope she didn't scratch it (the A380)" 4:05

A few months later in January 2009, Nancy Bird Walton passed away. Her namesake made a flypast, as a final respect.

The following year, in 4th November 2010, flying as QF 32 from Kingsford Smith (SYD) to Changi (SIN), Nancy Bird Walton encountered an engine failure. Fortunately, it landed safely.

Some see aeroplane just as a mode of transportation, a flying machine. Others see them like a person. Well aeroplanes have great stories too, if only they can tell you.

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Nancy Bird Walton naming ceremony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9mTTvrZ7cM

You can skip to 2:28 and 4:05

The Super Jumbo paying last respect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9_LSzU5Oqs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG2rNwOlZk8

The incident (it's an episode of Air Crash Investigation under the name Titanic in the Sky)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7FkTKQ-QRY

Wikipedia page on Nancy Bird Walton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Bird_Walton

And the crash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_32

Welcome home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htRujDrI6YM

Worth watching, an advert featuring A380
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDWqGS71n04
The biplane, usually flown by pioneer aviator like Nancy-Bird and an A380 the largest commercial airliner. 

p/s 

Sydney airport is named after Nancy-Bird's flight instructor Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.
QANTAS is the longest/oldest airlines. KLM was established earlier but suspended their operation during the World War II

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airlines_by_foundation_date

The tide is high....

The other day while strolling along the shore, I asked my brother a hypothetical question.
"What would you do if the sea suddenly recede?"

"Collect seashells?"

"You're gonna die, it's a tell-tale sign of an impending tsunami"

This Boxing day would mark the 10th anniversary.

Kid friendly...

I was waiting in a queue at a fast food restaurant. In front of me is a 7 months old baby with her father. I peek a booed the baby and she smiled. 4 upper teeth and 2 lower teeth. I wish I have a baby. If only I can borrow somebody else's baby. Who in a sane mind would lend their baby to a 27 years old single man. I am not a paedophile. I just like children.

I have lots of nephews and nieces. And younger cousins. So, I have first hand experience baby sitting those little tots.

I think men should not be intimidated to baby sit. Babies taken cared by men are said to be more emotionally stable. If you're a father, get involved in raising your offspring.

The only fond memory with my old man is going to town with him and he bought me a helicopter. We rode a bus but it rained heavily when we are about to go home. So, we hired a taxi. Most of the time, he is away, working. I wish he had spend more time with me. Well, I'm just a neglected middle child. Only a middle child could understand.

This is my paternal instinct speaking.

Am I funny?

I don't know whether I am funny or not, but most think that I am funny... (if only this is a wikipedia page, expect a 'by whom' tag) I can't cite anybody.

Some of my jokes,

"Which number is always negative in German?" Nine/Nein

"What is the most delicious houseplant?" Cactus, they are succulent

And my barista/barrister jokes

A lot more. Do I need to document all my jokes?

Do funny person or comedian live a funny live? Most funny people have hard lives but prefer to make fun of it, make a joke out of it.

I think, jokes out of first hand experience are the best because it's genuinely funny. Retold jokes are dry.

Take Trevor Noah for instance. White father, coloured mother, apartheid. Not a good combination. But turns out to be a funny man.

Qmar the drag queen. Imagine the discrimination he had endured. He/She is funny.

Jim Carey had depression

Genuinely funny people doesn't really have a fun life.

In FRIENDS, I personally think Chandler and Phoebe are the funniest of the Bunch. Both have terrible childhood.

Well if life gives you lemon, make lemonade.... or iced lemon tea

Not a flight manifest... Thank you, Merci beaucoup, Danke schoen, Spasybi,Thank Paldies

United States	180
Malaysia	172
France	6
Ukraine	3
Germany	2
Latvia	2
United Kingdom	1
Ireland	1

Well, of course it's not a flight manifest. A flight manifest is a list of names. 

This is also not a list of passenger by nationality.

This is a list of page views.

Apparently Americans are on top of the list. Thank you

To my French readers, merci beaucoup

Thank you for reading and please comment

Have a nice day!

 

My fair lady...

Living in a sunny place, it's normal to be tan. And now I have a glowing tan. Yippie!

If only the waves here are 'surfable'. I would try learning to surf.

I wish we have a chaise lounge and tall hedges, I can bask under the sun in our backyard. Just to even out the tan lines. I should work out more so that I can walk shirtless under the sun. Only in dreams!

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And to my dear friend. Go ahead with your plans. There's no right or wrong answer to your decision, whatever your decisions are. Now I sound like an Aunt Agony 

Wet wet day.

It's been raining for at least 2 days in this sunny little city. Well, it's monsoon season. My fingers are cold. Brrrrrrrrrrr.....

Yesterday, I strolled 5 km along the beach. It took me 2 hours. Drizzling rain doesn't hamper me. It's beautiful. Too bad there's too much rubbish lying on the beach. I mean don't the council clean the beach?

Well, in our schools there are no detention centre. And some students, the bad ones, are suspended instead of going to the detention. So they go home and mix around with bad influences. Why not have some detention at school and do something useful, like cleaning up the beach? Sending them home wouldn't do any good. They'll end up loitering at the mall, smoking, doing drugs and drinking.