missed opportunities

im christian and halloween isnt the kind of festival i should be celebrating, unlike X;mas, Easter etc. Problem is, im just intrigued by the whole idea of dressing up and then partying and posing silly for photographs and all. Plus the djs invited to zouk typically are good man, so, sigh! and the past few years i have been wanting to go and ive been discussing and planning, but when it comes to the actual day of event. i cldnt go when i was studying cos its always fall smack in the exams period. and then when i started workng and I could go, i didnt cos of various reason (no costumes, afraid of long queues etc.) SIGH! and when i see my frens’pics uploaded on fb and it looks so darn fun, i would be like.  &*$%…..

anyway i certainly hope i can do it next year, i just wanted to do for the heck of it so i can say, ive finallly “celebrated” halloween. hahhahaa

an airline close to my heart..mabuhay!

Agence France-Presse – 10/31/2008 6:16 PM GMT

Obese Philippine flight attendant grounded after 20 year court fight

An obese flight steward for national flag carrier Philippine Airlines has been grounded for good by the Supreme Court after a 20-year legal battle, court records released Friday said.

In a 28-page ruling, the Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision by a lower court that found merit in the termination of Armanda Yrasuegi’s contract.

The 217-pound Yrasuegi was dismissed by Philippine Airlines (PAL) after he failed to lose weight as specified under his contract in 1989.

Yrasuegi challenged the dismissal arguing that his weight had nothing to do with the airworthiness of PAL’s airplanes in a legal battle that would stretch for 19 years.

He argued that his being fat was a “sickness and a physical abnormality” that was beyond his control.

But the Supreme Court noted that Yrasuegi repeatedly refused offers of medical assistance to lose weight and ignored weight checks.

It said Yrasuegi ignored suggestions to “trim down.”

“Thus, his fluctuating weight indicates absence of willpower rather than an illness,” the court said.

“Passenger safety goes to the core of the job of a cabin attendant. On board an aircraft, the body weight and size of a cabin attendant are important factors to consider in case of emergency.

“Aircraft have constricted cabin space, narrow aisles and exit doors,” it stressed.

Yrasuegi’s ideal weight should have been 166 pounds for his height of five feet, eight inches.

Agence France-Presse – 10/31/2008 11:47 PM GMT

Virgin Atlantic sacks 13 staff after Facebook criticism

Virgin Atlantic said Friday it has sacked 13 of its cabin staff after they criticised the airline and some of its passengers on social networking website Facebook.

The airline, controlled by Richard Branson’s Virgin group, said the staff’s behaviour was “totally inappropriate” and “brought the company into disrepute”.

The action follows an investigation into the remarks posted on Facebook, which concerned planes flying from London’s Gatwick airport and insulted passengers, as well as reportedly saying the planes were full of cockroaches.

“Virgin Atlantic can confirm that 13 members of its cabin crew will be leaving the company after breaking staff policies due to totally inappropriate behaviour,” the airline said in a statement.

“Following a thorough investigation, it was found that all 13 staff participated in a discussion on the networking site Facebook, which brought the company into disrepute and insulted some of our passengers.”

It said cabin staff who held such views could not uphold the expected standard of customer service.

“There is a time and a place for Facebook. But there is no justification for it to be used as a sounding board for staff of any company to criticise the very passengers who ultimately pay their salaries,” a spokesman said.

Facebook allows users to share photographs, videos and personal information through online individual profiles and groups. It claims to have 110 million users worldwide.