Kopi shop talk,welcome back Mr Lim!

Ah Lim came back to the coffee shop to work again as a coffee barista (coffee maker). During his
break, he joined us for lunch. He left the coffee shop for about 2 years and is greatly missed by his customers. He has great skill in making coffee. When asked why he left, he told us his boss did not like him as he has a tendency to speak too loudly (that's what he told us).
We found from him a lady staff whom we knew as C has died of cancer . We also found out that the former coffee shop supervisor was sacked because she stole money. Since Lim is back, we are getting a lot of information from him regarding coffee shop matters.
Lim told us he is currently doing partime. He asked for $2,500 salary if the boss wants him back as a permanent staff. Naturally, Lim's boss declined as the standard salary for a coffee maker is around $1,500 per month.
We will see a lot more of Ah Lim at the coffee shop starting from today.

Angus Classic Bacon and Cheese

This McDonald's 100% Angus beef patty on a delicious bakery style sesame bun with two slices of savoury bacon and processed cheddar cheese and top it off with crisp red onions and crinkle-cut pickles.
I don't usually eat burgers  but this time I had it for dinner (meal) which included fries and a cup of black coffee. Good and a filling meal that cost $10.95 w/o upsizing.

Chicken Porridge lunch

We used the Emperor's chicken leftover to make the porridge. Tasted superb,credit to my wife. Quite a free day and the only time we stepped out of the house is to have dinner at a coffee shop nearby. Didn't take any photo of the dinner.

Emperor's Chicken and Broccoli for dinner

Molestation of stewardesses aren't something new

I was just told of a case that happened 2 months ago. It was a leading steward who was charged for "touching" 2 stewardesses on his flight. He was let off with a written warning.
Sometimes, we wonder why would a male crew want to "touch" his female colleagues? Perhaps it was accidental. But the female crew could differentiate between an accidental touch or one that was filled with sexual lust.
Not too long ago, an ifs nearing his retirement lost his $50,000 in gratuity because he was found guilty of fondling 2 of his stewardesses.
Molestation or outraging the modesty of female colleagues has been going on since the time I joined the airline.
In 1968 when I first joined the airline, there was a case of a steward groping a stewardess. He was sacked after he was found guilty of outraging the stewardess.
So molestation or outraging the modesty of stewardesses by the male crew is not something new.

UAE airlines likely to see falling profits this year: IATA

ReutersMarch 14, 2017

By Alexander Cornwell

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The profitability of airlines based in the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East's main aviation hub, is likely to fall this year amid limited growth in demand, the head of IATA said on Tuesday.

The UAE is home to Emirates, which flies more passengers long haul than any other airline, as well as rapidly expanding Etihad Airways and low cost carriers flydubai and Air Arabia (AIRA.DU).

"The UAE carriers will have a year that is probably below 2016," Alexandre de Juniac, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told reporters in Abu Dhabi. Low-cost carriers that offer long-haul services, as seen in Europe, could also soon start to take hold in the region, he said.

IATA said in December that Middle East airlines are likely to see profits fall to $300 million in 2017 from $900 million last year in part due to high capacity and limited demand growth, but did not give specifics on UAE carriers at that time.

Half-year profit fell 75 percent at Emirates and the airline's President Tim Clark said last week that while yield declines had halted it was still a tough year.

Air Arabia and flydubai reported lower full-year profit for 2016, while Etihad has not yet reported its results but has said it is reviewing its business.

Airlines in the Gulf benefited for years from high oil prices that spurred government spending and regional growth. But demand has softened and travel budgets have tightened after more than two years of depressed oil prices, exposure to weaker markets and currency fluctuations.

Emirates and Etihad are both reviewing their workforces, while Emirates has agreed with Airbus (AIR.PA) to delay the delivery of 12 A380 jets over the next two years.

Both airlines have hundreds of aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing (BA.N) and neither has signalled further delays to deliveries.

De Juniac told Reuters that airlines across the world need to "manage their assets cleverly."

"There is a lot of capacity so it explains why the yield is declining and many companies are suffering," he said, but added that he "would not advise" airlines on how to define their capacity.

The growth of low-cost airlines that fly long haul, like Norwegian Air Shuttle (NWC.OL), is expected to continue to pressure established trans-Atlantic carriers as these newcomers expand using longer-range single-aisle aircraft to fly between smaller, cheaper local airports.

Growth of low-cost, long haul is "starting to accelerate" in Europe and Asia and is likely to eventually develop in other markets such as the Middle East, de Juniac said.

(Editing by Jason Neely and Susan Fenton)

Fish ball noodles and Okonomiyaki

I can't believe it when the hawker told me my fish ball noodles is only $2. This stall is at the food center along Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 (block 409). The usual price is $3 to $4 although the portion is a little bit bigger. Frankly, I do not mind having a small bowl especially since it was my first meal of the day. Taste wise, it's not bad.
The other 2 dishes are the home made Japanese "pancakes" known as Okonomiyaki. They are made up of flour, eggs, shredded cabbage, bits of bacon, bonito flakes, Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise. They tasted quite good.

"Talks" for SIA cabin crew wannabes

Today, I had the pleasure of conducting "Talks" for cabin crew hopefuls who are going for the interview in Singapore on 25 March. All together, there were 6 participants at the 2 hour "Talks".
After the 2 hour period, we had to vacate the room. All but 1 participants wanted to have a Q & A session and so we proceeded to a food center nearby. In between our meals and drinks, we had the Q & A. The session went on for the next 2 hours. After satisfying the participants with the Q & A, we left for home.
I usually conduct this kind of "Talks" a week or two before the SIA cabin crew interview in Singapore. One may visit my blog at www.ourcabincrew.com  for more information.

Grieve not but believe .......

Our super sports man " Iron Man Daniel" has gone but we will grieve not but believe that he has now step into another body as the Bible stated that "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."

Our grief will be temporary and that's a big consolation. R I P Daniel the "Iron Man"!

Sushiro, no more visit from me unless....

This is really crazy. My wife and I went to Thomson Plaza to eat the above bara chirashi. The place open for business at 11:45am and when we arrived at 11:40am, the queue was very long. I wasn't interested to wait but my wife insisted that we queue for the food. So while she queued I went to have a haircut nearby. By the time I had my haircut, Sushiro's queue hardly moved.
To cut the long story short, by the time we were served it was 1pm. The bara chirashi was good and it was reasonably priced at $12.80 w/o ++.
I told my wife, I would not want to visit this place again unless the restaurant changes it size to accommodate more people and the queue is shorter.