Another blog

Just a quick announcement to introduce you to another blog I have created that is more about social commentary and less about my own journey.

The last posting I made on this current blog made me realise I needed another blog to vent my social issues etc, plus it also helps me focus my writing a bit more.

So eyesonthesky will continue to have my personal updates, pictures and stuff, whereas rabadash will have more general venting about life and society etc...

I'd be honoured if you followed both! (even if you don't entirely agree with the commentary on the new one..)

Culture, movies and a whole lot of crap

Bored as I am during my days of waiting for responses to job applications I decided to look at the movie listings for our local cinema on the internet, thinking it might make a nice distraction to go and watch a movie. I've been dying to see Bright Star, the period movie about John Keats, one of my favourite poets. Even more so out of rebellion after reading a pretentious review in the Sunday Times Culture Magazine, written by an equally pretentiously named correspondent called Cosmo Landesman who clearly can't separate 21st century (lack of) morals from 19th century manners and decency. Criticism such as "Their kisses are chaste, their conversation reserved" is poor argument for a couple who wouldn't have exactly pulled a tonsil-tennis moment, mostly because, in general, unmarried couples didn't do that back then, not to mention the possibility that Campion (the Director) was trying to achieve an innocence in their relationship. Anyone who has read Keats, particularly his letters, would see a young, passionate poet who was better at crafting words on paper than in person, "whose words are images of thought refin'd" (Oh Solitude); a man who read of love and dreamed in greek mythology but when confronted with the real deal himself, may have found conversation a challenge, unlike the willful, impetuous and, let's be honest, seriously hormonal Romeo and Juliet, who were all about the wedding night. No comparison really. Oh wait. Landesman did compare. Sigh. Therein lies the source of my rebellion. Romeo and Juliet, John and Fanny aren't. And that's the beauty: the former are fictitious, the latter were real people. Cold shower, Cosmo?

But I'm getting ahead of myself here, since I haven't even seen the movie yet. Anyone who questions the sweet tragedy that is John and Fanny's romance is going to push a few buttons with me. The greater tragedy here is, as it turns out, it's only on in selected cinemas, of which the nearest is about a 2 hour drive away. Oh how perfectly philistine my local town is. All these attempts to up the game of what was formerly deemed to be a dump and they can't even show a wonderfully cultural and literary period movie for longer than a week, apparently. The patrons obviously prefer what I consider to be lesser movies such as Saw VI (oh puh-lease... stop flogging a dead horse... was the first one even necessary?!) or Jennifer's Body (horror/comedy? I gave up on those after the first Scream decided to make a super franchise of such rot).

In fact, what is happening to the movie industry? Previously horror movies were generally shown on and around Halloween. Now we seem to have at least 3 different ones being shown at any one time all year round. Come on, people. Do we have to endure Horror as part of mainstream now?! I must sound terribly prejudiced against this one particular genre but I'm of the opinion that the world is horrific enough without the indecency of movie makers exploiting such graphic scenes of violence for general entertainment. Call me old-fashioned...

Actually I prefer to take the french view of such subjects. Sex and nudity is generally celebrated in film, whereas violence and gore is less acceptable and therefore more heavily restricted. Hurrah for the french. Not that I'm a big fan of too much sex and nudity in film either, but it's better than the other. Make love not war and all that...

So there it is. Today's two-cents' worth.

My pictorial weekend

Gotta love my life. Really. I may complain about it going nowhere right now, but if I was to use hot air balloons - my great passion - as a metaphor for my life, it wouldn't go anywhere particularly fast, but just gently and majestically grace the skies, turning heads and drawing great intrigue as it floats overhead. A thing of beauty. Just look at these photos. I took them with my cell phone. The daytime shot of Purple Haze was taken at the airfield where I currently work. This is the view from my office. The night time shot of Muu was taken at the airfield's unofficial fireworks night on Sunday, the day after Purple Haze cruised in for an easy retrieve for the crew. It's our tradition to do a night glow for the aviation community and we were lucky with the weather this year. It looked pretty hit and miss at sunset with the wind strengthening from the northeast - a direction notorious for not slacking off much. But two hours later we were surprised to see the winds ease and the sky clear, so out came the balloons and this was one of the shots. A great evening. A great weekend.
Times like these make me realise how privileged I am to have this unique opportunity right on my doorstep. I've always been interested in aviation and to be able to be a part of something like this is incredible. I may be in debt and have little opportunity to recover it right now but there are moments like this weekend that make life seem so much brighter.

Random nothings

My life seems slower these days. I had hoped to maintain a fast pace since returning from Calgary, ensuring that I don't get dragged into the 'pit' I seemed to wallow in last year. But it's hard to do when you go from a fast running stream to slow flowing molasses. That is the best metaphor that can describe what it is like here. Mostly it is the lack of full time job. I'm doing bits and pieces, and a lot of stuff if you list it, but it doesn't fill a day, nor does it earn much money. I had an interview within a fortnight of coming home. It was unsuccessful. Since then I've applied to, on average, 3 jobs a week. I've registered with several agencies. Job prospects are slim. It is very hard to maintain a positive attitude in this environment. No money, few jobs, big debts, and little chance of upward mobility. Hearing "lack of experience", "applications are at the interview stage already", "unsuccessful at this time" is becoming a daily event. And I'm tired. So very tired. Yet my days are so uneventful. I miss the morning commute. I miss the sense of purpose that a full time job gives me. I'm done with seeking fulfillment in small things. The era of small things was last year. Last year was my wilderness. I returned to Calgary to regain some clarity and I returned home with it. But where has it gone? Life seems to send me round in circles. Am I growing here? A wise person once told me not to remain in a place where I wasn't growing, even if that meant being away from a place of comfort. I thought I left that place behind when I left Canada. But I'm not growing here either. Growing fatter, maybe. I seem to have returned to the same place I left in June. I thought I'd returned a changed person. But I have come full circle and again the dredge and grind of my lesser existence here has overcome me.

And still I hear of bankers getting huge bonuses, living a reality that is so far removed from mine and 95% of the world. I watch footballers who play maybe 2 or 3 games a week earning more per game than I could ever imagine earning in 10 years. I hear musicians sing songs that have such offensive, uninspiring lyrics, but because it has a good beat and/or melody, or because the person singing/rapping/yelling released a good song in the past, the song becomes hugely popular and makes them another rich, iconic person to add to the multitudinous celebrities we all need more of... I see mainstream newspapers that read more like commentary and opinion than report, presuming the nation agrees with their biased discourse. It's an assumption that has made Britain an ugly place to live, where it is acceptable to publicly scorn Christianity and yet grossly racist to publicly scorn the beliefs of other religions. Just because Britain's era of "Christendom" has passed does not mean that you have leave to openly rebuke it. How quickly do you forget your heritage, oh England. You may not embrace it, but it is who you are.

When I hear the words of a popular Robbie Williams song, "Bodies", singing "Jesus didn't die for you, what are you on" over the radio many times a day I realise this country no longer welcomes me as its own. Who can stand such insult? And when I read a columnist from the Daily Telegraph take cheap shots at a major figure in the world of Christian song writing for the sake of a quick laugh, I see that Britain is no longer Great. I feel no patriotism when I see the cross of St George because the significance of that symbol has faded, much like the concept of Christendom itself. And yet the sacrifice referred to in that cross is being lived out on a daily basis by our troops serving abroad. Do they serve for Queen and country? For the flag? For the liberty of mankind? Their presence in the Middle East, while initially for noble causes, is now the reason our country's security is under such threat. That said, I support them in their endeavours.

But, alas, my passport may be British but I have no citizenship here. Not while the core of my being is constantly under attack from mainstream culture.

As the world turns upside down what difference can I make? Do I take a stand for my beliefs? Do I stick my head above the parapet and make myself a target for people's accusations and anti-religious criticism? Do I challenge the acceptance of mainstream? I must. Otherwise the very essence of my being is nullified. No more the silent onlooker, the one who turns the other cheek. Stand for what is important or be trampled by the tidal wave of overbearing culture.

Photo de Jour

This is Saturday night's launch. We've had so many great flying evenings I feel like I'm making up for the last couple of months when I've been in Canada.

Purple Haze on the left, Wizard on the right. Beautiful. Actually Purple Haze often looks kind of reddish in the low sun. I'd love to see how well she glows at night... Bonfire Night normally includes a Night Glow so we'll see! The whole weekend is set to be a mini balloon meet with daytime launches, barbecues and tea on the go. Never a dull moment at Headcorn :)

Sunday afternoon saw about 12 Tiger Club aircraft flying in formation. It was so thrilling! The air literally shook with the sound of the engines roaring overhead. It made for some interesting approach patterns afterward though! Any visiting or local air traffic had a long wait before they could land. Each time someone called up it was like, "Roger that, you're number 14". I saw a PA28 complete about 5 orbits before there was a free spot on final approach. Good times.

Just another weekend at Headcorn... :)

The story of cargo continued...

Cargo, cargo, cargo.

So I got on my flight back to Gatwick and arrived there safe and sound at 7:30am on Friday morning. We decided to head over to the cargo depot to see if my cargo was there or on its way at least. I suspected it wasn't but it was worth asking.

Getting to BA World Cargo from LGW South is relatively easy. Just travel towards LGW North and turn left instead of right when it comes to the roundabout at the end (right will take you to the car parks for the North Terminal). It isn't well signposted at the entrance but once you head down the road you'll see a bunch of signs for various cargo depots, the main one being BA. At this point there's just a big fence and a hangar that separates you from airside, which is very exciting for a plane geek like me.

Anyway we drove up to the Main Reception and I made enquiries about my cargo. My suspicions were correct. It was in a lorry waiting to be trucked to LGW but hadn't left LHR yet. They weren't sure when it was due to arrive, but my initial tracking estimate online said around 2 - 2:30pm. Since it was about 9am I decided to just head home and sleep. They would call me when it's in, and I could keep it there for up to 7 days without storage fees. I also asked how much money was due when it did arrive and they said £58.50. I completed the Customs forms on the spot, attached a copy of my packing list (good thing Jayne printed a few extra for me!! That gal's got her head screwed on...) and said I'd probably be back to collect the stuff on Monday.

So off home we went. I had a power nap for about an hour till lunch time, at which point the phone rang to tell me the cargo had arrived. 1pm. Not bad at all. Had another power nap (this one was about 2 hours...) till about 4pm. Can't believe how damp everything feels over here. Damp and cold. It was colder in my house than outside!! Getting into bed felt like there were two cold slabs of wet sheets surrounding me and although fully clothed I couldn't help but shiver. Who shivers while getting into bed, fully clothed, in late summer when the temperature is in the early 20s?!?!?! Doesn't exactly make for a warm and happy homecoming... But I knew I'd acclimatize. Just takes some getting used to. Don't think about what you haven't got.

Well, Monday came and I headed out to LGW again, this time on my own so I had more space to carry the cargo. I arrived and after about 5 minutes of preparing the paperwork for release, taking my money, which could be paid in CASH (there's one over the Canadians...), I was told to drive to the big doors with the ramp leading up to it and reverse up the ramp and wait for the doors to open. I did this, although part of me wondered if it was the right door when it didn't open straight away. I backed all the way in and the doors closed in front of me. Inside was this huge hangar with cargo stacks here and there, some cellophaned up, some just in boxes, some in crates etc. The guy who opened the door for me seemed to be just doing that - Chief Door Opener. I could do that job. Nice job. Wonder if they're recruiting... I gave another guy my release forms and he took them, jumped into a forklift and sped off into a corner where there seemed to be large shelves. He returned in no time with my black duffle bag and my green and blue tub. It seemed strange to see them in this unique environment, and stranger to think that the last time I'd seen them was in Jayne's house where they were collected. I think the transition would have felt less weird had I actually taken them to the airport myself. But I stopped myself from getting too nostalgic and tried not to think about the home I'd been staying in and the friendship and warmth I'd had back then, though gratitude for all Jayne's help lingered a little...

Anyway, we loaded the duffle bag into the boot/trunk and put the tub on the back seat. Good thing it wasn't ready when I landed. It would have been a tight squeeze! I signed the form to say I'd been given my cargo and it was satisfactory and off I went. Going down the ramp was easier than reversing up it. I didn't look back, just drove. I must admit that the service from BA World Cargo was amazing. The guy at Reception was really friendly and very helpful, much more helpful than poor Savio at the Toronto office, who seemed to assume that I knew what I was doing... I was always waiting for the catch, the hidden extra, the awful surprise but it never came. I can safely say that I would definitely use BA World Cargo again should I need to.

Let's break down the costs:

$3.60 per kg x 37kg = $133.20
+ $25 Airway fee = $158.20

That's all I paid in Canada. The pick up was free also.

Arriving in the UK I paid a customs and handling fee of £58.50, which is about $120

Total paid CDN = $278.20

The cost of my flight with 20kg of hold allowance, insurance and preselected seats with Air Transat / Thomas Cook Airlines = $360

Grand Total paid for coming home with a total of 57kg of luggage = $638.20

Total cost of a one way BA flight from Calgary to LHR with 40kg baggage allowance, as quoted on BA.com = circa $1400 CDN (ouch)

Total savings from shipping with BA but flying "cattle class" = $761.80

I'm still waiting for the catch... but there is none!

BA, I applaud your cargo services, I sneer at your passenger fares. But you're nice people and if I had the means I'd probably fly BA on most occasions. Just this time the pennies were a-pinching. So thanks for handling my cargo and for having such a nice bloke helping me at LGW!

Thomas Cook Airlines, your transatlantic staff aren't the most friendly I've met. Granted the flight was packed, but seriously that should make you work all the harder to try and make our journey as pleasant as possible, right?? Or have I been around too many amazing customer service people in North America, where they excel at this sort of thing...? Maybe I expect too much bearing in mind the price I paid for the ticket...

P.s. tell your flight attendants to s-l-o-o-o-o-w down when talking over the PA System. The majority of the customers on this flight weren't native English speakers, and those that were were from the Big Continent where people tend to speak more slowly... I'm from the Small Island and I couldn't understand you!

The story of cargo

It's been a while. My apologies. I've been preoccupied with helping my friend with her kids as well as preparing for the big homecoming. The latter is the main subject of this blog entry.

I'm documenting this as it happens because I think it is a good learning experience and I'd like to look back and see what I learnt on the way from the whole process.

I spent weeks searching the internet for reasonably priced flights back to the UK with the flexibility for increased baggage allowance and it seemed the only option was to purchase a British Airways flight at the extortionate price of $1400 for a one-way ticket which allowed me to bring 40kg of luggage. This is not a price I can afford so I had to look elsewhere. But the only flights that were affordable were the ones with a measly 20kg luggage allowance. There was no way I was going to be able to reduce my personal effects from the last 2 years to hit anywhere near that maximum.

So I looked into mailing some of my stuff, which would cost around $125 for about 20kg going surface mail. I felt uneasy about this so I bit the bullet and looked into British Airways World Cargo. Their price was $3.60 per kg plus a one-time airway fee of $25. If I was to ship 40kg of luggage the total amount plus the cost of the cheap flight (I found one for $360 all-in) would still be less than half of the price of a BA flight ticket. So cargo it is.

Having spent countless hours on the phone with their Toronto office I have finally had my 40kg picked up and delivered to the airport this morning. Pricing actually goes on the basis of kg or volume, whichever is greater. So my rectangular rubber maid tub that is 12.6 on volume weight and 17kg on actual weight will be charged for the actual weight, whereas my black duffle bag, which is 20kg actual weight and 25 on volume weight will probably be charged for the volume. Either way it seems like quite a fair deal to me, although I do anticipate extra fees at the Gatwick end of things with customs and handling. But I've been told it won't cost much more than 75GBP. We'll see though. Hence the blog entry. I'm at the first stages of this cargo story and while it all seems to be going pretty well I'm still waiting for something to surprise me. If it continues to go this smoothly I honestly think I'd consider this option again and/or recommending it to others in a similar predicament of moving countries.

The way it works is that my belongings go on whatever flight is convenient for BA and once it arrives in the UK I get a phone call in England saying that I can pick them up. I've sent them ahead of my own flight to give some space for queries/issues to be dealt with before I'm out of contact this side of the Atlantic. Should they arrive en Angleterre prior to me then my folks will get the call and I'll be able to collect my stuff at the same time as my arrival at LGW. If they don't I'll receive the call and will pick it up myself once fit to drive. They say to allow 4-5 days of transit time so I anticipate a phone call on the weekend or after, which works well for me since I arrive on Friday morning.

Still, it's only the beginning. Who knows what could happen. Here are my fears:

That there are hidden costs that I've not been informed about

That the costs that I have been made aware of are actually more substantial than initially estimated

That the cargo gets lost somewhere in transit (let's face it, it has to go from Calgary to Vancouver, then from Vancouver to Heathrow, then Heathrow to Gatwick. Anything could happen. $10 says it happens at Heathrow, if it does... Any takers?)

That I get maimed by Customs Duty / VAT on arrival in England.

I strongly wanted to emphasize the "personal effects" part in my customs form. I.e. don't shaft me, folks... This stuff has very little genuine monetary value. Please, God, no Jobs-worths at either end!! Please, please, please! Let them choose another person's cargo to be anal about!

Well, there it is. The story thus far.

To be continued...