The Prayer

If you've taken Royal Brunei Airlines, like I did not too long ago, you'd know that before take off, on top of showing the safety video, it is customary for a prayer to take place. Does this happen in other airlines of middle eastern countries as well, like Emirates, Gulf Air or Qatar Airways?

I read the English subtitle to the Arabic prayer and I must say some of the phrases are most truly beautiful.



I found this video off youtube. Apparently the English translation here in this video isn't clear, but I remember when I was in the plane myself, I saw sentences like "Bless our family (that we left behind)... May the journey be easy... May we be blocked from seeing ugly things..." Yeah something like that.

If there is any Arabian around, kindly do translate it to English for me! I'd be eternally grateful!


Me and a friend


Me and another friend


Here's why my updates are so meagre lately.

A380 Irony

Sorry I haven't updated for so long. I've been busy with the army life, which will end pretty soon!

Anyway I was on Yahoo and I saw something rather ironic.



An advertisement on "A Class Beyond First", sharing the same page of a news of the A380 fuel pump defect.

More On Singapore Airlines

I noticed that I've got quite a handful of comments regarding the new Singapore Airlines livery.

Not too long ago, I emailed Singapore Airlines regarding the new livery and perhaps you might find this very interesting.

Good day! My name is XXX from Singapore and I travel with Singapore Airlines almost once a year and am very proud of our national airline.

Here I have are very simple and straightforward questions regarding some changes with the airline over the course of 3 years.

Firstly, why did Singapore Airlines scrape the dubbing of its aircrafts ie, Jubilee for the 777, LeaderShip for the A340, and most prominently, Megatop for the 747. The Megatop in particular, strikes a chord with many and I find it a shame that it has been dropped. I've even heard of people referring to a NorthWest 747 as a Megatop!

Secondly, why did the management decide to not complete painting the tail of the new aircrafts, leaving a white "stripe" at the bottom of it? The white stripe at the bottom gives an illusion that the back of the fuselage is thicker than it really is. Is it in line with the modernization of its fleet, hence the minor changes to the colors? Or is it for some other technical reasons such as weight/fuel savings?

Lastly, why did the management decide to drop its legendary "Raffles Class" name, renaming it Business Class just like most other airlines? Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles is the modern founder of Singapore and many prestigeous commodities/goods/services are named after him, ie Raffles Hotel, Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls' School, Raffles Junior College, Raffles City, Raffles Place. It would be most appropriate for business class to continue with its name of "Raffles Class".

These questions do not challenge the management's decisions, instead they are merely trivial questions I'd like to know behind these subtle changes that in a way, changes the course of how Singapore Airlines will be perceived and remembered by in the future.

Their reply

Dear Mr Liau,

I refer to your earlier email queries.

The main reason why we stopped giving our aircrafts specific names is so that we can streamline our brands. As you rightly pointed out, different aircraft types were given various names, like MegaTop, Jubilee etc. What we found was that these names ran the risk of becoming more "remembered" than the SIA brand. While we recognise the affiliation many have towards the MegaTop, it was a necessary change that had to be made from a branding perspective.

As for why Raffles Class has been renamed Business Class, the logic is simple -- the best way to let a customer know what product he's buying is to call it what it is. Afterall, First Class and Economy class are known as what they are.

The decision to change the paint design of the tail is to acheive a visual effect, so as to make the tail of the A380 less heavy in proportion to the rest of the plane.

Thank you for taking such a strong interest in Singapore Airlines; we certainly owe our success to customers such as yourself.


Mabel Lee
Public Affairs Department
Singapore Airlines Limited

And then I asked again

Good Day! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply my queries.

However I do have one more question that I left out in my previous email, I am just curious where the word "Kris" is derived from in "Krisworld", "Krisflyer", "SilverKris", etc.

Once again, thank you so much for the answers!

And their reply

Dear Mr XXX,

SilverKris is named after the kris, a fabled Malay weapon used in the 14th century. Legend has it that the kris possessed many qualities, the greatest was its ability to anticipate danger and protect its owner. The kris was treated with utmost respect and often became a family heirloom. Today, its function is purely ceremonial. In choosing a kris made of silver as the symbol of our service, we acknowledge both the quality and reputation of Malay silverware and our roots in Malayan Airways, which began operations in 1947.

Thank you for writing to Singapore Airlines.


Mabel Lee
Public Affairs Department

I hope you found that quite insightful!

Changi Plane Spotting

if you happen to drop by Singapore and want to do some great plane spotting, you would like to pay the factory area near Changi east a visit.

i drove there today (by chance) and saw some low flying jets. unfortunately i did not have the luxury of time, otherwise i would have stayed longer and taken better pictures.


my car, a Lexus ES300. i blured out the number plate since every website seems to do that.


a picture taken from the car when i was driving with the camera on my right hand and steering wheel on my left. very dangerous, do not try this at home! but i was so excited that i took the risk anyway, a landing Lufthansa 747.


an Approaching Tiger Airways A320


A Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400. and 20 seconds later, my hair was messed up due to the wake turbulence.

the pictures do not really tell the actual story, perhaps because there are no other objects to compare its height with. believe me, the aircrafts were flying much lower than it looks! and the sound of the engines was deafening right under it. one either love it or hate it. i'm for the former.

Singapore Airlines Ugly Livery

on the new Boeing 777-300ER, i've come to terms with the bigger "Singapore Airlines" title. the tiny circular Singapore Airlines logo being moved to the centre of the engine is fine too.

but what i still find utterly unaccaptable and extremely annoying is the tail! i don't think that this sentiment of mine will change anytime soon!





My GOD i've never seen anything more hideous than that!

why. Why. WHY can't they just paint the dark blue background all the way down to the fuselage!! is it for any technical reasons? are they going to save some cash with less weight of blue-paint? is that white thing there going to make the aircraft more aerodynamic? I DON'T THINK SO!

the thing now looks incomplete with that white "stripe", don't you think? i really reeally hope that somebody do something about it! whoever suggested this new design truly deserves a beating!