Flying is super not fun!
me
I absolutely hate flying, I abhor it — it’s crampy, it’s dry, it’s just blegh. I’ve flown economy/coach for all my life, having to decide which way to lean your head to maximize sleep comfort and minimize the risk of a disk slipping, sitting in an uncomfortable position for hours, flying is such a blessing. I appreciate and am grateful for it though, I can afford going to another country in a safe manner, something a lot of people can’t experience.
But this year, oh man! This year was a GIFT! A half-a-year-late present from Mr. Santa — I got super discounted tickets for a Business seat. Granted, it’s a standby ticket, but I am willing to take that chance! The planned flight (a coach flight) was to Minneapolis and then to Haneda Airport, Japan. Amazingly, our flight to Minneapolis was delayed by a half an hour! Amazing! So when it passed 11:30 while we were midair, I was in absolute despair.
Until I realized Minneapolis was an hour behind Toronto, and I had not missed my flight completely, I was just functioning on a single, dormant brain cell.
My next flight to Haneda was the big one — the Delta One seating. First of all, maybe I’m delusional, but the flight attendants were so much nicer, almost to the point of I-am-going-to-pretend-to-sleep-so-you-won’t-ask-me-if-I-want-almonds-or-cheese. It’s unfair, but I really enjoyed it. Second, the seat was a room, a cubicle — there was a door that separated me from the rest of the world. The seat reclined all the way down to a bed, and pillows and blankets were provided. There was an Iron Man-like panel next to me to control literally everything. I got a menu (!!) where there were options for the 3-course dining, snacks, wine and other alcoholic drinks. I felt giddy and all of a sudden really appreciative when I took in everything in front of me, it’s those feelings where you suddenly feel thankful for everything small and big, like door frames and cheap but amazing hardwood floor cleaners.
The appetizer came first, here is a video of me reviewing the corn soup:
Despite me saying how appreciative I am — here is me thinking I’m Gordon Ramsay with my picky corn soup eating (who do I think I am? I can’t even boil corn?)
i was really excited about the pepper shaker that i didn’t take a picture, but recorded myself using said shaker
There was a dessert too, it was an ice cream sundae, but it looked so good I ate it before I took any pictures.
At last, after the meal, I was in a food coma and wanted to sleep. I played with the Iron Man panel and look at how darn cool it is:
The rest of the trip is the same thing of sleeping, eating, reading. Oh yes! I was reading. Summer is reading season, and I wanted to get the most books in as possible. I chose The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. It’s really interesting, and I love the direct way that he writes, all the way from 460 B.C. I was engrossed the whole flight (when I was awake), and felt like an important member of some neutral kingdom listening in on all the decision making and war action.
Here is my entire day in a chart:
Ivy In Japan 