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• Having lots of money doesn't make you rich.
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  Monday, Dec 7, 2009 10:36PM / Standard Entry / Members only
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  I just off the plane from Beijing after doing a press conference for Hot Summer Days, a movie consisting of  5 interconnected love stories directed by my good friends Tony Chan and Wing Shya. Now I have been privileged to have the opportunity to fly business class for the past few years. I must say I enjoy the extra space and privacy and I must thank the people that usually pay for these trips. Usually it's business travelers ( less these days after the financial crisis), but sometimes you see rich Tai Tai's, celebrities and other interesting types in business class.
  
  Today I had the unique pleasure of sitting across an interesting character. He was in an immaculate suit, nice glasses and had an LV suitcase and LV computer bag. You could tell that he had a lot of money and was proud of showing it of.  As we were waiting to pull away from the gate he was having a very loud and obnoxious conversation on the phone. Barking orders at one of his underlings and speaking like a construction worker. After that call he then received another who was obviously from either a potential business partner or someone of higher status than him because his tone changed completely. Still equally loud but ass kissing like crazy going out of his way to be polite. I immediately knew what kind of person he was. He was only nice to those who mattered.
  
  But it didn't stop here. After taking off he fell asleep. How did I know he was asleep? Well it was probably the crazy loud gurgling that was coming from his mouth as he snored away. It seriously sounded like he was being strangled to death only it lasted for at least an hour and a half. A slow slow death it was. I was planning to take a nap on the flight but with him in the throes of death, it was kind of difficult. Now I wasn't mad at him because I know that some obese people (of which he was slightly, probably from nights spent drinking with clients in hostess bars) have difficulty breathing while sleeping and the snoring comes from the lungs desperately trying to force air through a compressed windpipe because the neck becomes too heavy. I feel sorry for these people because they never sleep well as sometimes they will stop breathing altogether and are continually awakened throughout the night. I think he stopped breathing 4 or 5 times. Eventually he woke up and began reading a magazine.
  
  Now what he did next bothered me a bit. As I was finishing up a chapter in my book I was startled by a loud snort and right as I looked over he was hacking a loogie into the barf bag. It was disgusting as well as shocking. Now, I live in Asia where people can be seen hacking loogies and clearing their noses out on the streets everyday, I've actually become immune to it. But in business class on an airplane? Come on! Couldn't he have done it in the bathroom? It was just weird for me to see this immaculately dressed man do this but what grossed me out the most was that when he was done, he just slipped the bag back in the seat pocket. At least if he left it on the seat next to him it would get thrown it away. Now no one is going to know that it is full of mucus and therefore it probably won't get switched out on the cleanup and so that means that mucus will be there for a long long time. I wonder if swine flu can be spread that way?
  
  As soon as the plane landed he turned on his phone and started talking loudly again as we were still taxing off the runway. I guess he thought he was  more important than the rules. Now I know a plane won't really crash if someone is talking on a cell phone but I think that rule is actually in place to save people from having to listen to other people's conversations. Either way it's a rule that I follow.
  
  Now I'm pretty sure by the way this guy looked that he was a very successful business man. He probably drives a Ferrari or something powerful and luxurious like that. But under all of his fancy pretense and expensive garb, he was just a big fat slob. Which gets me to my point: money can't buy you class.
  
   
  

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