controlling the skies

wahhhh... my friend works as an air traffic controller!!! how cool is that??? last night i was busy fretting over a couple of work emails and how i didn't have enough information to continue my work (total panic i tell you, especially when you're dealing with people in totally different timezones) when a friend of mine messaged me on Yahoo!. i haven't talked to her in a while ever since she quit her job to become a research assistant at a local Uni while furthuring her studies, so we had a short catching up session. bits and pieces of the conversation went something like this:

j***an_a**el: hallo
jaz***yn: hi
j***an_a**el: pic anak ke tu?
jaz***yn: yea
j***an_a**el: :)
jaz***yn: :P
jaz***yn: further stadi lg ke
j***an_a**el: tak, i quit, dpt jadik air traffic controller
jaz***yn: har?
jaz***yn: u jadiek air traffic controller?
jaz***yn: :o ur kidding
j***an_a**el: kat subang
jaz***yn: oo yeke
jaz***yn: :D
j***an_a**el: seronok giler
j***an_a**el: dpt direct pilot
j***an_a**el: =))
jaz***yn: seriously :P
j***an_a**el: heheh....bg direction kat pilot
j***an_a**el: i kena area control
j***an_a**el: so, tak nampak la aircraft
j***an_a**el: nampak bintik2 kcik kat radar jer
j***an_a**el: :D
j***an_a**el: tapi stress skit la kalo byk aircraft
j***an_a**el: come la, join the club
j***an_a**el: :D

wah, i pulak terover excited. she's actually still excited herself since she just started the job recently. this is the first time i've ever heard of it. hahahah. i mean, it sounds soo kewl! but she did mention that if ever an airplane were to collide with another on her watch, they could take her to court. scary. but anyway, she had to take a bunch of tests and exams and go through a final interview before she actually qualified. she told me she waited for quite a while before they called her for the qualification process (that's what the government do best, they keep you waiting, hoho). but she works in 12-hour shifts, so if you're already in a commitment, it'll be a bit of a hassle, especially if you're a woman and have a kid at home to take care of. well, that's what i think. i'm away from home almost 10 hours every day and to me that seems so long that i don't even have time to unwind properly.

whatever the case, her job sounds soooo much more happening than mine. i want to travel!!!