tagged as chiba tag leader mandywu

Narita, Chiba, Japan from 10:15am to 10:54am JST (39 mins).

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 3:30pm JST.

Ōhara, Chiba, Japan at 6:54am JST.

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 3:34pm JST.

aaa

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 7:31pm JST.

Tateyama, Chiba, Japan at 11:19am JST.

Home at 10:05pm JST in Tateyama, Chiba, Japan.

幕張メッセ (Makuhari Messe) from 10:49am to 12:21pm JST (1 hr, 32 mins) in Narashino, Chiba, Japan.

I have the window seat in a business class seat on American Airlines co-sharing the flight with Cathay Pacific. I believe in looking decent while flying. As Oprah says, you don't want to be looking like a schlumpadink. I am wearing a gray Lu Lu Lemon pants (takes five pounds off like a Spanx), a fitted orange shirt (the hottest 'it" color), exercise bra (so nothing is tugging on me while I nap) and high heeled wedges (easy slip on and off during security while lengthening your legs.)

The 777 business class is comfortable and clean. The seat does not recline in pods like the Air New Zealand business class, but I was able to take a nap for a few hours. If I weren't traveling next to a friend I think it would be awkward to fall asleep next to a total stranger.

For dinner, I broke my rule of no chicken on airplanes and had the teriyaki chicken and jasmine rice. It brought me back to my college days of buying three Lean Cuisines for five dollars on special at Ralph's. For extra nostalgia, I washed it down with a glass each of the bad wine they were serving. Please don't tell my friends Robert Parker and James Laube that I drank two glasses of swill -- Zin and the Malbec.

One of my favorite things to do while in these long flights is to watch bad movies I would never watch at home. First up was the Reese Witherspoon movie called "This Means War." It's the ultimate female fantasy -- having foul mouthed Chelsea Handler as your best friend giving you advice while two gorgeous CIA agents/ best friends are fighting for your love and affections. The movie is so bad, it's good category. I just had to cringe and look the other way about all of the felonies they were committing while they were competing for her and surveilling her. Now I am about to watch "Young Victoria" with Emily Blunt. I love her from "The Devil Wears Prada" and I love period pieces, especially about the British monarchy, and I never got to finish watching this from last October when I was on another long trip, that time to Europe.

I learned something new while obsessively reading during takeoff. Sara Blakley is the youngest self-made billionaire at age 41. She made it in part because of another self made billionaire Oprah. I remember watching her getting break on Oprah telling the story about how she started the business with a few thousand dollars and a lot of determination. After investing all of her savings in the product and coming up with a prototype, she couldn't sell the product. A woman with no business degree and experience, she just kept begging buyers to meet with her. Finally, a Neiman Marcus buyer said, you have five minutes. She came into the meeting with a suit with no Spanx on. Then she came back wearing the same suit with Spanx on looking 10 pounds lighter. Viola! She then has to figure out how to get the product produced, packaged, etc. She just kept innovating and building her business until Oprah put her on the show and made her a household name. Now, stars walking the runway feel comfortable about admitting that they are wearing two pairs of Spanx under their couture. I love this story because it quintessentially an American rags to riches. I also relate to her. I feel like I built my career in a very similar way. Faking it til I made it. Having watched her get her huge break on Oprah and a firm believer of her products, I feel proud of her success like an old friend.

Now back to watching "Young Victoria." Will I be able to finish the movie on this flight?

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 5:13pm JST.

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 5:04pm JST.

Qantas Business Lounge - Tokyo Narita Airport at 7:14pm JST in Narita, Chiba, Japan.

China Airlines Dynasty Lounge from 8:45am to 8:57am JST (11 mins) in Narita, Chiba, Japan.

Narita, Japan at 8:42am JST in Narita, Chiba, Japan.

Narita, Chiba, Japan from 8:19am to 8:30am JST (10 mins).

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 7:56am JST.

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 7:10am JST.

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 6:47am JST.

Narita, Chiba, Japan at 10:18pm JST.