last look?

funny how we Pinoys can come up with witty (and not-so-subtle) jokes about anything.

case in point: ASIAN SPIRIT
"you fly to asia, and land as spirit..."
(hmmm... that was encouraging)

Masbate-Manila
28 October Sunday
725AM

"i almost thought i wouldn't reach the metro in one piece."

my trip to Masbate was nothing short of an adventure. pre-during-and-post.
and i couldn't afford to miss this for a blog entry...

"PRE"
consequently, our scheduled-Wednesday flight got canceled for some unannounced "maintenance" sched by the airline. all other flight options were fully-booked. so for our last recourse, we had to endure a grueling 12-hour travel by land and sea combined.

it's not that i'm complaining or anything (besides, the whole thing's over and done with). but it just sucked that i had to endure long hours of travel. exposed in the cold. seriously, it felt like i was inside one of those trucks with freezers in it. and every passenger seemed like preserved meat ready for delivery. gahd. that's actually why i wasn't able to get enough sleep. sob.


"DURING"
to make matters worse, minus the sleep and all the physically "rest" i needed. i was tasked to handle the training, straight from travel. hmmm. NGO work is not much of a slave driver, don't you agree?

I had to stand there. right in front of a crowd of forty(?). i was feverish, knees-weak but with much drive, i felt compelled to do the task assigned me. mamita said she can willingly take my place if i can't manage. but no, i didn't endure all those suffrage just so i could drop the whole thing. i should be the one to do the talking... specifically on this one. i own this topic. yes, the whole afternoon was my "show". and i just thank God for the grace. (thank God that the crowd was participative too!)

and of course, they had to maximize my presence and gave me (more) topics to discuss (and that was a four-day session, with a couple of days as "excess" from my original task).. hmmm. sulitin daw talaga diba? knowledge. the more you impart it, the more it will grow. but anyway, it was fun altogether. greater challenge meant another room for growth right?

well, the team was kind enough to give everyone a breather.
on the last day of training, we were all headed to have lunch by the island:)
twas a quick trip. semi on an eat-and-run mode. why? because we had to head back or else we'd get stuck. the waves were starting to grow wild. wind was strong. big fat drops of rain falling from the sky. twas a "bumpy" ride back to the hotel.

did i get scared? not entirely. i tried to look on the "happier" side of things. it felt like we were on a wild river-ride in some amusement park, only that this whole scenario is not manipulated or ployed. it's a man vs. nature ordeal. and we just thank God that we were able to cross the sea even before the weather got even more unimaginable. (nakakapanghina na natagtag ka sa waves).


"POST"
got up early for our 7am flight. hmmm. turns out, the flight was 2-hours delayed. great just great. should've spent those hours sleeping in...

this was only my second time to fly with Asian Spirit. but for some inexplicable sense, i got a bit claustrophobic when my foot stepped inside the "plane". i was having a hard time breathing. the aircraft was smaller than the first AS plane i rode in. i was joking with a colleague even before we took our seats. i've always been a window-type of person. and i was shocked to be seated right beside the propeller. hmmm. how convenient...

"if this would fly out of function, my head could be cut off"... i comicly remarked.
engines started running. we were out of the runway and out in the air after some minutes.
endless chic-chatter just so we could make ourselves preoccupied. then the flight became turbulent. i subtly held-tight to my seat. and was mouthing a prayer only i could hear.

this was by far, the most turbulent flight i've been in. it felt like we were in a "roller coaster" going up and down the trail. i can literally feel my tummy being left mid-air for some seconds. then we sensed that the aircraft was swerving. my prayer became more intense. i didn't want to die. didn't want to die this way. okay, i know that was a bit exaggerated, but i was honestly scared for my life. but i was trying to be candid about it. (hmmm. the perks of taking a rather small aircraft and setting it out in the vast sky.. in a rather gloomy and unpredictable weather)

well, the turbulent ride's a given when you take small aircrafts. and i guess, the descend (for not being smooth) is part of it as well...

with that, i'll never ever forget my Masbate experience. for what it is, from start to finish...
would i dare try it for the second time? we'll see...

Photo creds: the scratchy window. and the propeller outside. is the immediate view from where i was seated. Asian Spirit seat 4C. hmm. intereesting...