It was Wednesday 17th of July 2013, four days after my sister's wedding when the dream finally broke into reality.
The
plane was taxiing and my thoughts retrograde to the time when dreams supersede
reality. It flashed peculiar scenes inside my mind making an amiable
sensation. A sudden "whoosh" broke my reverie. I looked at my watch
and at exactly 16:00 hours, Air Asia flight Z2-349 departed Laguindingan
airport with my mother, my sister, her husband and me.
The
flight from Laguindingan ended in almost an hour and Manila came into view. We
didn't have the time to take supper and directly lined up for Cebu Pacific flight
5J-310 bound for Taoyuan, Taiwan.
The
process on passing through the immigration was very tedious especially that I
am a newbie traveler. The officer threw many questions at me but she was
contented by my vigorous answers. I hadn't notice that the time was sprinting
so fast. I was already in the plane wondering how on earth I got there.
Eventually, I just closed my eyes and feel the trembling chair and the chilly
air inside the aircraft. It then hit me, a time-lapse of event slowly fitting into
pieces. I could hardly believe that the overwhelming emotion was striking me
like a nail hit by a hammer. I told myself "this is it". It is the
time I've been longing for, the time, which will prove that "dreams do
come true". I then relaxed and let slumber swallow me.
The
long wait is over, vision starts to clear up and in a blink of an eye there I
was standing astonished, dazed and amazed at Taoyuan Airport while uttering the
words "Dreams do come true".
This
was the start of the day, 18th of July year of the Lord. Let me say this in a
mandarin way, “qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐ yú zúxià”. If it was
said in English, it would mean a “journey of a thousand miles begins
with a single step”. All of us start from a point where we often think that
our lives would always be the same. We keep in our mind that the challenges we
are facing now is like a bucket load of pain which is intolerable. But we are
so wrong; we always think one step behind and forget that the key to this
problem is five steps ahead. A famous quote says, "A good chess
player thinks five moves ahead ". Let's stop with the
spectacle and go on with the fun!
But
before anything else, let me tell you something about Taiwan. It is the heart
of Asia and it currently holds the 8th tallest building in the world. The
weather is fine and the surroundings are clean. Maybe that's the only thing
I’ve noticed: D let the fun begin!
If
you are pertaining to heart-stopping, jaw-dropping and spine-tingling rides
then for sure Leo Foo Village Theme Park and Formosan Aboriginal Culture
Village are the places to be. I have personally been there and it had blown me
away. Whew! They offer intergalactic and superb rides. I didn't expect that I
could conquer all the rides (to think that I have trouble breathing sometimes)
but it made me realize that it’s all in your mind! I was very fortunate to have
a firsthand experience with these rides. It made me think that I could conquer
the world: D. The most intense part was the Drop Tower... (drunk). At that
point, I thought I would die (cry) but I guess I was wrong. My guardian angel
didn't let me (rofl). All the rides were fun and full of thrill I hope someday
I could visit these places again.
Seeing
this picture makes me nostalgic... I cherish all these memories because they
mean a lot to me and the more I reminisce the past the more I become happier.
My pack was composed of my mother, my sister married to her Taiwanese husband
and my other sister who at that time was newly married to her Slovenian
husband. And also, don't forget about the kids! Marco and his cousins (sorry I
forgot their names because they're in Chinese :|). Anyho, a family gathering or
a simple get together would be exciting especially if all of you just laugh and
have a very wonderful day. God is so good to me, He gave a very beautiful
family, a loving mother and father and caring siblings. I couldn't ask for more
except to travel more (rofl). All day we had fun, we laughed and enjoyed up
until the very last day. I could still remember these pictures (thinking).
Days
may pass, time may go but I'll always remember what happened in that place. It
brings joy and happiness and most of all, it brings a rush of blood to my
heart. There are so much emotions on this blog which I, myself don't know the
reason why (rofl). I think it's because God was so gracious and kind and He
always makes people happy if they just call for him. We went home but the
memories remain (mmm). I hate goodbyes, so I won’t say a thing about it. I'll
keep you hanging on with these sweet memories (laugh).
This
is my parting quote!
"When
you're in a no man's land, you should feel that getting in there is part of the
purpose of your life” - Emman Thomas
