last words

I was reconsidering last night if I shall continue to ride the bus going home from Cubao. Last night, the bus ride home gave me one thing to think about: death. 

I sit beside windows when I ride the bus especially if it's a long one. Last night, I hopped in a JRMS bus because I really wanted to go home already. Usually, I would wait for an air-conditioned bus. But last night, I hopped in the third "decent" Bicutan-bound bus. To cut the story short, I moved away from the window seat three times int the entire trip because I thought those three times will cause a collision and I will die or suffer first before dying.

So after that three close encounters to accidents, it got me thinking what would be my initial reaction if I was caught in a bus-related accident. My first instinct would be protect myself using my trust backpack. Second, I'd probably, if i have a  few seconds to spare, I would position myself under the seats of the bus. Third and last, I would probably hold on to the railings. Stupid, I know. 

And then it hit me. I remember Sir Jef, one of my bosses, told me he's going to be involved in an head on collision, he would remove his seatbelt, and embrace the impact. And I thought, I'll do the same thing. I'll embrace the impact. No more agonies, no more pain. Instant death.

And this is where it gets interesting, if you know you are about to die and you have few seconds of life, what would be your last words? 

I thought about that too while riding the bus. I was contemplating between uttering,  I'm sorry and  I love you Mum. I was like, too dramatic. But then I it hit me. I found the perfect two-word for my last seconds of my life. 

Thank you. 

On new places and taking a ton of photos

I just realized that taking photos is not so important when you're in a new place/country. You are so busy taking photos of buildings, objects, telephone booths, train stations, bus stops, stores, etc., that you forget to immerse yourself in that certain moment. 

I was going through my England/Scotland photos a while ago.  Some of it instantly brought me back to that place but others were so vague to that point that I was almost into tears. I couldn't remember what happened during that day or that hour. As a sentimental person, I wanted to punch myself for letting this happen. 

It's just pointless to take a hundred or a thousand photos and forgetting where you are, who you with, the color of the sky, the weather, the time. Those things are really the important ones you should remember. 

Photographs are just mere aides. Never again 

A Trip

“A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys.  It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness.  A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike” - Travels with Charley 

I am loving every minute of this trip. 

Departure

I left the house around 3:30 pm. My dad  dropped me to the airport. Bella didn’t want to kiss me but she waved goodbye to me. When were already in on the road did I just remember that I only had 200 pesos in my wallet! Thank you BPI for your internet banking service!

I bid my goodbyes then dashed off the entrance of NAIA Terminal 1. Emirates Counter was on the left side. There were no queues so check-in was a breeze. So was the immigration part. The only queue was the take-off part. It took us 30 minutes before our plane was given the go signal to take off. We need a bigger airport now! I don’t mind travelling to Clark if the airport will be transferred there. Seriously. BIGGER. AIRPORT. 

I was seated on the aisle. Good thing my rowmates to the left were women, they used the restroom once only and at the same time. I think they are OFWs. I heard them talking about their years of work in Dubai while trying to watch John Carter.  I wasn’t able to finish any of the movies in the in-flight entertainment. I just finished one episode of Friends.

The dinner was either pan fried cream dory or roasted chicken. I chose the roasted chicken. It was okay. I loved the baked potatoes that was served with the chicken. After eating, I was falling asleep! Baboy lang!!! I did that again when the snacks were served. I fell asleep right after eating the sandwich. When I woke up, my tray was gone! Baboy talagaaaa.  The flight lasted for 8 hours.

At the Dubai International Airport, everything is big:  runway, planes, the airport itself. I love the structure of the airport, a lot of lines and different perspectives. A lot of glass too!

It was a long walk from the security check to  Gate 211. As I was walking to Gate 211, I noticed a lot of Filipinos working as sales attendant at Duty Free. They were speaking in Filipino while there were no customers to attend to.

The internet connection at DBX sucked big time! I had to leech off from an unsecured network “masxpot”.

My rowmates on my left during the second flight were a Thai lady and an English Lady. I remember we were all sleeping before the plane took off.  I woke up and learned that we were 4000+ feet already. I missed the take-off. I finally finished watching Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close after 3 attempts.  My rowmate on my right was an English man. I think he’s metal. He has a piercing on his lower lip. He wore a black polo and a black blazer white trousers and snickers. He wore his hair up to his chin and he has moustache. And he was listening to his iPod. 

The flight attendant gave arrival cards for non-UK Citizens. The flight lasted about 7 hours. My ass!

Immigration was a breeze but the baggage claiming took forever. And then I saw my mommy and Dave!

Alas, Hello there UK! 

First of Sorts

Hi! My name is Vitzka. I’ve been watching travel shows like Travelers and Lonely Planet (now: Globe Trekker)  since I was in 3^rd grade . From then on, I considered myself as a traveller, writing down what sights to see and food to eat for my future travels.

  

I said to myself that I will explore the Philippines first then Southeast Asia then Asia then the rest of the world.  At 24, the farthest I’ve been to in the north is Ilocos and Saranggani Province in the south. Further than that, the cable TV has been my window to my homeland confinement.

I’ve never been outside the Philippines. Not even once. But this August 2012, I’ll be flying to Great Britain for a vacation, my first trip out of the country.  

Words cannot describe how I am looking forward  to this foreign land called United Kingdom.

First of Sorts has convened.