Hehehe... a friend e-mailed this funny little picture to me. Want low-cost flying? Consider this new offer. It's really cheap. :)

This picture also gave me an idea for a post. I started this post the other night at around 10 pm and I kept on writing until I realized it was already 2 am. I made it really, really long. So, not wanting to waste any of my writing, I've decided to just post them on monthly installments. Well, here's the first one.

Flying Fever 1

I remember when I was a child that every time I watched the animated movie Peter Pan, I became so envious of Peter, Wendy, and her brothers because they could fly. I wanted to fly too! But, as my mom so carefully explained to me, I’d need pixie dust to fly and there was certainly no way we could get any. I knew then that my dream to fly like them was never going to come true. Nevertheless, I still held on to my dream of someday being able to fly. It was because of that dream that I never forgot the feeling of riding on an airplane for the first time.

It was a small plane that my dad rented to take us to Iba, Zambalez. He pulled a few strings to get us a considerable discount on the airfare. It was summer vacation and we decided to spend it living in our ancestral home in Iba. However, some of the roads were impassable because of the lahar that time so my parents decided to just travel by air.

I was probably five or six at that time so I couldn’t exactly remember all the details. But, I could remember the feeling of sitting in that small plane, waiting anxiously for it to take off. When it did take off, I could feel my guts swirling wildly inside me. I really thought I was going to be sick. It was a miracle I didn’t puke right then and there.

After take off, we were cruising peacefully up in the air, and it was then that I finally got to appreciate the plane ride. The people and their livestock looked like different colored specks scattered on the green and brown quilt of fishponds and rice fields below. As we got closer to our destination, we caught sight of the coastline and the white sand was a beautiful contrast to the infinite expanse of blue ocean. The scenery was absolutely amazing.

From then on, I knew I had it bad. I had contracted the Flying Fever. It was then that I made the decision to someday become a pilot, just like my dad. I wanted to ride a plane again and again and again. I realized I loved the rush that flying gave me. I imagined that that feeling was probably what Peter Pan, Wendy, John, and Michael felt every time they flew. Turns out, I really didn’t need pixie dust to fly. I just needed an airplane to make my wildest dream come true.