OF VISIONS, DREAMS & REALITY: Manila ➙ Hong Kong ➙ Shanghai Aboard Cathay Pacific & DragonAir

Anglo-Irish essayist Jonathan Swift once said,

 "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others."

Four years ago, I had a simple feeling that maybe my son Tutapel inherited his dad's mathematical ability.

And as Regina Spektor's famous song goes- that feeling turned into hope...

"Which then turned into a quiet thought

Which then turned into a quiet word.

And then  the word grew louder and louder

"Til it was a battle cry..."

Since then, it has become an all-out war against a series of hindrances in the form of self-doubt, grueling training, challenging tests, and surmounting bills. But it was a war that we were bent on winning!

I then resorted to the only viable solution available to Christians: to offer everything we had to our Lord and plead with Him to direct us to the path we ought to take. It might be a passive response to some, but devoted followers would agree that the fulfillment of any vision begins with surrendering your all to God.  

It was far from easy, believe me. I soon realized I had to put my faith into action for that burning vision to become a reality.

Finally, last summer, the Lord took delight in our faith offering and granted us the desires of our hearts. My 7-year-old son was among around 50- Grade 1 and Grade 2 students from the Philippines who qualified for the Philippine Team to be sent to International Math Competitions abroad.

And last July 26, along with other elementary students from various schools in the country, he flew to represent the PHILIPPINES  in the 2016 China Primary Math Olympiad, also known as the Enjoying Math Summer Camp, to be held in the beautiful city of Hangzhou, located in the province of Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.

And here is where my CHINA NARRATIVE (TRAVEL BLOG) officially begins.

   Philippine Representative to the 2016 China Primary Math Olympiad

Manila ➙ Hong Kong

It was a good 5 years when we last bound abroad. Feelings of excitement, fear, and sadness all gripped me without knowing which emotion had the most advantage. My response was to savor the moment with my son despite the lingering hope that it would have been better if Hubby Bala was with us too. He was always our POLARIS, our guiding star, in every travel. I usually didn't think about anything else except the photos I had to take for this particular blog. Without him, I had to think about everything: our luggage, call time, and, most importantly, ensuring my son was always with me.

But if I learned anything from my UP Diliman education, it is this: SINK or SWIM. That was the glowing mantra of every teacher I had during freshman year, and I soon found out that the faster I adapted to my environment, the better my chances of overcoming obstacles.

Instead of flying directly to Shanghai, the Contest Organizer assigned some students and parents from the Youngster Group (Grade 2) to have a connecting flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai. 

                                              Cathay Pacific: Manila➙ Hong Kong ➙ Shanghai 

Although it was quite troublesome, I looked at the situation as a way to take more photos. Deep inside, I was ecstatic because the last time I had a connecting flight within the same country was 19 years ago--when I was a mere 25 years old!

Like my son, I too became a Philippine Delegate, but not in the field of Mathematics--oh no, not in a million years! 

Hundreds of professionals from various disciplines, such as medicine, education, government service, and mass media, applied to the Japan Information Cooperation Agency (JICA) Friendship Programme in 1999. We went through a series of examinations and interviews, and eventually, the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines and the Japanese Government were the ones who decided our fate. God's gracious hand ALONE got me in, believe me! 

My very first connecting flight: From Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Matsuyama Airport (1999)

The only difference lies in the fact that back then, the JICA Delegates didn't have to pay a single cent- for everything was shouldered by the Japanese Government: food, hotels, transportation, workshops fees, plus an allowance for our 28-day stay in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kanagawa, Miyajima, and Matsuyama. 

In my son's case, however, we paid for everything, just like other parents did for their kids because the Philippine Government does not give any financial support to such math contests. 

Tutapel at the NAIA Tarmac

It was not only grueling math problems that parents and kids had to think about but also the financial part of competing internationally. For instance, some students who have qualified for the Philippine Team opted not to go. However, they are equally talented or even more talented because when you think about it, spending at least 110,000 pesos, excluding pocket money, is just insane. And for most of us, it's even more expensive than average school tuition!

But some parents like us are willing to give an arm and a leg just to let our kids compete because what we're ultimately sacrificing for is that infinitesimal chance to battle wits with the best of the best from different nations! In the process, that one-of-a-kind experience will help us gauge our kids' potential and therefore fine-tune their skills and techniques needed in competitions and in general.

This is our BACK STORY. And because of this, our travel became a thousand times more meaningful to us.

It was our first time aboard Cathay Pacific, and I couldn't be more thrilled. The plane was much larger, and in the words of my friendship Charmie, "You feel safer." 😍

Our first time aboard Cathay Pacific

Tutapel also had a blast choosing from among the game apps available on the 9-inch Personal TV. At first, we didn't know where to plug the headphone.;)  Well, blame it on our track record of flying on a budget. Little did we know that the outlet was found on the tip of our armrest! 😀

Tutapel playing chess on the plane.

If  Tutapel was excited about his games, I was looking forward to the FOOD! I was expecting rice meals, of course, but since it was way before lunchtime, only snacks were given.

The Scrambled Egg & Cured Turkey Wrap was served warm much to my delight, and it came with juice on a Tetra pack and an Anzac Cookie for dessert.

ANZAC COOKIE

Stories have it that wives of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the First World War sent Anzac cookies to their husbands because of their extended shelf life due to the absence of eggs as primary ingredients.

Thanks to a simple mixture of rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, and golden syrup, Anzac cookies remain a favorite sweet treat in Australia and New Zealand.

Snacks aboard Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong International Airport

The last time we were in Hong Kong, my son was about 2 months short of his 2nd birthday. That was in 2010, and back then, despite being overwhelmed with the grandness of the airport, I found some of the airport personnel awfully rude.


Our family was going through the usual routine of checking in. We were respectful and mindful of our manners when suddenly, some personnel congregated amongst themselves and started laughing while shouting, "FILIPINOS!" If that was not enough, the people inspecting our carry-on luggage raised their voices while commanding us to open our belongings! Can you believe that?

FAST FORWARD TO THIS PHOTO. It was unfortunate that a similar incident happened six days after this photo was taken. Three of our mathletes, my son included, were laughing and talking to one another when suddenly male security personnel raised his voice at them!

One of my mom's friends told me some airport personnel could be strict. However, in my vocabulary, that was simply being RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL!

In a matter of seconds, I concocted the best defense ever! It was creative and respectful but somehow laced with hints of irony, which left him quiet all throughout my speech. But that's another blog! ;)

Hong Kong International Airport

Mama & Baby at the Hong Kong International Airport

 Airport Transfer: HK Airport

Hong Kong ➙ Shanghai 

It was my first connecting flight in 19 years, so it was only natural for me to get excited.

Dragonair is an Airbus, so it's much smaller than the parent Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777.

   DragonAir: Cathay Pacific's Budget Airline

    Hong Kong ➙ Shanghai  Aboard DragonAir

Other than that, what we were most enthusiastic about was the FOOD! Oh, we were starving! My son and I requested different lunch sets to have more dishes to try. 

  Alas! It's time for lunch!

Since my son is a picky eater, he didn't like the Chicken Meal that much.

DragonAir Lunch # 1: Mixed veggies with chicken, rice, salad, roll with butter, and orange juice.

He opted for the Beef & Potatoes instead, which was quite good!

DragonAir Lunch # 2: Beef with potatoes, salad, roll with butter, plus a drink of choice

I've come to think that dessert is the most critical part of the meal; having Haagen Dazs take that essential component was heavenly!

Yummy Dessert: Haagen -Dazs Mango & Raspberry Ice Cream

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

It took us nearly four hours to get to the Shanghai Airport from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. So you can understand why I had to take my son's obligatory pose in front of the airport signage. But airport personnel thought otherwise when she told us to make it quick and immediately go inside the airport. 

Oh my! My airport rendezvous was becoming more exciting than ever! 😄

Tutapel's First-time at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Playing with the Trolley at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Playing with his fellow CPMO Delegate at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport

BFFs at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport