AUSTRALIA REVISITED

AUSTRALIA REVISITED
PRELUDE

Australia is one of the most fascinating countries I have visited so far, but that is not the main reason why I am returning to Australia. Foremost is the wedding of my son Paul-David to Michaela A. Policarpio on July 7, 2001 as agreed upon last year when we first went there to discuss the wedding plans with the bride’s parents. This time I am returning to Australia not only with my wife but also with the whole family including the grand children, some of them had gone ahead while the rest are coming later to catch up with the wedding day.

AT CLUB MANILA LOUNGE
June 23, 2001 10:50 a.m.

Terry and I were originally scheduled to fly at 2:30 p.m. but, Brinna, banking on a slight hope that we could be accommodated by the 10:30 flight told us to go to the airport early. We were not surprised when we were bumped-off. This was compensated by an invitation for us to wait at the Club Manila Lounge since the JAL Lounge was under renovation.

There we met and rubbed shoulders with several businessmen and other V.I.P.’s while the food was good and generously offered. I regretted so much why I didn’t bring my cell-phone. I could have all the time “texting” all my friends. Anyway Terry and I enjoyed the feeling of a rich couple, at least temporarily.

While the ABU_SAYYAF and the other bad elements of the country were sowing fear and terror, here we were watching the good and the fortunate people doing their chores. There was one so busy with his laptop and doesn’t seem to care what was going on around him. Another one was drinking wine direct from the bottle answering his cell-phone every now and then. Many were seriously talking business while the rest were simply enjoying the variety of food on the buffet table. My wife was soundly sleeping on a long sofa in a little private room whiling away all her troubles and problems. I on the other hand couldn’t sleep. I was wondering why the world seemingly was so unfair, but God must have a very good reason why He is allowing this to happen.

I felt and must also look very rich. I was wearing Otan’s gray polo-shirt, a pair of black wool pants handed down by a Balikbayan relative of my wife, a thrice repaired pair of Bally Shoes, an Old Italian cap gifted by Madora, an old black coat, old vest and old tie. Who would ever think I was not one of them?

Indeed Terry and I were very fortunate to experience all these amenities in life that other couples cannot even dream of. God is so good to us, yet, we sometimes fail t o thank Him.

We were delayed for almost one hour, JAL: 742 finally lift off at 3:20 p.m. amidst crying of an irritated baby boy right in front of us. Most of the passengers were Japanese. Terry and I were seat ed at the window side with a Japanese on our left who was so kind not to get annoyed when we have to stand up every time we have to go to the toilet. It took some of my hidden talents to play tricks with my head and tongue for the boy in front of us to stop him from crying. It surprised the mother why her child suddenly started giggling but she was too shy to look back and find out what I was doing .

Because we were delayed in Manila, we just arrived on time at Narita Airport in Tokyo for the connecting flight to Sydney. Narita is a big airport and it was not very easy to find one’s way around specially when using automatic trains going to and from the airplane. It was a tense moment for us when the train we boarded automatically move without us having a vague idea if we were coming or going to the terminal. Thanks God, it turned out we got the right train and we arrived just on time for us to queue f or entry to the leaving plane.

JUNE 24, 2001 6:30 a.m. Australian time

I find it enjoyable watching a blond lady put on make-up on another lady just in front of me, who must be sisters as they were look-alike. I didn’t realize until t hen that it takes so many paraphernalia to paint a human face early in the morning inside the airplane. The face of the woman being made-up began to glow as the inside of the plane also glowed when penetrated by the rays of the rising sun passing through the windows.