Cancer and Airplane Food

Hey Readers,

For the 3.5 hours fight from Seoul, Korea to Manila, Philippines, I sat next to a lady, who appeared nonchalant and apathetic to traveling ( or it can just be fatigue ). Slumped shoulders, and an uninviting facial expression, she brushed her colored hair away from her face before settling down into her seat.

I felt that her jaded mien may be infectious so I focused on writing. Minutes later, she noticed how serious I was with writing: “You can turn on the light, so you can see better.” She said this without being sassy or smart-ass ( maybe showing concern? ). I turned on the light and thanked her. Then a conversation began.

Out of the darkness, part of her life’s story unfolded. She started out as a waitress, and then she became a bartender, who created a mix drink that was featured in a bartending magazine; her cocktail drink had Blue Skyye Vodka and cloudy whipped cream, and others. She was asked to move to management but declined for monetary purposes ( more $ in tips ); she declined an offer to work in a European cruise ship. She persevered ( had chaga ), while turning down an employment in a rich Middle Eastern country in order to raise her kids; She accepted the long hours her American co-workers declined; She’s 2x divorced; thanks to her mammogram, she's at level 0 after her recent cancer treatment.

The lady didn’t like the Airplane Food from the 1st flight ( that’s because she chose the rice and pasta options instead of beef and chicken ). Her recent meal was agreeable. The Alfredo-esque white sauce on the chicken was okay, and the wine was so-so.

We discussed nutrition and moderation and its relation to diabetes. She’s originally from the Mindanao region of the Philippines. She was excited to get off the plane so she could see her family, especially her 2 years old granddaughter, who has never seen her before, and who refers to her as Lola Ganda: Grandma Beautiful, Grandma Beauty, or Beautiful Grandma.


Left: Beef option, mountain ranges from airplane, green tea.



Economy Upgrade and Airplane Food

Hi Readers,

I'm going to digress for a moment.  My main topic is Filipino food, but for this post, I'll briefly discuss Airplane food and my experience flying with Korean Air.  Basically I'm impressed.

A 13 hour flight is long, and I was prepared to entertain myself; I brought 3 books, a journal, and my mp3 player.  Upon finding my window seat, the first thing I noticed in front of me was a screen with touchscreen capabilities.  Everybody was still getting on board, so I decided to peruse this technology.

In my past travels, such features come with a price.  When I flew to Utah, a movie cost $5.  The plane finally took off, and I still haven't seen an advertisement announcing the cost.  It was to my great amazement to learn that the service was free.  It didn't just have movies; it had music, video games, and electronic print.  I had a moment when I didn't know what to do.  Eventually, I sampled various music, while reading Krakauer's "Into the Wild".  I watched 2 movies "City Island" and this Chinese action-comedy.

The Airplane food wasn't that bad.  It was presented TV dinner style, but I was amazed at the freshness of it all. The soft warm bread that melts the butter, the crispy lettuce, the tender spicy chicken, and the moist red velvet cupcake square.  Plenty of drinks; they even offered wine.

This Korean Air flight experience was the best I had so far ( in comparison to my childhood experience flying Korean Air ).  It seems that time has updated the experience of flying "economy."

I'm blogging this free courtesy of the Seoul International Airport.  They haven't stopped me yet or charged me, however a  nice sales lady warned me not to put my coconut yogurt smoothie from Lente near the Samsung notebook I'm using.  Something different in this airport is that they have cultural cubicles, where foreigners can learn about different Korean arts and culture, such as painting, inking, and theater.

The night before departure

Hi Readers,

I'm so excited for this trip that I haven't packed yet.  Well maybe I haven't packed yet physically, but I've packed my heart and mind once I made the decision to go a week[s] ago.  My Korean Air itinerary shows that it'll be a weird traveling-to-the-future type ( not that I've traveled to the future before ). 

It's surreal in a way:
I'll leave Philadelphia on Wednesday morning
I'll arrive in the Philippines on Thursday evening at 11 pm
When I wake up in my Aunt's house, it'll be Friday morning ( definitely can't wait to have Taho [sweet silk tofu breakfast side] )

The flight over will be spent reading, writing, and making lists.  My first assignment is finalizing my registration to participate in 10.10.10 Run for Pasig River.  I didn't plan to participate in this fundraising race; everything was just serendipitous.  After my part time assignment ended, I started going to the gym more to keep myself busy.  Then I heard an advertisement for this event.  It's a great cause overall ( to raise $ for the river cleaning/research and also to participate in breaking a Guinness Book of World Records ). 

I did cross-country running a million years ago, and it'll be fun; I already found a gym near my Aunt's house to continue my training.  I'm dedicating my run to my godchild because that day he'll be celebrating his birthday.  It'll be a celebration of life in general!