The Magic Stays with You

Category: Wonders of Wanders

"Everyday! Everyday! The magic is here!" -- Enchanted Kingdom Theme Song.

Don’t forget to breathe, and remember to scream all the way through. After all, this is the rarest moments when one can really scream out loud. This thing keeps moving higher and higher until I notice that the ground is no longer below my feet but right in my face. And my heart is in my throat. I’d like to think that my heart is beating to beat of rock music but, more accurately, it is rolling like a thousand thunders synchronous to the concerto of the Olympians behind the clouds…And I have to remind myself to breathe. My mind was crunching thoughts like an Intel quad band processor. I am debating within myself whether I’m perpendicular or parallel to the ground. How does G-force feel? If this thing moves at the speed of light, would it be faster than my mind? Would the motion overtake my thoughts? 


Then a filmstrip of my day rolls before my eyes…

To go or not to go, need I ponder on these things or just be spontaneous? Every Sunday afternoon, three-o’clock, my friends and I meet at Jolibee in Glorietta. Every Sunday afternoon is a movie afternoon, and every Sunday night is a time for a booze. This time, we would be watching Ang Babae sa Septic Tank. I have already rubbed-out Tagaytay in my planner.

Two hours later I found myself sitting at a bus station waiting for my classmates. I didn’t know I would be coming with them until a couple of hours ago. They said they were already at Jolibee. Now it’s curious, not only because Jolibee was just made synonymous to a meeting place; but because they were not there. It turned out that I was on the wrong bus station across a different Jolibee chain. See, I’m not a traveller in a sense that I don’t have a sense of direction. I am a wanderer. And I wonder where do I go from here to where they are. I almost didn’t find them. Like in a movie, I passed them by, almost brushing each other’s shoulder, without noticing that we’ve already crossed paths.

The bus ride to Tagaytay was filled with never ending chatter. We forgot we’re no longer in high school.

Razel was waiting for us in Tagaytay with extraordinary amount of patience. As it was agreed, we have to meet at seven but the seven became eleven; hence the name, 7-Eleven! We ate our lunch at Picnic Grove. Together with other picnic- goers we relished the view of Taal Lake and the famous crater of the smallest volcano in the archipelago. Seeing a number of people present, I immediately surmised that this is not the best place in Tagatay. The best places on Earth are inaccessible to most people. And where there are people, there are trash—and it was all over the place.

There’s something common in all my circle of friends—they love pictures. While talking and laughing and jumping, we took pictures of each other. Then we rode a jeep to Enchanted Kingdom in Laguna….where the magical day began.

I was surprised to know that the man who built the Kingdom was our kasimanwa. We bullied the clerk to give us a discount telling him that we were relatives of Mario, the owner. “Mario who?”, he asked. Supermario! We didn’t get the discount and we ended up giving our food to charity. I was able sneaked some on my side pockets though.

The last time I've been here, I have to endure standing in the queue for over an hour for a thirty-second ride! It was unusual if you find yourself in a short queue during weekends. This was one of those unusual days. Not only was there short queue, there was no queue at all. We rode almost all the rides until our we were so tired.

Just as the twilight faded into a magical evening, before the moon smiled on the darkened horizon; the evening sky was painted with the spectacular fireworks. It wasn’t much compared to 2^nd World Pyro-musical competition at MOA. Nevertheless, one of the best things in life is watching fireworks. The other best thing in life, of course, is witnessing a splendid double rainbow in the magnificent shores of Boracay. (It’s true that seeing a double rainbow is like having a double orgasm).

We concluded the night by eating a meal at a fast food chain. We we’re all so tired and yet happy. Now, nakakapagod ding maging masaya.At kung nakakapagod nga maging masaya, kahit na mapagod ako araw-araw, ok lang.

We all went our own ways. It’s the fourth time we went out after about five years. May mga di na nakakasama, merong nadadagdag. Gaya nlang ni Llenette, ngayon lang uli kami nagkita.  At si Razel, na isa ng engineer. Nandito pa rin si Mendie, na nang makasalubong ko kanina, ay nilampasan ko lang. Di ko napansin marahil sa kanyang buhok na makulay na ngayon. She is now a nurse, at nag-aabang sa pagpunta dito  ng kanyang crush na si Ji Hoo ng Boys Over Flower. Si Rhunday, na talagang may H sa pangalan, ay masipag na technician at may dala-dalang magandang cellphone. Sabay kaming umuwi ni Aireen. Ilang taon na siyang guro dito sa Makati.

Tiningnan ko ang sarili ko. Ano ang aking narating? Paano ako makarating kung di ko alam kung saan ako patungo. Kani-kanina nga lang ako’y naligaw.

I look at myself again. I’m seeing me. And I’m glad to have a collection of true friends just as I am.

…Then the Space Shuttle took off. A fragment of my mind kept telling me to breathe and shout! But I couldn’t hear the sound of my scream! Maybe I was moving faster than sound! The film strip that I was seeing was set to super fast forward. In a split second I realized that I was flipped 360 degrees. Everything was moving so fast but I did not dare close my eyes. I wanted to capture it all. Then before I realized it, it was over. The ride has came to a stop. 


But the magic stays forever.

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