Entry 15: Curtain Closing with Friends

Song of the Moment: The Kindness of Strangers by American Analog Set

Hong Kong was the perfect destination to cap off my 14-day trip. 

For the most part, I was all over the the city, hopping from one train station to another, looking for last minute pasalubong. But during the evenings that mattered, I got to spend time with Crisel, Mabs (a new friend) and even their church friends, Ate Jigs and Kuya Jeff. My favorite part of the trip was receiving an impromptu dinner invitation from Ate Jigs and Kuya Jeff at their place, where we were served Filipino soul food --- good home-cooked meals. 

It was good to be with friends who are just sincerely wonderful happy people. They’re quite a rare couple to find, mind you. Ate Jigs and Kuya Jeff are very pious, then add Crisel and Mabs in the picture, that made for a very religious dinner party. I suddenly felt empowered by the positive energy these people were emitting.    

We talked about various things --- from the couple’s providential love story, to finding their ministry in the Church, to showing off their dog Lulu’s tricks, up to defining what Prudence really means. Later that night, Crisel and I got to talk about our lives as well, as how two old friends normally do. Of course, I won’t go into details, in confidence. But I found that so many of Crisel’s realizations and our discourse across everything powerfully affect my own life’s issues. It made sense to spend the night at her flat instead of booking a HK hotel after all. 

There are so many wonderful discoveries I made about myself during the trip --- the one thing worth mentioning would be fearlessness. I think the primary reason I jumped into this adventure was to overcome many fears and insecurities, and I am proud to say that I was able to take the bull by the horns. It was a fun ride, while it lasted. And now I’m flying back to Manila to put this new perspective to the test. 

So I’m signing off for now, but that doesn’t mean the stories will cease. A whole life is still ahead of me and I’m excited about it more than ever.  Tetel was right after all, “This trip will resuscitate me back to my fully motivated self.”  And now that I’m waking up from a two-week dream, I am ready to face the everyday grind again with rose-colored glasses.