In Continuum.

There are a couple of things that one needs to be aware of when they are on a long distance flight. You want to make sure that your seats are in the very back section of the plane if you cannot afford anything more than seats in the Economy Class. A week ago, I was reading an online article where somebody compiled a bunch of statistics in relation to airline disasters. It isn't the most encouraging list of statistics especially when I was supposed to be flying off in a week's time, but then it was also encouraging to note that passengers in the very back section, or the tail section, of the plane has a 65% chance of living, the highest in any part of the plane in the event of a plane crash - very encouraging indeed. Anyway, you also want to be in the very last row, at the window seat where I am typing this entry right now. I am somewhere in between Russia and Alaska, and we are this close to the North Pole, it makes me feel really overwhelmed somehow. Being this close to the northern-most end of our planet, you get this very interesting phenomenon outside of your window. You can a sunset that never actually goes away, like the one that is outside my window right now, because the Earth is round and the other side is probably drenched in daylight at this point. Anyway, the sunset has been around ever since it turned into night, and may I add that I derive some sort of guilty pleasure from typing with the little line shining down from above?

Anyway, you want to be in the last row because you get to push your chair all the way back without any forms of guilty - always a plus. At this point in time, I have probably been flying for about twelve hours now, and it actually isn't half as bad as I expected. Power on my Macbook is running a tad low, which means that I'd probably not be able to finish this entry, if the last entry is of any indications. I really should have brought along my Macbook charger, along a great many things, but it is too late to remedy that now, is it? I lost one of those rubbery things on my in-ear headphones, and I have been feeling crummy about that ever since the discovery at the Hong Kong airport. The only way to get around it at this point is to either get a set of brand new rubbery things, or to buy a new in-ear headphone altogether because it is one of those things I cannot possibly live without. Here's hoping for good news at the Chicago airport! Anyway, as promised in the previous entry, this entry is going to be about the flight so far, and I have traveled quite a bit at this point already. By now, most of us are feeling the adventure in all of us, knowing that this is going to be a trip with more excitement rather than grief. I shall try to document every moment of this trip in the best way I know how through photographs and words. Be sure to check back to this blog for more information on those!

Anyway, the flight from Singapore to Hong Kong was simple and straightforward enough, since it was merely a three hour flight. What made that trip particularly difficult for the lot of us was for the fact that none of us slept in the previous night, and you know how difficult it can be to find a good sleeping position on a plane. I am glad that I am not surrounded by crying babies though, because the passengers around me have been, so far, rational and quiet. It is three minutes past nine in the evening, Singapore time, and I wonder what my friends and family are doing back home at this point? Anyway, the flight to Hong Kong was spent by sleeping, or trying to sleep for the most part. I didn't have the strength to start on Jack of Fables at that point, and all I wanted to do was to curl up in a comfortable bed. At any rate, we survived the first part of our trip easy enough, and we all got our two feet down on the Hong Kong airport. There seems to be a clear reason why Singapore's airport dropped two notches down the list of the best airports in the world. Hong Kong has a pretty kickass airport if I do say so myself. If not for anything else, the view outside the departure hall alone is pretty breathtaking, and even more amazing to see planes take off and land on a regular basis. You used to be able to see that at Changi Airport, but I don't remember seeing them anymore. Anyway, we wandered around the departure hall in search of food for the most part, and that was where I managed to send an e-mail to Neptina and to call my mother through Skype. I've been to the Hong Kong airport a couple of years ago, and I don't remember it being as big as it was. Anyway, a curious thing that I noticed was how, in the restaurants, they tend to give you a metal fork and a plastic knife - what's up with that? We also spotted the Ren Ci monk, the corrupted one, in the Hong Kong airport. A great escape on his part, perhaps?

The next phase of our trip, where I am on right now, was probably the most nervous part for the lot of us. It is supposed to be the longest and the most taxing part of the journey, and I don't remember how I endured it the last time I came to United States. Anyway, we braced ourselves at the Hong Kong airport as it took off, and I strapped myself into the seat and prepared myself to sleep all the way to Chicago. I knew that it was not possible, and that I'd probably end up like that girl across the aisle from me, the one that pretty much did nothing throughout the flight. I took off both my shoes and socks, curled up into a half human ball, then pulled the blanket all the way over my head and tucked myself in. By the time the plane reached the right altitude, the inside of the plane was already getting cold, and I knew what I was wearing wasn't enough. In the back of my head, as much as I hated the idea of flying economy class for such a long time, I knew that the next time I'd be going through the same ordeal, I'd be flying all the way back home. That made it a lot easier, and those were the thoughts that accompanied me to sleep as I leaned my head against the side of the plane. Underneath the blanket, I breathed quietly to myself, and the low humming of the plane gradually pulled me into deep sleep. I think I missed a drink cart or two, but I suppose it was all worth it in exchange for the six hour sleep that I got.