FIRST CRUISE

On life’s vast ocean diversely we sail ; Reasons the card, but passion the gale. - Alexander Pope



‘IT’S not far down to paradise,’ that hopeful song about sailing goes. ‘And if the wind is right you can sail away, and find tranquility…’


Tranquility, indeed – and joy; the thrill of a new adventure, the giddiness of a first time happening, a gleeful sense of anticipation over a dream vacation come true. Daybreaks and sunsets at sea. Islets glimmering in the horizon. Untainted air. Moonlit evenings. Peaceful mornings. An endless canvas of sky blue and ocean green. Swooning to the rhythm of waves kissing the hull of a beautiful boat bound for… paradise?


Nah, just China. Xiamen, to be exact. But that’s not saying there is no pleasure in the destination. While the boat – Star Cruises’ Super Star Aquarius – is as lovely as ‘love boats’ go, Xiamen is the nearest there is to an oasis of clean and leisurely living in this side of old world enchantment.


But first, the ship. There is something about cruising that makes one equate it in a sense with romance, though, more than anything, one feels a rather curious intimacy with Nature. The milieu appeals to the dreaminess of it all – sounds and sights so far removed from the dreariness of everyday concrete and steel. ‘Love Boat’ – or the notion of it – is indeed altogether a different world!


Traveling by sea has its own fascination. On an airplane, one looks down at the clouds below, at the dots of white on an emerald swathe, at firefly-like flecks under a pretty night sky. But on a ship, one looks up. In wonder and amazement at the beauty of all creation. At the miracle of sun and sea, moon and stars, mountains and valleys, rivers and streams, land and people. And one is reminded of the puniness of man, and the greatness of The One Up There who made everything down here.


To someone taking their very first cruise, SS Aquarius provides just the right dose of initiation to the sea, so to speak. It doesn’t come on as too huge as to get constantly lost in a maze of aisles and cabins, or to be too overwhelmed by its sheer immensity. Neither is it too small as to feel it swaying here and there from restive waters.


Cliché though it may sound, the luxury liner’s three-day, two-night cruise to Xiamen out of Hong Kong, however short it is, affords the stressed-out workaday struggler the chance to get away from it all – to relax, unwind, recharge, let the hair down, make new friends, think nothing and do nothing but laze around, take in the scenery, shoot the breeze, eat and eat.


There are a million and one things to do on board there is absolutely no time to get bored. The ship entertains you, from the moment you embark until you get off, almost reluctantly. The crew never runs out of smiles or a cheerful greeting. The schedule of activities will leave you breathless – for lots of choices and lack of time.


Face painting, coconut bowling, line dancing. Piano serenades, live bands, karaoke singing. Pool games, jackpot bingo, afternoon movies. Body stretching, kung fu demonstrations, magic shows. Table tennis, production numbers, card games. Aerobics, jogging, swimming. Work out at the gym. Get a massage at the spa. Play slot machines at the casino. Hit the golf driving range. Take a dip at the Jacuzzi. Shop at the souvenir store. Join teambuilding exercises.


And the food, heaps of glorious food all there for the taking. Chinese sit-down at Dynasty, international buffet at Mariners, Asian specialties at Spices, outdoor barbecue at Oceana. Fruits and sweets galore. Coffee and tea all you want…


Alone time? Just a little. When you retire at night and wake up in the morning. And that’s when you contemplate on the comfort that the ship’s stately rooms offer – hot shower, cable TV, hair dryer, toiletries and amenities, spacious closet, safety deposit box, queen-size bed, a sitting room beside the floor-to-ceiling window where you look out at the breathtaking seascape passing before your eyes. It’s a veritable five-star hotel out there on the high seas…


And what of the shore excursion at Xiamen? China’s ‘window city’ allows the sightseer to take a glimpse of what the erstwhile Sleeping Giant is all about. Even as it reeks of progress and prosperity, there is no mistaking the traditions still steeped deep in its pristine environment cloaked in the hum and hustle of its modern incarnation. It will take more than a whirlwind stop to fully appreciate its evident charms and explore its ancient history. Like its motherland, Xiamen is an enigma waiting to be unraveled.

HAPPINESS IS...

Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul. - Democritus


HAPPINESS IS…

… A glass of milk and a jar of cookies. And a good book to nuzzle in a comfy chair on a rainy day. What better way to appreciate bed weather than be safely ensconced in one’s own comfort zone with no worries in the world other than what is at arm’s length…the last cookie in the cookie jar.


… A rendezvous at the spa. Getting a foot scrub, a therapeutic massage, an earth facial. Hanging back at the sauna room, lingering at the tub, thoroughly pampering the body and relaxing the mind. Indulging in a little extravagance, giving in to a few spontaneous cravings, freeing the wits from the excruciating grind of day after day.


… A celebration. Cold cuts and warm hugs. Wolf Blass and Misty crooning. Sweet thoughts and animated chats. Laughter, bubbly and sparkling. Blowing candles and sounding trumpets amid people who mean the world. Raising toasts and drinking to fond wishes. Feeling brand new all over again.


… A warm and fuzzy feeling. A hug, a snuggle, a caress. The giddy flush of a budding romance creeping into our being. Sweet nothings that bring a tingle in the spine, tender mercies that make the senses run wild.


… A joy ride. A spin around on a carousel or the Ferris wheel. A cruise on a river boat or a lake canoe. A run across town on a bicycle pedaling your heart away or piggy-backing on a motorbike. A drive along the countryside, taking in all the specks of green and just letting your hair fly with the wind. The joy is indeed in the ride.


… A makeover. A new hairdo, a new wardrobe, a new strut, a new attitude. Or a nose job, perhaps; an implant where it matters, a slight stretching of some facial muscles (botox, anyone?), a nip here, a tuck there – to boost one’s self-confidence and stoke the ego a little. Move over, old warts, here comes the new and improved neighborhood hottie!


… A bowl of hot chicken broth. To drive away the bug of affliction. A dose of gentle loving care from people near and dear. Bundling up in their safe, affectionate embrace. Holding on to the promise of better things to come.


… A surprise. A pat in the back for a job well done. A favor from a friend. A smile from a stranger. A compliment from someone we’ve only just met. A card from out of the blue. A poem written specially for you.



HAPPINESS IS…


… Looking at old photographs. Reliving the little moments of times gone by captured in living color or in foggy black and white. Scanning albums filled with cheerful faces and familiar places in all their glossy splendor. Summoning wistful thoughts and dormant memories, evoking fragments of time and space that will never come again.


… Holding the hand of a child. To make them feel safe when they’re learning to make the first stride. To make them feel protected when they start to venture into the world outside – kindergarten school, Sunday church, the park, the mall, the circus, the house next door. When they decide to walk the walk, talk the talk, make the break, go for broke.


… Wiggling into an old pair of jeans. And finding out that it still fits. Ha! Doesn’t it pay to eat a little and exercise a lot?


… Breaking a sweat. Taking the time to stretch the limbs and flex the muscles, to limber up and pump adrenaline. Burning the dance floor to the beat of rhythmic music till the knees give in. Walking a mile in rubber-soled shoes, briskly or leisurely, till the heart beats a little faster and the temple throbs a little friskier.


… Walking barefoot. On the seashore, on the grass, on the pavement, around the house. Touching the ground, rubbing calloused feet on solid earth, feeling cold stone or warm sand, treading on damp lawn or soft rug, just gliding along with a song and a smile in the heart.


… Catching up on house chores. Fixing the closet, rearranging the furniture, changing the sheets, wiping soil off table tops, sweeping away the cobwebs that have been lingering in the fringes of our nearly moldy existence. Spring cleaning doesn’t have to wait for the next winter.


… Catching up on our reading. Devouring tomes that have been lying unopened for years gathering dust in the bookshelves. Paperbacks yellowed with time, pages brittled by indifference. Atlas Shrugged, East of Eden, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, Love In The Time Of Cholera, The Book of Job…


… Learning a new skill. In the kitchen concocting something other than fried stuff – baking a cake, whipping up the ideal pasta, inventing dishes yummy enough to show off. Or a hobby both relaxing and productive – doing the cross-stitch, surfing the Internet, taking up photography, playing a musical instrument, writing the movie in our mind.


… Finding a friend. Meeting new acquaintances and reconnecting with old ones. Basking in the excitement of getting to know someone, roosting in the affection of old but not wasted pals, rekindling flames of long ago. The gift of friendship is precious and few like seconds shared to last through intertwined lifetimes. Sure beats staring at the clouds in your coffee all day...


… Finding what you’ve been looking for. A lost piece from the glory days, priceless no doubt because of the sentiment attached to it. A thing of value that we’ve always wanted to have but couldn’t, for one reason or another. A part of our lives that’s been missing, perhaps made nonexistent by choice but more probably by circumstance, traveling the distance but not really knowing which way to go and what we are actually in search of. A material possession, an object of desire, a purpose in life? One best friend, one perfect moment, one true love to last a lifetime?