July 1 - 15, 2017
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Rey Fortaleza - Publisher
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Breaking
Point
Fear of Flying
flying together
once again,
after
four
years, since our last trip to
Manila. There is so much
to say about travelling as a
family, and these moments
are when the best memories
are made with your children.
The flight itself was uneventful,
and the scrumptious snack
of pretzels and drink was not
that exciting, but to be above
the clouds, and identifying
the patches of land under
you was enough to make you
think, “God is such a great
designer! Too bad we human
beings just keep messing it
up!”
Flying didn’t stop on
the airplane, though. Once
you get to California, it’s
hard not to get rid of those
necessary side trips to
Disneyland, Universal Studios
and Knott’s Berry Farm. Of
course, each place offered
many opportunities to “fly”
- Soaring over the World is
one of my personal favourites
at Disneyland, as well as the
Dumbo ride and California
Screamin
at
California
Adventure. Truly the most
dreadful thing in Disneyland
are the horrendous line-ups
that take as much as two
hours, but then again, this is
By Rosette Correa
I have always loved to
travel. My first international
flight was when my sister and
I, together with my Mom, flew
to Iran in 1975, to join my Dad
who was working as a Civil
Engineer with then Brown &
Root. The plane ride to Iran,
as well as the exciting flight
we took in 1979 to escape the
Iranian civil war, is part of the
reasons why I love to travel.
So, whenever there is a
chance to travel via airplane, I
take it. The whole Correa clan
went to California just last
week on a mission to perform
Right Here, Write Now The
Musical in sunny Hayward,
just a few hours away from
San Francisco. Our entire
flight path was an adventure in
itself - flying from Vancouver to
Los Angeles for three hours,
then waiting another three
to catch the domestic flight
to Sacramento. Honestly,
despite the crowded LAX,
and its heightened customs
security, taking off shoes,
and baring your souls to the
security officers, who no-
nonsensically inspect every
nook and cranny of your
luggage, the whole family still
enjoyed the fact that we were
Letter to the Editor
when you catch up with your
kids and friends about life and
their adventures. Universal
Studios offered you flight by
keeping you on the ground,
but giving you the sensation
of flight on Harry Potter’s
broomstick, playing quidditch
and racing away from the
dragons; The Simpsons and
the Minions also offered you
a great way to fly in their
cartoon world, and so did the
Transformers.
But flying was never
better than when I was on the
Ghost Rider, the Xcelerator
and the Supreme Scream
at Knott’s Berry Farm. I was
never a fan of roller coaster
rides, and the first time I
went to Disneyland, I thought
It’s a Small World was a
little adventurous, but my
daughters, twenty-two and
eleven, didn’t think it was such
a big deal to get on the rides,
and so, I shouted, “YOLO!”
(You Only Live Once, for
this who are older than fifty
and have no teenagers in the
house) and braved my way
onto the rides, and lined up
to my unforeseeable future.
As I lined up, I hear screams
and suspended human feet
in the air, and I knew there
was no turning back. Despite
my fear of flying, I survived
the sensation of my bottom
leaving my seat, turning
upside-down, and flying off
the edge of it. After each
flight, I felt good about myself,
but still managed to convince
myself not to try paragliding,
bungee jumping or skydiving.
Maybe when I’m 80.
So,
I
eventually
conquered my fear of flying
simply because I trusted.
First, I trusted myself, because
I love to fly. Second, I trusted
God, knowing He put the right
people to calibrate those rides
to make it safe for everyone.
Third, I trusted my family, who
were all there rooting for me,
knowing I couldn’t have done
this without them. Fourth,
YOLO!
When you trust, and learn
to fly, it’s about getting out of
your comfort zone, and doing
the best you can to make the
situation a truly memorable
one. It’s what makes life
worth living, troubles worth
conquering, and fears set off
flying.
OP-ED
Supporting other in tough times
By John Horgan, Premier Designate, B.C. New Democrats
Supporting each other in
tough times
Like
most
British
Columbians my thoughts have
been with people in Interior
communities who have been
impacted by wildfires over the
last week.
Thousands of people
have been evacuated. Many
people have lost their homes
and everything they had. I’ve
heard too many heartbreaking
stories to count.
But what has shone
through the heartbreak and
the disaster, is the kindness,
generosity and good spirit of
ordinary British Columbians,
who have come together to
support each other in these
tough times.
People from across the
province have reached out to
support those affected by the
wildfires. They have opened
their wallets and their homes.
They have delivered everything
from diapers to dog food
to evacuation centres, and
driven on hot lonely highways
to help people transport their
livestock to safety.
I’ve seen people from
every corner of the province
offering to house people
and their pets. From Fernie
to Abbotsford to Prince
George, people have been
offering temporary homes for
everything from hamsters to
horses, and donations have
flooded in to take care of lost
livestock and pets.
Our emergency services
staff have been working long
days and nights to ensure
that everyone who has been
forced to evacuate is taken
care of. And brave firefighters
from around the province
have been on the ground
fighting to save lives and
communities.
This is the best of British
Columbia. Kindness and
generosity is at the heart of
who we are. If how we act in
times of trouble is a measure
of our character, these
wildfires have shown the
fundamental goodness of the
people of this province.
I know that no matter
what happens in the coming
weeks that we will work
together to support those in
need, because that’s what we
do.
Right now thousands of
people have been forced from
their homes. It may be weeks
before they can return to their
communities, and when they
do they may find they have
lost everything they had.
We need to continue to
support those who have been
evacuated in these difficult
times. My government will
do everything we can to take
care of people affected by the
fires. $100 million has already
been announced, and we
will continue to evaluate the
situation and provide support
as needed.
I hope everyone will also
consider donating to the Red
Cross to help with their efforts
to support British Columbia at
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
this time. Donating is simple,
just text FIRES to 45678 to
donate $10 to the Canadian
Red Cross BC Fires Appeal.
Together, we will get
through these fires, and
together, we will work towards
making our communities
safer for the future.