MrLeoChan Says…

I learned one thing about myself… I hate flying. How was I suppose to make it 12.5 hours when my breaking point was about 4 hours in?! Here are some things that I will remember for the next time… Definitely get an aisle seat. The window seat feels claustrophobic. True, I originally chose this seat since I didn’t want to get bothered on the aisle. I wanted to be the one who controls when I get up from my seat. I see now that the power isn’t so great. Getting up to stretch when I get the chance would be awesome. At the four hour mark, I saw the aisle seat get up so that was my opportunity to get up and walk around.

What have I been doing so far? Let’s see… My iPad is pretty useless in the overhead bin. No worries though, there is no wifi anyways… What a great investment… Someone shoot me. Bit instead, I’ve been enjoying some free movies courtesy of the airlines. Going the distance, takers, and the expendables all helped fill the void. Those movies were definitely waaaay to short. I still have a few to choose from for the rest of the way. Luckily for me, my return trip will have different movies! Can’t wait…

The first meal wasn’t too bad. Pot roast with veggies an mashed potatoes. I skipped on the cheese and crackers, for obvious lactose reasons. The side salad had two pieces of mystery meat. Smelled like fish but tasted like ham. I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt me. Finally a square of chocolate cake. The perfect ending to a decent offering.

I took a picture of where we are approximately 7 hours in. Time is ticking by so sloooow. I wish I could sleep. Maybe some Dramamine would be good right now. It seems that i’ve developed a small headache. From the altitude? Motion sickness? Who knows. But definitely some sleep would be good… The seats… Decent leg room but my ADD doesn’t help.

An awkward nap later, I’m still staring 5 hours left in the face. I need to score some Ambien!

Eat Love Pray later, I’m 10hours15 mins stuck on this plane. We’re almost flying over Japan. 2hrs30 mins to go…

Dinner time! I get the Chicken Pasta. It was alright… Definitely not photo worthy. What was a plus was dessert… A Hershey’s bar! Starting Step Up 3 now to kill another 2 hours.

FINALLY LEO HAS ARRIVED IN SEOUL! The airport is empty!! What the heck? Its a Tuesday at 7pm and its like a ghost town in here. Immigration. Easy breezy. Baggage Claim. Super simple. Now I have to wait for the rest of the party to arrive… Tick… Tick… Tick…

My brother in law wanted to name his first born, Destiny Danger Lund. What an awesome name. Guys will get the privilege to say, “I have a date with Destiny.” She herself can say, “Danger is my middle name!” But alas, Alexis Taylor Lund was the perfect choice.

About a week ago, I was super excited about my vacation to South Korea. 10 days chock full of stuffing my face and snapping pictures till my camera breaks. Oh and don’t forget the people watching… And then the whole unfortunate incident of the bombing of Yeonpyeong Island took place, which lead to the unsettling feeling of… What if… Or better yet… What next? Being the naive person I am, I brushed off the thought of danger. I mean… I’m invincible… Right? At work, I was telling people I was heading off to Korea to fight the war to make light of current events. Everyone expressed concerns, but none of them really sank in. It wasn’t until the day I was flying out to SFO, when I started feeling that feeling… People wanted me to stop by to say goodbye before I left. Hugs were exchanged and well wishes were given. I mean, when I flew to Hawaii for vacation, no one asked for me to stop by to give me a goodbye hug… Why now? Oh yeah… North Korea.

For the past few days, all I could think about was the potential danger in South Korea. The military exercises with the US Navy. The “threat” felt by North Korea. I was glued to the news and their websites. Seriously… Couldn’t North Korea wait about two weeks to stir up trouble? Really? After a back and forth tug of war in my mind, I decided it was a go. Of course, I am a little scared. Scared of the unknown. Scared of the potential threat in the hostile region. But, whats life without risks?

“If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances.”

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”

“‘What’ and ‘if’ two words as nonthreatening as words come. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: ‘What if?’…”

Two days before I was scheduled to take off, I was still about 80/20 about going. I was eating breakfast with my mom and I was expecting a barrage of words telling me to reconsider my trip. Did it happen? Nope. Interesting… My sister and I were running an errand and she seemed to be the concerned one. “Is now the best time to go?” “Its the thought of the unknown thats scary.” I brought up a scarier thought… “Why wasn’t mom concerned?”  ”She probably doesn’t watch the news”, my sister reassured. Haha… Is that a good thing or bad thing?

On the car ride home, I had a chance to talk to my moms… Yes, she was concerned… Concerned that I might get ripped off in Korea or taken advantage of or someone asking me to carry a mysterious package full of drugs in which I would get the death penalty for… But for the current events? She wasn’t that worried. Why? She told me she has been praying for me and will continue to pray for me… That gave her the peace she needed. And coincidentally, that gave me the peace I needed. I mean if I die I die… Harsh but true. I see it like the movie “Final Destination”… If I escape death by not going on the trip, then it will just chase me down and I will probably get killed by a staple or something. Either way, there will be one heck of a party in Heaven for me.

So live life with no regrets. Just get out there and stare danger in the eyes… And do as I would do… Throw rocks at it!