Memoirs of an Amnesiac

The year 2013 has been my most traveled year. Since I got my camera last year, I find myself venturing to places I fancied could provide me great opportunities to shoot. I have also been blessed with travel buddies who, like me, have more vagabond spirits than money. One of my favorites are seascapes. I love looking at clouds and horizons. They somehow project tranquility and balance.

The irony of it all is that I don't even know how to swim yet most of my travels included riding on ships that either travel for 1 to 12 hours. With this bit of aberration (if I may aptly call it), I have developed my own set of worry-free tips solely intended for well-traveled-but-couldn't-swim people like me.

1. Once seated in the ship, remember to locate first and foremost the life vests. Life vests are indispensable contraptions for all those holding-on-to-dear life moments. And because like me, you never really bothered to enroll in swimming lessons (having come up with one million reasons not to, one is that you're busy), you know how a life vest feels on your body. My guess is that you also know how to put it on.

2. It is best that you befriend any of the ship's crew. The premise is that they all know how to swim. You'll never know when your charm works to save your life one day.

3. Remember your lessons in Physics class. I must admit to sleeping during Physics class in high school that I only remembered a fraction of the lessons. But I do remember some lessons that I think would come in handy when the need arises. Momentum. Free fall. Newton's Laws of Motion. Gravity. Yada, yada. Don't expect me to explain each. Like I told you, I only dreamt about them in Physics class.

4. Don't bring too much valuables. This I've come to really reflect on when, (during times when all I see are just seas), worse comes to worst, I may have to let go of precious gadgets that I just recently acquired and that I would not have to really cry over their loss. Leave the others home. Besides, the sand and the breeze from the sea could destroy the mechanism inside them (so I read).

5. Always know who among your companions know how to swim. The chances of you experiencing an accident may be less but knowing that one of your companions actually knows how to swim somehow eases the anxiety of traveling at sea.

6. Enjoy the view. Every experience at sea is priceless. There are many things one could really look forward to while battling with the long hours of travel at sea. One is actually looking at God's masterpiece, something that we ordinarily neglect and ignore on a normal working day. While you're at it, don't forget to capture some selfies to really emphasize the whole adventure.

Whoever said that the only way to discover news oceans is to lose sight of the shore may have been darn well right.

I'm not even sure whether he knows how to swim...