Go Fish

It was a sudden cast of shadows over a cloudless sky when I first found out about our company’s vacation policy revision. This change revokes employee’s right to carry over the unused vacation days to the following year. I was extremely frustrated because it was such a short notice that there were only a few weeks left before this policy took its effect.

Melissa, my best female friend in town, is a regional sales manager as well as a road worrier with a flexible work schedule. She has accumulated 4-week of vacation after working loyally for a giant greeting card company for 20 years. We have been contemplating on a visit to Atlanta ever since we met yet we never managed to find the opportunity. With the extra vacation hours on hand to consume, I immediately thought of Melissa and she gladly accepted my last minute invitation. Lucky me!

Departing on Sunday, April 13, we cruised leisurely along I-85 across NC, SC, and GA with multiple coffee breaks and shopping sprees at the outlet malls. It took us 7 hours, which was 3 hours longer than the normal travel time, to arrive at our final destination. The famous Georgia Aquarium located in downtown Atlanta was our main agenda during this visit. We toured this colossal gallery filled with six million gallons of saltwater in one short day.

No sense to wait for that expensive scuba diving trip to the Caribbean because you could duplicate that visual effect right here in a 100-foot-long underwater tunnel. There was also an interactive exhibition, which enabled us to "pet" several sea creatures including Horseshoe Crab, Sea Stars, even baby Stingrays and Sharks while they were in motion. Have you seen Moon Jellyfish? Do you know how enormous the Goliath Groupers are? If any of your answer to the above questions are no, then you might want to add this aquarium to your “100 Places to Go Before You Die” list. The miracle of God’s creation is truly beyond comprehension. So let’s “Go Fish” and let the ravishing aquatic species captivate and mesmerize you!

Universal Studio Adventure in Orlando

WenJen is my best friend from college. This is her biography in a nutshell. She used to work for a world trade organization in Taiwan for many years. She resigned from her glorious “frequent-flier” job in Taipei to complete a life dream of studying overseas. She left her young toddler and husband behind and relocated to the US to pursue a MBA degree at the University of Maryland.

WenJen daringly agreed to tag along on a 1200-mile road trip with us during her spring break. So this crazy idea must have been the desperation of “abandoning” the family plus the stress built up from a busy semester at this top 10 business school. Our friendship survived gracefully after six days and five nights of long hours together. It turned out that WenJen was one of the most easygoing "third wheels" we ever had. She is an omnivorous eater, sound sleeper, yet not a party-pooper! We just love having her around!

We kicked off our Florida journey at sunny Daytona Beach. Arriving at Universal Studios, the interactive fireworks, amazing 3D movies, the horrifying roller coaster rides, and the whitewater rafting splash kept our momentum alive for three full days. The virtuoso performance of the dual piano at the City Walk adjacent to the theme park was the most perfect way to wind down one of our thrilling yet exhausting days.

My high school friend, Tammy, and her hubby, Alvis drove up from West Palm Beach just to meet us for supper in Orlando. It was a 170-mile dinner date for these parents-to-be! I still cannot forget the juicy succulent Bulgogi (Korean style BBQ) that we ordered at the restaurant. Catching up with old friends while indulging ourselves with authentic delights from the Far East was indeed the highlight of our trip. What a fulfilling vacation it was!