Somewhere between the straits of Singapore and Malacca on a cruise liner filled with wonder and imagination, I took the driver’s seat in the Ironcycle as part of an exclusive test run that shot the adrenaline into my blood.

Sailing on the Disney Adventure last weekend not only made me take the wheel, but drove all dire thoughts of the latest tensions breaking out in the world from my adult ruminations.

On this ship, the child in you is invited to freely bask in the present moment, bereft of disappointments and expectations that make such jarring topics at tables, surrounded by the colors and sounds of a more innocent time. In this place, your jaded self grudgingly discovers there is still much to be thrilled about.

The Ironcycle, dubbed the longest rollercoaster at sea at over 800 feet, is the centerpiece of Marvel Landing, one of seven themed areas unique to the Disney Adventure. This newest ship is the biggest of the DCL fleet, and is the first to homeport in Asia.

Singapore is its base in the region, and on the ship’s christening on 4 March and succeeding preview sailing from 5 to 9 March, our neighbor held up high its cruise and tourism industry to a global audience.

How adept is Singapore at driving the growth of its industries — something that should inspire our politicians to stop being the cause of the delay of our progress. Either that, or they can just speed up that Manila Bay cruise terminal dream pegged at P20 billion.

Much funding is poured by Singapore into beautifully designed spaces and modern infrastructure that inveigle oohs and aahs from visitors long before their first Mickey and Minnie sighting. Even Robert Downey Jr., the irrepressible Tony Stark/Iron Man and soon-to-be Dr. Doom, who is the godfather of Disney Adventure, was impressed.

Returning home after such a high, headlines screaming fuel price hikes was a bitter reality pill. Indeed, Monday evening rush hour was noticeably less congested than usual, perhaps because motorists decided to forgo their usual trips for the day as gas prices had just skyrocketed.

Though this scenario is not as much of a shock as that of another major war breaking out, it is as painful as it can get.

The Philippines, long dependent on the Middle East for oil, is among those most vulnerable to the current tensions stemming from the US-Israel bout with Iran.

The conflict is not de-escalating real soon, and the impact has begun to be felt in our wallets as fuel prices are set to climb even higher. Pump prices could hit the P80-per-liter mark even as the government prohibits “unscheduled adjustments or charging rates above the established ranges.”

President Bongbong Marcos assures us there are enough reserves to last us up to 60 days, but long as those weeks may seem, there is the sense of unpreparedness in how the government is only now looking to diversify its oil sources.

As of this writing, the Department of Energy reports that “the national inventory stands at: diesel, 50.5 days; gasoline, 51.5 days; kerosene, 67.5 days; jet fuel, 58 days; and LPG, 29 days.”

To conserve energy, citizens are being urged to cut down on the use of air conditioning (to lower consumption, set no lower than 24 degrees) and gasoline. It is deemed wiser to limit road travel as well.

Then again, so what if the pandemic gave the country a chance to learn effective ways to adopt flexible work arrangements? It could take awhile to make adjustments no matter how necessary and practical, and before decisions are made to ease fuel demand as politicians spend ages debating each other.

Talk about getting trapped in never-ending present moments! If we can still imagine other (better) realities, we still have hope of lifting off from the grip of despair we always find ourselves in.

I turned the throttle before the Ironcycle’s second turn, screaming into the wind, the vast sea some 30 meters below me. I imagined soaring, with superpowers of my own, and wished for a world where goodness wins and wonders never cease.