Feeding into Fads: Nemo in Space

I referenced largely my experience at UW last week to the trip with friends back in 2009, but it wasn't until I stepped foot on the travelator I remembered why this small-arsed aquarium had and always will hold fond memories for me.

If Nemo was space-borne, I'd reckon he'll look a little like this perusing the infinite, glossy galaxy.

Against my better judgement, I had to feed into the fad and jump on the bandwagon on visiting the Underwater World. I speak for all millennials when I say this, but whenever 'Underwater World' pops up in a conversation, a natural "aww, so much childhood memories" response elicits, whether it's verbal or a thought in your head. Whether or not you have any vague memories of your formative years spent with family here, it doesn't matter. It just makes sense.

With any fads that ever struck our sunny island, queueing is an unescapable part of the story. Another paradigm is the cheese tarts that I still haven't got to why and more importantly how it got us all hyped up.

My last trip here was when I was 13, that was a whopping 7 years ago. Then I donned t-shirts and thought cliques were cool. Much have changed in 7 years, but everything in the aquarium stayed the same. With the exception of an insane crowd and tickets priced to match the more innocent times when it opened in 1991.

My inner child simply came through in spirit when I lost my friends 10 minutes in. This is even more apparent when I stepped on the travelator, my first step on it was their first steps off. I assume this excitement was all just me, but I don't think I'll ever lose that childlike sense of wonder when it comes to seeing tens after tens of clownfishes just curiously swimming in sporadic patterns, with an expression as if they're too on a mission to find Nemo.

On the travelator, I got reminded about my odd fascination with sharks when I was younger. How every weekend at my gramps' on lazy afternoons would turn into a session where I pester my mum to draw illustrations of cartoon sharks from this old school sketchbook you won't find anywhere anymore.

But UW aside, it was a trip to the Luge, that car ride thingy that I never got to experience. Oh how much I've missed. Even though our student days are over for now, the perks still remain - a friendly discount. The ride up what I'll describe and call it the open air cablecar was oddly the scariest. I keep having this roller coaster expectation thinking it'll dip the moment we reach the peak, and the fact that we're actually, literally and any other adverb-ly hanging by a [thick] thread.

On top, it was a long, heat-headache inducing wait. Thanks humidity. But when it did came time to Luge down, I had the best time ever. Maybe it was the clear breeze during the quick trip down or the reckless driving I was allowed to do, for those 10 minutes, I forgot the headache and momentarily all troubles. As I attempted to become one with the wheeled device by bending closer to it, the only thing I had in mind was to go faster and do the childish overtaking.