I hate to compare. But at the same time, I can’t help but compare.

Between Melbourne’s Sea Life and Cebu’s Ocean Park, the tameness of Sea Life doesn’t hold a candle to the vibrancy of the aquatic exhibitions at Ocean Park. Sure, the latter didn’t have penguins waddling about in an icy enclosure but it’s not like you go to a tropical country looking for a polar bear. You know what I mean?

The sea dicks cucumbers and the starfishes, they didn’t really faze me. Those things you can find easily on the beaches for free. But if there’s one thing that never fails to impress my immunized senses when it comes to aquatic parks, hands down, it would have to be the jellyfishes.

Especially those whose tanks are lit with LED lights. The way they dance lazily in the water like they got nothing else better to do; changing colours and patterns as they go. It’s fascinating and hypnotising at the same time. I could sit there and watch them for ages. Marvel at their grace and beauty and contemplate about whoever thought of making them glow artificially in the dark must have been one genius mutherfucker.

I guess given the right light, we can all be brilliant jellyfishes dancing in the dark.

Unless you’re a sea cucumber. Then you’ll always look like a dick in a disco.

Filipinos, man. I swear to God, I’m not even joking. As soon as we see fish, we literally see food! I lost track of the number of times I heard other visitors exclaim about how yummy those fishes looked in their tanks and the variety of ways they would like to cook them. They 100% would if they could. They were serious, alright!

I know, because we were pretty much on the same wavelength. Vibing for our love of fish.

*Raven at 9 years old