Walk

Yesterday, Avon sponsored the "Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye" walk. It is a 3-kilometer fun walk. No pressures, no competition, just plain walking. The starting point is at Gabriela Silang parking lot (located in Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue,) then it's a straight route from there to Ayala Avenue corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue. From there, one walks all the way to the corner of Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Makati Avenue; and then it's back to the parking lot. 3 kilometers. It should be an easy walk, for a good cause, too!

I woke up early (5:30 AM) since the walk is to commence at 6:30 AM. 5:45, and my celphone rang. Opps! Assembly time is at 5:45 and I'm still home! *heeheehee* It's Sunday morning and it's early, so I was able to get to Makati in 10 minutes.

Having have to park at 6750, I walked to the assembly point. On my way there, I was surprised to see so many people! Wow! People do walk for a cause here in the Philippines! Then, I realized that something's not quite right. A lot of the people headed towards the assembly point were teenagers! Oh, man! P.E. requirement of some universities!

I think that sucks! The point of the walking became moot and academic. I lost interest. I wanted to go home. Somehow, the cause became a joke. Nevertheless, I forged on. I was already there and I might as well go ahead. I found my "sisters" from I Can Serve. There were only 6 of us. Another one probably did not wake up in time. So, there we were, just a handful of people in a sea of 7000 (or so) participants.

The walk finally started around 6:50 AM , with much fanfare and celebrities to kick it off. There was a marching band. Some local showbiz personalities and bigwigs were at the front line, smiling prettily for the presses, holding on to pink balloons. Then, much to my horror and realization of my dread, the balloons were released! Oh! Oh! Oh! Please let me go home! Thinking of how many birds and fishes will be affected by those balloons is enough to make me turn green!

As we stood there in the parking lot, looking for a group to squeeze ourselves in, we talked about having breakfast after the walk. Then someone jokingly suggested that we should just walk directly to the breakfast place. Most of us were hungry by that time, but we said that we should just finish the walk and then have breakfast afterwards.

Too impatient to wait for the right group, we found ourselves walking alongside some people from a local TV network. About 100 meters into the walk, one of the sisters called out to me: "Vangie, let's cross (the street)!" And I did, without really thinking why we should be crossing the street. The sister called out to the rest to cross the street as well. It was then that I realized what's happening: we're ditching the walk!

One of us began protesting that what we're doing is shameful, and that we should really be walking. As if on cue, all of us started to speak, each coming up with an excuse as to why we should be eating breakfast already:

"The kids (one of the sisters brought along her two kids) are already hungry."
"We're too tired." - duh?
"It's C's birthday and if she wants to eat instead of walk, then we should."
"Let's just eat. I'm hungry!"
"Let's eat. N might pass out."
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Guess which line I spoke???

And so, it was a majority decision to just have breakfast. Next year, I think I'll just stay home, or just join the sisters for breakfast. So much for walking.