wet and white

i've always enjoyed walking. it not only shakes the fat cells off of me, it also clears my head. i love the feel of the wind (or dust, for that matter) in my face. relaxing.

walking towards the tryke station this morning, i saw an unattended kakanin (native delicacies) stall on wheels parked in front of the police station. looking to my far left, i saw it's owner. he was taking a leak. as i neared his stall, he smiled and and said, "miss, kalamay (rice cake)?"

uhm... thank you very much, but no. i would rather not.

when i got off at the corner of the street adjacent to the office, i saw a dog sitting beside a cat, obviously sunning themselves. i smiled and said aloud, "you... you're friends with that cat?"

i see a lot of things when i am using my feet. things that usually goes unnoticed when i'm riding in a car. for fun, i have walked from avenida to taft avenue. but the longest distance i have covered is walking from sangandaan (in caloocan) to sta. ana (manila). in the rain... in my white uniform... wading through flood waters that reached up to my thighs.

i was a PT student then. classes had been suspended at around 11:30 am (right after my last subject) due to a typhoon. i had no idea that public transport disappears around that area when floodwaters rise. i decided to walk. most of the commuters were walking, too. we looked like we're in a procession.

when i reached blumentritt my shoes were already drenched and heavy so i bought a pair of rubber slippers. i stopped every now and then and marveled at the variety of things that were spread out for sale along the sidewalks. the array of native lechon (roasted pig) skewered by bamboos, vegetables, fruits, kitchen tools, plastic wares, toys, handicrafts... i even saw items i could not find in supermarkets or mall stores.

getting to united nations avenue, i was surprised to see that we do have baobab trees. lined along the street were about three or four of them. not as tall or as big as the ones i saw on the net, but lovely anyway. from blumentritt to taft avenue, i strolled under the LRT trail, smiling at other students who were as soaked as i was.

when i reached home, my sore feet had open blisters all over. it took me about three days before i could wear shoes again, but it was fun.