Walk Like A Man

Every Monday to Friday after parking at basement 2, I walk up two flights of stairs to the ground floor where I punch in. (Actually we have a finger-scan unit instead of a bundy-clock, so would “finger in” be a more appropriate term?) Then I take the elevator to the 14th floor gym for my morning workout.

Yesterday all 12 elevators were shut down. Yes, twelve of them all at the same time. Seems at around 6a.m. the fire sprinklers on the 16th floor went off by accident, causing an electrical short-circuit that stalled all the cars.

So yesterday morning I saw all these early morning working stiffs taking the stairs. The lucky ones only had to climb three or four floors; the call center kids had to climb five floors. The unlucky ones on the fifteenth floor include our company president and our CEO. Their so-called ivory tower became a tower of torture for them. There is justice in the world.

There are two gyms in our building. On the fifth floor is Fitness First while on the fourteenth is Fitness Advantage; yesterday we fellow clients dubbed it Fitness Disadvantage. By the time I arrived at the gym I had climbed a total of sixteen floors non-stop and on a steady pace. I overtook everyone who had gone ahead of me; most would stop at a landing to catch their breath. I broke out in a light sweat and I was breathing heavily, but I wasn’t panting so hard. Still, I decided that’ll be my cardio for the day.

The elevators were still not working by the time I finished my work out. So I walk another sixteen floors, but this time going down. On my way down I met several managers on their way to work; they can afford to be that late. One of them was shouting at the top of his voice, “Putang ina! Leche!” but of course he had no choice but climb—all the way to the 15th floor. Mwhahahahahaha!

Most people don’t really like walking much. There are many restaurants near my place of work; most of my officemates would insist on bringing a car or taking a taxi. I prefer to walk. It’s a habit I developed when I started working at the Cultural Center of the Philippines; I would walk one block from the jeepney route to the CCP complex. Working in Makati also forced me to walk. It’s so difficult to find parking that the moment you arrive there you park and leave your car in one place until it’s time to go home.

Most people would also prefer to take the elevator rather than walk up or down a flight of stairs, even if it’s just for one floor. (That’s one of my biggest pet peeves, in fact.) Yesterday all those one-floor-elevator-riders had their major comeuppance.

*evil laughter*
Mwha-mwha-mwHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
*thunder*

(This morning five out of twelve elevators were working. There were long lines as the five tried to cope with the volume of employees, gym members and call-boys and call-girls. This time I didn’t take the stairs. Nakakapagod noh?!)