The Virgin Big Walk - 10km

(met at punggol CC for gathering at about 6.30am, then set off to national stadium.) On the bus, this girl who later on I realize was working at punggol CC, started chatting animatedly with me. Turns out she graduated from NUS FASS as well, but about 4/5 years ago. Also turns out the system as changed a lot since then. Also, she works in the stats board or something.

And then we reached national stadium, but not before the bus driver our bus was following took the wrong route and our bus driver commented that later we arrive later than the MP. *grin* Get it?

How do I put it in words? So many things to see.

We were late and so didn't witness the starting of the walk. Don't know if got that kind of pistol (is it called that?) or got flag or what leh. So wanted to see, but turned out didn't. Anyway there were a lot of people - My number tag was in the 50,000 range, so don't think I would have witnessed the starting anyway. Just kind of joined in the walking. Hell, we weren't even sure if we WERE in the route already or that it's started. We just followed the crowd. *waves hand around a bit*

A while later...
Brother asked, "Is this the walk?" or was it, "Where are we going?" Doesn't matter. We laughed. Then, "Huh! I thought that we were walking to the starting point or something leh!"

(I bought a pair of new running shoes and am very happy with it. Fits me very well. Knee problem still on mind before and throughout the whole walk. Promptly forgot about it the moment walk ended.)

I was wondering how come got people walking in the opposite direction from us. Did they walk 300 metres then decide they were too tired to continue? I'm telling you, there are people chatting at the side of the route, halfway through/nearing the end got people eating etc. I guess it's alright, though. I was smsing halfway through the route also.

Oh, Ah Bear came for the walk too:


After a while he got tired and was promptly stuffed into my father's bag where he took a nice long rest.

Sis and me

That's my aunt in the background to my right.


These girls are one of the people who are giving out wristbands that says "It's all about YOUths!" - Service Learning Club. I have 2 on my table now. Don't know take for what also, just took them. Good method of advertising - now more than 50,000 people know about this.

Got dogs somemore!

This is not the only one. Saw at least 5 dogs. One of the dogs was so warm near the end of the walk that the owner was fanning the dog with a cardboard while walking and when I walked past them, I overheard them saying "Maybe we should walk... it's cooler..." Nobody's fanning me.

Anyway after a while I began wondering about something.


Why are they holding hands while walking? Don't they feel warm? Aren't their palms sweaty? I already want to stand far far away from the person next to me (who happens to be my family) with all that heat and they can still hold hands and walk. Maybe their palms don't sweat, or they find it arousing with all that sweat. *shrug*

The girl looks like she's going shopping.

Got people in funny hat:
But I don't see any rice padi around. Maybe I cock-eye.

Fa Lun Gong doing advertisement:

They were playing to the music, hitting their drums. Quite simple rhythm lah. Main point is the big big words on their banner and on their shirts. I couldn't believe it when some people behind me were clapping to the music. I have that absurd look on my face.

I have got nothing to say. While I was taking a picture of this lady:


She gave me a little.. uh, decoration, asking me to visit the website. Say they want to spread it to don't know how many countries. I smiled my frozen smile specially for these people, nodded my frozen nod, handed the uh, thingover to my aunt who stuffed it somewhere (I can't be bothered where) and then decided to walk far far away from them from now on. Didn't even realize what is fa lun gong until she did that and my aunt talked a bit about them then it hit me.
I think I have unwittingly done some advertising for them. If you want, you can go find it out yourself. But they sound scary to me. I'm not interested, sorry.

Certain roads were closed. Anyway we were walking along some road (I'm very bad at roads) when we came to Raffles Boulevard. Suddenly I feel like we are cars because the traffic lights are now meant for us.

Not this traffic light in this case. It's red, but we're still walking. There are traffic police. At the raffles blvd one, when it's red, we stopped and only started walking again when it's green because raffles blvd was not closed. Interesting. Was tempted to do the car motor engine sound and was grinning to myself.

At 4 km, I was already tired and had already drifted away from my family. Was walking up in front of them. I think. Can't remember. Drifted away several times during the walk until don't know which km marking I was way ahead of them. Anyway at 4km, this juggler was blowing his whistle, and then juggled a bit and shouted that we've done only 4km. That's nice. Encouraging. *raise eyebrow* Only. Think that's what he said. Didn't manage to take a picture of him.

Then FINALLY, we turned around! I was so elated, I took a picture of it.

See, there's even a U-turn sign there! =D How apt.

That's the old supreme court. I am very sure by now I was walking alone, which is good but is also boring.

Further down there's this man... I'll let the picture do the talking:


Can't figure out what is it. Don't think it's meant to be anything anyway. It's just there to encourage us. Sorry, can't help referring to it as "it". *grin*
People were taking pictures with him/it and I would have done so too if I were still walking with my family (which I was not) and I don't trust my camera with anybody else.

THEN, got dragon dance on the opposite side of the barrier.

Actually the dragon didn't quite dance. It was really crawling along in the heat and in the long walk. It must be damn tiring for the people to keep holding the poles up (and for the dragon). Wait a minute. Uh, did they load it off like halfway down the route? Can't remember. If they went for the whole route, I've got to take my hat off to them.

Started getting really tired by then. Thought I could feel a cramp coming in my (ironically) right thigh and I was starting to get blisters all along the bottom of my right toes. *shudders* Blister are round and bumpy... Gross. I have something with small dots/round stuff on skin or uniform dots on paper or something. Some do gross me out yet I'm fascinated with them as well. I'm getting goosepimples now. Anyway I got the beginnings of the blisters some way back.

And I finally managed to take a picture of this girl.

Creative. Interesting. That's (something like) the standard shirt we were given. Well, they sure have done something to it. Guess because the shirt was too large to start with, so they cut out part of the sleeves and sewed them onto the sides of the shirt to become pockets where they had drinks placed in.

Was starting to wonder if I'd ever get back to the stadium when we turned into this road with signs and I started grinning to myself again. Remember that we were already nearing the end of the walk.

Take note of the "reduce speed now" sign. Very apt. People tired already, so walking slower, of course reduce speed. Plus we're reaching the end already and somehow the sign is like telling us to reduce speed because we're coming to a stop soon.

Height limit: 3.3m

No, don't think any of us there are any taller than 2m, so luckily, we could all pass by it towards the end point. If not the poor person would keep walking into the bar at the same spot while the rest of us walk by and stare at him. He'd probably be at the same spot when the rest of us have reached the end of the walk too, trying to put a hole in the bar so that he'd be able to walk past. Poor thing. Anyway he doesn't exist, so let's not get too upset over that! =D

Couldn't resist taking a photo of those. Wonder how it must have seemed to the rest. I should mention that along the route there are these little stalls selling drinks for $1. They are doing a roaring business. Now, are these private businesses or hired by The New Paper's The Big Walk committee?


Then finally,

The end is very near

The ending point

The end is (only) the starting. Hehz, sounds so philosophical. People were already getting off the road nearing the end, considering it finished when they haven't even crossed the line. I felt weird walking onwards by myself so I pretended that I was looking for somebody on the pavements while heading steadily towards the end/start. I'm pathetic. Should have just strided on boldly.

I sat on the pavement and waited for the rest to return. Bleh, they didn't walk to the end either. Saddening. Goodie bags, rest, stretch, lucky draw, headed for the bus and then home.
By the way, you wouldn't believe the amount of rubbish on the floor/grass/all around after it's over. It's like the whole place is a rubbish dump. There are tons of plastic cups on the grass when in the middle of it all sits a half-filled rubbish bin. Singaporeans. It is so embarrassing. Couldn't quite believe it was happening and insisted on throwing my rubbish in the bin anyway admist all those others on the floor. But one of my cracker dropped onto the grass and I left it there. Bleh. I'm bad too.

That's the end of my virgin Big Walk.

Not sure if it's Elmo's and Spongebob's virgin Big Walk too, though:


Edit: Knees are ok although they started hurting around the 7th km or so. Not serious, though. Just a slight nagging pain. After a while it went off, so I guess it's quite alright. Even managed to jog a little to the bus. =) Personally it's an achievement to finish walking that 10km without skimping (much) on it. Yesterday was really seriously doubting if I could even get to the starting point because the knee started hurting slightly again and have been so for the past few days. Hopefully I'll be able to do the next Big Walk. And the next. And the next... and the next...