The Artist's Walk

As we are about to leave the hospital this morning with my co-interns, I walked the opposite direction as I wave my hand goodbye. I had in my mind to pass through the hallway at IM wards that leads to the hospital's main entrance which faces Taft Avenue. One of them noticed my unusual route and suggested to walk with him instead to the usual route we normally take, the one passing through ER and OBAS emerging to UP-College of Medicine building and then to Pedro Gil street. As we go along...

A: O, sa'n ka pupunta? Ba't dun ka dadaan?

Me: Wala lang, para naman maiba yung route ko. 

A: Nag-transfer ka ba ng bahay? Ba't sa Taft ka dadaan?

Me: Same place pa rin naman ako. Sa Taft kaya front ng building namin kaya okay lang din ako dun dumaan.

A: E mas mapapalayo ka pa dun....tingnan mo, kung dito dadaan..blah blah blah... (and we talked about energy expenditure and the distance and so on and so forth.)

Alam mo, artist ka nga.

Me: Ha? Hindi ah.

A: Artist ka. Mi tawag jan eh. ARTIST'S WALK. Yung mga artists daw, ginagawa nila yan. 

Me: Ang alin?

A: Yang ginagawa mo. Naglalakad. nag-iiba ng ruta. Wala lang. Para mag-reflect or something. 

Me: Arte lang ako, hindi artist!! Hahaha! Sandali, ba't mo alam yung mga ganyan?

A: E, artist ako eh.

Me: Kapal mo! Self-proclaimed artist ka! Well, photographer ka nga naman. Sige na nga, artist ka na nga.

A: Seryoso. Artist's Walk tawag dun. :)

He's not wrong about the love for walking I have in my system. It is something that I have developed along the years out of necessity (haha, MSUans can relate!). There is a sense of contentment and mirth I get from walking. It's like an astral projection that allows my mind to wander as I take every single step. I plan in details what I will do for the day as I walk towards my destination. I get a clear picture of my expectations and how I will overcome the obstacles I am half-expecting. 

But me being an artist? That's quite debatable. Haha! I never drawn a perfect picture way back kindergarten. I never perfected Home Economics artsy projects. I used to ask my gradeschool classmates to sketch a pretty gown or dress for my paper doll. My Humanities I painting project was so bland and boring considering it was just a simple apple to paint!!!  Do I need to emphasize how much of a failure I am in that department? 

I'm no artist but I am a HUGE fan of artists and their works. I love arts and the sense of nostalgia or wistfulness that it brings. I have artist friends and I admire them for their God-given talent which I unfortunately lack. :)