I saw these for the first time at a marathon event last weekend. Of course, I'm not among the runners. Instead of committing to race and climb for the environment, I used my "I'm one of the organizers" hat to excuse myself from participating in the activity. I'd like to think I've done my part in helping put this together in my own little way. I helped make a difference without getting jabar and panting for dear life. 25 flights of stairs? Are you kidding me?! There are things that you can do which I can't do and vise versa. Haha. If I get the determination to be fit enough for a vertical marathon, I'm sure I can do it but why bother if it means giving up the finer things in life? hehe (what a twisted health philosophy)
So what to do when the event is underway and the only thing left to do is wait for the runners to finish their... uhm... running? People-watching. Always a favorite past time.
And here's what I saw. Innovative Pinoys have found a way to come up with more cost-effective blimps. Makes sense. This will work for people who love to people-watch or oggle anyway.
Got me wondering how much these guys make by alternately standing or walking around with a branded balloon strapped on their backs. An innovative twist of making something out of doing nothing. Since these things contain gas, it should be light, right?
I'm sure it's difficult to a certain extent but it's really funny to observe. What if he needs to go to the restroom, does he leave the balloon outside and then wear it again or just wear the balloon inside the toilet? He does his thing standing up facing a urinal anyway. So it's okay.
I assume he's not allowed to walk with his other balloon-carrier friends because the idea is to spread out. It would also look bad if the walking blimp man texted, smoked or ate popcorn while doing this... so what can he do with his free hands? Ah, pick his nose.
And if it gets really windy? Wahahahahaah! My colleagues and I were so amused, we probably spent like half an hour staring at them by the curb where the runners are supposed to pass when they're done, imagining all these scenarios.
Like, really, what goes through their minds? After a few hours of doing this I'm sure they're bored as hell. So yes, don't expect them to be walking around with a smile on their faces. They are not mascots. I think the red blimp man got excited in one instance where a group of girls asked to take a photo with him... until they asked him to kneel and hide behind them so only the balloon is included in the photo.
