and this...
and also this...
but do you know what happens after the captivating performances are over, the flags been lowered, the olympic flame extinguished and the curtains closed?
We went back inside the Bird's Nest (still refusing to believe it's all over) and caught glimpse of the ones that actually made these games possible and more human...
the VOLUNTEERS.... 1.7 million of them (from the 2 million people who originally applied) which is a staggering number in the history of the games... they are even big enough to fill a country!
You see a sense of pride, honour and joy from the thousands of maintenance guys...
to the formidable Chinese army....
and the student volunteers...
not to mention the Miss Universe-worthy ushers....
the stadium chefs....
and the red guard who is just to eager to kiss a comrade...
to the death-defying performers....
more volunteers....
the extra clean-up committee...
and did I mention more volunteers?
there were bonds made... from Russia to Australia...
and there were even foreign volunteers...
and even one in a wheelchair (kahit di sya mukhang masaya)!
and a lovely Chinese cheerleader who proudly waved the flag I so wanted to see in Beijing...
Of the 1.7 million volunteers in Beijing, 100,000 of them were on the sports venues as "games volunteers". Another 800 were especially chosen as cheerleaders or "ceremony hosts". Another 400 are chosen as "medal hosts" which were trained to present medals, flowers and the like in stiletto heels in hours!
Some 400,000 are stationed around the city in groups as "city volunteers" and have to do a quick crash courses on 5000 years of Chinese history, the subway system, how to get to the nearest Starbucks and even first aid.
The remaining 1 million+ volunteers are stationed across the city as "social volunteers" who are in a lookout for troublemakers, taxis who refuse passengers, illegal peddlers and even just to make sure the traffic flows smoothly...
Never has this amount of people been mobilized in history just to make sure that each single guest experiencing their city will have the time of their lives... and we sure did!
So from the bottom of my hung-over heart and my tattered wallet (I truly overshopped and overspent my budget) THANK YOU BEIJING!
More than winning, more than the show, more than countless stories of rise from nothingness to a beaming symbol for victory, I guess the olympics is more so a triumph of the human spirit...
...but enough of the drama. I am now back in Cambodia stealing time blogging while I am suppose to finish a flash movie of which the deadline is tomorrow!
well. dont we miss it.
ReplyDeleteat least you got to watch it in real and recorded it in your memory drive and YOUR memory drive.
as for rei's exhibit, thou shalt not fret.
there will always be time. she will not go away.
unless she burns them all down.
(which pray tell, she won't.)
rsybLove your pics! especially ang last pic. Cool gd ya!
ReplyDeletewow...grabe... i so envy you talaga. i don't care if it's one of the deadly sins! haha! i missed the closing ceremonies. people say it's as extravagant as the opening. hays..asar! grabe pinahanga tlaga ako ng beijing. they have definitely raised the bar to imaginable lengths. at yung mga volunteers. astigg!
ReplyDeletehope you finish that flash movie. you make movies pala. cool!
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thanks for dropping by. grabe nman yung palanca awards! thanks for the compliment. thanks for dropping by.
You were watching the ceremony live at the Bird's Nest! Cool man! Love the photos, something which I have never seen before! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteAt talagang complete uniform pa kuya with matching medal. Sinu naman ang na-blackmail mo to get that? And why is the flag different? naku, looks like you are really caught up in the moment.kkk. Congratulations for making it to Beijing. I am happy for you.
ReplyDeletea tattered wallet vs a million-dollar worth of Beijing memories ? you can always fill that tattered wallet with much more million dollars ! and even so, your memories are not just worth a million dollar ! they're priceless. natch ! ur one lucky guy loven ! mag cheeseburger ka naman ! ( he2, i doubt if you knew about this last line ! )
ReplyDeleteaaarrrgh! kanggit ka
ReplyDeletewinnur! love this post.
ReplyDeleteomg! you have to blog about the story of your jacket!
to rofel - loven doesn't eat cheeseburger because he's vegetarian! che!
@kiks: hey kiks! you're right, I'm glad I was able to make it Beijing even if it means that I eat malunggay for two months to cover for my expenses! Hahaha. Don is planning to go to Beijing for the comme des garcons store!
ReplyDeleteThanks by the way for the great fun with your friends in HK!
@tintin: thanks tin! check out karl's and elaine's friendster photos... they've got a tonload of pics too!
@roneiluke: you're right, beijing raised the bar for almost everything, not just the olympics! thanks, i did finish that flash movie finally!
@eunice: thanks for dropping by!
@salingpusa: hay, i have to beg for the Adidas exhibitor's booth to sell it to me! It was on the mannequin but I told them I will not leave until they sell it to me! Hahaha.
@rofel: sorry,, but i can only offer you vegetarian burgers! hehehe
@leviusque: sama ka sa London 2012!
@don: i will, but we are eagerly awaiting your posts about luang prabang as well!