18 May 2007

So I climbed Mt. Everest last weekend...

I keep seeing headlines that this and that have climbed the tallest mountain and wait... IT'S A WORLD RECORD!!!! Wow, he is the first person of Chinese descent born in the Philippines below the age of thirty who is single and has a kid who, by the way, is a non-smoker, college graduate of a university in Manila and working as a marketing manager for a huge multinational company who ever reached the summit!

Of course, I'm exagerrating.

Or am I?

I believe that the only record that should stands is that Norgay and Hillary did it first - that's it. But now, climbing Everest could be a family weekend excursion. If you have enough money to go to Nepal or Tibet and hire a sherpa and show off your outdoors gear, I see no doubt that you will be able to climb it as well.

"Kulang na lang magtayo sila ng 5-star hotel sa tuktok!" (The only thing missing is that they build a five star hotel at the peak).

I don't know why I felt saying it in Tagalog but I feel there is more impact.

The magic of climbing a mountain is lost on me. Well, maybe it is a personal achievement for the person who actually climbed it but should it be the headline of national newspapers? Are we so desparate for a feel good story that we should invent world records? We are a country so obsessed with being the best in the world for something so obscure that we will try anything, no matter how stupid, just to be recognized (most people kissing, breastfeeding and biggest shoe comes to mind).

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