My Pool View

For about two months now, I've been going swimming every other day (more or less) and I have to say that in the fitness aspect I am happily seeing results. Nothing major but I feel healthier and a good swim never fails to clear my head. Another reason why I enjoy my regular swim is I get to see the people in my neighborhood, at least the ones that hang out by the pool. We've never exchanged words but I have observed them probably the same way they have observed me. There is a middle aged German or maybe English lady - anyway, she's Caucasian - who sits by the pool to sun herself, always with a book in hand. She's never been in the pool though, at least during the times I am also in the pool. Then there's a Pakistani or Indian father and son who have hired instructors to give them swimming lessons. There is the old Japanese man who does laps and always towards to end of his swim his grandchildren(?) - two little girls - come join him and frolic in the water. They sometimes come into my lane which on occasion is becomes annoying.

Kids are rarely brought down by the parents as they are usually just with a yaya. Which prompts me to think, if a kid drowns is the yaya capable of jumping into the water to save the child? Granted that the pool is only five feet deep, still one can't help but think of these things. There are some parents though who do clock in some quality time with their tots. Sometimes, I'll catch a mom pushing her child in a stroller. Another mom will accompany her kid as he bikes around the podium.

On one occasion, there was a Korean family who after enjoying the pool gathered under an umbrella table to eat their lunch of kimchi and what not. Those Koreans sure love their Kimchi. I was slightly tempted to ask for some but I desisted. On weekends, Saturdays seem to be the day the Pinoy families come out to play while Sundays are for the foreign contingent of the two buildings. I have it on good authority that the foreign contingent are quite cliquish. Pool politics! The dramz! I love it!

Which brings me to today and to what made me smile. I got to the pool and thankfully there was only one other person in it. I didn't really want to battle for a lane. Beside the pool there were two male teeners. One was playing his PSP and the other was, believe it or not, crumping. It was pretty cool as I've never would have thought I would see something like that being done in real life. You see it in the movies (Step Up, Step Up 2, Step Up 3...) and maybe on the dance floor of Alkemi or Embassy or Ascend during hip hop night. Anyway, I did not want to stare so I did my stretches and dove into the pool to do my thing. The two boys started blaring their music which I didn't mind as it was Maroon 5's If I Never See Your Face Again Remix with Rhianna. It did add dimension to my usually silent swim. Eventually the other swimmer left (turns out he had quite a swimmers body...) and the two boys came into to pool. I'm not too sure if Crumper really planned on swimming but I noticed that he belted his rather large board shorts. Crumper still has to fill out. As I was doing my laps I overheard snatches of conversation regarding a certain Marian or Mariana. When I eventually got out of the pool, I overheard the following exchange while Wierd Al Yankovic's rendition of Avril Lavigne's Complicated now titled Constipated played in the background:

Crumper: She text she was coming
PSP Boy: Cool
Crumper: She's bringing people
PSP Boy: Cool
Crumper: I mean she's going to ask them if they want to come because if they won't then she won't
PSP Boy: Cool
Crumper: I'm afraid to be in the water because she might text and I won't hear it and I won't get to answer right away....

By this time I had already toweled off and was walking away. I would have loved to have stayed longer to hear if Marian or Mariana did text back and make these boys' day or disappoint them. It put a smile on my face remembering how it was being that age. One trying to be "Cool" and the other trying to be just as cool but can't quite help be honest about his feelings. It's nice to be reminded of youth and simple yearnings which at that age can feel quite complicated that it makes one feel rather constipated.