Gnawing Portrait

My first visit to the National Museum was supposed to educate me about the atrocities committed by the Spaniard towards the Philippines. The visit was required by one of my subjects in college. As I visually rummaged through the various paintings, it was not the historical Spolarium that caught my eye, it was a simple painting of an infant.

As I looked closely at the painting, the sleeping infant, who looks to be 2 to 3 months old, slumbers so innocently wearing his baptismal gown. The painting captured the delicate smile and fan of the infant’s eyebrows on his cheeks as he sleeps. Looking at it, it made me sigh at how lovely the picture was. Too bad that during that time there were no digital cameras or even cellphone cameras I can use to capture the image. Interested and intrigued, I looked at the description.

There was a story to the picture, a sad one. The painter was a father who has lost a child. Gazing upon it, I felt the father’s pain. To encapsulate every detail of a child he only had a few months to hold in the painting is so moving that even after hundreds of years it still had that power to touch hearts.

It was 1998 when I saw that painting for the first time. Year 2014, I embarked to recapture my interest in the arts by going to the National Museum again. The old building was different, and the painting was no longer in its original place. I asked a museum staff stationed at the lobby if they have seen a painting of a dead baby, and he pointed me to the newly renovated gallery. There it was, on display with a big wall all his own, is the sleeping infant that captured my heart.

Just by looking at the painting, I wouldn’t have known it that time that the baby already passed away were it not for the signage just below the portrait. Maybe that is the reason why the image is so alive; to make us feel that even in death, the love we have for our dearly departed will never leave us and will continue to inspire us to live our lives.     

A Wife's New Year Resolution

It may seem odd to write a resolution weeks after New Years and even days after Valentines. But in the few months into marriage I realized that every day is a New Year, a new opportunity to redeem yourself, take back the words you said, and strengthen the love for your significant behalf. 

To stand true to my vows and commitment, here's my 2014 New Year Resolution stated under my new civil status.

1. Powering Up the Redeeming Factor. - I married not only you buy your family too; for this I vow to put importance on your thoughts and opinion rather than fighting for my own. Happiness is achieved not by winning over others but by arriving at a compromise where everybody is happy.

2. Flaring up has its moments but not on our bed. - Patience is indeed a virtue. When the radical voices in my head are clawing their way into my mouth to make you understand a point, I'll endeavor to hear you out calmly and understand your point before my mouth gets ahead of my head.

3. To calmly count to 10 before getting mad at something.- Again, this has something to do with giving way to reason rather than emotion. 

4. Measuring ourselves without the vanities of Facebook statistics. - Facebook statistics should be entertaining not serve as measurement of achievements. That is a point I will always shove into your face even if it annoys you. To always prove that Facebook statuses and status symbol are superficial & should never gauge the happiness of a couple or a family.

5. Filtered honest will be indiscrimately applied. - There will be times that I will hide things from you. But I can assure you that when I do, it will only be trivial, superficial and NEVER on the level of financial or betrayal. Sometimes, a wife just gotta have secrets.

6. 100% effort for 50/50 sharing. - It's for my benefit that we live in a man-dominated society; but just because that could work to my benefit, it doesn't mean that I'm going to take advantage of it. I will endeavor to always be your better half especially during times when you need someone to solve your problems. 

For now I'll end up at 6. . representing the things I've learned this past 2 months that we've been married. I promise to put all these into practical action. The list may go on, but 1 thing is certain; even if the list/number goes up, my promises will intensify. I love you husband. 

Parasite

How does one resist the plea of the one who gave life?

How does one fight the decay that drains the foundations it helped fortify?

When the towers that surround your castle stands tall and proud.

Unbending and unyielding to the cracks that sips through it.

Sometimes life gives you legacies that you never want to inherit.

Obligations are meant to be fulfilled not passed on to those who has nothing to learn from it.

The unwilling heir receives under pain of sacrifice & unhappiness

And those who profess to love him are the very force the drains him.

The claws of embraced filial duty grows strong when responsibility beckons

It’s meant to be shared by those who shares the same blood and last name.

Such concentration of responsibility breeds resentment and ruin.

To those whose honest heart have been abused.

The warmth of a womb is meant to comfort the child’s spirit and soul.

It should never be a shackle that stops your growth.

The cord of filial duty and the ties of blood should not disappoint.

It should never be a parasite that steals your strength and justifies its false righteousness.

Rain Rain Go Away. . .

When people expect raindrops, they expect flooded roads and suspended classes. People are often inconvenienced by rain that whenever raindrops fall we feel exasperated. But not all people are sad and annoyed when the clouds starts its downpour mania.  For street children, flooded roads are public water parks that brings them momentary enjoyment and amusement. These children do not have any concept of dirt or even danger. For them these murky waters are big swimming pools and the jeeps their playmates. They don’t mind the danger of infection and traversing vehicles. For them the rain is a joyous occasion, an escape from the monotonous scene of honks and noise. This is a picture of street children taking a dip in this very dirty water flooding the roads near Manila City Hall. Only children with colourful imagination can truly find beauty in a sticky predicament such as this.  

Shackled Freedom

No doubt you’ve already encountered different kinds of vendors. Some of these people belong to the most resourceful breed in this world. Their resourcefulness is born out of necessity. They have the ability to seize the moment just to make a quick buck for a day’s survival. Shown in the picture is a vendor selling flag because June 12’13 is the Philippine’s Araw ng Kalayaan, or Independence Day. To get into the spirit of nationalism, he sells flags to onlookers and participants of the celebratory event; even he can’t stop himself from being amazed at the band corps musical show. People like these are true testament of the luxury of freedom or even the lack of it. They have the luxury of freedom because they are not bound to pay sales taxes and they get to be mobile when it comes to places where they are going to make a sale; yet they are not free because they are bound by the shackles of poverty. This picture is taken in the grounds of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines during the 115^th Independence Day celebration.

Smoky Silence

We are consumed daily by our need to earn a living. From time to time, our busyness in life is stilled by moments of empathy and sorrow, not for ourselves but towards people around us. I have been living the city life for a long time now; long enough to know that amidst the self-serving declaration by the government of progress, there are just too many people who cannot relate to the same. Whenever we see people who are struggling to earn meagre money just to get by, we consider ourselves lucky. In that moment, we feel grateful for the things that we have and these things are usually the ones that don’t bring us satisfaction (or so we think). Yet, our empathy towards street people does not compel us to reach out and help them. For the most of us, our concern only reaches as far as our mind; no material execution is ever extended. Perhaps, in our little way, we should bring awareness to poverty; enough awareness to reach the right minded people who really have the responsibility to take care of them. 

On my way home, I saw this woman lying in the concrete barrier, presumably taking an afternoon nap. She endures the noise of engines and honking horns. For her, these noises are lullabies drowning out the thoughts of hunger.  As the jeep gets closer, I noticed that inside the blanket, she was hugging her pet dog. In her poverty stricken situation, she finds solace in the comfort of a four-legged friend who will unquestionably be there for her especially during the darkest of night. This photo is taken in the streets of Taft Avenue, Malate. 

Four Legged Love

Who wouldn’t one to come home to excitement and 100% missed you attitude?  Your pet dog can definitely strike that feeling in you.  Truly, dogs are man’s best friend because they never answer back and they tolerate pretty much every silly bone in your body.  But raising a dog is not limited to just feeding it; it should be accompanied by love, respect and monthly vaccinations. For dog lovers, it’s important to know your dog’s behaviour.  Most of the time they’re like children, they need attention. Well, our pets are receptacles of all the different kinds of attention. For their tolerance let’s always reward them with hugs and pats on the head; and of course lots and lots of doggie biscuits.  This is a shot of my favourite companion Tequila, who patiently sleeps at the foot of the bed. My security blanket chasing my nightmares away. Just got to love dogs.