The Cheesecake Writer: February 2012

A Love-Filled Week

5:20 PM

Who said couples are the only ones happy on Valentine’s Day? Without any date or flowers, I had the best Valentine’s Day ever. And yes, I’m still single.

I did go through a phase when I had difficulty embracing singleness. What even struck me harder was when my younger sister entered into a relationship! You don’t how HARD that was on me. It mounted the pressure on me that I should be in a relationship REALLY REALLY SOON. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine myself NOT getting married. Ever since I was a little girl, I already dreamed of getting married and having children. I don’t know why I couldn’t embrace singleness so easily like others do. I just couldn’t.

Valentine’s Day was definitely different. Although that part of me still remained, I was happy to celebrate Valentine’s from a different perspective. It didn’t last only for a day, but for a WEEK.

It first happened last Sunday as I was on my way home from church. I stopped walking at the sight of flowers that were carried out of a delivery truck. There was a flower shop nearby and they were restocking roses in time for Valentine’s Day. My jaw dropped at the beauty of the flowers. They came in different colors. They made the shop look like it was some colorful painting! I couldn’t help take a picture of one bunch:

The 14th happened to fall on a Tuesday, the beginning of classes for the whole week. As expected, I saw a lot of couples holding hands or a persistent suitor delivering balloons, roses and chocolates to someone he loves. It was also College Week and campaign period for the Student Council Elections in the campus, so you could imagine how everyone was so busy.

Valentine’s Day was actually a night for me. Instead of going to the College of Arts and Communication to celebrate the opening of College Week, I attended the College of Science’s Valentine’s Concert. My roommate invited me before I had known that there will be a similar event in my own college. Though the concert was entitled “Love Hertz”, the only thing that hurt was my throat and stomach. Foreign to another college, I couldn’t stop cheering and laughing at the variety performances by the professors of the College of Science.

The next two days were about my favorite Korean Pop group, U-KISS. I wouldn’t elaborate on what happened for those days, but I would like to share to you their recent released music videos:

[PV] U-KISS - Forbidden Love

[PV] U-KISS - A Shared Dream

Friday came and the love just continued. It wasn’t flowers nor chocolates, but an original H&M dress at an incredibly low bargain price. Even though I bought it on my own, I believe it was God’s gift to me. My Valentine’s wasn’t about giving or receiving love from a lover, but I believe it is being filled with the love of the Father.

For the whole week, He just showered me with love and laughter. It came in different forms – through people, events, and even in material things. He loves us more than anyone could ever do. All we have to do is to love Him first and above all things. Although I look forward to spend a different Valentine’s Day with someone who will love me back, for now, I will just dwell in the amazing and overwhelming love of the Father.

dupb

Drowned

5:03 PM

In celebration of College Week at the University of the Philippines Baguio, the College of Arts and Communication and the Dulaang UP Baguio (DUPB) presented “Ang Pinakamakisig sa mga Nalunod sa Buong Daigdig”, a play adapted by Teresa Lorena Jopson. The story is based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”, which was originally written in Spanish. It follows the life of a village in a quiet, secluded island. One night, a corpse floated ashore. The villagers were stunned at his appearance for they have never seen anyone like him. He was the handsomest drowned man in the world.

It was only through the play that I’ve learned that there was a Filipino adaptation. Contrary to the original, Jopson breathed life into the individuality of the villagers. Reactions did not only come from the oldest (Ang Lola) and the youngest (Ang Haliparot), but also from a hypocrite (Ang Ipokrita) and A-Pregnant-Woman-Who-Doesn’t-Have-A-Husband (Ang Buntis). Captivated by his beauty, they fantasized him in their own ways. They were tired of their men in their village, so the drowned man breathed new life into them.

Before watching the play, I already had a feeling that I had read the English translation in the past. I was right – the story was discussed in a class back when I was in my second year in college. I still had the readings with me – highlighted text and everything. At the end of the story, I wrote:

“Could this story reflect the behavior of Filipinos in welcoming a foreigner with “captivating beauty”? [That] because of its “captivating beauty”, we get influenced by it? [Well,] ever since the foreigner arrived, they built wider doors, higher ceilings and stronger floors.”

“Ang Pinakamakisig sa mga Nalunod sa Buong Daigdig” wasn’t really about a drowned man washed ashore. It was about the welcoming attitude of Filipinos towards something foreign. We are recognized by our hospitality. We prepare our finest linens, our most beautiful utensils, and the most sumptuous meal to visitors, most especially to foreigners.

However, we can also be TOO welcoming. Like the four women of the island, we create fantasies in our heads – emulating something or someone foreign as if they are gods. Sometimes, we are no different from the four women. They immediately praised him based on the drowned man’s good looks. Clouded with “what is foreign is better”, we lose our judgment and continuously accept and accept.

The culture of acceptance is present in both the original and the Filipino adaptation. What is unique about the Filipino adaptation is its focus on the women. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because Teresa Lorena Jopson was a woman, but I think it’s because women are the perfect representations of culture. If the men discovered the dead man earlier, they wouldn’t even bother preparing a proper burial for him. The women, however, baffled over the dead man, cleaned him up, and offered him their most valuable possessions.

Ang Haliparot, Ang Buntis, Ang Ipokrita at Ang Lola – they all have names, but they were remembered as such. And this is the same to many other women. But rather than looking into their reputation, these four characters represent the hidden hopes and desires of women.

The Haliparot is both beautiful and cunning. She had an affair with every man in the village, including the Kapitan, the husband of the Ipokrita. Yet in spite of her whirlwind romances, she still can’t find love. She wanted to leave the island in search of her soulmate. But when she saw the handsomest drowned man, she finds hope that there must be someone in the island who is her soulmate to whom she can commit and love loyally.

Whispers and gossip surround the Buntis. “A pregnant woman but without a husband? What a shame.” She had a husband indeed but he hasn’t come back from his fishing trip. Day and night she waited but still, no sign of his return. At the sight of the drowned man, she realized that her waiting must come to an end. Her husband will never come back, and the child will grow up fatherless. But she could still give her child a happy and complete life. She will act as both a mother and a father.

The Ipokrita lives in the illusion of self-righteousness. She is religious by day, but scornful at night. She wasn’t a hypocrite for no reason. She wants to hide her imperfect relationship with her husband. For him, she was worthless. Although having committed adultery in her heart, she decided to turn over a new leaf and stop her hypocrisy, especially against the Haliparot and the Buntis.

All of Lola’s friends had died before her. She had witnessed many stories of love and of life unfold. She was blessed to see the handsome drown man. And as she counts down her days until her death, she wished to see the village anew with the spirit of Steve, the handsome drowned man.

The Haliparot embodies every woman’s longingness for true love and adventure. In contrast, the Buntis represents a woman’s loyalty and patience for her lover’s return. However, she has reached her limit and decided to carry full responsibility over her child alone. There is an Ipokrita in all of us. She comes out as a defense against our flaws and our weaknesses. She lives a sad married life – her reason to commit adultery. And the Lola is our fear of old age and loneliness.

As women, we all have drowned. We have wallowed in deep waters of quiet fear, unfulfilled hopes, and hidden desires. No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t reach the surface. But as soon as the waters have calmed, we reach out for one last time to breath. We get out and will try to not go back to those deep waters again. We had enough of drowning.

A Love-Filled Week

Drowned

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