Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The Long-Awaited Flyback

Getting a ticket from Manila to Singapore on the weekend during the earlier weeks of January 2007 was a pain in the ass. January 11th? Sorry, fully booked. January 18th? Too late, overbooked. All thanks to those balikbayans going back to wherever country it is they're working in after spending their Christmas holiday in the Philippines (and they all transit in Singapore). For those of you who do not know what a balikbayan is, it's basically Philippino overseas worker. Thus my flyback was postponed twice before finally getting a ticket for January 26th. The good thing was that I was not the only one going back to Jakarta on that January 26th afternoon.

When the day came, we were supposed to leave at 11:30. Even though the flight was at 14:20, some folks warned us to leave earlier. The airport had been packed with balikbayans lately, and this spelled longer line and longer waiting time. However, thanks to a certain workaholic woman, we left a bit later than that. Fuming, I actually had to leave her with a friend because she wouldn't budge. And it was a bit of an ego injury when the car they were riding in caught up with my car. Later, it would prove that it was better that way, because some almost didn't get on the plane (the gate to the plane was closed, and they actually had to force the crew to let them in). If they have left in the car I was in (whose driver was so slow in driving), they might have missed the plane. I was lucky that I already had a work permit. This allowed me to go through the express lane in the immigration section.

Despite the almost-unfortunate incident, we were finally on our way back to Jakarta. The transit in Singapore's Changi was quite short. Unlike my previous flybacks, which was usually on Thursday evenings, this time we went on a Friday afternoon. We didn't have to stay overnight in Changi, which translates to shorter transit time (we only got less than an hour before our connecting flight boarded). Due to the short stop-over, only one of us got the chance to shop, and she only got one bottle of perfume. I didn't mind, as long as I get to arrive in Jakarta sooner. And Jakarta soon loomed ahead.

One thing that I think worth mentioning about the whole trip from Manila to Jakarta is that the landing in Singapore's Changi was very smooth, despite the bad weather. I must say that it was the best landing I've ever experienced. Hats off to the pilot.

Arrived in Jakarta safe and sound. Had to drop off a couple of friends before finally arriving at home sweet home. Gave mom a big hug, and I finally got to meet Lady Fita, the newest addition to our family. She's a very cute puppy, with a playful and friendly personality. A good match for my other dog, whose personality is almost similar. Dingo, you finally have a friend to play with!

The next couple of hours was spent talking to members of my immediate family: mom, dad, and my brother. Spent time with Lady also, getting to know her better. The ice-breaking session with her was broken up in intervals, thanks to Dingo meddling around. But it was fun watching them playing with each other. Dogs, in my opinion, are probably the happiest creatures in this world. Spent a long time on the phone also, catching up with an old friend, DD. Glad to know that you have been doing well in your new environment and circumstances. Here's wishing all the best for you.

Saturday morning was a blast. I sat at my home's porch with mom, watching Dingo duke it out with Lady. They kept on playing and playing and playing, it was amazing that they had so much energy. Dogs are always fun to watch and play with. Went to TA in the afternoon with mom and brother, trying out a new sushi restaurant there and buying a couple of new stuff (cargo pants, formal pants, etc.).

My memory has failed me beyond this point. All I could remember was meeting a good friend of mine, MK, treat him out to a dinner, had a stroll in his car and FINALLY took a picture of that mysterious door near Harmoni intersection. The next day, if my memory serves me correctly, I went out with a good friend, VN, saw 'Blood Diamond' (great movie, by the way), got tons of CDs from her, and caught up with HN and PI.

Finally, Monday came, and fly back to Manila I must. Changi airport is always a welcome sight, and a great place to shop. I think I got myself a couple of books. And, as always, finally Manila came into sight. I could not really say that it has become my second home, but all I could say is that there is where I reside for now.

Ah, if you notice the narration, I spent a lot of time explaining the earlier part, during the flight. Fly-backs are always hectic. But one of the fun part is always during the anticipation, the waiting, the journey. Hopping from one airport to another is always fun. In previous periods of my life, I wouldn't even dare dream that I would be able to do so. I thought that I would always be stuck in Jakarta, Indonesia. The world felt closed to me, and the only window that I could use to see the outside world was from books and magazines.

At times, it felt surreal, travelling. But, it was real. And I was enjoying it and still am. It's great to travel. And it broaden up my mind. My advice (and heed it, since I don't usually give advices, they're dangerous double-edged swords), whenever you can, travel. The world is small, but it has so many different things to offer. And they will open up your mind. They did me. The world is my home.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

A Resting Place Under the Blue Sky

The sound of a cellphone ringing and Do talking stirred my sleep early that Saturday morning on January 20th. I have only been asleep for less than 2 hours that morning, and thus I was not deep in slumber, making waking up a not-so troublesome affair for me during that time. Even though I couldn't listen to the conversation on the other line, but from Do's reply I knew it was Bob and I knew he was looking for me.

Not wanting to make him wait for me for too long, I stood up from the bed and put on my clothes. Took my digital camera with me and went down to the apartment's lobby. Yes, without taking a bath. Anyways, we were going to a cemetery for a photo hunting session. How neat must I look, right?

It was not long until we were in the car on our way to the cemetery. Got lost along the way, but we finally found what we were looking for. The first cemetery we visited was a Chinese cemetery. Something that you must know when visualizing this Chinese cemetery is that it was not just a big lot/space allocated for burials, but the place looks more like a real estate. There were roads big enough for cars to pass by. It also seems that the Philippino chinese have a sense of grandeur, for they do not bury their dead in a mere grave, but they inter them in tombs large enough to be houses. One family even buried their loved one and erected a more-or-less 10 meters monumental tower on top of the grave.

It was the perfect day, and the perfect time of day. That early Saturday morning provided us with an almost clear blue sky with only a hint of cloud, which helped set the mood to a sort of ethereal calm. Quite a fitting atmosphere for a resting place under the blue sky.

We managed to take some pictures from the Chinese cemetery. We didn't stay there for long, however, since the leader of the group, HL, were more interested in taking pictures of people. And to find more people (alive, that is), the Chinese cemetery was not the right place since it was too quiet and there were not many people lingering there except for a few morning joggers and some tomb caretakers. These pictures below are those that I managed to snap before moving on to the other cemetery.

...A Sense of Grandeur ...
(one of the tombs in the Chinese Cemetery)























...Angel of Dawn...
(A Statue of an
Angel on top of one of the tombs)



...Watching Over Those Who Rests...
(the more-or-less 10 meter
monumental tower-slash-tomb)





















...Spirit Cloud Rising Up to Heaven...
(Damn it was a really calm and beautiful morning, with a beautiful blue sky and only a small hint of clouds...)


It was not a long drive to get to the other cemetery (which name was Manila North Cemetery, if I'm not mistaken...have to confirm this). It was practically next door. Manila North(?) was a much bigger cemetery, however it did not have the same sense of grandeur and not as aesthetically pleasing as the Chinese cemetery. While Chinese cemetery had more tombs, Manila North had mostly graves instead of tombs. And the tombs in Manila North were not as big and grand as the ones we found in the Chinese cemetery. However, it was here that I found out why HL preferred to go there instead of the Chinese cemetery.

There were more people there. They're not mourners, they didn't go there to pay a visit to the dead. They were there because they live there. They were the homeless. During my visit there, this was one of the prominent musings that came up in my mind (well, aside from trying to snap some pretty moments): in short, it was just one of the maladies of developing countries. A large gap between the rich and the poor. The rich were rich enough to afford grand tombs, some were even as big as a small house, and the poor were so dirt poor that they opt to live inside these tombs. Even the poor in my home country avoided living in cemeteries due to some intangible reasons.

I am quite sensitive, spiritually, but the strange thing was that I did not feel as much malice and restlessness as I usually do whenever I visited cemeteries back home in Indonesia. Come to think of it, maybe it was because I was among many of the livings in Manila North. The place really felt like a , a poor one albeit, but still it had the feel. Nonetheless, this brought me to my point that the whole complex was pretty much habitable. Indeed, I even found one tomb occupied by a family of homeless and they even put up a TV. It even had an excellent signal reception. Incredible. Later on I would also found out that many had been living there ever since the day they were born.

It was also amusing and strangely heart-warming, looking at HL taking pictures of the faces of the people who inhabit Manila North. He would ask their names, how they were doing, ask about their families, their lives. In a personal level, it's a good thing, and from a photography point of view (and in my own humble opinion) it's a good method in bringing out the best expressions out of people. It makes them feel at ease with you. And when that golden moment come, all you have to do is to just snap away.

The whole experience was peaceful and grand, and what I remembered most was the blue sky and the resting place under it.

These are some of the pictures I took in Manila North.

...Not Leaving...
(some of the inhabitants of Manila North Cemetery)


























...In Death Bloomed...
(there are so many of these flowers in graveyards and cemeteries...)




...A Peaceful Dawn...
(It was a very peaceful morning...)