MINIATURES

Our image of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar is that of a young warrior with debonaire look and that wavy hair brushed on the side part - Sa gilid ang hati. Looking at this cropped photo of a Goyo with Aguinaldo's party in a train for the long travel that will bring them to exile in Hong Kong 1897, we can probably speculate that del Pilar prepared for this trip with a haircut. Mukhang bagong tasa  siya pero sa gilid pa rin ang hati. I remember reading once an article about omens of cutting hairs and its practice among teutonic tribes in Roman times. Long hair to some symbolizes strength but for these tribes of Central Europe, cutting it doesn't mean diminished power instead it is a symbol like that of gathering the clouds (letting it grow again), to be unleashed later into a violent storm. After exile, Goyo returned to the country and they say each one that crossed his path, was never the same again.

Behind-- the gigantic poster of the former First Lady's Green Revolution program The regime desperately tried to convince the world that Filipinos were experiencing positive change. I remember catchy mottos, all emphasizing "change." But our youthful skepticism often resulted in humorous reinterpretations. One example was Imelda's "Metro Manila - City of Man," which, after a bad monsoon that flooded the streets, became "Metro Manila - City of Manholes" in our eyes. My experience mirrored this disconnect. My brother, attending public elementary school, came home one day enthusiastically brandishing vegetable seeds, declaring, "We have to plant vegetables!" He transformed our backyard into a radish patch, the only successful crop. Tragically, our dog destroyed the beautiful cabbages before we could harvest them. After a radish dinner, the digestive consequences filled the air, leading to my own gas pains and a desperate need for relief.