fifth dimension

The soul of beings is their scent. -Patrick Süskind


Perfume - Movie Trailer - Click here for this week’s top video clips

One of my most memorable readings in high school Psychology class was about pheromones, the chemicals we exude that attracts people to us. I remembered the lesson recently when I saw the VCD of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" (bought from SM), adapted from the book with the same title by German writer Patrick Süskind.

The story, set in 18th century France, is about an orphan Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who has no odor, making him invisible to those around him. Yet he is gifted with a sense of smell so acute that it is his primary way of perceiving the world.

By covering either our ears or our eyes, we are able to imagine how it is to use sight without hearing, or hearing without sight. But to experience the world only through our nose, what would that be like?

Perhaps because of a spartan upbringing- Tatay admonished me and my brothers while growing up to take no longer than five minutes in taking a bath and to comb our hair without using a mirror, "just like in the military"- I don't think much of perfumes. Except that in my teens, I was given a bottle of musk cologne which I used on dates and special occasions.

The fourth or fifth dimension of scent that I have today was composed mainly by two people- a woman and a man- and of course me.

Tricia, my BFF in high school, was like a female Grenouille (though less deadly): she could differentiate the odor of her different suitors. She also had a brother Gari- a veritable metrosexual before the word was invented- who had a collection of men's perfumes in their room. One time, Trish decided to experiment and try the different scents on me- around a dozen kinds- to see which one would blend best with the chemicals on my skin and complement my personality. I was of course a willing subject. (Gari, I'm sorry- yes we did this!)

The one scent which made Trish exclaim, "This is it! This is it!" was one of the first purchases I made after graduation when I was already working. Here is Trish smelling our food during a memorable lunch in Pebble Beach, California.


In law school, I was also gifted with a scent one Christmas by my classmate Deo- this was for our gift exchange (or Secret Santa). I never thought a man could use it, but it has become my "no-scent scent"- while wearing it, a fellow writer thought I smelled "clean, like soap." The bouquet is transformed and becomes more complex when I'm in love. I discovered from my parfumeur that this is also the favorite scent of actor Richard Gomez.

Here is Deo with the fraternity he headed and their frat sweetheart Maida (now Deo's wife).

Recently, while hiking in the northern forests of Solvalla, I found something fragrant that I took back with me to Manila- I've added this extra note to my scent-dimension, to share a bit of my love of adventure and make the experience even more personal for those interacting with me.

lakambini 3

I'm deferring publication of my poem dated 6 October 2009.

 

The title of the painting above is "Wheatfield with a Reaper" (1889) by Vincent Van Gogh. 

lakambini 2

A mother’s sorrow
By the death of her loved son
A grief so immense
-Rod Escobin

The morning after typhoon Onyok hit Manila, after delivering relief goods to Radio Veritas, I saw a new statue in Manila Cathedral that for me symbolizes a nation still in grief and shock, not yet able to understand the death and destruction wrought by the storm nor see the Resurrection- that surge of national unity and collective heroism that had already begun to unfold and would grow exponentially in the coming days.

I attended the Sunday mass celebrated in the cathedral by Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila. Understandably, because of the storm the night before, there were only a few people with us, some of them seafarers, and I sat in one of the front right pews.

After the mass, we went to the first chapel to the left of the massive doors of the cathedral, St. Joseph's Chapel, for the unveiling of Manila's Pietà, a copy made by an unnamed Filipino craftsman from a cast of the original statue by Michelangelo Buonarroti in Rome. Pietà in Italian means pity, sorrow, or compassion- the word is associated with paintings and statues of Mary holding and grieving over her dead son Jesus.

Even if I knew it was a copy- and I would have preferred sculpture that the world had never seen before- the Manila Cathedral's Pietà still took my breath away. It was an exact copy of the original, but this time bathed in the colors of tropical light streaming through the chapel's stained glass windows. Compare it with the setting of the original statue in St. Peter's Basilica- it's dark as a dungeon inside Rome's churches because of the different climate:

They look exactly alike- artists and pilgrims need only go to Intramuros to see the form.

Here is how Irving Stone described the statue in his biographical novel on Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961):

Because the Madonna was gazing down on her son, all who looked must turn to her face, to see the sadness, the compassion for all men's sons, asking with despair: "What could I have done to save him?" And from the depth of her love, "What purpose has all this served, if man cannot be saved?"

All who saw would feel how insupportably heavy was her son's dead body on her lap, how much heavier was the burden in her heart.

It was unusual to combine two life-size figures in the same sculpture, revolutionary to put a full-grown man onto the lap of a woman. From this point of departure he left behind all conventional concepts of the Pietà. Once again, even as Ficino had believed that Plato could have been Christ's most loving disciple, it was Michelangelo's desire to blend the classical Greek concept of the beauty of the human body with the Christian ideal of the immortality of the human soul. He banished the lugubrious death throes of the earlier Pietàs, bathed his two figures in tranquillity. Human beauty could reveal sacredness as clearly as could pain. At the same time, it could exalt.

Ave Maria (Roa) - Philippine Madrigal Singers

lakambini 1

Payo sa Kagandahan

Para sa kaakit-akit na mga labi, gumamit ng mga salita ng kabaitan.

Para sa kaibig-ibig na mga mata, hanapin ang kabutihan ng mga tao.

Para sa maayos na pangangatawan, hatian ng iyong pagkain ang mga nagugutom.

Para sa magandang buhok, hayaan mong haplusin ito ng bata araw-araw.

Para sa postura, maglakad nang may kaalamang di ka naglalakad nang nag-iisa.

Ang mga tao, higit sa mga bagay, ay kailangang muling palakasin, baguhin, buhayin, kupkupin, at tubusin; huwag itapon ang sinuman.

Tandaan, kapag kailangan mo ng kamay na tutulong sa iyo, makikita ito sa dulo ng iyong braso.

Habang tumatanda, matutuklasan mong dalawa ang iyong kamay, isa upang tulungan ang sarili, isa upang bigyang kalinga ang iba.

Ang kagandahan ay wala sa pananamit, hugis ng katawan, o ayos ng buhok. Kailangang makita ang kagandahan sa mga mata, dahil ito ang daanang papasok sa puso, kung saan nakatira ang pag-ibig.

Ang kagandahan ay wala sa nunal sa mukha, bagkus nasasalamin ang tunay na kagandahan sa kaluluwa. Ito ay nasa pag-aarugang binibigay, matinding damdaming ipinapakita, at lalo lamang lumiliwanag ang kagandahan sa paglipas ng mga taon.

Hango ito sa tula ni Sam Levenson (1911-1980), "Time Tested Beauty Tips," na paborito ni Audrey Hepburn. Si Hepburn ay isang artistang ipinanganak sa Belgium, lumaki sa Netherlands, at nagtrabaho sa Estados Unidos. Binasa niya ito kina Sean at Luca, ang kanyang mga anak, noong huling Pasko bago siya sumakabilang-buhay sa Switzerland noong 1993. Inihahandog ko ang aking salin kay Coral, ang batang anak ng isang regular na bisita ng Café Voltaire. Gawa ang pampalamuting titik na may lakambini sa itaas ng Pranses na si Napoléon Landais.

roommate

On the second night, I meet Bram Buijs from the Netherlands- he'll be my roommate for the rest of my stay in Finland. I have the impression that he's a party animal, but he'll surprise me by being Ville's co-speaker on the environment and climate change in Parliament. He's also a concert pianist, a fact which I'll only discover right before leaving Finland- I'll almost miss it! There are many fascinating things about people and the world around us- one just has to learn to observe and be aware.

Here Bram and I are sunning ourselves and drinking cider and beer on the terrace of the Lasipalatsi (Glass Palace), doing what Fins do on summer evenings. Right behind us, at the center of the photo, is the Art Nouveau Finnish Parliament.

And here is a piece by Jean Sibelius, the Lucio San Pedro of Finland:

Finlandia - Jean Sibelius

first night

While Europe can be expensive due to different standards of living, one can travel on a budget of 30 to 90 Euros a day if one is able to establish rapport and make instant friends.

When checking in at midnight in the domus or hostel in Helsinki, I am greeted by a fellow participant of the conference, Constantin "Coco" Holzer from Austria. He looks like Josh Groban, only better groomed, and what I found most striking about him was his voice, which was like a gentle breeze- it sounds so polite to my ears, I figure he must have lived in Asia. Soon enough, I would find out that he has been to China and even to the Eastern ends of Russia, beyond Moscow- in fact, Coco speaks Chinese and Russian fluently.

Since we both have rooms with twin beds, we decide to just share one room for the night and split the bill. I open a coconut shell with lambanog wine and we talk about his travels and martial arts (he practices Brazilian wrestling) until 3 in the morning.

Since I haven't been to Austria, I draw on two stories from my personal hard drive to make a connection: the movie "Sound of Music," one of the first movies I saw as a child, and Persepolis, the comic book memoir of Marjane Satrapi (the film adaptation's website is here), who moved to Vienna to escape the war in Iran.

I must have been inspired by my French friend Romain's photos of Iran that I got Persepolis from National Bookstore in Greenhills. It's powerful and engrossing graphic work, expressing serious themes of war and destruction in the voice of an innocent child. Satrapi shows scenes of bombings in Tehran and its transformation from a secular into a fundamentalist religious state and her liberal family's reaction to these; her parents' decision for her to continue her high school studies in Austria; culture shock in Europe; dating; returning to Iran and meeting her husband; and getting a divorce and becoming independent again.

What makes Persepolis unique is its narrative: instead of glorifying the combat between a protagonist and his or her enemy, the comic book presents the details of everyday life of an ordinary child and her brave family while combats of powers-that-be rage around them.

Persepolis has become the inspiration for a future book project for me. I was surprised to find out that a similar comic book has already been done in the Philippines, though I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy.

Climb Every Mountain - Aria Clemente

Thanks to Aria Clemente for the song "Climb Every Mountain." Aria is the 2007 Grand Champion Performer of the World (Junior Division) of the World Championships of Performing Arts. 

journey

The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong... The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for many more years... and the world will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. -Jahawarlal Nehru on Mahatma Gandhi

Why do we travel? Some people do so to get from point A to B; others, to take a vacation. For me, traveling provides an opportunity to go on a journey- to undertake a process of discovering the world and myself. 

This is the reason why, while I like to meet people and make new friends, I also enjoy a lot of time traveling in solitude. Away from the bonds of relationships and the usual markers of social roles and responding to a different culture and environment, I can find out about my true likes and dislikes. I can form my own opinions unmediated by those of another and get new inspiration. Ordinary acts, like bowing, drinking tea or relaxing in a sauna, take on new meanings. Ultimately, a journey strengthens one's sense of self or even reconstitutes it, allowing a new and better person to emerge.

As I would tell Irena from Czech Republic, upon reuniting with her boyfriend in Prague, with all she has seen and experienced by herself, she would have more to give to their relationship. And she would also have given them both a chance to miss each other!

What makes this journey different from previous ones is that I'm also trying to clear my head. Since the passing of former Pres. Aquino, I feel as Nehru did immediately after Gandhi passed away, that the light has gone out from the world. I know in my mind that this isn't so- that the flame of freedom which she carried would burn on in hearts of many more Filipinos- but I wanted to find that flame in my own heart, so that I would have more to give to my country and the world.

I've been wondering how people can love a country. Specifically, why do I love the Philippines? Is it because I've been told to do so by patriotic parents? Or because I feel a sense of obligation to give back to society for the excellent education and professional opportunities I've received? Or because love of country has been drilled into me through countless national anthems and flag ceremonies?

These may all be a part of it, but what I'll discover at journey's end is that love of country is part of loving oneself. 

When we travel, one of the first things that people look for in our passports or ask about is our nationality and, on that basis, form initial impressions about us. Politicians and businessmen would ask for our opinion about the problems back home that they read about in the papers or see on TV. So whenever each of us tries to solve one of these problems- to fight an injustice or right a wrong- we strengthen our self-esteem- our self-respect- and allow that "greatest love" to happen in our lives.

These are exciting times for the Philippines as we prepare for national elections next year. There are a number of relatively young and qualified candidates who are planning to run for national positions. Since I have a personal or professional connection to many of them- to quote my friend Anna, the Philippines is "incestuously small"- I would have to assess their track records and platforms closely.  

I'll vote and campaign, not on the basis of personality, but on principles and plans, particularly on the economy. I'll make choices, not with my heart, but with my mind. And if I don't find the perfect candidates, I'll support the ones who'll give me the least stress if they win.

In the meantime, enjoy the journey with me! Here I am before the Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko, an autonomous Orthodox archbishopric of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Thanks to Zhaoxiong Wang of China for the picture.

Ikaw - Martin Nievera