city of a thousand years 2

On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Le Petit Prince

When my classmate Kay mentioned her new scholarly interests- anthropology and intangible cultural heritage- one of the culturally significant tales I thought of was the legend of Ho Hoan Kiem or Returned Sword Lake. You can see the lake in the middle ground of the picture, taken on a terrace of an outdoor cafe in Hanoi's historical district.

When I first rode a cyclo around Ho Hoan Kiem, I was reminded of the lake in Burnham Park in the mountain city of Baguio where my brothers and I spent summers biking. I didn't think much of Ho Hoan Kiem until I read about the legend surrounding it that transformed it in my eyes into an emerald jewel: here was an invisible key to understanding Vietnam and its people.

Here is how Nguyen Van Ky tells the legend in the book Hanoi: City of the Rising Dragon, co-authored with Frenchman Georges Boudarel:

One of Hanoi's most famous legends is that of Returned Sword Lake. It is said that a mythical tortoise gave its sacred sword to King Le Lot (r. 1428-33), allowing him to expel the occupying forces of the Chinese Ming dynasty in the fifteenth century after ten years of resistance. The people from Hanoi also love to tell stories about the etymological origins of Thang Long, the city's first name. When the boats of Ly Cong Uan, the founder of the eleventh-century Ly dynasty, arrived on the site from Hoa Lu, a golden dragon appeared to welcome them and then flew off into the sky. This good omen convinced the king to build the capital there, calling it Thang Long, which means "the rising dragon."

The divine sword is said to have been "restored" since, after King Le Lot's victory over foreign invaders and while he was boating on the lake, the golden tortoise emerged from the deep once more and took back the sacred blade that the gods gave the king to save his people.

In the Philippines, an etymological legend about a lake I've come across is that of Lake Lanao- said to have been created by angels- which is why I'm drawn to visit the land of the Maranao, the People of the Lake, someday.

city of a thousand years 1

When I visited Hanoi- the political capital of Vietnam- two years ago, little did I know that it would be celebrating 1000 years this year- from 1 to 10 October 2010. I consider that trip personally significant because it was when I sought to discover my identity as an Asian.

In the university, all of us undergrads took a semester-long foundation subject called Kasaysayan 2 (History 2) on Asian History. In high school, we also tackled important events in the history of the world's largest continent. I was aware of the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires, heritage sites like the Angkor Wat, and religious artifacts like the lingam- but it was all intellectual. I didn't feel very Asian at all- that is, I couldn't relate to neighboring cultures- even if I knew that geographically the Philippines is in Asia: I practiced a religion adopted from the West, spoke English and wrote using the Roman alphabet, and watched Hollywood films. Whenever I travelled to Asian countries- before Vietnam, I had been to China, Thailand and Cambodia, for example- I felt like an observer who was passing through, rather than the bearer of a continental culture.

While Western cultural software gave me self-confidence and opened up capacious worlds, it also led me to ignore traditions and patterns- Malay, Islamic, Confucian and others- that are at least as culturally rich as those from Europe or America, many of which as an Asian are already part of who I am. I've just had to learn to see them.

The above travel video shows Hanoi, city of a thousand years, as well as Ha Long Bay, in my eyes- the eyes of a 21st century Manileño. The score is the theme song of a Filipino TV drama, Vietnam Rose, sung by Filipino balladeer Martin Nievera (thanks to ABS-CBN).

projection

For the swan is invariably the result of adherence to some aesthetic system of thought, a code transposed into a self-portrait; what we see is the imaginary portrait precisely projected. That is why certain women, while not truly beautiful, but triumphs over plainness, can occasionally provide the swan-illusion: their inner vision of themselves is so fixed, decorated with such clever outer artifice, that we surrender to their claim, even stand convinced of its genuineness: and it is genuine... -Truman Capote, Observations, 1959

Painting is Henri Matisse's "Portrait of Yvonne Landsburg." Photo below is my "Portrait of Mida Azada."

10 sa Louvre

Ayon sa librong ginamit ko para sa enneagram, ang bayan na sumasagisag sa aking pagkatao ay ang Pransya.

Ang enneagram ay isang modelo ng personalidad ng tao: sa pamamagitan ng pagsagot sa mga tanong, maaari mo raw malaman kung ano sa siyam (ennea ang salitang Griyego para sa numerong siyam) na uri ng personalidad ang mayroon ka.

Dahil sinasabing ang Pransya ang bayan ng sining at paglikha- ng orihinalidad- ang paskel ko ngayong araw ay tungkol sa pambansang museo nito para sa sining: ang Louvre. Ang tunog nito ay loo-vruh o loo-va- parang "move" sa Ingles- kapag binibigkas ng Pranses. Walang nakakaalam kung saan nagmula ang pangalang Louvre- maaaring ito'y galing sa salitang Latin para sa lobo (lupus, lupi) na sinasabing noo'y gumagala sa lugar.

Sa isang sulat sa kanyang mga magulang mula sa Paris, sinabi ni Rizal na "tila ang Louvre ang pinakamahalagang gusali sa Pransya." Marami sa orihinal ng mga larawan at eskultura na ating nakikita sa mga Kanluraning libro- mahigit sa 35,000 na mga likhang sining- ang matatagpuan dito. Maaaring isa ito sa mga dahilan kung bakit tinawag ng isang manunulat ang Paris na "pansining at kultural na nukleus ng sibilisasyong Kanluran."

Di tulad ng pamilya ni Rizal, tayo ngayon ay may Internet na'ng maaaring gamitin upang maging pamilyar sa mga obra maestra nito mula sa iba't ibang bayan at panahon. Sa ilalim ang sampu sa mga mahahalagang obrang makikita sa Louvre na aking nagustuhan:

1. Ang Piramide at ang Palasyong Louvre mismo- Narito ang larawan ng mga gusaling ito'ng aking ipinaskel dati. Noong maagang bahagi ng dekada 1980, kinailangang palawakin ang espasyo ng museo at ang naging solusyon ng arkitektong si I.M. Pei ay gawin ito sa ilalim ng lupa! Dahil dito, nasunod niya ang kondisyon ng Presidente na respetuhin ang matandang Palasyo. Nagsisilbing silong mula sa mga elemento ang mala-kristal na Piramideng gawa sa salamin para sa mga bisitang bumababa sa hagdanan nito papasok sa palasyong-museo. Sa baba- sa tinatawag na Korteng Napoleon- makikita ang Binaligtad na Piramide (larawan ko rito) na naging tanyag sa pelikulang "The Da Vinci Code" mula sa nobela ni Dan Brown.



2. Lumilipad na Tagumpay ng Samothrace- Tuwang-tuwa ako sa estatwang marmol na ito ng Griyegong diyosa ng Tagumpay o Nike dahil bagama't matagal na siya sa mundo (ginawa siya noon pang 2 BK sa isla ng Samothrace), patuloy pa rin siyang nagiging inspirasyon sa mga manlilikha- sa pagsasalarawan ng mga anghel sa mga simbahan o maging sa swoosh na logo ng isang brand ng sapatos. Sinasabing inspirasyon rin ito para sa mga genie na nagbibigay tanglaw mula sa ibabaw ng bakod ng simbahan ng Betis, Pampanga.



3. Mona Lisa- Malamang ito ang pinakatanyag na larawan sa mundo ngayon dahil sa mga pinagdaanan nito: ninakaw, binato, pinahiram sa Washington DC, Tokyo at Moscow, at pinakita sa "The Da Vinci Code." Noong panahon ni Rizal, tila di pa ito kasing kilala: di niya ito naisalarawan sa kanyang mga sulat tungkol sa Louvre. Nasurpresa ako dahil di pala kalakihan ang larawang ito ng Italyanong si Leonardo Da Vinci: 30" por 21" lamang. Pinintura ito noong mga 1503-1519.



4. Venus ng Milo- Bakit kaya inuming tsokolate ang naiisip ko 'pag tinitingnan ko siya? May maliit na kopya nito si Mommy; may kasinlaking kopya naman si JLC sa tabi ng kanyang swimming pool. Itong eskulturang marmol na ito- pinaniniwalaang ang Griyegong diyosa ng pag-ibig na si Aphrodite (Venus sa mga Romano)- ay ginawa noong mga 130 hanggang 100 BK. Dati'y may kulay ang mga marmol na Griyegong estatwa, ngunit nawala na ang pinta sa paglipas ng panahon at ngayo'y puti na ang mga ito.



5. Koronasyon ni Napoleon I- Ang maganda lang sa pagtingin sa ilang orihinal na larawan ay nakikita ang tunay na laki nito. Ang larawan sa itaas ni Jacques-Louis David ay parang billboard ang laki- parang Ang Spoliarium ni Juan Luna sa ating Pambansang Museo. Natuwa ako sa mga ibinurdang bubuyog sa ilalim ng kapa ng emperadora- simbolo ang mga ito ng imperyong Napoleon. Natapos ni David ang larawan noong 1807 pagkatapos ng tatlong taong pagpipinta.



6. Handaang Kasal sa Cana- Isa pang kwadrong parang billboard ang laki. Ang ganda ng mga kulay, lalo na ng kulay luntian- makikita sa itaas ang luntiang Veronese (Veronese green) na minsa'y ating nababasa sa pangmodang magasin. Natapos itong malaking larawang ito sa Venesya sa Italya ni Paolo Veronese noong 1563.



7. Balsa ng Medusa- Ang komposisyon at drama ng Spoliarum ni Luna at ang masa ng mga tao sa monumento ng People Power sa EDSA ang naaalala ko kapag tinitingnan ko itong larawan ni Theodore Géricault. Nagustuhan ko- tulad siguro ng marami nating kababayan- ang tatsulok na komposisyon ng larawan. Nang itinanghal ito noong 1819, itinuri itong iskandalo ng ilang kritiko. Sa unang pagkakataon, pinintura ang mga di kilalalang tao (mga sakay ng kalulubog lang na barkong Medusa) sa monumental na paraang dati'y ginagamit lang para sa pagpipintang pangkasaysayan. Naging sagisag ang larawang ito ng Romantisismong Pranses.



8. Mga piraso ng Parthenon- Nakapaligid sa Parthenon ang mga relief tulad nitong Plake ng mga Ergastine (mga mananahi ng damit na inaalay kay Athena, ang kanilang diyosa ng wisdom o dunong). Ang Parthenon ang tanyag na templo ng lungsod ng Athens na itinayo noong mga 447- 432 BK. Pagkatapos ng maraming siglo, naging inspirasyon ito para sa maraming gusaling pampamahalaan ng mga demokrasya sa buong mundo, tulad ng lumang gusali ng ating Kongreso (ngayo'y bahagi ng Pambansang Museo). Sa Athens sa Gresya sinasabing ipinanganak ang ideya at sistemang politikal ng pamumuno ng mga mamamayan. May mga nagtatanong lang kung kanino ang mga pirasong ito ng templo: sa Gresya? sa Pransya? O sa buong sangkatauhan?



9. Grande Odalisque- Nakakatuwa ang pag-imbento ng pintor na si Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres sa porma ng odalisque o babae sa Turkong harem. Mahaba ang kanyang likod nang tatlong vertebrae at di tugma sa realidad ang ayos ng dibdib at kaliwang binti nito. Naging inspirasyon daw ito kay Picasso para sa paghahati-hati niya sa mga larawan ng mga katawan- at ng mundo- ayon sa kanyang imahinasyon. Pinintura ang Odalisque noong 1814.



10. Batas ni Hammurabi- Bilang abogado, naintriga ako sa itim na batong ito. Inukit dito noong mga 1790 BK ang 281 na mga batas sa pamumuno ng ika-anim na hari ng Babylon, si Hammurabi. Simbolo ito para sa akin ng ideya ng pamamayani di ng hari o sinumang tao ngunit ng batas.


The pictures above are from the website of the Louvre: www.louvre.fr. For a virtual The Da Vinci Code tour of the museum and other thematic tours, click here.

transformation

Upon Mida's recommendation, I read Samuel K. Tan's A History of the Philippines. I was looking for a short book that I could read quickly from cover to cover to brush up on important events in our history. Specifically, I wanted to distinguish the various republics, as I would read- frequently in the posts of Manolo Quezon- about the First, Second, Third etc. Republic, a categorization I wasn't familiar with. (I thought only the French count five republics- the Philippines has the same number.)

What's wonderful about reading a history book for pleasure is the chance to appreciate the big picture, as well as the particular vision of the author. When I was in school, I was too busy focusing on names, artifacts and events that I didn't really notice any theme or main message of the historian.

I thought, What did it matter if I read Agoncillo or Constantino or my father, for that matter? All described the same people, the same events.

Now, I'm aware that history books, like literature, have an agenda, which makes them a rich subject for all sorts of readings. Each writer has a personality- and just like in meeting a person face-to-face, it's more fun during the dialogue to figure out what makes makes him or her tick.

In the case of S.K. Tan's short history, his purpose appears to be to present a balanced account of our three major communities- Muslims, Christians, and indigenous groups- and their actions and reactions to other peoples. His subject-position probably shaped this worldview: he was born in Siasi, Sulu of Tausug-Samal-Chinese parentage, and studied in Dumaguete, Zamboanga and Manila, as well as abroad. In his preface, Tan explained that by crafting a history that takes into account the experiences of indigenous cultural communities, together with those of Muslims and Christians, the fibers of our nationhood are strengthened.

While reading the book, I became even more interested in our history before the First Republic- before even our country's encounter with the West (Chapter II, The Cultural Breakthroughs, 250,000 BC- 200 AD). In part, this has been the result of talking to friends- most of whom are non-historians- who find it natural to view the present in the light of centuries past and who, moreover, are interested in the East- in Asia. By osmosis, I had already absorbed some of that attitude from Tatay. What a delight it has been to rediscover our country's past!

Each page describing an epoch or cultural encounter I read adds yet another dimension to my experiences and sense of self. Compared to the relatively blasé attitude I had before, my historical lens allows me to view life in High Definition or 3D. It is history not simply as a set of lessons or a map to the future, but history as transformation- taking the past from the pages of history and enlivening the present with it.

The picture above shows me as a wily Katipunero emerging from the trap door in Bahay Villavicencio in the quaint town of Taal, Batangas. The door, partly hidden beneath a Persian rug in the dining room, opens to a secret tunnel leading right to the sacristy of the cathedral. In case you recognize it, Bahay Villavicencio was used for a TV drama on the love story of Cory and Ninoy Aquino. History as transformation.

light and dark

One of the nice things about being in a nation that's taking off is that one is so close to mga bayani or heroes, one can almost touch them. Certainly this was what I felt when I visited the Aquino Center in Tarlac where, in the ennobling space created by Manosa, one can hear the march of history- the cry of a People shouting as one for the light.

Visit it during the day to see the museum and climb the tower for a panoramic view of the farms. Then return at night- on horseback- to see it gently glowing like a candle beneath the moon and the stars.

I was too young to know Ninoy Aquino while he was alive- reared by protective adults, it was only after his death when I learned about Silahis' father and other political prisoners during Martial Law. So it was great to overcome my phobia of the locale and visit the museum- I came away with the sense that, in my lifetime, there existed this extraordinary public servant and human being.

The first thing that struck me when I visited the museum was its first display. It was neither a memorabile of the late senator nor the late President Cory Aquino, but framed opinion articles from the Bulletin on Mrs. Aquino's father Jose "Pepe" Cojuangco, the agriculturalist-banker who founded Hacienda Luisita. Why was this so? I wondered. Later, while viewing the other exhibits, it struck me that, in remembering or assessing the achievements of Ninoy or the contributions of this extraordinary family to the nation, one cannot put the hacienda in a separate compartment- it is part of the cycle, perhaps it was even the material base, of their political life.

Tito Doc said that when he was studying in UP Diliman, he found Ninoy the student to be the most animated person around- he stood out because of the safari shorts he preferred to wear (everyone else wore pants in 1950s Diliman) and often used his hands and arms to communicate.

"He was the most animated person I've met until today," said my uncle.

Certainly, a series of black-and-white pictures of Ninoy as senator supports this claim- a hundred small pictures of the senator's face taken one after the other, each one showing a different facial expression! This was one of my favorite displays.

The senator's speeches, printed in booklet form and framed, were critical of the Marcoses and made me understand the morally righteous- some would say negative- tone of his son's speeches when the latter was still running for the Presidency.

I was moved by the replica of the late senator's jail cell- one can almost envy his rare journey through the depths of despair toward self-enlightenment, as reflected in his existential poems that are displayed on its exterior gray walls. Until one realizes that it was but a microcosm of the journey and process of self-realization that our entire country has gone and is going through.

And I was shocked to find his bloodstained white safari suit in a clear glass case in the heart of the museum.

I took a picture of the memento above because of its caption- it says the image was shot by the grandparents of a friend, J.J. Duque. The photograph shows the patriotic late senator doing his own flag ceremony in his Massachusetts farm. It would've been considered a quixotic, perhaps even crazy, act had he and millions of other Filipinos not proven later on the truth of his words, that we are worth living for- that we have a purpose in the history of humanity. The last mass attended by Sen. Aquino before he returned to the Philippines for his appointment with destiny was celebrated in a Boston church with J.J.'s lola and lolo, Betty and Jose Calderon.

iitoko-dori

I live in a city where several television stations have their headquarters, and tonight I saw peering over the treetops of our village two communications towers. They're painted orange and white (in compliance with air safety regulations) and- inspired as I was by the gardening principle of shakkei or "borrowed view"- I pictured the taller one to be the Tokyo Tawaa.

Now there is a landmark that all those whom I loved and who've lived in the city would have seen! I may not have viewed it beside them, but across time it becomes a shared experience.

One day, while walking towards the tower, I was shocked when a Japanese friend called it "a crappy version of the Eiffel Tower." Indeed it's an adopted vision of la Tour Eiffel, but not an exact copy- aside from its bright color, a third of it is made of metal from US tanks damaged during the Korean War.

Perhaps my tomodachi was just being modest, but I think the Tokyo Tawaa shows the amazing tradition of the Japanese of taking the best aspects of foreign cultures and making it uniquely theirs. It explains their past- and points the way to their future.

The Japanese have a term for this process: iitoko-dori.

Similar to the process carried out by Filipinos through the centuries in blending indigenous beliefs with Islam or Christianity and their attendant political and legal systems, iitoko-dori enabled the Japanese to harmonize Shintoism (which some scholars say is a form of animism and the basis of the Emperor's power), Buddhism and Confucianism.

Prince Shotoku in the 7th century explained how this was to be viewed: "Shintoism is the trunk, Buddhism is the branches, and Confucianism is the leaves." Thereafter, the Japanese were able to easily adopt new cultural values from other lands and improve upon the techniques that came with them- whether in politics, technology, business, architecture, or pop culture.

Far from being the symptom of a damaged culture, iitoko-dori shows the genius of a people in creative interaction with the world.