Museum-ing and Jamming

Alors, ici je suis chez moi, presque un mois apres mon retour a Winnipeg, mais il semble que les PH sont le vrai "chez-moi." Je manque les gens qui sont sympathique et facile a vivre. Il y a beaucoup des detresses et beaucoup de la pauvrete, mais la pluspart des gens qui j'ai vu travaillent dur avec la force et l'espoir. Ils sont tres fier de leurs pays et d'etre "Pinoy." Even the symphony orchestra plays the national anthem before each performance and there's not even a president or dignitary in the house. In Winnipeg, the WSO only plays the vice-regal salute if the Lieutenant Governor shows up. Sorry Nico, I can't keep up the French at this late hour so you'll have to suffer through my even worse English!

I have to admit I was looking forward to cooler weather upon returning to Winnipeg since I'm really not used to waking up every day in 27 degrees celsius. Winter in Winnipeg has been quite mild since I got back, no colder than minus 18 degrees including wind chill, and plus 4 at the warmest, making skiing impossible.

Two Lake portage: back in my element.

After visiting Divisoria with Pet and Vic, I had three days left to try to accomplish everything. Unfortunately I'd run out of time to leave the city and go climb something and our wind-up party was Thursday, so I had to fill Wednesday somehow...museum-ing! I still hadn't got to the National Museum and Art Gallery so first thing mid-morning I walked to Libertad station and caught the LRT to the Central stop near Intramuros. Having surreptitiously studied my street map before hand, I made a beeline for the far end of Rizal Park that I'd visited with Pet 3 weeks earlier. From there I easily found the National Museum of the Philipino People.

I contemplated dropping the name of Joseph the curator, a friend of the curator at the Rizal Museum, but I thought, even though our friend had told us to ask for him, the admission was only 100 php, maybe $2.50. In Winnipeg, it costs around $10 to get in to a museum that is far better funded and in better repair. This place desperately needs the money. I bring this up because it was one thing that bothered me. Even the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's conductor had gutsily posted online for all to see, a query as to how many people would show up to concerts if those who asked him for free tickets actually had to pay for them. This launched a flurry of discussion in which one person pointed out that those most able to afford concert tickets were also the best connected, which behooves them to ask their connections for favours. I couldn't do it.

So I enjoyed the museum such as it was. Some of the displays were amazing and really well-cared-for, but many were closed due to ongoing repairs. Other displays were incredibly out of date with yellowed signage from decades ago. Funding really would have helped but there we go again.

An exciting wooden carved thing of ancient significance that I neglected to write down because I was being mowed down by hoards of school children with cameras.

I know it was a weekday but the only people at the museum were school groups and maybe 4 or 5 other Korean or Chinese tourists. And me. The kids were hilarious to watch, though. They'd all take group photos of each other striking rock-star poses in front of ancient pots or other boring stuff as if they were having the time of their lives. Several times I got stuck in a line of high school boys, all with cameras flashing. It was kind of awkward.

Pots from the shipwrecked San Diego, sunk at battle Dec. 14, 1600.

Well, the boring pots represented a much more exciting history: the San Diego apparently was never built for battle - it was a merchant ship. But it was outfitted for war to try to fend off the Dutch for this particular battle between Spain and Amsterdam. Loaded down with guns taken from the fort - and intended for on-land firing, the ship was too heavy and its gun-holes were below the waterline. The Spanish couldn't fire them if they wanted to because they'd let the ocean waters into the hold of the ship. The whole thing was ridiculous. So the ship sank near Fortune Island, Nasugbu, Batangas, on December 14, 1600, and all the stuff on board ended up in the museum.

What is "Visible Storage" anyway? This room full of exciting artifacts was off limits to the public.

This photo of National Hero Jose Rizal at age 29 was on display at the Museum.  I couldn't resist: not only was he a brilliant doctor, writer, poet, novelist, a linguist who spoke 22 different languages, but he was also dashingly handsome!

It didn't take long to finish the National Museum, unfortunately. Next was the Art Gallery, located near City Hall, site of Dream Kitchen's award-nominated indie video, 16 Hours.

The Art Gallery, apparently once used as the Legislature building, was under construction - but you could still walk everywhere. The art was beautiful but sparse. There was a good range of classic, renowned Filipino artists, and modern day artists.

My notes are a mess but I think this is "Hall of Masters" by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. 

My notes say "Bulwagang Luna at Hidalgo" by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo.  Unless this is Fernando C. Amorsolo, the National Artist. I am open to correction!

A hall of fascinating modern art.

This once hung in a public building and got so covered in grime it had to be restored.

Absolutely loved this wood carving. Kicking myself for not noting the artist or title.

Wandering through the galleries under construction I stumbled upon the former Senate Chambers....under construction.

Before this structure - or the political system - caved in on me, I escaped the beautiful but woefully crumbling building in search of Chowking and buchi, sticky rice balls covered in sesame seeds. We need Chowking in Winnipeg! Then a last stop at the bakery on Aurora Avenue for ensayadas and Spanish bread.

A last look at Aurora Avenue looking toward Facundo.

It being a Wednesday, we planned to head out to Gweilo's Bar in Makati to hear The Camerawalls perform. I had asked Clementine if it would be an imposition to bring my fiddle just in case there was a last opportunity to jam with the band and was delighted at his invitation. I spent many years practicing my violin alone in my living room and therefore jump at any opportunity to collaborate with musicians who would welcome a classical violin in their midst. It really was a treat to relax and listen to the band play for a tiny audience in the relaxing ambiance of Gweilo's.

aLfie, finally getting to relax instead of perform.

Clementine and drummer Joseph Rudica

Jamming with The Camerawalls. 

Clem invited aLfie and I to perform with him one of the more complicated and rarely-covered (so I understand) New Wave songs, The Pan Within by The Waterboys. The eLf spent a LOT of time drilling me on the violin part so we could perform it with precision for the big reunion concert on Feb 3rd. So I was both flattered and nervous when Clem asked specifically for this song. Here's how it ended up:

Friends in music: Bachie Rudica, Law Santiago, George Carillo, aLfie Mella, moi, et Clemen Castro. 

New friends say farewell.

So that was my third-last day in the Philippines. If I don't post soon about Thursday and Friday, Feb 9 & 10 (which basically rolled into one because I had one hour of sleep in a 30 hour period), somebody please kick me.