A PICTURE THAT PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS

 

I was six years old when my father's youngest brother took me to the famous X'OR Studio somewhere near Escolta, in Binondo, Manila. My Uncle Fidel or "Tiyo Fidel", as I fondly call him was also my baptismal godfather and he collected me from our rented home in Blumentritt, Sta. Cruz, to show me around. I spent my first five years with my maternal grandparents in the highlands of Cavite and it was my first week in the city.

Age has a lot of way of reminding you how wonderful was the life you lived. Though I am starting to forget the simple little things like where I placed my keys, or have I turned off the stove, memories of my early days are coming back with clearer details which I thought I have forgotten. This picture for example helped me remember how I were the first time I arrived in the city.

My first fear was getting lost in a crowd. As a pre-schooler, I was fed with stories in the barrio where I grew with stories about "Tikbalang" (werehorse), a mythical creature half-man half-horse that will play tricks on you so you will stray from the right path. Once lost, the "Tikbalang" will hang you from a tree and leave you there until you are found or eaten by wild creatures. Those stories were conceived to scare kids from venturing far from their homes.

The "Tikbalang" has the ability to transform itself into a human form but is unable to change both hoovens into human feet so you could identify if the person you are with is a real person or a "tikbalang" by looking at its feet. Another trick to counteract the creature's deception is to wear your shirt inside out. So my uncle my all smile every time I look at his feet and kept assuring me that those myths were just stories to scare the kids.

That's one reason why kids my age were afraid to venture far from home especially when are big lurking trees. The "Tikbalang" were said to be guardians of their elemental kingdoms and they stand around the foot of large trees looking around for anyone who dare to invade their territory. 

The creature is also said to be a source of an "anting-anting" or talisman that can give you incredible strength and make the creature your slave. But first you must be able to defeat the creature by looping a cord around its neck and riding on its back, then pluck the 3 golden hair on its mane as you struggle and fight off its attempt to eat you. Once the golden hair are in your possession, the "Tikbalang" will be as meek as a lamb and will obey your every command.

My uncle, upon noticing my uneasiness with the crowd, took me first to Savory Restaurant near Plaza Santa Cruz and ordered me a fine meal. I remember it was "pancit bijon" I requested and it was the first time I was able to eat a platefull of pancit all by myself. Orange drink and ice cream followed, and in those days, it was the finest meal any kid could dream of. After the meal, I forgot about the "Tikbalang for a while.

Then we walked through the brick-paved road of Escolta to the studio. I will never forget how proud the photographer was as he showed us the life size photo of then President Marcos with his First lady on their wedding day. There were also a lot of framed photos of movie stars on the walls and my uncle proudly echoed the host that indeed it was the best studio in the city.

I was then given a bit of talcum powder to wash off some oily part on my face and showed how to pose for the pictures. There was a platform to stand on, two spot lights, and different curtains to choose from as background. One, two, three, and flash bulbs hit my face, but we were told that we have to come back for the pictures as it will take some time for it to be developed.

I was real excited to to see the pictures being the first time I would see myself on polaroid. Uncle Fidel then took me to Luneta, now called Rizal park. The year was 1965, and things were very different then. The main attraction of the park was then the dancing fountains near a pool with the Philippine map in it. The lights gives the fountain different colors as they swayed to the rhythm of the music. I loved the park but my mind was elsewhere, excited on how I would look at the pictures and show it to my parents and siblings.

Uncle Fidel returned some three days later with the pictures and I loved them. There was at least half a dozen copies of them but through the years, a fire that once destroyed our home, this was the only one I was able to save.

Indeed, just a picture, but it tells a lot of memories. The big difference in the level of happiness we experience from a much simpler life. But past is past and it will never come back ... yet in remembering you are at least in a way able to relive the lightness of being.