SATURDAY X-PERIENCE

... continuation of the Cubao Xpo post

Saturday evening saw my crew and I getting friggingly wet! When I said crew, that would basically mean these two "slaves" - Paolo and his brother Patrick. YES, I employ child labor (courtesy of their mother Sheila)

Paolo (left), Patrick (right)

A sudden heavenly downpour sent us scampering to higher ground, which also meant putting all the merchandise on the sidewalk beside Sandy's shop The Reading Room. Here's Patrick at work wiping one of the prints that got wet. (They're all hermetically sealed in plastic. Good thing)

"Mommy, Tito Dan's making us do this dirty work for him.
This will forever ruin my childhood."

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Intermission:

While the crew and I were busy setting up the booth after that heavy downpour, a woman in white with a funky woven bag tapped me on the shoulder while holding a print of one of my paintings. Although my mind was in a daze on where to hang which, she flashed a smile that calmed me and said, "Ikaw ba ang artist nito? Naku hijo, you should make these into shirts. The purples are brilliant." She stayed for a while and had a chitchat. I found her very fascinating. She asked for my card and I never was able to ask for hers.

Though she mentioned her name, I never realized that it was Ms. Gilda Cordero Fernando right in front of me. It took Lali two times to repeat to me the woman's name before I realized that IT WAS HER. Dang! A case of being spaced out.

I filched this picture from chuvaness who spent that morning with her. That funky bag she's holding is made out of woven discarded plastic. Cool no?




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And this is how the "booth" looked like after they've done their chore.

Child Labor! Child Labor! Bantay Bata alert!


How can I plot my escape from that evil bald guy?

And then this band played, BRIGADA. It's a cool samba percussion band. I hear they're from U.P.



From hereon, we just simply let everything go WILD!!!

Pat (Sheila's friend) joined in the fun

... and WILDER.

And Patrick was plotting behind my back conniving with some locals to have the Bald Man arrested for child enslavement.


The "employee" has been pirated by the other side.

(That's Nelson - the guy I shared the tent with and does these really cool mobiles made of brass sheets - and his wife beside him. I dunno the woman in pink shorts. You could see his mobiles in the group shot below.)

It was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Everyone had fun. And I got to be hugged...

Sheila, Me with a beer bottle, Pat and Andre


The Happy Crew

I have to include this. That evening I discovered this guy Noli Aurillo. He sang FOREVER YOUNG and man... whew! He simply rocks!! To my ears, he sounded like a Neil Young/Rod Stewart doing Lee's The Wild Thing with a Mick Jagger attitude and the fingers of an Eric Clapton. He's a heavyduty troubadour. Love him.

I managed to find this rough video:

Oh... and here's something I found that night too while walking around Cubao X. Some guys were selling "suicide dolls" or at least I think they were. They looked like cute voodoo dolls with a noose around each of their necks. One girl quipped upon seeing them, "Ay! Look oh. For your loved ones." And they laughed heartily. Evil, evil teenagers.

What a night... what a night indeed.