Calling For Support: VISTA on Bhutan at the National Museum

VISTA is selling photos to raise funds to cover some of the expenses for the coming exhibit at the National Museum this coming April 2015.  The National Museum exhibit will present most of the VISTA photographs of Bhutan that are up for sale.  Highlighted also will be some of Bhutan's centuries old sacred artworks called thangkas which were restored by a Filipino Asian Art restorer.   

Proceeds will cover expenses for the Bhutanese monks and guests who will grace the opening of the occasion. (Links to the all photos on sale are included below).  And, with sufficient funds, the monks can stay long enough to build sand mandalas in the senate hall of the National Museum.

VISTA has been doing volunteer work in this beautiful kingdom in the Himalayas since 2010.  In 2012, the group did an unprecedented cross-country photography expedition.  Early this year, the group finished its photography of two ancient temples and presented their work to the Royal Grand Queen Mother of Bhutan Ashi Kesang Choden Wangchuck. 

A sample exhibit photo (see attached photo) hangs on a wall at the Centro Maginhawa.  Expertly framed with glass cover and signed.  Size of print is 10 inches x 15 inches. Prized at Php7,000 each.  A portfolio of photos can also be viewed in the said clinic (tel. no. 9217649). 

"Bhutan" by Garrie David

ABOUT VISTA: 

VISTA is a multi-disciplinary group of Filipinos whose passion for photography took them on a series of visits to the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan.   It culminated in a 16-day cross-country photographic expedition in the Himalayan kingdom in 2012.   It was a 2000 km journey that started from three entry points: Phuentsholing in the West, Paro and Sangdrup Jongkar in the East. VISTA went on foot, via SUV and horseback exploring mountain villages, farms and shrines. They met people from all walks of life: royal family members, government officials, simple peasants to the rising urban middle class.  

Documenting Bhutan’s Restoration Efforts

VISTA has been supporting the efforts of Ephraim Jose, a US-based Filipino Asian art restorer, who has been helping preserve many of the Bhutan’s national treasures since 2005. VISTA spent a few days in Bhutan to document religious wall art in two temples that are slated for restoration: Phajoding* and Dungtse Lakhang**. The group’s work will form part of the national archives of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Members of VISTA: 

EDILBERTO CONCEPCION  

Eddie takes photographs with film rangefinder cameras. He keeps several photo blogs and has contributed feature articles and photographs to the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Munting Nayon, a Filipino online magazine based in Holland. He is an acupuncturist.
(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3eqXHD)

GABRIEL DAVID

Garrie is a socio political engineer who develops private-public partnerships and manages national networks of sectoral and political groups for electoral and corporate social responsibility. He is also interested in capturing events and stories of people in various marginalized communities--untold stories of their conditions and concerns that will enable others to learn, and reach out to.
(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk69acBz)

RICCI JIMENEZ

Ricci is a documentary and street photographer. His works reflect his passion for travel and the curiosity for the uncommon. He has exhibited his photo stories under the Master Class for Documentary Photography at the College of St. Benilde Professional Photography Diploma Course. He is a contributor for various online documentary photography magazines. He works as General Manager for a real estate leasing company.
(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk69MrkJ)

CONSUELO PADILLA

Connie is a treasurer for a foundation that gives scholarships to minority college students. She also does ecological information and education campaigns for local governments and other NGO’s. Her interest in travel and portrait photography has enabled her to publish articles and photos in Homestyle, Prodo and Lifestyle magazines.

(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3dPUUd)

ANTONIO RAMOS

Tony is a thoracic surgeon who has been taking photographs since his teens. He likes to capture people’s reactions to their surroundings. Many of his photographs were taken during his travels to attend medical conventions.
(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3etwLZ)

KEITH SUNDIANG

Keith is a civil engineer who is in the property development and management business. His passions include food, landscape and travel photography. His notable photos were featured in WOW Philippines Magazine, Colors travel magazine, Calibre, C! and Asian Spirit Inflight Magazine. He was also the photographer of the Sonya’s Secret Garden coffee table book.
(choice photos for sale: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk6FiEDA)

VISTA with the Bhutanese monks, Ministry of Culture officials and Ephraim Jose in front of Dungtse Lakhang, Paro, Bhutan

_____
*Dungtse Lakhang is a Buddhist temple in western Bhutan. Its wall paintings depict traditional Buddhist images together with those of local wrathful deities. It is unique because it is in the form of a chorten. Its Buddhist iconography is also a unique trove of the Drukpa Kagyu school. The Lakhang is located on the edge of a hill between the Paro valley and the Dopchari valley, across the bridge from Paro.  It is scheduled for restoration in 2015. 

**Phajoding is a complex of temples situated above the city of Thimphu. It is known for its intricate murals that are largely in disrepair due to damage from the elements. Presently closed to the public, Phajoding is reached by a three hour hike on a rough trail frequented mostly by monks and villagers and traders from the surrounding areas.

The Good Egg

To classmates in San Beda Mendiola, he was"Itlog". Perhaps, it was due to his torso. Maybe, it was because he was not growing and it reminded them of an embryo. Well, he did seem as fragile.

Despite the demeaning moniker, Manny was quite popular. He had a knack for organizing class parties with the girls of St. Theresa's College Manila. His skill at making good connections even in high school was phenomenal.  

Fr. Basil Apostol, OSB

Manny and I had been classmates a few times through elementary and high school at the Benedictine school on Mendiola. He had his own set of friends and I had mine. However, it was always a pleasant encounter every time our paths crossed. We both shared a penchant for photography.

I came to know him better when he became my patient. He had become a Benedictine monk and was called Fr. Basil.  And he came to the clinic because he had grown tired of being rushed and confined to the hospital three to four times a year. The monks at the abbey could not understand why he often got sick and why he would not attend their community liturgical services. 

Basil had high blood pressure. He had an enlarged heart. He had problems with his spine. He had hyperacidity. But what distressed him most were his frequent panic attacks and depressive episodes. The monks would probably cite a number of saints who had similar problems. However, those saints probably did not have as many doctors as Basil did. He was never contented with consulting just one doctor. Ironically, he would stop taking the meds prescribed to him because of "intolerable" side effects. 

Even as a child, Basil was sickly. He was a complete orphan at an early age. He had one elder sister. And they had few relatives. It was Aunt Dolly, his mom's sister, who took him and his sister in. Many times, a maternal uncle would be called to school to bring him home. Uncle Pano would carry him in his arms as Basil gasped for air during his asthmatic attacks. Oh yes, Basil also had asthma.

I often wondered how he remained a priest. His illness and the cloistered monastic life were like yin and yang at odds. There was a time I advised him to quit. But despite the rigors of monastic life, he stayed on. And so his favorite expression, "Wow, pare!" -- and you must say this the way we did in the 70s --, is apt for the slow and tedious healing process that he went through.

Despite being sickly, Basil loved food.  And, his famed love for food made dining tables a pulpit where he welcomed everyone -- janitors, drivers, students, basketball players, batch mates, spouses (sometimes, paramours) of batch mates, balikbayans, business tycoons and politicians. He broke bread with all of them.  He carried on the renowned Benedictine hospitality albeit his unique gastronomy.  And, he would unabashedly share his hang-ups and foibles. In the best eateries in and out of town, his fellow diners would cheer him and ... uhh ... egg him on to health!  And, this time, he was endearingly called "Fads".

basil on my brother's big trike in california

I often scolded him about his weight and his unhealthy dining habits. My wife, who once thought of becoming a nun until I met her, had to remind me of how hellish life must be for those with these many illnesses and in religious life.  Joy, who is not only an acupuncturist and but a pathologist as well, is a pious woman who deeply respects the religious.  She told me to be more compassionate.  From being a patient, Basil became a good friend. 

And last May, Basil’s health significantly improved. His blood chemistry test results were all normal. And he finally agreed to take low dose Fluoxetine. He tried it anew with the supervision of a psychiatrist. And, he started to say Mass more often. He spent more time with his fellow monks. And, for the first time, he was religiously attending all the games of San Beda's NCAA basketball team without the usual entourage of either a doctor or a nurse and a troop of moral supporters. But for some mysterious reason, another condition appeared.

Basil developed an acute thyroid condition. His weak and enlarged heart started beating fast. An endocrinologist was called in. I was worried as I explained to Basil that Chinese Medicine considers the heart a fire organ. He was in a volatile situation. Still, I hoped he would get well.

Fr. Basil and my wife Joy

Basil's death was sudden. It was like a validation of how unpredictable God can be.  On that fateful day, he even felt well enough to watch and celebrate the resounding victory of San Beda's NCAA seniors' basketball team over Emilio Aguinaldo College. He ran for the abbey entrance after alighting from the van to bring in the news. He even had four types of "sisig" for lunch. Those with him claimed that he just tasted a bit of each but it appeared though that he hit the tipping point. 

That evening in the prayer room of the abbey, Basil suddenly collapsed. His heart just stopped. He died praying with the religious community that he committed himself to. He died practicing the very rubric of Benedictine life: embracing his monastic life, in stabilitas (stability) and in oboedentia (obedience). He was a good egg. And, God's plan for Basil had finally hatched.

fr. rafaelito and the rest of the benedictine community officiating a funeral mass for fr. basil

note: fr. benabarre asked me to write this piece for the alumni newsletter during one of his visits to my clinic. and being 99 years old, he probably will forget about it, i thought. a few days later, fr. pael, the acting abbot, sent me a private message on fb asking me to write the article.  (pael is one of the three priests our batch in high school produced. )  and, so i took it on.  but i also took some liberty in describing how fr, basil died. technically, he died a few days later.  the monks rushed him to the emergency room of a nearby hospital where he was "revived" from a state of 0/0 blood pressure and zero pulse -- a state that had lasted beyond five minutes before the intervention, according to accounts.  and so, he remained in a state of deep coma until his death on july 26, 2014.
by the way, on his return visit to the clinic, fr. benabarre reminded me about the article he asked me to write the week before.  that man is amazing! 

anton's last michaelmas celebration at the manila waldorf school

anton is on his senior year and this is his last time to participate in the traditional celebration of the feast of st. michael the archangel.   the slideshow starts with a blooper as the students try to invoke st. michael's intervention in making the night a success.   commission of mistakes is a normal part of taking risks.  and they did well overcoming it.  mikael was there inspiring them!

my desk and chair of 35 years

my father learned too late that giving me expensive toys was a bad idea.  and i grew spoilt.  he would give me a toy for every merit card, medal or school award.  and, i remember the battery-operated toys he gave me.  there was the robot that had a rotating head of colored lamps.  he gave me a tractor that could climb over obstacles and steep inclines.  there was the flash gordon spaceship that could retreat from things it bumped into and i would keep it on until the batteries died.   and there was the monorail train hugging a flexible rail perched on poles and never, not even once, falling off.  and as soon as i got bored with them, i would get my dad's screwdriver and pliers and explore how these toys worked.  my dad was a mechanical engineer.  and i would mimic how he used his tools. it was fun as i would turn the toys into monsterized creatures.  but my mom called me a "seraniko".   i was like the ruthless kid in toy story 3 where the toys never stood a chance.   eventually, my father thought matchbox cars would be more appropriate.  those metal cars were tough and not made for prying. but i stopped even before he gave me those tough metal toys because the tools suddenly disappeared.  and that was after i tried to pry away the plug from the electric socket.  there was a loud clap and huge sparks flew and the screwdriver turned black and i must have turned pale with fright!  i did not get hurt but i eventually learned to take care of things after realizing how much work went into making them and the hazards they sometimes pose.  and so i developed a penchant for taking good care of things, making them last for as long as possible even in this day of planned obsolescence.  and so it was with a desk and a swivel chair papa gave me for my college studies.  its top had now slightly bowed to the weight of my books and my shoulders from late night readings. the steel chair had already been welded twice due to fatigue. they remain quite usable.  as a matter of fact, they are the ones i use when patients see me at the clinic. and papa finally hammered another lesson into my head.

uerm84 farewell party at musica

uerm84 30th annual celebration farewell party at musica