Other states of Reposo

I wander around trying to find a new life, down old roads that seem somewhat new to me, but then I stop at the sense of something familiar. Maybe, just maybe, I will work on Wack Wack Road. Every time I go there, I am overcome by a sense of something familiar. I used to live at the old Wack Wack Condominium, when it was the only condominium in the neighborhood. That was in the early ’80s, before we left for the United States, before my girls went to college. It was a lovely time of our lives when we were all innocent, before the therapy sessions that bared our soul problems to each other. Then we loved each other so well. Maybe I will move back if the project I’m supposed to work on gets off the ground. Or maybe I will move into one of the newer condominiums. There are so many around now.

I wander, too, down Reposo, where once I used to work. Before my stroke, I worked there a long time. My office was across the church, full of stories that one day perhaps I should write, but since then it has changed much and now definitely it is going on and continuing to do well without me. There is Ricco-Renzo Gallery, where I used to give my writing classes, a lovely place at the LRI Building where I would drop in quite frequently to look around, to visit my old friends, Rose Yenko, with whom I am involved in some Jungian projects; Ed Soler, who now owns an art gallery there, who used to make beautiful furniture, who used to help me out in some of my projects in previous lives. They are all now part of a group called Grupo Reposo.

I dropped in on them and accidentally walked into a meeting. It is May again, the merry month of May, when the Grupo turns Reposo into a street festival for the arts. It closes down to traffic, turns into an art market of sorts. That’s what they’re planning for. This year will be more elaborate than last year’s. All I remember last year is how I set up my second-hand Rose table and sold a lot of my old stuff. Now, I am wondering if I should do it again. Maybe I should hit the road with all my old books. I don’t know.

Celebrations this year begin with Mass at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Church for all Grupo Reposo members. Then the preparations begin. A new mural will be painted farther up the street, closer to Jupiter. More booths will be set up for people who want to sell. There will be an Activity Tent, which will feature musicians and visual artists doing face painting, henna body painting. I wonder if my crooked, lop-sided, and extremely flabby body can be remedied by henna. Might be worth a try.

Then at night, there will be al fresco dining from all the restaurants along that row and a lot of interesting music. Dining hours are from 6 to 9. On Saturday night, they have music from the University of Makati Chorale, made up of 28 musically-talented youth, followed by the Makiling Ensemble led by Dina de Leon. This is an ethnic and modern musical group. They will be followed by the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band, made up of 60 children from all over the country.

On Sunday night, you can listen to the experimental sounds of Elements, led by Lirio Salvador and Gilbert Sanchez who have invented their own musical instruments. Then comes the performance of the St. Scholastica Quartet, who will play classical music and finally, Coke Bolipata and his Camerata who will play string instruments.

There will also be guest lecturers at Ricco-Renzo. Dr. Ike Tolentino will talk about the beautiful trees along Reposo Street on Saturday. On Sunday,. Eric Torres will talk about "The Growth of the Gallery System During the Postwar Years," and Carlos Saavedra will talk about the "Effect of Music in My Art."

In short, Reposo will turn into an art festival for one weekend, May 27-28. If you want more information, just call Rose Yenko at 898-3826. You may want to rent a table to sell your wares.

Me? I don’t know what to do. Something is about to happen in my life, but I don’t know precisely what so I wander around and allow myself to get absorbed in this or that until something clarifies. Then I can stop the wandering and begin the settling again.

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