The Heat Is On

The last two weeks have been maddening for this student nearing the finish line of my snail-paced trek to a second undergrad degree. After defending my thesis on “Photographer Tommy Hafalla and His Documentation of Cordillera Life Ways: The Making of a Book,” my classmates and I literally cobbled together a group show called “Lucky 9 in ’09” last Tuesday.

There are nine of us in that thesis class: Cecil Singaloa, the two Karens (Nono and Marquez), Louise Ignacio, Donna Estrellado, Johanna Ponce, Maco Sales, Edmund Andrada and myself. Try to catch the exhibit at Galerya Kordilyera at the University of the Philippines Baguio. It runs till the end of the week. Good luck with finding the person who holds the key to the gallery’s gate.

And as the temperature in our still fair city begins to rise, I am haunted by visions of palm trees, lounging chairs where I can stretch out with a book, sand and sea beyond my feet, quaffing cold beer and nibbling grilled tuna while watching the dusky sky turn pink, magenta, violet and finally indigo.