Masked

There's a story behind this all-cotton face mask sewn for me by Aya Justiniani of Aya's Store. I needed such masks for my then repeated trips to the Medical City for the rehab of my new knee until the physical therapy sessions were suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Still, I thought the family should invest in masks should we need to go out, eventually. The items available in the drugstores or supermarkets were the disposable, not eco-friendly, kind.

Under what Dr. Melendre Araos now calls "the new normal," masks will be part of our outfits, whether we like it or not. And for immuno-compromised individuals like myself who has to live with hypertension and diabetes, there's no arguing anymore about what's comfy and what's not.

Amy Tan, in her FB author's page, showed how stylish masks can be made to look even for someone in her late 60s.

And then I saw Aya's wares in Facebook. She was making and selling them for Pph25 each for the adult size, Php15 for the kid's. My sisters and I decided to commission her to sew 52 masks, some for shipping to Iloilo.

We received our orders yesterday, thanks to a quick online banking transfer and Lalamove PH Delivery. Aya carefully and lovingly folded her paninda in individualized plastic resealable packs. The packs can be recycled later to contain maybe one's fancy earrings or necklaces to protect them from dust.

When I showed my mask, one of six varieties in my collection, Martin Masadao had the capital idea of also bringing his retazos to some old gentlemen tailors in San Andres, Manila, to give them business during a difficult period. When Jennifer Patricia A. Cariño saw mine, she said friends in Baguio have also taken up sewing these things. Let's keep the sewing going.

I'm not saying a mask will completely shield you from the notorious virus. But with life's full promise still awaiting us after the lockdown, it's best not to take risks so we can sing, like Shirley Horn or Gou de Jesus, when we emerge from the quarantine: "So here's to life / And every joy it brings / So here's to life / To dreamers and their dreams."

Amy, Diane and Emily

While reading Manila Bulletin's interview with novelist and recent Manila visitor Amy Tan just yesterday after it came out Monday, I took note of this interesting question asked: "Is there any person, living or dead, you want to chat with to write their biography or a book based on their story?"

Her reply: "Emily Dickinson because every one of her poems was so profound. Her poems are very deep and emotional but not in a predictable, sentimental way. I want to know, how did you have these thoughts?"

Today I happened upon a profile of actor Diane Keaton in a back issue of The New York Times (online edition, of course). She was asked what her favorite literary genre is. She then asked if quotes count as a literary genre or sub-genre because she hoards them. One such quote that she had scribbled on the back of an envelope are these lines from Emily Dickinson:

"In this short life that only lasts an hour, 
How much — how little — is within our power."

Coincidence? Synchronicity? A nudge--but towards what direction?

It's uncanny but as I encode these words, the fog in Baguio is rolling in, and I am reminded that I must bring in the laundry from the clothesline before they get damp all over again. I think that is today's message. That's the direction I am taking after I upload this blog for today.

By the way, "I must go in, the fog is rising" were supposedly the last words Ms. Dickinson said. A fitting thought before we all observe Dia de Muertos that has somehow been trivialized by a commercialized Halloween. Funny how of all the images of Ms. Dickinson, it's the one above that captured and captivated me totally.

Those last words won't be mine yet. And I'm not about to spook myself while alone in the house.

Thank you just the same, ladies.