CREATING LEGENDS
By:  Iris P. Concepcion

God, in his wicked moment, had fathomed a world where all his human creations try to usurp His all-knowing creativity.  Already sensing the follies of his subjects out of this rather spurious endeavor,  He had allowed them to fall, stumble and believe in their fleeting omnipotence as He had engaged them in their pious foolishness.

This, I think, is the reason why the forerunner mall in the Philippines is Ali Mall in honor of one of the  most legendary boxing fights of all time, Thrilla In Manila, between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. This could likewise be the cause why the premiere sports arena in the Philippines is the Araneta Coliseum where The Fight was held and why He still gives enough space for people to cook fishballs in rolling, wooden stalls with the gigantic woks boiling snacks in brown lard.  The Almighty's democratic and spiritual work operates not in mysterious but understandable ways.  That He allows, us, humans, to think that we are greater than Him is the true mark of his Divine Leadership.

I had hit upon this idea while observing an array of products, innovated by mortals like myself in front of the Fellowship Assembly worship hall on the first day of this year, 2012, a year of ominous presences among kinship in both the Godly designs and technology at Yala, Thailand, my place of residence for the past six months.

These are the items which caught my attention:

Specially crafted knives with sharp edges that are supernaturally functional they could cut even the thickest of plastic wares.  The variety for vegetable and spices is very small but effective.  I have likewise seen a toothbrush holder made out of thin plastic that still requires a hook for hanging, an obvious slap to a chopping wood board with a ready hook that is sturdily attached and could never be removed.  The cooking wares are finely crafted in their obvious, superior material, and could not be easily thundered by ordinary wear and tear unlike the modern, stainless ones that still go rusty.

It is my personal error of History that I had known the tinsmiths who had made these cooking disacoveries upon the direction of a big-eyed female bird.  Never the unbeliever, I  subscribe to the idea that the folly of my belief is pleasing to the Providence's eyes.

There are cement statues of dogs that are perfectly painted and are not one dimensional, one dimensional being placing eyes in dotted form like this: 0 on the face of the animal.  Their eyes are alive with eyelids and eyelashing contours and their ears are fluffy.  I could not understand why a hardened material like an asphalt/cement could produce soft curves in dogs' ears but again, God's logic is immortal.  I do not think the Big Thinkers in sprawling cities could spot the innate intelligence of the tilted heads and dopey eyes looking at the wares hanging above.

Me, a stupid human being without an office desk, gazed at where these puppies are looking at and was immediately delirious upon seeing hair bands with glues still visible on their sides and could easily be broken.  They are placed in a hanger-like implement filled with hair clips and plastic necklaces.  I had nonetheless found an item from among these gifts a hair clip with a blue and white blooming flower looking like an authentic plant that could transform a depressed lady into a femme fatale in Blue Hawaii.  This could fetch as far as P500  in any pricey outlet and I am assured a lot of billionaires in this planet would still purchase it and brand it Gotham Ornaments at a mark-up price of P1,500.00.

I had ventured far and saw combs for lice (butol-big lice; kuyamad-small lice, a very Iris childhood), locks that are thin and thick, wipers to remove stains which made my eyebrows twitch as they are produced from cardboards and could easily get wet.  One of God's allowable provisions for human mistakes.

The rest of the items I need to ask from the vendor for their use like the kitty magnets that still require real magnets to magnetize.  Or the screwdrivers that are huge like a playhouse.  Either  the burglars are entering giant houses or my retinas had just expanded.  This reminds me of the pornographic appendages sold in Quiapo with their promise of increased sexual stimulation that I found rather stupid since they are made of wire fences.  Again, God had allowed this aberration to be marketed to test the pain of the voyeurs in spirit.

Which brings me to the Palm Island. Shun the pun but I need to reinvigorate the blueprint of this dwelling.  A prototype of this city is shaped like palm leaves and its lights are all palm-patterned.  Even the beaches are shaped like palms.  Ricardo Montalban's Fantasy Island, with his sidekick dwarf in tuxedo, shall never get lost here.

Hence, if you ever wonder why Muhammad Ali is called the greatest fighter of all time, Jose Rizal the greatest educator (he had made everyone believe in his rich, linear history of political life: refer to his Calamba abode with an unfettered well), Martin Luther King the greatest orator, Sesame Street the greatest educational program on television with Ernie and Bert, Cookie Monster, Mr. Count  and Big Bird,  and why the Three Tenors could blast their crescendos in notes higher than Matimtiman Cruz, simply turn right and wait for the green signal to light up and recognize, deeply recognize,  the woven stories behind these legends that could never be stricken out from History Books.

I am here, sitting as a mortal, being given a dexterous freedom by God to maintain my own follies.

The next time you see objects in transit, dear readers, notice the eyes, just notice the eyes.