Easter Faces, Lent It Be

Ah April, foolish I’d be if I don’t welcome the fresh air.. Autumn scrubbing its feet on the muddy summer doormat. Summer’s gone! What summer? Not enough sunny days. It rained in the wrong areas of NSW! Someone give those clouds a GPS! My backyard topsoil just floated away towards the neighbour’s swimming pool because of continuous rain. All my tarpaulins that protected greenhouse seedlings blown away; and I think a few of my pet chooks took more wind under their wings than usual. Hmm is that chicken in my neighour’s barbie?:)

Wonder how the Fil-Aus community shall celebrate Easter here. Aha- of course it’s the Royal Easter Show at Homebush showground. This launches a monologue:
My Nasty Side says: “Naah, Easter show’s a rip off!” This side is hot and cross as a bun!

But my Good Side (GS) says: “Oh come on, it’s for the kids and opportunities for farmers to show their prize pumpkins, horses, merino, cattle, and agri-produce grown around the outskirts of Sydney; not to mention stunt cars and wood-chopping!”

NS: “Why do they have to charge so much for entrance fees? There’s not much money left for balloons and rides! Now you tell me it’s for kids? Totally irrelevant to the Fil-Aus community’s Lenten traditions.”

GS: “Australians need a holiday break; entertainment devoid of religious brands, besides it’s an event in a month full of beautiful days, weather-wise. What’s wrong with that? Is that too politically correct?”

NS: “Hmph, it’s a carnival, horror rides, blatant commercialism, and also to keep that white elephant of a post-Sydney Olympics 2000 compound grind lucrative or face total shut down!”

GS: “But wholesome fun can bring together people from all walks of life who have every right to enjoy an Easter break. Good-bye NS!”

Well it’s a mixed feeling I get every Lent. As a kid I joined the Pabasa (Reading) in our makeshift bamboo chapel built smack-center in our streets. Chanting the Pasyong Mahal (book about Christ's Passion) gained me acceptance in our religious community; singing its 984 verses redeemed me of my sins (like spending too much time sketching and teasing my sisters and acting like Bart Simpson).

And what are these Pabasa people chewing on? Ugh, not Wrigley’s at all..they’re sucking on sliced ginger! Adults who sat beside me insisted it’s good for the throat and that one can sing longer without getting hoarse.

When I was seven, I would make crosses out of barbecue sticks and cut out cardboard figures of Jesus Christ and the two thieves which I'd then stake in a fashioned anthill in our frontyard. It was a sort of penitence until I started high school. Kids would mill around my little dioramic corner. Playmates were so thrilled they'd help me cut out more centuriones (Roman soldiers). Took us all day telling stories in front of the mini-Calvary to make sense of the dramatic world of Christianity.

A few years back I had a booth at the Sydney’s Royal Easter Showground. Maan, it cost me an arm and a leg for that booth! Nevertheless I broke even and met new and old friends not to mention a calloused hand for drawing caricatures of Easter revellers for two weeks!
It was good times tho. There I launched my poster and postcard collection of famous Australians.

One of them is Ian Thorpe who is now back on the headlines because of some obvious smear campaign relating to a medical leak finding him with high levels of testosterone during his peak period of swimming victories. Why crucify this nice boy? Anyway testosterone is naturally occurring inside our bodies. Talk about some jealous French! The journalistic paparazzi who proved fatal to Lady Di are up with their antics again, jumping to conclusions; hmm that’s inherent to some green amphibians;-)
There were other famous Australians in my caricature 2004 collection which some of you guys may not realize are Aussies. Now there’s Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue (Some members of the press should be ashamed of themselves after calling her the Singing Kookaburra!).
I’ve drawn Steve Irwin’s caricature 2 years before his untimely death. He looked sad in the drawing tho’ I tried my best to emote his classic smile.
I enjoyed drawing Guy Sebastian and his friendly nemesis Shannon Noll, legendary country singer Slim Dusty, the talented and chatty Dame Edna extolled by Melbournians with such religious fanaticism:), Delta Goodrem, Kostya Tszu, the great Cathy Freeman. Owzaat?!.. for Don Bradman, Steve Waugh and Brett Lee to sate the cricket-loving Australians; and there’s Lleyton Hewitt for the racquet-lovers and swimming legend Dawn Fraser.
In 1979, year I arrived in Oz, Robert de Castella won Australia’s marathon title. Then he went on breaking world marathon finish ribbons like an addiction. His last marathon title was in Rotterdam in 1991.

Have a good holiday break guys.