Yes! A Pre-Flight Massage

I no longer dread waiting for hours for my flight after checking in at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. I’m more worried that if I don’t check in early I’ll miss the chance of a good massage. Moreover, I’m preoccupied with the type of massage I’ll get: a one hour full body rubdown, a foot, back or scalp massage, or foot reflexology. The charge for a 20 minute back rub is $7.00 and my masseuse really worked hard on my aching back and shoulders and surprised me with a scalp massage to remove the fog in my head. She was also solicitous enough to ask me if her massage technique was hurting me. But I was already half asleep. Before finishing she asked me to sit down so she could stretch my back muscles and arms. What a clincher that was! True to the description given on their leaflet, the massage helped ease my anxieties. When we were done, I found I wanted more. But I had to board my flight to Tokyo.

With a little bit more time, I could have had a full body massage for P1,000.00 or roughly $22.00 per hour. The thirty minute costs half that. I’m especially intrigued with the foot massage because it is supposed to help stimulate blood circulation which is exactly what a traveler needs on those long flights while trapped in narrow seats and even narrower legroom.

What's next? I hope they’ll consider a foot spa, a manicure and a pedicure. So when I arrive at my next destination, I will look polished and relaxed.

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963, Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...

Masaganang Ani by Vicente Silva Manansala

Masaganang Ani (Bountiful Harvest), oil on canvas, 1962 The International Rice Institute of the Philippines (IRRI) was founded in the Philippines in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with the support of the Philippines government. The goal of IRRI is “to improve livelihoods, abolish poverty, hunger and malnutrition among those who depend on rice based agri-food systems”. Their headquarters is in Los Baños, Laguna. These two Manansala large scale paintings were commissioned by IRRI in 1962 to depict Filipino life, labor and leisure activities. The paintings were hung on the walls of the dining room and cafeteria at its headquarters. These weren’t ideal places to hang the canvasses because the smoke from the kitchen and the cleaning solutions used by the staff threatened the paintings. They are now on loan to the National Museum of the Philippines which declared these two masterpieces as National Cultural Treasures. In Masaganang Ani, Manansala chose themes celebrating th...

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