Photo-Op
STRANGER THAN FICTION by Jeneen R. Garcia Published in May 2002 One of the more embarrassing things about my parents is their love—no, compulsion—for taking photos. No opportunity passed up, the flash goes off everywhere: malls, hotel lobbies, sidewalks, parlors. Even bathrooms. And I don’t mean cutesy shots of naked babies in a bathtub. I mean me and my siblings, all grown up, with the bathroom mirror of some resort as backdrop. Father’s orders, don’t ask me . They love to travel. Thus, we have pictures of cockpits with amused pilots and stewards, the beaming captain and crew of different sorts of ships (including a submarine), but fortunately none with a bus driver yet, though the Davao-Manila bus route is a favorite. I didn’t think it was that bad till I graduated from college. We were in a classy restaurant for a joint graduation dinner with my friends’ families. As we stood looking for a table, my parents whipped out a camera for the waiter. My epiphany ...