AT THE STOA

"Was Daedalus really stricken with grief when Icarus fell into the sea? Or just disappointed by the design failure?" Alison Bechdel, Fun Home  (2007) Jacob Peter Gowy   'The Fall Of Icarus',  1636-1637, Oil On Canvas, 195 X 180 cm The story of Icarus, I submit, is not about Icarus; it is about Daedalus. Being a man of genius, it was Daedalus that set both himself and his son forth to freedom. He is still, however, a man. The labyrinth is the perfect symbol for his connection to the earth. He has mastered and created an earthly prison so intricate only he knows how to get out of it, and get out of it, he did. The way out is not further inside; it is to the skies. And that is the way both he and his son took. Daedalus, before flight, did warn Icarus of two things: complacency, and hubris. Too complacent, and the wings will be too clogged with dampness; too much hubris, and the wax holding the wings together will melt. Imagine Icarus hearing those wo...

This is Yuri. She was born on September 14 last year, and is a Blue British shorthair from Russia (hence the name. "Yuri" also means "lily" in Japanese, which we also chose in memory of my late mother. And also it means "girl on girl," but we knew about that later).  My brother-in-law, who was originally a fighting cock breeder but is now a breeder of two parrots, one Burmese python, four American bullies, and countless bonsai, (but also fighting cocks) bought her. She came to the Philippines several days ago, bearing a passport. Yes, a passport. Dude, I didn't have a passport 'til I was 35. This kitten had a passport at 5 months old. It's been three days since I transported her from my sister's at San Fernando, La Union, to here. I waited a total of three days for her arrival, alternating between feeling excited and feeling anxious as I do about any new person that comes into my myopic worldview. I was so anxious the day I w...