Marylou's Portrait (my favorite) UPDATED July 27

Feb.23, 2006: Manila Philippines: Photographed at 1:14pm only with available window light.

Olympus E-1, Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital: 1/125s f/3.4 at 46.0mm iso800

My favorite image of Marylou, my dear friend; an artist in-need.
Please read the posts below to see her artistic talents, expressed in oil pastels.

PJAMES

*UPDATED July 27, 2007:

Marylou's Work Ethic: A Story

In late 2004 when Marylou was vending cigarettes & candies on the sidewalk corner to support her Family, I had come to Manila and was out shooting on the streets by 7am, and decided to go to the local 7-11 for some water.

About a block from the store, I saw Marylou standing on the sidewalk with a small tray of cigs & candies; I greeted her & asked if she'd like anything from the 7-11, and her eyes opened wider - I asked her if she'd had her breakfast but she just stared at me (I knew then she hadn't eaten anything) so I told her I'd bring her back anything she'd like to eat from the store.

"hot dog" she said.
"hot dogs for breakfast" I asked?
"hot dog please - is it ok for you"? she asked.

I said it would my pleasure to bring her a hot dog, and I went to the store and brought her 2 hot dogs with katchup, along with a liter bottle of spring water.
I told her it was important for her to drink water when she was in the hot sun, and I asked her how many hours she was working that day - she told me she begins her days there on the sidewalk at 7:30am through 7:30pm and works a 12hr. day outside.

As I went off to take care of business that day, I remembered thinking to myself what a long day a 12hr. shift can be when you're outside in the elements; I've done entertainment security work here for many years, so I know exactly what it's like to Stand Post outside in the Summertime elements for a 12 to 16hr. shift - it's not exactly easy.

I came back to my hotel by 7pm, unloaded my camera, showered and wanted to see if Marylou was still outside, so I walked down the street and saw her, still standing on the corner, still working.

She smiled and was doing this little dance - for some reason she couldn't stand still - I was just amazed she had the endurance to stand a 12hr. day in 90 degree temps.

I asked her if she was ok, and she blushed when she said she needed to use the CR (bathroom) - and she said she would use the abandoned lot across the street, to which I said no, that it wasn't safe there, and that she should use the CR's in the Mall 2 blocks down the street.

I then realized she could not allow herself a bathroom break ALL DAY LONG, as she was afraid of another street vendor that would come steal her place there, and she would have to look elsewhere to vend, so I was stunned at her perseverance just to make a few Pesos in sales.

I told her I'd stand there & mind her sales tray, while she went to the Mall, and she laughed!
...I said "I'm serious - you go do what you need to do, and I'll be here with your stuff when you get back!"

You should have seen the relief on her face, to know her money & vending tray would be safe with me, and that she could finally use the CR for the first time in a 12hr. day - so she hugged me & ran off in a SPRINT down the street.

Now you have to picture this - I'm American, and standing on the corner in Manila Philippines as a street vendor, with this small tray of cigarettes & candies - and locals would pass me and do a double-take as to this Gringo Street Vendor!

They'd stop and ask for "MarlBORO" and I'd sell them a single cigarette for the standard Manila price of 1.5 pesos (3 cents USD), and I'd sell the candies for the correct P1 price, each.

Maybe I attracted business, I don't know - but Marylou was back in 15 minutes, relieved & laughing when she saw me trying to sit comfortably on a small rock Marylou was using for a seat during her day - she thanked me over & over again for letting her go to the CR - and I remembered what a hard & determined worker she was, doing this all for her small Children.

I saw her tray nearly empty now, but it really looked like that when I saw it in the early morning and said "wow, sales must have been GREAT today!"

She just looked up at me with a sad face; it was then I realized her tray was almost empty because she didn't have the money needed to buy ANY stock to sell....she started the day with almost nothing as I remembered.

I thought to myself for a few seconds and came up with an idea, because I just couldn't see her struggling anymore; taking the few Pesos she'd earned home to her Family so she could buy baby milk & rice, and not being able to use any of that money to buy more cigarettes & stock to sell for the next day.

I told her "pack up, it's quitting time...I have an idea, so get a pencil because I need to make a shopping list."

"What do you need, Kuya?" she asked.

"What I need, is to INVEST in you dear..." I answered.
...write down the stock you need to buy for your vending stand, brand by brand.

She looked puzzled, and I came right out & said I was taking her to the Supermarket in Robinson's Mall, and that we were going to go shopping for her cartons of cigarettes & 100 count bags of the candies she & every other vendor sells.

She knew then I was serious, and that it was my gift to her, so she began crying & smiling at the same time, telling me that no one had ever done anything like this for her before.

I called out the brands and she wrote them all down: Marlboro Red, Philip Morris, HOPE Menthol, Marlboro LIGHTS.....then the candies: MAX Red, Green, Orange, etc - and the 4 or 5 other small candies people bought from the vendors I knew....we ended up with quite a list, and now we were on a Mission.

I didn't want her to be ashamed, so I tried to keep her laughing & smiling, and said 'OK then...so let's go SHOPPING!!"

We went right to the Supermarket and filled a basket with cartons of cigarettes at $5.00 per carton, and I found the 100 piece big bags of the menthol MAX wrapped candies; got 4 bags of those at P50 ($1), as well as the big bags of the other brands, and she was smiling so big I knew it was like Christmas for her, and it was my pleasure to give her the presents.

She deserved them.

Marylou taught me many lessons that day about having the endurance to stand post on the job, about courage & what it means to be in-need and to give to those in-need; about Family and about the work ethic - HER work ethic; that she would sweat in the hot sun all day long with only little money to show for it, so she could feed her Family.

I was honored to spend $28.00 USD out of my own pocket travel money (it would be another year before anyone would give me any money to spend on the working poor there), and since my hotel in 2004 was $20.00 USD per day, I had to leave Manila one day early in order for her to have what she needed for her next few days there - but it was OK because I left with a smile, thinking about my friend Marylou who taught me more then she knew.

Read her posts below - she's quite an emerging artist and has given me some of her oil pastel paintings to sell for her.

Many Thanks for reading today,
PJAMES