The Story Behind Weslu's Pensive Photo

At Luis Guiang's wake at Floresco Funeral Homes in Gen. Luna St., Malabon almost a year ago, people were treated to different forms of surprises every night.

On the first night of his wake, people were trooping non-stop to Floresco, all anticipating that his body would be ready at around midnight or so. In typical Weslu fashion, the white coffin rolled in 4 hours late...

...and the wheels rolling on the floor was the only sound that was heard at that particular moment.

Everyone didn't seem to mind that Luis was (again) late. As the reality that it was in fact the body of Luis that was in the coffin set in most people's minds, sobs started to ensue. Tears flowed from the eyes of even the nastiest looking guys present at that time. It was a chilling, nearly surreal sight.

In another night, bands gathered to pay their homage in the form of acoustic sets. I was not personally there, but I was told that it was a night full of music and moving tributes.

And there was a night where pictures of Luis were shown to the public in a slideshow. Towards the end of the slideshow, a photo was flashed as a taped interview of Weslu played in the background: WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, A BIG HOTDOG? (laughter) WITH KETCHUP? (more laughter)
The photo was that of Luis playing with an acoustic guitar, looking pensive. For those who have been with Weslu enough to know that he is a perpetually happy man, this is a rather unusual photo, for it seems to reveal his pensive side.

The same photo is presently being used in his Friendster account, Photoshopped to accommodate the image of Jesus Christ holding Luis' shoulder. It was moving enough that it nearby made me cry when I first saw it.

*****

The photo was taken last May 15. 2005. It was Sunday afternoon. Karen (AKA Dylan of NU107) was hosting her Pinoy Rock show Tapsirock and was set to interview JR of Shuffle Union and Jon, formerly of Neighbors at the NU107 booth. Luis joined in later in the interview to be a kibitzer. During a lull, he sat, and upon seeing an acoustic guitar lying nearby, picked it up and started strumming and singing softly to himself...

...and you know what people say about photographers? That instinct drives them to capture the perfect moment, at the perfect time?

No, I am not a photographer in the real sense, but I am proud to say that I was able to capture that (almost) perfect moment....

*****

It's great to see the same photo represent Luis in other print forms, websites, and the like, and for me it should not be a problem. It's all about seeing Luis in a different light, showing people that there is a thoughtful, pensive side to him, and that it's been a great honor for me to be able to even approximate that mood through a digital picture.