COULD THE EXHIBIT HAVE BEEN PERFECT "NO"!! COULD IT HAVE PLEASED EVERYONE? "NO"!! ANYTHING PEOPLE DO IS NEVER PERFECT NOR CAN IT PLEASE EVERYONE.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER EXHIBIT IF MORE TIME MORE MONEY AND A BIGGER MUSEUM IN MACAU SO A LARGER EXHIBIT COULD HAVE OCCURED. GOOD TEAM WORK BETWEEN ALL GROUPS AND FACTIONS WOULD HAVE ADDED TO THE ACCURACY AND LESSENED THE DISSAPOINTMENTS OF SOME.
IN THE REAL WORLD THERE WAS A VERY SHORT TIMETABLE, LIMITED MONEY, SPACE AND NO TIME TO CONSULT EVERYONE AND MAKE SURE OF ALL THE FACTS AND THAT NO FEATHERS WERE RUFFLED. THE ARTICLES PUBLISHED WERE THE WAY THE PEOPLE FROM THOSE CULTURES VIEWED THEIR HISTORY AND AS SUCH OFTEN AT ODDS WITH OTHER CULTURES OR COUNTRYS. I COULD WRITE AN ARTICLE ON WHAT I THINK THE PHILLIPPINES ARE ABOUT BASED ON WHAT LITTLE I KNOW OR HAVE READ IN ALL INNOCENCE AND NO DOUBT ANGER MANY DUE TO MY POINT OF VIEW AND IGNORENCE. IF ONLY ONE ITEM OF THE MANY SHIPPED OVER AND BACK WAS DAMAGED IT IS UNFORTUNATE BUT REMARKABLE THAT THE DAMMAGE WAS SO SMALL. I PACKED MY ITEMS TO WITHSTAND NUCLEAR WAR, TSUNAMI OR VOLCANIC ERUPTION SO THEY CAME THRU OK, BUT BAGGAGE HANDLERS CAN BE WORSE THEN ANY OF THOSE.
IN FACT THE EXHIBIT WAS A REMARKABLE AND WORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENT WITH ALL THE MISTAKES AND UNINTENTIONAL OMMISSIONS AND THINGS CONSIDERED AS INSULTS OR MISLEADING ERRORS. THE FACT THAT A SMALL MUSEUM MADE THIS ATTEMPT AND FOLLOWED THRU TO COMPLETION SUCH AN EXHIBIT AND HOPEFULLY THE CATALOG, IS WORTHY OF PRAISE AND APPRECIATION. HOW MANY EXHIBITS OF ETHINOGRAPHIC WEAPONS HAVE THERE BEEN IN RECENT YEARS?
ANTONIO WAS UNDER MORE PRESSURE FROM THE EXHIBIT AND LACK OF TIME AND HELP THAN ANY ONE MAN SHOULD BE AND ALSO HAD MORE IRONS IN THE FIRE AS WELL AS HIS OWN LIFE TO LEAD. IF I HAD BEEN IN HIS SHOES I WOULD HAVE RAN OFF TO QUILIN CHINA AND LIVED IN A CAVE AS A HERMIT FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE AND THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO EXHIBIT.
SO I UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE ALL HIS HARD WORK EVEN IF IT IS NOT PERFECTION. ANTONIO HAS ALWAYS CAME ACROSS AS A GENTELMAN TO ME BUT CONSIDERING THE STRESS AND HARD WORK HE HAS BEEN UNDER A HARSH RESPONCE TO THE EXHIBIT WOULD BE LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE SO WOULD NO DOUBT DRAW A HOT RESPONCE. WHICH WOULD THEN BE REGRETTED LATER. I HAVE CERTIANLY DONE IT A FEW TIMES MYSELF WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD DONE MY BEST AND SOMEONE TRASHED MY WORK AND SAID IT WAS WORTHLESS I WAS SUPRIZED AND THEN FURIOUS.
I DON'T MIND SOMEONE TELLING ME WHERE I GO WRONG AND HELPING ME TO CORRECT IT BUT AM NOT TOLERANT OF ATTACKS ON MY INTELLEGENCE WITH NO RECOMENDATIONS ON HOW TO CORRECT IT.
IT WOULD BE GOOD IF THE INCORRECT INFORMATION IN THE CATALOG COULD BE CORRECTED AND THE MUSEUM SHOULD RESPOND TO ANYONE WHO TAKES THE TIME TO POINT OUT MISTAKES EVEN IF IT IS TOO LATE TO CORRECT THEM AS A PROFESSIONAL COURTSY. BUT SOMETIMES THAT DOSEN'T HAPPEN FAST DUE TO LACK OF TIME INTERPRETERS OR FUNDS.
PERHAPS SOME OF OUR AMERICAN PHILIPPINO MEMBERS COULD WORK WITH A MUSEUM IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ORGANIZE AN EXHIBIT THERE. WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO MORE ACCURATE INFORMATION AND WE COULD GET TO SEE SOME OF THEIR COLLECTIONS. WE AS COLLECTORS ARE INTERESTED IN ALL THE CULTURES OUR WEAPONS COME FROM, BUT TO HAVE PRIDE IN THE CULTURE IT MUST BE YOUR OWN. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THAT BLOOD OR PRIDE IT IS EASY TO MISUNDERSTAND AND CONSIDER THINGS UNIMPORTANT AND CAUSE HARD FEELINGS WITH THOSE WHO CONSIDER THEM AS VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE TRY TO FORGIVE OUR IGNORENCE AND LACK OF SENSITIVITY AS WE NEVER MEAN TO INSULT AND WE WILL ALSO TRY TO STAY COOL IF YOU UNKNOWINGLY TROD ON OUR TOES.
SO I FOR ONE AM WILLING TO FORGIVE ANY MISTAKES OR OMISSIONS AS I FEEL IT IS BETTER TO HAVE HAD AND PARTICIPATED IN THE EXHIBIT THAN TO HAVE HAD NONE AT ALL.