Miranda

Journey/Watery World Wednesday

2013-05-22T05:30:00.000+08:00

The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask. ~ Rich Ridgeway

Barasoain Church/Our World-Tuesday

2013-05-20T23:30:00.000+08:00

Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan is one of the historical churches in the Philippines. My friends and I visited this church one Saturday in early May enroute to Sta. Maria, another town in Bulacan. Truth be told, I wasn't aware of the church's historical significance until a former President (who, ironically, was later kicked out of office) was inaugurated here in 1998. It was an unusual venue for a presidential inaugural ceremony.

Also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Barasoain church is the site of the First Philippine Republic in 1898, and has earned a title as Cradle of Democracy in the East.

This church was founded by Augustinians Missionaries and the original church was constructed in 1630. The first stone structure was built in 1871 but it was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. The current church was rebuilt in 1885, the bell tower was constructed in 1889.

The facade has touches of neoclassic architecture. The interior of the church has wood panels painted in white, with frescoes of flowers, angels and saints; the altar was also painted in white with gold trimmings. The interior was not as rich and elaborate as the other old churches I have seen but inside has an airy, spacious feel.

There was an on-going wedding ceremony during our visit and I wasn't able to take photos of the interior.

The term "Barasoain" was a place in Spain to which the missionaries found to have similarities to this place in Malolos. When the Spanish-Filipino revolution broke out, revolutionaries coined the term "baras ng suwail" which means "dungeon of the defiant".

Barasoain Church was a temporary shelter of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines. During this time, three important historical events happened in this church: the convening of the First Philippine Congress in 1898, the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

During the revolution, this church was the haven of the Congreso Revolucionario with the ilustrados as its delegates and Gen. Aguinaldo as the leader.

I spotted this Pieta sculpture outside the walls of the church beside a small chapel (below).

Behind the church is a courtyard and the adjoining convent has a museum dedicated to the historical events that took place in the church, a part of the museum is a repository of artifacts found in the province. There was a Marian exhibit during our visit, in connection with the Flore de Mayo celebrations.

Barasoain Church was declared a National Shrine in 1973, and featured in the New Generation series of the 200 Philippine peso banknotes.

Malolos, Bulacan is 42 kilometers north of Manila.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Brick facade/Mandarin Orange Monday

2013-05-19T12:30:00.000+08:00

Brick facade of Liliw Church

Liliw, Laguna

"The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself,

but in the colors and textures that come alive

in others because of him."

~ Albert Schweitzer

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday

Blue hour @ Manila Bay/Sky-watch Friday

2013-05-17T02:00:00.000+08:00

There is a brief period of twilight of which I am especially fond, little more than a moment, when I see what seems to be color without light, followed by another brief period of light without color. The earlier period, like a dawn of night, calls up such sights that at all other times are hidden, wistful half-formless presences neither of day nor night, that draw up with them similar presences in the mind. ~ Robert Grudin, Time and the Art of Living

The blue hour--my favorite time of day.

Manila Bay

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Lunch @ Lugang Cafe

2013-05-16T22:30:00.000+08:00

Taiwanese Crispy Chicken Nuggets

Met a friend at the Mall of Asia on Thursday, the last day of her short Manila vacation. We decided to meet at MoA because of its proximity to the airport and there are places there to entertain the two boys while we're having girl-talk. This was a late lunch and as we entered the mall to look for a cool spot, we noticed chefs making dim sum through the glass wall of a restaurant. It was enough to lure us in to Lugang Cafe.

But as we browsed the extensive menu, we completely forgot about the dimsum! A plate of crispy chicken nuggets was ordered for the two boys, but they were engrossed with iPad games and we ended up eating the chicken nuggets.

As expected, I was seduced by oysters and got this Oyster with Black Bean Sauce. The dish wasn't bad at all except that I realized I still prefer oysters blanched, raw or baked---not in a sauce.

Instead of vegetables, we opted for Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork. I'm not very fond of tofu but I try to eat it regularly because I know it's healthy and reduces my calorie intake.:p And I'm glad we ordered this tofu dish---it's quite tasty. I wish it was a bit more spicy.

Taiwanese Tofu Clay Pot with Pork

Lugang Cafe is famous for their desserts but we had no more space for dessert. I will definitely leave some for dessert next time. The Belagio Breeze looks absolulely divine!

I love the stylish and hip ambiance of this restaurant (not like the usual Chinese restaurants). The contemporary furnishings, high ceiling and crystal chandeliers give it a feeling of generous spaciousness.

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

Abstract 20/NF Abstract

2013-05-15T15:30:00.000+08:00

People are like stained-glass windows,

they sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when darkness sets in,

their true beauty is revealed

only if there is a light from within.

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Linking to NF Abstract

Paths of silence/Watery World Wednesday

2013-05-15T00:00:00.000+08:00

"When you sit in silence long enough, you learn that silence has a motion. It glides over you without shape of form, exactly like water. Its color is silver. And silence has a sound you hear only after hours of wading inside it. The sound is soft, like flute notes rising up, like the words of glass speaking. Then there comes a point when you must shatter the blindness of its words, the blindness of its light."

~ Anne Spolen, The Shape of Water

Linking to Watery World-Wednesday

Orange slush/Mandarin Orange Monday

2013-05-12T14:00:00.000+08:00

A glass of orange slush I had the other day.

Heaven in sheared flakes of ice

that kissed me back.

"Of hunger and thirst, thirst is the greater imperative."

~Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday

Sunset today/Sky-watch Friday

2013-05-10T02:50:00.001+08:00

Sunset skies this afternoon, May 9th, at Manila Bay

There is a sunrise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them.

~ Jo Walton

Linking to Sky-watch Friday

Oysters Rockefeller

2013-05-09T22:00:00.000+08:00

Oysters Rockefeller--an appetizer I shared with my mother at dinner last week at the Mall of Asia. The oysters were baked with a generous amount of butter, cheese, some herbs and bacon bits.

Oysters Rockefeller was created in 1899 by Jules Alciatore in their family restaurant in New Orleans called Antoine's. The dish was named after John Rockefeller, the richest American at the time, for the intense richness of the sauce. Although many restaurants in New Orleans serve dishes purporting to be Oysters Rockefeller, Antoine's claims that they're all knock-offs because Alciatore took the original recipe with him to the grave.

Linking to Food Friday and Food Trip Friday

Power of the sea/Watery World Wednesday

2013-05-08T09:00:00.000+08:00

Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think. ~ Robert Henri

Linking to
Watery World Wednesday

Flores de Mayo: a Marian exhibit/Our World-Tuesday

2013-05-06T23:00:00.000+08:00

Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May) is a Catholic and Aglipayan festival held in the Philippines during the month of May. It is celebrated through the whole month of May, in honor of the Virgin Mary, making Flores de Mayo a huge religious event. The devotion of Filipinos to Catholicism does not only revolve around the church and its rituals but also on images of veneration known as "santos". These "santos" are cherished by the families who own them, and lavishly processioned during Lent, fiestas and religious holidays.

My friends and I were at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan province on Saturday. Barasoain Church is one of the most important religious and historical structures in the Philippines--this is where the first Philippine Congress was convened in 1898, the drafting of the Malolos Constitution from 1898-1899 and the site of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

Beside the church is the museum where we chanced upon this Marian exhibit called "Hermandad dela Virgen Maria", on its 21st year, in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Flowers.

Each figure in this exhibit alludes to the title of the Virgin Mary. I didn't recognize most of them but the one with pink roses on her head is Rosa Mystica (Mystical Rose); the golden wreath symbolizes the crown of saints or Reyna de los Santos; there's one holding a palm branch, Reyna de los Apostoles, queen of apostles; carrying a wand with star is Reyna de las Estrellas, and Reyna Justicia, queen of justice--she carries a sword and a weighing scale.

I've learned all these by watching the Santacruzan since I was very young---the highlight of our summer vacation before going back to school. The Santacruzan is a religio-historical beauty pageant held on the last day of the Flores de Mayo. It is held in towns and cities all over the Philippines.

As a non-Catholic, I look at these statues not as religious icons but works of art. The intricate embroidery, the rich, handmade adornments, the beautiful sculpted faces are fascinating. Obviously, these images were based on European models but these were actually carved and painted by Filipino hands. These figures celebrate the exuberant art of our "santos" makers, and they tell a story of how faith grew in this country--the historical model was European, the execution was done locally, and the product is part of our national heritage today.

And here is my favorite---Reyna de los Martires, queen of martyrs, with a pierced heart. She's also known as Mater Dolorosa. I love the sad, beautiful expression on her face.

These statues will be paraded around Malolos on May 12th, with marching bands and fireworks, followed by a mass and Santacruzan.

Malolos, Bulacan province is about 42 kilometers north of Manila.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday

Buds and a flower/MoM and NF Abstract

2013-05-05T12:30:00.000+08:00

A shy thunbergia with buds swaying in the warm summer breezes.

We turn to stories and pictures and music because they show who and what and why we are, and what our relationship is to life and death, what is essential. ~ Madeleine L'Engle

Linking to Mandarin Orange Monday and NF Abstract

Twilight @ the east/SWF

2013-05-03T02:30:00.000+08:00

These are the skies at twilight from the hilltop at Liloan, Cebu. The top photo is looking at the northwest, the next three photos are looking towards the east. The sky was not as as intense as the western sky but the soothing hues of twilight were beautiful nonetheless.

Everything was dry---the grasses were mostly brown, the twigs brittle from the summer heat. The colorful skies make a beautiful canvas for this otherwise arid and unremarkable landscape.

"As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art." ~ Albrecht Durer

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Callos

2013-05-02T21:30:00.000+08:00

I wasn't really hungry but I missed eating at Almon Marina, so I came in and ordered an appetizer of Liver Pate. I was planning to get a sandwich-to-go but the delectable flavors of Callos teased my taste buds memory. So here it...

Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table. ~ Charles Pierre Monselet

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

Abstract 18/NF Abstract

2013-05-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

Regarding the nature of reality, it all depends on who is looking and from where. ~ Stuart Wild

Linking to NF Abstract

Liliw-Majayjay River

2013-04-30T03:59:00.000+08:00

I was in Liliw, Laguna province over the weekend for the "Tsinelas Festival", and after roaming the streets of Liliw the whole morning, we drove a few minutes away from the town center to a bridge. The bridge is at the boundary of Liliw and Majayjay, small highland towns nestled at the foothills of Mount Banahaw.

From the bridge, we looked down to a river where folks were swimming and preparing their picnic lunch. The aroma of grilled pork made us all hungry. :p

The water was clear, and I found out later, refreshingly cold! It was a very hot day, probably about 35 degrees C---I wished I brought some extra clothes so I could take a dip in the water.

I envy this girl---watched how she bravely managed the rocks and finally took a dive into the pool. She's a lucky girl to have a place like this to enjoy in the summer.

Clumps of bamboo trees provided cooling shades; fronds rustled and pattered in the summer breeze, singing a duet with the gentle rippling sound of the river.

This river is about 100 kilometers south of Manila, approximately 1.5 to 2-hour drive.

Linking to Our World Tuesday
Water World Wednesday

Cool blue/Blue Monday

2013-04-29T09:30:00.000+08:00

A wading pool at a friend's house in Tagaytay City. A cool spot on a hot summer day.

Linking to Blue Monday

Life's wonders/SWF

2013-04-26T02:00:00.000+08:00

Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

For M, don't give up.

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Boneless Lechon

2013-04-25T21:00:00.000+08:00

This was my third visit to Zubuchon-Escario in just two weeks. This Zubuchon branch is near the hotel where I was staying in Escario Street, and instead of going to the mall for dinner, I returned to Zubuchon to check out other lechon dishes. This time, I was joined by my niece, Tuesday, who is based in Cebu. We shared a bowl of Mongo with Lechon and Boneless Lechon with 2 cups of rice. Their serving of steamed rice is small and I was craving for more but I stopped myself.:p

I forgot to take photos of their Iba (Kamias) shake, which was wonderfully refreshing.

I tasted coconut milk in the creamy mongo dish and it was yummy. The Boneless Lechon was scrumptious! The skin was crisp and tasty, the meat succulent--no need for sauce.

Linking to Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Abstract 17/NF Abstract

2013-04-24T14:00:00.000+08:00

In all our quest of greatness, like wanton boys, whose pastime is their care, we follow after bubbles, blown in the air.

~ John Webster

Linking to NF Abstract

Fishing/Watery World Wednesday

2013-04-24T09:00:00.000+08:00

The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. ~ John Buchan

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Early morning @ Cansaga Bay

2013-04-22T10:30:00.000+08:00

I stayed with my friend J for a couple of days on Holy Week when I was in Cebu. J woke me up early on Maundy Thursday and we took a 15-minute ride on her husband's motorbike to get to the new bridge in Consolacion. This 1.25-kilometer offshore bridge over Cansaga Bay provides a faster link between the sea and airports to the northern towns of Cebu.

The above photo is looking towards Mandaue City. On the left side of the bridge is a locally-owned shipyard.

By the banks of Cansaga Bay and under the bridge was a makeshift fish market where local fishermen bring their morning catch. Fish and other seafood were sold on bamboo tables under a half dozen of huts. It was Holy Week and J and her family, like most Cebuanos, observe the no-meat tradition. We were hoping to buy shrimps and crabs for lunch. It was about 7 am when we got here, and I thought we were early. I later learned that most of the action here happens before sunrise. Most of the seafoods were sold out and fishermen were already taking a break, some were taking a nap, and eating breakfast.

Luckily, there was still some fresh catch coming in and we were able to bring home shrimps, crabs, oysters and shellfish.

This reminds me of the early morning walks with my grandmother when I was a kid. My grandparents' house was about a kilometer away from the sea, and Lola (that's how we called our grandmother) would take us kids to the shores early in the morning to wait for fishermen to bring in their catch. And while our grandmother was negotiating with the fisherman, we were busy choosing small squids, shrimps and anchovies for ceviche. And the fishermen didn't charge us for our ceviche ingredients. Ah, it was a gentler time.

Cansaga Bay is an inlet where the mouth of Mactan Channel and Camotes Sea meet.

Linking to

Blue Monday

Monday Mellow Yellows

Our World-Tuesday

Afterglow/Sky-watch Friday

2013-04-19T01:11:00.000+08:00

Streaks of purple and orange above the fading light of a fiery summer sunset in Cebu.

Enlightenment
by Samuel Menashe

He walked in awe
In awe of light
At nightfall, not at dawn
Whatever he saw
Receding from sight
In the sky's afterglow
Was what he wanted
To see, to know...

Twilight

by Samuel Menashe

Looking across

The water we are

Startled by a star---

It is not dark yet

The sun has not set

Looking across

The water we are

Alone as that star

That startled us,

And as far

Linking to Sky-Watch Friday

Fried Blue Marlin

2013-04-18T20:30:00.000+08:00

I was looking forward to this simple dinner in Cebu last week as I was in a hurry to go back to the hotel to catch my favorite telenovella. *LOL* This is fried blue marlin with fried garlic bits, some slices of cucumber and a cup of steamed rice. I was surprised at the size of the blue marlin, it was as big as my slipper, no kidding! Love the fresh, rich, melt-in-your mouth flavor. And I was glad it's a small cup of rice.:p

Linking to Food Trip Friday

Food Friday