Don’t Worry About Anything

…but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. (Philippians 4:6)

I have always loved joining the APC-KK in their monthly adoration. Personally, apart from the weekly masses or liturgies, the adoration is a channel of reassurance for me. So tonight, as usual I went with Mama. Ever since the FSP convent in KK started its renovation, adorations have been held at the Franciscan Carmelite chapel nearby. Tonight was no different. Except for one thing – the brewing uncertainty. Papa Marcus has been sick lately. In fact, his health was deteriorating.

I was told that after the adoration tonight, we would have a short discussion about the coming APC annual retreat this weekend, and practice session for the songs that we would be singing during the retreat’s masses. At first, I was excited to attend the retreat, despite being a non-member but when a very dear person becomes unwell, it changes everything. I was divided. I had second thoughts. I came to the adoration, determined to excuse myself from the retreat, already thinking to have my aunt, Ma’s sister, to take my place.

Once we arrived at the temporary FSP bookstore where the discussion was to be held, as half-hearted as I was then, I told them I could not go. That should have been it. But as always, things do not really go my way. When the APC members began to practice their songs, I tried to let it pass. There goes the first song, second song but when the third song was sung, only the Lord knows what I felt then.

“Go. Do not worry. He will be okay. I will look after him while you are away. I always have.” I swear I heard that voice and something nudged me to cancel my withdrawal.

Long story short, at the end of the day, I came home having confirmed my attendance for the coming retreat.

Tour Through the Lenses

Now that I have finished updating about the pilgrimage tour, I feel like sharing some of the photos taken throughout the week. I have always wanted a DSLR. Prior to my leave to the Philippines, my brother told me I could have his still new Nikon D3100 since I managed to maintain my CGPA last semester. Hurrah! Yes, I know there is a D5100 but hey, it is not the gear that matters but the person behind the lenses. 

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

Whew! There you go! I would love to go there again.

Manila Trip: Part Three

This is the last part of my pilgrimage tour update. I know the previous two posts were kind of long. Sorry. Now let’s just hope this one would not be any longer. XD

18th June – Day Six: Today is the last day of our trip. Our flight home is at 4.00 pm. Well, if there was one good thing about our new driver yesterday (who was kind of reckless and non-negotiable), him dropping us early at Fray Juan gave us much time to pack our stuffs so thank you for that, Ramson. :D

Anyway, today we have two drivers because we needed an additional van to carry our luggage. Who knew 13 people would be bringing so much, eh? Our only stop for today is the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan. Here, I went to buy a regular-sized bottle for the Holy Water Papa Marcus requested. He wanted the big bottle but seeing how packed my luggage bag is, I have only enough space for the regular one. Sorry, Papa!

Uncle Paul took a picture of me filling in the bottle. I was a little bit late behind the group because I went ahead to the church upstairs first, as soon as I arrived here. =.=

Those hanging crutches are said to belong to the people who came and were healed from their limping. And there are a lot of pairs hung!

The above is the exterior view of the shrine building. We actually took the back entrance because the building looks different in front but there was an afternoon mass going on when we arrived so I did not feel like taking any photos up there. Since today is our last day, I was thinking of taking a particular picture of the day.

He was the one who drove us around Manila for the whole week. Name? Robert. I am really grateful that he is acquainted with Aunty Rita. If it was not for him, we might have not visited other churches unlisted in our itinerary, and we might have only been using the highway and missed out lots of other things. Now when the picture above was about to be taken, he asked if I do not mind him putting his hand on my shoulder. It feels good to know that there are still people who do consider about others. And politeness is not dead yet. Good thing, especially when some people are already getting on your nerves. No, I did not get his contact details. Hahaha...

I realised something else though… I AM THAT SHORT. Ugh. Seriously, that short? Oh, bummer!

Oh, and I see something else. Even before they leave, the people would ask the priest to bless their vehicles and themselves. You do not get to see that here in KK.

This is us. There is one thing about going in a small group – you get to know everyone. You get to really enjoy, have fun and laugh all the way. Of course, it helps when you already know each other from back home but personally, despite it being my first, I can say that our trip was anything but dull. Sure, the days were hot but who cares! Now that I have visited the Philippines, next stop would be ROME! And then on to Jerusalem – well, if God is willing to let me travel that much and far.

Being a Christian, a Roman Catholic, the trip left me awed by the magnificence of the churches and shrines we visited, as well as amazed with the faith of the people. Now I know that there is no place safely tucked from the challenges of the modern world but at least, just seeing those holy buildings reassures.

 

 So, after the Shrine of Divine Mercy, we head on straight to the Clark Airport. I thought I could make it on time for sunset mass but unfortunately though, our flight was delayed for an hour and a half, due to bad weather in KK. I know there were many more places we did not visit so I am wishing I could go on more tours in the near future. Big thanks to Aunt Rita, Uncle Paul and my family for letting me go on this trip!

Well, this wraps up my Manila trip which was a month ago. Hey! Looks like my memory did not fail me.

18th June 2011 @ 9.45 pm – Home, Sweet Home

Manila Trip: Part Two

Note: This is another long post. Be warned.

A continuation of my previous post about our tour in Metro Manila. So far, days one and two went well. Now on to more updates. What is best about going on a pilgrimage tour is that I get to receive Holy Communion every day. We went for morning mass at the chapel inside the San Juan hospital, just opposite our lodging. Fr. Bong was our celebrant the entire week.

15th June – Day Three: Today, our driver was a bit late. He was stuck in a traffic jam. Now that I have been here for two days, I am a bit relieved to remember how bad was the traffic in KK. Compared to the ones here, traffics in KK are only during the peak hours while here, the traffic seemed nonstop. Yes, there are a lot of cars here. A LOT.

Today’s first stop is Our Lady of Sorrows. You know the famous Pieta statue? The one where Mother Mary holds Jesus after they have taken Him down from the cross? Yes, in this church, there is a big version of the Pieta at the altar:

Below is a view of the building’s exterior:

Oh? What’s with the little, colourful flags? We were told that they were preparing for their Independence Day which will take place next Monday (20th June, 2011). Our trip was a very colourful one, literally. There are lots of those all over Metro Manila.

We also went to the Pauline Media Centre, Pasay. Before we got down from the van, I wondered how I would feel, knowing that the person I was hoping to see here is no longer around… I was not disappointed though. I met Sr. Icar and of course, Sr. Elve (well, actually I asked Sr. Icar if I could see her hehe). I find myself always at home when in the Paulines’ presence. Maybe because Kaka Sister was a Daughter of St. Paul sister herself and Mama is an APC member so somehow I grew up knowing the congregation. Anyway…

Sr. Elve and I. Photo taken by Aunt Rita. Thanks, Aunty! This was actually the first time I met Sr. Elve in person, though we always communicate on Facebook. The first meeting and I did not even feel awkward. In fact, for the whole two hours there, we talked a lot and I even had the chance to visit their radio room. By the way, thanks for the books, Sr. Elve! Below is a statue of the patron of the Pauline family. None other than St. Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles! Without him, who are we now?

Off to the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian after that, which was build by the Augustinian Recollects in 1983. What I was told is that the stained-glass windows were imported from Germany while the iron sheets and panels used for building were manufactured in Belgium, only to be assembled locally. Talk about an imported building all in all!

I think there was one other church listed in the itinerary that we did not visit, although there was this one church we went to that I don’t really remember the name. Darn it! Next time I am on a pilgrimage tour, I really should bring a pen and a small notebook, just in case.

We went shopping for souvenirs at Kultura, Mall of Asia after that and I brought this bloody beautiful, purple handbag! Yay! That, ladies and gents, was my first handbag purchase ever! LOL.

16th June – Day Four: As usual, we went for morning mass at the chapel and had our breakfast at Fray Juan. By this time, I still had not any access to the Internet, despite my sister telling me there is a PC outside our room which we can use… Our driver was stuck in traffic again. Oh well. Our first stop of the day was St. John/Don Bosco, Makati.

After that, we headed to St. Paul’s Bookstore (SSP), Makati. This time, I bought some books and a Bible for myself. The Bible is such a darling! Then we went to another church not listed in the itinerary – it has a lot of paintings on the ceilings. Beautiful, I would say! By the way, we also went to the Minor Basilica of of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. Now, I did not take any pictures here because Aunt Rita said it is dangerous to. I bought 12 Black Nazarene scapulars/necklaces here. Thanks, Uncle Paul for helping with the purchase!

Today’s shopping centre? The 168 mall. XD

17th June – Day Five: Today, we have a different driver. I doubted him at first because he has this particular face that made me uneasy. Turned out that my instinct was right. He was a bit reckless on the road. Ugh! Anyway, we started off at San Agustin Church, Manila – which was completed in 1607! And amazingly stunning. Part of it seems to be a museum since it was named a national historical landmark for the Philippines in 1976. The current building is actually the third Augustinian church erected on the site. For those who watched the Marimar series, San Agustine was the venue of Marimar and Sergio’s wedding in the last episode. XP

Top: Exterior view / Middle: View from the balcony / Bottom: View from the altar

As for the above photo, while we were touring around in the building, I heard the wonderful music of a pipe organ. I simply fail to explain how I feel when I hear the sound. It was amazing, that is all I can say. Believe me. The moment I heard a note, I was like a mad woman hurrying down the corridors, peeping into rooms to search for the source of it. I felt restless but when I finally came to this small room, with little steps at the door, and upon seeing this (refer to the picture above), I was speechless. The music was loud and close, giving me the goose bumps. I do not know why but the sound played was, to me, majestic. Ah, if I am ever to get married, I want a pipe organ played! Though I doubt that would be possible here in KK…

Anyway…here is a little something for you lot. So while I was downstairs in the church, I was walking little steps looking for something to snap when I realised an odd view on the floor…observe:

God bless the souls of the departed. (I’m glad I was looking where I was going.)

We then went to the Manila Cathedral and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Here in OLMM, I saw a cute looking guy. However, his high school uniform was a turn off. Bleh. Shopping at Greenhill Mall later in the afternoon. We had to go home early, by the way. Our driver today was not someone you can negotiate with. Harumph!

Manila Trip: Part One

Note: This is a long post.

Another long overdue post. I finally got to go to the Philippines (last month) this year and even that trip was supposed to be just for visitation. I was supposed to visit Kaka Sister but as she has gone home a few weeks earlier, plan B was to just join in the tour. That, too, was almost cancelled since I was down with flu two days before departure. Anyway, just to let you know, I skipped my first week of the fifth semester for this trip. So here are the few stuffs I want to share with you all.

13th June – Departure Day: The first registration day for the new semester and since I do not want to pay an extra RM50 for late registration, I went to campus as usual and waited until the counters opened around 8.45 am. Hey, I wanted to get it done quickly. I had a plane to catch! Went home about half an hour later.

I left for the airport around 11.00 am. Not much to talk about that. Our flight was at 1.00 pm so by  12.00 pm, we were already at the waiting bay. Now here, something happened. I went over to the little cafe there to buy myself some breakfast since I did not manage to have any in the morning. There was this male customer in front of me and I don’t know why but he was fussing over his orders. Maybe because he was ordering for himself and his friends so there was a slight misunderstanding between them.

When it was finally my turn, Uncle Paul called out to me. He and Aunt Rita were signalling about something. I was blurred at first until they said, “On the floor.” Uh, so what was on the floor? A few tens. RM40, to be exact. They were right between my feet and I swear, while I was waiting in line, I did not see the man dropping anything.

I picked it up and looked around me, in case someone realised they have just dropped something. No one showed any sign so I tucked those tens into my left pocket and paid for my order, with my own money. I kept an eye on people around me while I was at the cafe. Who knows, right? Someone might just be looking for it. In the end, no one was so I guess it was a lucky day for me. XD

Long story short, we arrived at Clark at 2.45 pm. I realised our group was a small one with only 13 people, Aunt Rita and Uncle Paul included. I had a feeling this trip was going to be a fun one, regardless of it being a pilgrimage tour. Done with day one!

14th June – Day Two: For the whole week, we will be staying at Fray Juan and today starts our pilgrimage tour. First stop – St. Rita of Cascia. It is a small place but let’s not forget that we are in the Philippines so though it is small, the interior is still beautiful. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this:

 

 

The statue of Christ on the wall, added with the stained glass window behind gives a certain awe to the place. Trust me, the whole trip blew me away! Pictures? Well, yes, bit by bit I will share them with you. Thanks to Uncle Paul for this picture!

Then we went on to the Shrine of St. Therese, Pasay. I could tell of the shrine’s history but it would take a lot of space to elaborate. With its unique structure, again, the interior is really beautiful. Kind of grand.

 

 

Top: the Altar area. / Below: Some of the stained-glass windows around.

Our next stop was the church of Santa Ana, one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, if I got my facts right. It was here at this church also that Our Lady of the Abandoned was venerated as the patroness of the parish.

 

 

Left: The Exterior / Right: The Interior

Our final stop for the day was the Ermita Church. I have to admit, even on the first day of our tour, I am already amazed. The churches so far (including those we passed by) were either built in the traditionally grand, gothic style – like our very own St. Michael’s church – or with a touch of modernity – like most churches including our Sacred Heart of Jesus’ church here in Inobong (cemented, if that is the word for it). As for Ermita, it is a modern building.

 

Left: The Exterior / Right: The Interior

And below is a better view of the altar are.

Look who I found standing guard : Our beloved Parish’s patron – St. Michael the Archangel.

And that concludes our first day of the tour! We went for lunch at one of the SM malls nearby. I do not remember which one it is but it is an SM mall. Ate at Chowking Restaurant. My eyes are beginning to pay attention on someone.