easter pics

Happy Easter! As promised, here are the Easter eggs I made on Black Saturday. I forgot my paints at the office so I used water soluble pencils which I had difficulty controlling when I wet them.

Market man ain't got nothing on me! Here's the lugaw I made for merienda!

And here are the caimito my Pa got from our backyard.

Good Friday procession

Scenes from our traditional 2-hour walkathon. I've always wondered why we did this. Maybe it's to share in the suffering of Jesus even just a little bit. Though I've complained that people now go on vacation during the Holy Week, I am always amazed at how many people join this procession. Traffic literally stops wherever we march.



But before anything, a merienda of guinataang kamote.


Kids lighting up their candles

Left: Some folks would rather watch the procession on the bridge. Right: Oooh, check out the creepy old house!

The carrozas


Left: Love how the smoke from the candles fill up the frame.

Right: Grant finishes the procession and rests in his dad's arms.
A big no-no in my time: Kids having fun on Good Friday. hehehe.

visita iglesia

Here are the photos me and my sis took on Maundy Thursday.

1. San Sebastian-breathtaking Neo-gothic all-steel church. We are transported back in time whenever we go here.

2. UST church-I remarked to my UST alumna sister that the facade doesn't look like a church at all, it looks like a library...she doesn't know why.

picture with the whistleblower du jour, UST's pride Jun Lozada

3 St Jude's- patron of the impossible. You supposedly can ask St. Jude to fulfill even the most impossible wishes! A good husband, lucrative job abroad,etc. Probably the reason why the place is packed! Check out 2 of the 3 TV sets they placed outside so that people wouldn't have to squeeze into the church!
Just had to take a picture of the gates of Malacanan Palace, where the president lives.


4. San Beda, very small church but quite lovely inside. The angels holding the lamps remind me of the cathedral in Quezon...

Break muna! Ma and Twinx buy some calamares on the street.

5. San Agustin-the only church that survived the bombing of Intramuros. You can see and feel history here, whispering through the walls and the tombs!

6. Manila Cathedral-now fully air-conditioned! I love the grandeur and quiet grace of this place.

7. Magallanes Church burned down 2 years ago. Lst year, they had a fund raising to rebuild it and it is now more stunning than ever. Too bad it was closed when we got there. Check out the architects' blog pictures here

Holy week in RP

Wowo hams it up in our simple hut in Marinduque

It's that time of the year again when the whole country grinds to a halt. Yesterday was Palm Sunday and we brought palaspas or palm leaves to mass to commemorate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem 2,000 years go. I remember one special Palm Sunday when Wowo made us all go to Marinduque for a short vacation. It was our first ferry ride from the port of Quezon to Marinduque's grey sand beaches. (When asked why the island was called Marinduque, Wowo said that a long time ago some dukes came to this island and they also happened to be marines, hence the name. My lolo told it funnier)

Anyway, I don't remember how long we were there but I do remember eating halo-halo on the street, finding a starfish on the beach and Palm Sunday mass where the choir sang a really cool version of "Siya ay si Hesus" way before Aegis did a rock cover of it. We all laughed when Wowo said he was awakened by Tito Dante's snoring one night. He said he thought it was a motorcycle.hahaha! Wowo was a snorer,too. I also remeber we all got bum stomachs on the way home to Lucena due to either some spoiled sardines or rice on our last day.

The Rodriguez cousins way back when

Holy Wednesday when I was much younger was spent at my tita's place in Pasay for the first procession/family reunion. My aunts would forbid us from playing because they said that if we got wounded on Holy Week, our wounds would never heal! Also, music and merrymaking were frowned upon as we were supposed to be mourning for Christ's suffering but good luck explaining that to kids. We thought our titas were just being mean. In those days before cable, you would really have no choice but to watch religious movies like "Jesus of Nazareth" and "Ben Hur" if you're lucky. Most of the day, tv stations were shut off or you'd see the usually inane afternoon TV hosts acting serious in made -for- TV tearjerkers.

San Agustin Church

Maundy Thursday is our day for visita iglesia. We would visit 7 churches around Manila and pray the station of the cross. (One Holy week spent in Lucena with Wowa, we went to 14 churches, I think--I didn't even know they had that many in Lucena!)Then we 'd eat egg pie at San Ildefonso church. It was only when I studied Art History that I learned to appreciate the old musty churches we went to. I love the neo-gothic and only all-steel church in Asia, San Sebastian and also the only Church that survived the bombing of Manila, the baroque San Agustin (where RP's Marimar and Sergio got hitched hahaha! I'm so baduy) Now I deplore efforts by parishes to modernize their churches with all that tacky gold trimming.

Good Friday is the most solemn day. Older folks fast or not eat solid food the whole day while kids had to eat fish(simple fare, not expensive lobster or prawns) as a sort of sacrifice. Some even refrain from bathing on the hottest day of the year! Note: we did not follow this custom. We did eat ginataang bilo-bilo. This was the day of the longer procession, when all the saints on ornately decorated caros were and paraded around Pasay surrounded by devotees praying and holding candles like a prayer army. Before reaching the church, the flowers on the caros are flung to the devotees who believe these have miraculous powers. A peculiar belief some people have is that Good Friday is a day when aswangs and evil spirits roam because "patay ang Dios" (literally, God is dead.) One particularly memorable movie had a mananggal attack a family on Good Friday and could only be hurt by a palaspas blessed on Palm Sunday. Some of my cousins also perform a panata, a sort of penitence, so that God would grant their wish. They would walk all the way from Pasay to Antipolo to pray to Nuestra Senora de Paz y Bienviaje.

Black Saturday used to be the day we would paint Easter eggs for my younger cousins. One of my titas liked my painting so much she was reluctant to break the shell. I might just do this again for fun!

Easter Sunday means the salubong where there's a vigil early in the morning to witness the meeting of Jesus and his mother after his resurrection. And suddenly, everything comes alive again... TV, Radio,malls... and meat is back on the menu! These days however, while Maundy Thursays and Good Fridays are still no-work days, some have used these as an excuse to go on vacation. The Makati party people actually reconverge on the over-commercialized island. And this is the best time to stay in the city when streets of Manila are blissfully traffic-free!

working hard!

life in the real world is tough! here we are slaving away at the office working for the Man from morning till night!

but seriously, we love jollibee. the bee's 30 now so he went to our office and fulfilled my wish of having chickenjoy and jolly spaghetti for dinner! yum! wonder whatever happened to the other mascots like hetty, popo and champ?

Fly, fly fly Boracay

SEAIR and ivan about town are having a contest and the prize is a trip to Boracay! All I have to do is blog about the airline and why I deserve to win so here goes: Seair was definitely on my list of airlines when I finally decided to fly to Boracay. I didn't want to use Cebu Pacific or PAL because their big planes meant you'd have to land on Kalibo ride a bus for an hour before getting to Caticlan then to Boracay. It would be our first time there and we didn't want to get lost.I was also impressed by their ads in the Inquirer that said they had the fastest jets: Manila to Boracay in 35 minutes! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to book a flight with them and went with Asian Spirit instead. While Asian was ok, I did feel a bit jealous of the passengers of the Seair planes who would be getting to the island paradise quicker.

Why do I deserve to win? Well, I've never ridden on their plane and I have lots of balikbayan relatives who want to go to Boracay and I really must experience a ride on their plane so I can make an informed decision as to which airline to recommend to my relatives.hehehe.I've also heard that Boracay has gone through some changes since my first visit and while some of them have been good, like the clearing of the beach of eyesores, I've also read about the overflowing creeks and the PTA's Robert Dean Barbers stamping his name all over the cemented walkway. I have to go back to Boracay to see if the island is still worth visiting! Baka mapahiya ako sa mga kamag-anak ko! No, I won't be going there to frolic in the clear turquoise waters or roll in the fine white sand. I'll go there to conduct a serious journalistic investigation...and well, maybe a little bar-hopping and boat riding and milkshake sipping and beach combing and...andyan na rin lang tayo di ba? why not?!

Mojacko recommends: Minsan Pa

I saw a glowing review of Jeffrey Jeturian's "Minsan Pa" starring Ara Mina and Jomari Yllana a few years ago but I didn't see the movie because I'd been burnt before by a few Filipino movies that had rave reviews only to come away disappointed. And the controversial break-up of the lead stars prior to the movie's opening felt like a cheap promo that made me resolve to stay away from it entirely. Now, it turns out the break-up wasn't a gimmick and the movie was indeed deserving of the praises heaped upon it.

I rented the Vcd copy on a whim to view with my sis and mom one lazy Sunday and I was so blown away by this 'simple' unconventional love story. And having Cebu as the setting had me running to the computer to recommend this gem to my Cebuano uncle. Armando Lao crafted a lovely story and the direction of Jeffrey Jeturian brought out a sensitive protrayal from Ara Mina who appears almost without any make up and has never looked so beautiful. The movie comes with subtitles so my Fil-Am and Fil-Canadian relatives can watch it without having to ask "what's going on?" every other scene.

The only bad news is that it flopped at the box office and it's almost impossible to get a DVD in the video stores. I actually had to contact its producer, my email friend Joji Alonso, and buy it from her law office.

Some of my officemates saw it being aired on cable but got bored because it does start kinda slow and soem of the dialogue is in Bisaya so they got tired of reading the subtitles. I told them next time, keep watching because the payback is so worth it.

Pueblo por la playa

Wow, Christmas on the beach!

We went to an exclusive resort in Pagbilao,Quezon called Pueblo por la playa on Dec. 23 for a Christmas reunion with my uncle and aunt. I got pretty excited when I saw the website and hoped the place would live up to the hype. My tito Alan was also excited to go there and he asked us all to get to Lucena early and bring hawaiian shirts and santa hats. He said his dream was for someone to develop Quezon's beaches. Malayo ang tingin

Pueblo is for members only or like Tagaytay Highlands, you have to know a member who will be charged for everything later. The resort is mexican-inspired from the loud colors to the cacti to the tex-mex(kinda) cuisine.
Food time!
I am happy to report that the place does not disappoint. Their kids pool is huge! Their infinity pool is breathtaking and while the sand is only white on top, the sea is calm and inviting --and clean! But do bring aqua shoes as there are sharp stones a few feet into the water. While the place is new and really beautiful, my tito doesn't see it making a bundle of money, though. Not only is it very expensive and far from the usual destinations, but it also doesn't have a golf course which the Koreans and other tourists would love. Maybe in the future, they'll add the golf courses to bring in the tourists. But not too soon, I hope.

Kiddie pool

Some tips:

-You can't bring food inside, the guards really check each bag you will bring in. All food items will have to be left in your vehicle out in the parking area. (They have a colorful jeep you ride in to get in and out of pueblo)Food inside is expensive.

-They charge an outrageous P300 per person to swim in their pool and that doesn't include the use of the towel which will cost you P30.( The more exclusive Tagaytay Higlands only charges P150) They do give you a baller wristband which acts as your entry pass to use the pools.

Infinity pool!

-Bring your own soap and shampoo, too!

Jacuzzi!

-However, an overnight stay in their villas is a steal! P3,000 for 4 people (with breakfast) on weekends and P2,000 on weekdays! And that includes access to the beach and pools! Had we known earlier, we would have stayed overnight.

Colorful room and beds

Oooh! Bathtub!

Conti's resto

A promise fulfilled: Ma and Twinx got their bonus and decided to treat us to lunch at palaisdaan and dinner at Conti's!!! Sorry, no pictures!
Sunday night is a busy one for the BF branch. We had to wait a while and ogle at the yummy cakes in their pastry room. We finally got seated around 8pm and Pa ordered the fried chicken which was very flavorful. Ma got the baked salmon, also wonderful. Twinx got the pesto pasta which she liked but I didn't bother to taste as Jon and I were too engrossed with our shared 260-gram rib eye steak(P210 per 100 grams) which was so good it's surely unhealthy!
The funny thing was that Twinx was deadset on getting the mango bravo and she was afraid they might run out so we ordered our dessert in advance. I ordered the turtle cake but minutes later, I was told they were all out of turtle so I tried the strawberry shortcake which the waiter checked this time before I ordered. Minutes later, the manager came to tell me sorry, they just ran out of the shortcake and I just had to laugh as it seemed that our waiter was afraid I'd blow my top but I told them it was fine and that the 3 cake slices were enough as I was already quite full.
Overall a great food experience and I understand why BF folks continue to patronize their homegrown resto. But the clincher was when the bill came. The management was nice enough to use my Pa's senior citizen discount on the steak so the bill for a family of 5 was less that P1,500! And a thought formed in our minds: We must return again and again!