profound bliss

I again walked to Antipolo Cathedral on the eve of Good Friday, and although it was my fourth consecutive year to do it, it was the first time that I did it alone. I made the vow to do the Alay Lakad annually back in 2010, when my Catholic soul felt somehow ‘fulfilled’ after doing it for the first time. We were a group of ten back then, all first-timers, and today I am glad that majority of those I went with that year still continue to do it every year, even if not with me anymore. I found myself with a different group of five the following year, although my ‘kid Friday’ back then went with me, of course. And then my Alay Lakad company became less every year. In 2012, I just went with a friend, and then this year I was alone. It was fun. I was alone, but then again not. From the Immaculate Conception Parish in Pasig City, I walked with a throng of strangers. They were in groups or pairs; some walked with their families, others with their friends, and then some were with their rel...

Simbang Gabi started today (last night for others) and I forced myself to sleep at 1:00am (I usually sleep at 3) so I could catch some before attending the 5:30am mass. I really wanted to attend the 4:00am service but that would mean I wouldn’t sleep at all. Anyway, I found the second service less chaotic because there were fewer people. I remember completing the 4:00am masses two years ago and the experience was almost like Pulp Summer Slam. The service this morning went smoothly aside from a noisy mother at my left who was having her own homily to her young son, but I took care of the situation by staring at her. She went quiet after my second stare. Towards the end of the Holy Communion, the advertisements were read. I actually prayed (having just received the Blessed Sacrament) while half-hearing notices about the second collection and the Belen that needs to be completed before the 24th and so on. When the priest stood up, I thought he was gonna give his final blessings al...

MY NIECE, APRIL, messaged me on Facebook to ask for details on how to get to a certain place in Laguna. I had been there almost two years ago, and wanting to give her the exact info, I searched Profound Bliss for my post regarding that place. And then I realized I wasn’t able to blog about it. Good thing I still have the photos, and the notes of my visit is still intact in one of my many little notebooks. IT WAS IN that rainy day of September 12, 2010. A friend and I first went to Kamay ni Hesus in Lucban, Quezon , but knowing it wouldn’t take all day to tour the place, I brought with me a list of nearby places to visit. By 11:30 AM, we’ve seen all there was to see in Kamay ni Hesus and we’re already inside a tricycle that would take us to the town proper of Lucban to see the old church. We paid the driver ten pesos per head that time, I wonder how much more expensive it is now. The St. Louis de Toulouse Church was built in 1595. It was ruined in 1629 and was rebuilt between 1...

I was supposed not to do the Alay Lakad this year in exchange for a pilgrimage in Mt. Maculot, but I remembered I made a vow to do it every year so I crossed out that mountain in Cuenca from my agenda to walk to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage for the third time. ( Click here to view my Alay Lakad 2010 post or here for the Alay Lakad 2011 post .) Melford and I left the house at almost 10:00 PM on Maundy Thursday, April 5, 2012. We originally planned to take a bus to Ortigas but buses were rare and there was already a large crowd gathered at the bus stop, presumably all going to Antipolo. We decided to go to Pasig instead and start walking from Simbahan ng Pasig. Mepot, who was doing the Alay Lakad for the first time, was overwhelmed with the amount of people going to Antipolo when we reached Ortigas Avenue. Most of them were in groups, some were with their families that included toddlers, while some were with their significant others, holding hands while wa...

The Alay Lakad from Ortigas to Antipolo Cathedral is a yearly thing for many. It wasn't my kind of thing before, finding it silly and nonsensical. It was a form of repentance as well as sacrifice to commemorate the suffering of Christ. But I knew only the minority of those who do have the true intentions. I knew it's better to just go to church or read the Bible and ask for forgiveness of your sins through sincere prayers, than to show the world you're doing a pilgrimage just for the purpose of showing off. I must admit I did the Alay Lakad last year just for the fun of it, but halfway through the walk, I realized sore feet and aching leg muscles make you more in touch with what Jesus Christ had to go through to save us. Not that we had to go through the same physical pain like those who choose to be nailed to the cross, but a little bit of pain makes your faith stronger (at least in my own experience). We were still in Antipolo last year when I made the vow to do...

I was supposed to go up Mt. Pulag January 6th but begged off upon learning that it’s a four-day hike. I can’t afford to be out of the house (and out of the business) for that long this early in the year. It made me sad, though, because I really wanted to climb the third highest mountain in the country (and the highest in Luzon). So I planned a trip to cheer myself up while the team I was supposed to go with were having fun at the summit. While contemplating on where to go, it so happened that I saw an old friend on Facebook and added him up. He’s now a policeman stationed in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro. That fact made it easier for me to plan on where to spend my Saturday. Leaving the house at 12:30 AM Saturday, my target was to catch the 4 AM RoRo leaving for Calapan from the Batangas Port. There was an air conditioned bus in front of Star Mall Alabang but since I travel on a budget, I always opt for non-aircon ones, so I headed to Alabang Bus Terminal to have my option. But un...

These pics were taken on the 2nd to the last Simbang Gabi. In all the nine mornings that I attended mass (yes I was able to complete all the nine masses), I was never able to sit inside the church. Those people who were able to I guess went there an hour before the mass started. Second photo was taken on my walk home from the church at around 5:20 in the morning. That's where I walked eight times out of the nine Simbang Gabi (I took a jeepney ride one time). There’s an even darker part of the road, I took photos but it was too dark to see anything. I wouldn’t really use flash. Too risky. It might attract the attention of hoodlums hiding somewhere. LoL! But seriously, it’s too risky to use flash in that dark a place in that time of day especially when you’re alone. But here’s a video I took using my Kodak Zx1: It was along General Santos Ave. Here’s a map: And I went to church in Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish which is inside Bicutan Parochial School (marked ...

I haven’t been blogging much. Blame Simbang Gabi for that. LoL! This is how far I was from the church door. I was luckier, though. Others attended mass outside the church gates. No, but seriously, I almost couldn’t concentrate on anything anymore since December 16th. You see, I sleep at 12 AM, sometimes even later than that. Then I have to wake up at 3 AM to prepare for the 4 AM mass. I’ll arrive home by 5:45 AM then after breakfast I’ll have the luxury of another two hours of sleep. No more after that until 12 midnight again. The first two days was okay. Exciting, even. Because this year, I decided to do Simbang Gabi alone. It’s not because of anything but the fact that I really wanna complete the nine mornings. It’s different when you plan things with someone. I’m sure I wouldn’t wanna go to church too if the person I planned to go there with cancels, just like what had happened many times before. And due to my desire to complete the nine mornings, and since I’m already ki...

Mt. Maculot is a favorite destination for new mountaineers. The Rockies, being the most popular point of Mt. Maculot attracts newbie climbers because of its friendly trail and friendlier height (706+ MASL). The summit, though, is a little bit higher (830 MASL) and the difficulty depends on which trail you use. As for adventure-seeking newbies, my friend Danilo and I opted for the more difficult traverse by way of the grotto trail. We set off last September 20, a Monday, leaving the house at 1 am for our much anticipated first climb together. This was his first mountain, and my second - the first being Mt. Romelo in Siniloan, Laguna . We arrived at Cuenca a little past 5 am, starving. Good thing there was one open carinderia offering stuff to warm our tummies. So we had a big serving of Lomi for only 35 pesos each. Asking the store-owner for directions to the local church, we reached St. Isidore Parish just when that morning's mass was about to end. Quite admirably, they ...