holy week byahe

Ate Angie, Ate Tatit and Jerry left for Marinduque a day before Holy week began. I was jealous not being able to join them in traveling to a new place over the break. After all, I am a self-confessed “Batang Layas.” Moreover, Marinduque has become such an interesting place ever since I learned more about the Moriones Festival’s – Longinos more particularly – relation to anticorruption, Longinos being a whistleblower and a man of integrity.
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We have this family/religious tradition every Maundy Thursday where we do Bisita Iglesia with 2 of our grandmothers (my mother’s mother {mama} and her sister {lola auntie}). I missed it last year since I had to spend holy week in Manila preparing for JVP Batch25’s yearend seminar. I could never get myself to go visit churches in Manila, there’s too much traffic to battle with.

It was a little past 4 when we picked up Mama from their house; an hour late from our scheduled, 3PM Bisita Iglesia. My mom overslept and Tetet (my sister) couldn’t take her eyes off 24season4. After picking up Lola Auntie, we started our visits at St.Paul’s in Matina where Lola Auntie is an active member of the parish. Then, we did our usual route of from Northmost churches to Southernmost.

There’s something refreshing about going to churches on a Maundy Thursday; No church is not filled with people. Families, young couples, children, parish workers, lay ministers are seen inside and outside the church. St. Paul’s Cathedral was overflowing with people since Mass was just about to begin when we got there. In our 3rd church, at the Carmelite Sister’s, I noticed that another family was doing their church rounds too since I saw them at the last church we visited. Fried peanuts and garlic overwhelm the outside of the churches and reminded me of childhood days when we used to always eat peanuts after Sunday mass.

Yes, one can pray with God anytime of the day and wherever one is. The top of the mountain makes a person feel closer to God; the serenity of the beach creates an atmosphere of silence with the Lord; a vacation in a foreign land reminds a person to be appreciative of his own land and to dream of finer things for his own country. But personally, a prayer inside the church, where there is that expected silence for one to truly converse with the Lord – when it seems like you are talking to God face to face – when all that you are, all your senses are but centered to doing one thing and one thing alone which is to pray, is the best prayer of all. When I do my personal and quiet prayer, I feel a certain kind of peace and solitude despite being in the middle of the city.

There is still a part of me that wishes I was out some place new, some place exciting and worth discovering. But the trip from one church to another, completing the expected number of churches to visit, has been a memorable journey too. Now that my sisters and I are all grown up and seemed to have lives of our own, this is one of those few times of the year that we get to spend quality time with our grandmothers, obedient in everything they ask.

Personally, this is the time of the year when I’m reminded that my reverence for God and my Faith in the Lord, and in Catholic traditions are things I truly got from home. For although I’m quick in packing my bags if there’s an invitation for any kind of travel, on holy week, I find myself not truly enjoying, remembering Christ’s passion and stopping to pray on Good Friday up to Black Saturday.

Easter awaits!

Frustration and Excitement

No! ibook above isn't mine, a huge part of me wishes it's mine though. It's my boss' (Fr.Albert's) who is out of town until April 9.

I almost bought one myself - correction, I almost had my sister buy me one (ibook g4) when i tripled check it's WIWICness (WIWIC stands for Worth What it Costs - can't remember who exactly made it, but wiwic is an original Sonza sisters' shopping word) with my "computer person" friends and in the FinalCut Pro (editing program) book, and realized processor isn't fast enough. I'd rather wait for the time, even if it takes forever, when I can atleast afford a G5.

Admittedly, I was super excited over getting a new laptop. "Pampalubag-loob" over the fact that I'm postponing climbing Mt.Apo for the nth time! I told myself it'll be ok to just stay at home because I will have a new toy anyway. I was already imagining myself practicing final cut in it - editing documentaries and indie movies in it, adding audio effects, etc.etc. So imagine how heartbroken I was when I maturely decided not to get the computer?! I told a few of my other friends - I was so heartbroken that I realized I'm such a geek sulking so much over a gadget I couldn't have than over a boy I couldn't have. (hahaha!)

Blessing in disguise - Fr. Albert bought one for himself. Since I knew he was leaving for Manila and won't be back until April 10, I volunteered to tinker and play with it. I'm adding programs I'm sure Father will need and programs I'm sure I will "need." hehehe. So I don't have my OWN new toy, who cares?! I have one I can still play with.

Countdown for coming back home here in Davao is on! 2months beginning today (April 1) - can't wait for June! What's even more exciting is I might already begin teaching this summer, before the Holy Week and a few days after , before I leave for Manila to begin editing of anticorruption video. . . Paano nangyari yun?! The poor incoming 4th year MASSCOM students required to make documentaries this summer didn't get enough background to equip them. I mean they didn't even have Basic Photography/Cinematography or atleast 3 lighting system. I haven't confirmed yet, but I doubt if they were able to take sequence treatment and storyboard classes sometime in their 3 years of studying. Over the past 2 years, the masscom department has been crazy, losing teachers one after the other. Serious damage control is required to give the students the education they deserve. Ateneo de Davao has high-tech video and editing equipment but if their students don't know the basics, they'll produce mediocre masscom graduates who are most probably incapable of producing their own documentaries and films! (I know it doesn't follow that all masscom grads should do documentaries, but if they had one summer to learn it, then it should be expected that when they graduate, they all know how to do it.) They can't all be editors - who will conceptualize, brainstorm? who will write? who does the production management and legwork? who will be the line producer, the director, the prod. assistant during shoot proper? Hay!

From casual conversations with Sir Bong and a student, it sounds like there is so much to do with so little time to do so. But I'm so game to help out, so game to take the challenge!