FALLING IN LOVE IN SAGADA (Day 1)

posted from my FB account May 5, 2010 

They say love comes when you least expect it.
Cliche! That's what it was for me before I came to explore Sagada.Though one of my all time favorite tagalog movies was shot in Sagada I have never pictured this place as romantic.

Scenic for its lush green rice terraces, panoramic in its abundance of pine trees and picturesque for its mountainous surroundings, that’s how I imagined this paradise.

As the itinerary prepared for us by Ms. Jen of Explore Island Philippines spelled of big ADVENTURE, I have never expected to fall in love with Sagada, atleast not in the same way I fell in love with the romantic Vigan and Laoag.

Six hours of spelunking on our first day, with hardly a clue as to what to expect, my friends – in alphabetical order, Abi, Aiza, Annie, Baby, Charm, Ellen, Marie, Pia, Radney and I braved the Lumiang or burial cave and Sumaguing cave.

Excitement was all over our faces as we started our hike downhill to the entrance of the Lumiang cave.

Each step heightened our sense of thrill and uncertainty all at the same time. Thrill as this will be our first taste of spelunking, with the exception of Annie and uncertainty because we honestly didn’t know if we made the right judgment in joining this quest.

After a short account of how their ancestor buried their dead and a safety briefing, Gareth, the lead of guide - with his occasional jokes managed to calm down our chaotic emotion.

One by one the guides who will not only escort us inside the cave but will also be our rope and our HOPE, our ladder and our BROTHER and the LIGHT that will lead us out of the cave safe and in one piece was introduced to us.

Drew, Clyde, Clement, Jeff, John, William and Sylvester of SAGGAS (Sagada Genuine Guides Association) were our guide-and-angels whose extended helping hands, shoulders and legs became an extension of every rock that provides extra step where there is one missing.

As the trudge to the unknown began every gaps, cracks and hole became visible and every corner that comes in contact with the light emitted by the lanterns revealed of art in its natural form.

My friends along with at least a hundred other adventurers bare witness to the magnificence hidden in the cave.

I will try but I don’t think I’ll ever give justice describing how beautiful it was down there. Words will never be enough in this attempt to relive what we experienced and what we survived.

As we start slithering our way into small openings we never thought we would fit in and as we rappel down a 12-feet gap where only one people can squeeze in, our respect for our guides began mounting the same way our admiration for the beauty of the cave builds up.

But it was not all small cracks and hole down there. I was amazed every time we’d end up in vast ballroom like area after coming out of a tiny gap in the boulder of rock.

The temperature was cold in the dry and damp areas but an hour or two later it was icy and freezing yet bearable as we progress deeper into the cave. Another hour later we came into contact with the ice cold water as we near the Sumaguing cave.

The adventure itself fired us up and gave us energy we wouldn’t imagine we’d still have in the absence of a decent meal but the bitter cold water awakened our senses all the more. It was like a brain freeze except that it was in our feet.

After a 45-minute rest in one of the cavernous areas Drew announced that we will be gliding our way down the slope using our butts instead of the rope. 

By this time we completely entrusted our lives to them but I can't help but ask why we  wont use the rope when the group before us did?

The answer got us to the bottom of the slope in less than two minutes while the group ahead of us took almost an hour.

This earned us an applaud from our guides and we were awarded the title “best group” to which we are proud of even if we know they’ve awarded this same title to all the groups they’ve guided before.

As we cross the boundary for Sumaguing in the region where the spelunkers from Lumiang merges with the spelunkers from Sumaguing a spectacular site awaits us.

The crystal clear water that runs through the limestone formations in sparkling amber, the golden glow of the lanterns in procession and the parade of colors represented by the hundreds of tourists in that cave was absolutely breathtaking.

Suddenly, all our physical exhaustion was forgotten.

Everybody just went gaga as each group took turns for a photo-op with the formations resembling of miniature rice terraces, giant mushroom and giant chocolate cake, a curtain and so on....

What we experienced next was the toughest challenge my friends and I ever came face to face with: the highlight of the Sumaguing – the secret cave!

At this point of the journey, for once – we were given the choice to proceed or not to proceed.

Being the brave souls that we are and after what we’ve been through for the last four hours, we thought why not! We may never try spelunking ever again, we might as well make the most out of this journey.

By now we already have an idea of what to expect: a chest deep pool of water where we are required to submerge to get to where we should be next.

With the exception of Abi and Baby, we await our turn for the death-defying stunt in silent prayer.

For the second time since I entered these caves, I asked myself the why I ever tried this. I have no idea what my friends are thinking but somehow I have a feeling that they were asking themselves the same question.

This portion of the cave proved to be the most challenging of all for only here did I hear my friends SCREAMING!

First to cross the devious crevice was Aiza who screamed her way to safety non-stop.

Next in line was me. If Aiza with her long legs had trouble crossing the tricky surface, what will become of me? How will my short legs and short arms manage?

My ears did the trick. I listened intently the way I’ve never listened to anyone in my whole life. I could only hear kuya Jeff’s instruction and nothing else. In no time I reached the end of the rope in quiet terror.

As soon as I jumped into the chest deep water I started shaking. Though I thought of waiting for Charm, I couldn’t stand the freezing water so I scampered to higher ground where I witness how she “splak” and almost fell at the bottom where our guide-and-angels say there is a deep hole.

It was a scary site: flat on her stomach, leg spread like a frog kuya Jeff struggled to stop her from sliding all the way down and brought her back to her feet. All these time I was afraid for her but Charm wasn’t. She was even trying to convince our guide to let her swim instead but kuya for her own safety did not allow her.

After Charm, I no longer have the courage to watch Marie, Annie, Pia, Ellen and Radney go through the same stunt and so we waited for them in a corner where we can still hear them screaming.

After the perilous secret cave everything else was chicken for us and so we thought, until we reach the final stage where we are to climb a steep slope of approximately of 120 degrees. But climb we did not as we literally crawled our way up and held on to the surface full of bat poops for our dear lives.

We were literally romancing the bat poops as we pressed our whole body (and soul) so we can all go home.

Who said bat poops are yucky? It is not! Not when you still want to explore and discover the rest of SAGADA.

RUNNIVERSARY

Technically, 10.10.10 marked my 1st anniversary as a marathon buff but ever since I started running every event is like a ranniversary for me.

My love for marathon provided me with a number reason to celebrate regardless of how trivial they may be.

It is in marathon that I learned to respect my body’s limitations and discover how farther I can push myself to establish new personal records and set new goals, acknowledged the strength of my legs and feet, developed high regards for my fellow runners, earned the admiration of my colleagues, lost weight, maintained my current weight, rekindled old friendship, met new friends, introduced friends to other friends, smiled at strangers, started my collection of singlets and bibs, encouraged others to run and this list can go on and on……

It was during the Run for Pasig in October 10, 2009 when I first had a taste of Marathon.

My first ever marathon and I dared signed up for the 10K category!

Back then I have little knowledge about long distance running, no proper training nor a pair of suitable running shoes.

Equipped with nothing but my guts and the desire to run for a cause I braved the stretch of Roxas Boulevard from Luneta to San Juan De Dios Hospital and back to Quirino Grand Stand along with the other runners.

Keeping in mind the line “complete not compete” I heard from the speaker during the marathon clinic provided by Sun Life who also paid for our registration, I was never conscious of the time and so I took the liberty of turning the event into a walk-a-thon.

Two hours and I-don’t-care-anymore-minutes I finally crossed the finish line with pride and a sore pair of legs and feet.

I maybe limping and aching all over but as I crossed the welcoming arch that says finish I was secretly smiling for I was proud for being one of the many who helped in our own little way rehabilitate Pasig River.

As I settled down to rest and devour our packed breakfast I made a decision to make running my sports and I made a vow to myself: I will never again run the 10K category unless I am ready. I will start and train in the 5K division and will not leave unless I meet my 30-minute only goal.

And with the motivation to improve my personal record I have joined in 10 running events from November 2009 to 2010:



Del Monte Fit N Right Fun Run 2009 (Nov 22, 2009) – 42mins & 15secs
Nature Valley Run 2010 (May 30, 2010) – 39mins & 50secs
Rexona Run For Men (Aug 1, 2010) – 36mins & 35secs
Finex Fun Run – (Sep 12, 2010) – 37mins
Miles for Smile (Aug 22, 2010) – 34mins & 16secs
Run for Pasig (Oct 10, 2010) – 42mins
STEP OUT! Avon Walk & Run 2010 (Oct 3, 2010) – 32mins & 37secs
The Pink Run (Oct 17, 2010) – 33mins & 13secs
Mc Donalds Fun Run (Nov 28, 2010) – 32mins & 18secs
Unilab Run United (Nov 21, 2010) – 31mins & 9secs

I wanted my last run for 2010 to be the indication for me to give the 10K another try and I got my wish.

Though the Unilab Run United result was still short of 1 minute of meeting my goal it was undeniably close to my target.

To celebrate this achievement I surrendered to the call of level up and registered in the Bull Run, Takbo Para Sa Ekonomiya 2010.



The month of December being unbelievably busy, I hardly had time to practice and prepare for the event and so apart from my excitement, my apprehension was fast growing.

I was starting to see this scene repeatedly playing in my head, a replay of my first ten-kilometer run.

Jokingly, I shared with friends my fear of being picked-up by the paramedic and being fetched by the marshals because the time was already up and they need to clear the road of runners for the normal traffic to resume.

Terrified of being the butt of jokes of my running buddies, I ran my ass off during the holiday season.

Thanks to Aris, Patrick, Ian and Mariz – my supportive brother, nephews and niece. I was able to squeeze in at least an hour of practice during the Christmas vacation even after the sun had already set and even if no less than 10 people remained in the vast and tranquil garden for the departed.

The memorial garden or Hardin as we call it was a perfect place for me to practice and develop my speed because of the uphill and downhill landscapes.

In the one year and four months that I have been running I have noticed a great improvement in my endurance so it was time for me to work on my speed.

The combination of both endurance and speed would definitely help me in achieving my new goals: 45 minutes for the 10K category, 16K category by August this year, 21K or half marathon by 2012 and full marathon or 42K before I turn 40.

My practices did pay off as evident in my recent runs:

Bull Run, Takbo Para Sa Ekonomiya (January 4, 2011) - 1hour & 9minutes
Condura Skyway Marathon (February 6, 2011) - 1hour & 7minutes

Finishing these runs earlier than expected was yet another reason for me to celebrate.

The holiday season practices have become a regular bonding for me and my family every time I come home to Bulacan.

I hope to develop in my nephews and nieces the love for running which I believe is not far from happening as I see them race each other as we leave for fear of being left behind at the memorial garden.

As I’ve said, the list of reasons to celebrate, of the joys and benefits I get out of running is an ongoing thing and to share more:

Regular running has improved my metabolism a great deal.

I am rice person, I can consume 3 cups of rice in one meal and I get to enjoy that without fear of getting back to my old weight.

My singlet size when I first run in 2010 was LARGE, I know have a variety of sizes in my growing collection of singlet and extra small is among them.

I get to see celebrities every run including coach Rio, Donna Cruz, Garry Estrada Bernadette Allison, Donita Rose, Christine Jacobs, Liezel Sumilang, Iza Calzado, Jackilou Blanco, PBA players and a couple of sportscasters.


And most of all running makes me feel good about myself, I get a confidence boost that I don’t get from badminton and swimming and I get to help causes while doing something I truly love at the same time.

The Nueva Ecija Escapade

My weekend escapade last October 23 and 24 with my girlfriends Pia and Terry at Marie’s hometown in Nueva Ecija brought to mind a couple of lines from my all time favorite old song.

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day and the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

It was like hearing Louis Armstrong singing the song as I see it through my eyes.

I literally saw skies of blue and clouds of white and trees and fields of green and occasionally golden yellow and believe me even the roads in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija are golden yellow.

For a moment while my beautiful friends and I were blissfully goofing around at the lush green hilltop over looking a pond under the bright sun, I did think to myself - what a wonderful world!


Villa Isla in Nueva Ecija may not be as scenic as what my friends and I have previously witnessed in Sagada and Ilocos or in Dubai – in Terry’s case but then for me it was simply lovely and refreshing.

It holds a certain charm for us who’ve been in the city most of our lives. It gives us that overwhelming feeling of tranquility.

Not minding the temperature of the morning sun the girls and I took our time as we frolic like children repeatedly jumping until we capture the perfect jump shot and in an attempt to capture something new we took turns in carrying each other behind our backs like wrestlers.

Terry, perhaps inspired by the blue sky and cotton like clouds, went as far as lying flat on her stomach in the green grass, where inches away lies a mound of dried cow dung, just so she can have her own take of our ever favorite jump shot.

After having enough of the invigorating greens and an ample supply of vitamin E courtesy of haring araw the Luciano siblings decided to visit one of their relatives nearby where we had our merienda of softdrinks and biscuit under a big old tree as we rested.

It was amusing to sit with them and listen to their stories in a surrounding where my eyes feasted in the simplicity of the country life, where I was stepping on plain earth and not of concrete, where the chicken and goat wander leisurely and where even the dog is friendly.

To hear Marie recall how their childhood was spent in the same place where Pia, Terry and I were gathered together made her story even more interesting and made our bonding moment even more special.

Back on the road we were undeniably having the times of our lives as we drove around town waving and smiling to strangers like the true blue bakasonistas aboard an “astig” looking 4x4 jeep and escorted by a motor bike alternately driven by the equally good looking Mar and Mac, Marie’s eldest and youngest brother respectively - both gentlemen were kind enough to give a free tour of their beautiful town.

Before heading back home we visited the resting place of the Luciano patriarch to pay our respect and to introduce Terry since it was her first time to “meet” Marie’s father.

Waiting for us back at what we jokingly refer to as the “hacienda de Luciano” was not only a warm reception but a steaming pinapaitan lovingly prepared by Marie’s mom whom we affectionately called Mader and cooked with pride by the family’s known kusinero, Mac.

Pia’s advertisement of the famed pinapaitan did live to our expectation. I had 3 servings of steamed rice despite my diet. It was just one the many busog moments we had during our stay.


When we arrived the day before , Jayson and Betchay, Marie’s brother-in-law and elder sister, prepared a healthy snack of vegetable salad fresh from Pangasinan for our merienda while we were resting and playing sungka in their bahay kubo with their cute tots JM and Terence.

And for dinner that night we were treated with sinampalukang native chicken and sinampalukang labong with saluyot which we heartily consumed despite nibbling on inihaw na dugo and paa ng manok minutes before hapunan.

That night didn’t just end with that dinner as the ladies with the exception of Mader and the gentlemen stayed up for a separate drinking session.

In less than an hour Pia finished one red horse mucho all by herself while Terry and Marie each had a bottle of Tanduay Ice and Betchay and I nibbled on the pulutan in the vast veranda.

Not to be outdone was Terence, Marie’s youngest nephew who also had a taste of Tanduay Ice which made him even more hyper and thus follow our every whim. You ask him to dance and sing and he will and you ask him a naughty question and he’ll readily answer.


Our 2-day stay in Nueva Ecija may not be as grand as our other travels around Luzon but it was definitely one of the most heartwarming vacations my friends and I have had for this year.

To be welcomed and taken cared for by your friend’s family in their own home is such a generous act and I can’t help but feel blessed for the perfect getaway my friends and I had.

I look forward to our next visit with the rest of our gang next year to once again experience the simple life in “hacienda de luciano” and to witness the wonderful world in the town of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

pen and paper vs laptop

To celebrate the first year anniversary of my lappy toppy this coming October I am reposting this blog which i originally posted last 25NOV2009 in FB.

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One reason that convinced me to buy a laptop was a good friend’s generosity.

Her offer of the “charge it to friendship muna” payment scheme played a major role in wiping out my hesitation into plunging in this major expense.

Seventeen years of friendship entitles you to this kind of privilege, an overflowing supply of trust.

But behind the financial assistance the primary reason why I have, in the first place, considered having this piece of technology is my love of writing. Or is it love of typing?

I don’t know how I managed to convince myself that I can’t write good stuff unless my fingers are striking a keyboard!

It’s like there’s not enough surge of creative juice when you’re just using a pen and paper, the once upon a time very dependable tool I used whenever I feel like writing.

Unfortunately, the gush of the so called creative juice I have been expecting did not come. There was a complete absence of the “feel like typing”.

Blame it to Facebook and a friend’s enthusiasm in sharing her computer games, songs, movies and her discovery of her own laptop.

What would eventually stimulate my fingers to hit the keyboard is not the rush of creative juice brought about by the excitement of having this new toy but by an overwhelming feeling of melancholy.

But that's another story I wish to share when I can look back at what happened and just laugh at it.

Obviously, I have been bitten by a bug called realization. It's not the pen and paper or the laptop.

Emotion kindles my love for writing. It is my creative juice =)

Of Watching "Sa'yo Lamang".....

Being the jologs that we are and to somehow celebrate my best friend's birthday last Saturday, Lala, Jijet and I decided to watch "Sa'yo Lamang".

It was not a spur-of-the-moment decision as Lala and I have been planning to see the movie a week earlier but our busy schedules just wouldn't allow us.

I never thought I'll ever be grateful to boredom as it sets in while I waited for the doctor in Makati Med.

More than an hour of waiting my fingers started itching and it started texting on its own volition. I think I've texted at least a quarter of the people in my phone book - Lala, being one of them.

As she ranted via text of how full her schedule was on her birthday, I asked her if she was too busy too even see a movie......

In less than an hour, after a week of planning, we were already in the cold and dark nook in G4 with the jologs like us, the boyfriends and husbands who were forced to see the movie, the bored and the critics – together we we’re watching “Sa’yo Lamang”.

The movie was good but don’t be alarmed this is not an attempt to review a film.

This is just to share one particular scene in the movie which not only made me cry but made realize how powerful God is.

Again, don’t be alarmed. I promise not to be preachy =).

Though I know that this is going to be one hell of a tear-jerker it was still a surprise for me and Lala to see Jijet wiping tears off her eyes 20minutes after the movie started.

We were both giggling as I mimic the way Jijet weeps in silence in my left side while in Lala’s right side someone scandalously sniffed with all her/his might.

Though we were making fun of the people crying around us I was sure that soon it will be our turn.

What I was not expecting was the scene that will finally bring Lala and I to tears.

It was not a mushy and dramatic line in a confrontational scene that led to the falling of my tears in my right eye.

It was not even the scene. It was just one line………I believe in God.

It was what Bea in her role as the eldest in the family uttered when she finally recovers from her shock after seeing her mother (Lorna Tolentino) shaking in her bed.

And together they prayed, I believe in God, the father almighty, the creator of heaven and earth……….

Bea, as she stood in one corner watching her siblings gather around their mother to warm her and stop her from shaking, was a picture of each one of us every time we’re in a situation where we feel helpless.

At first we feel at a lost, we don’t know what to do and where to go for help then all of a sudden we realize we have God to help us through all our difficulties.

When all else fails, most of the times, that’s only when we turn to Him for mercy and once we do the feeling of relief comes in an instant.

I believe in God…………so short a line yet so powerful!

We’ll, that’s how far I’d go sharing my realization and sharing the movie.

As promised, I wont be preachy…………just sharing!

Chronicles of a 34-year old, sick, single lady.

There are days when getting up in the morning for work is such a struggle.

For someone like me who sleeps late, everyday is a struggle and during these "struggingling" times, i often wish that i am sick just so i'd have a reason to stay in bed.

But never had i wished to be so sick that i'd end up bed-ridden for three days.

Wednesday, I was already diagnosed by Doc E, our company doctor with acute tonsillopharingitis with slight fever.

According to Doc E,my right tonsil is inflamed and has a pus. As i leave the office that night i was already suffering from terrible headache.

That night i still managed to log on to my facebook account and mock myself for my FB addiction.

The next morning, still feeling sick, i announced to my room mate that i wont report for work but as soon i a closed my eyes to resume sleep I got up without delay, determined to work instead.

As it was already, 7:30am I showered without heating the water, primarily to avoid being late, secondly, i was hoping that cold shower would relieve me off my feverish feeling.

For a while i thought it did for despite my coughing I was able to handle a number of calls, walk around the office and sing along a couple of songs in my playlist.

But when i started feeling feverish inside, started catching my breathe after each cough and when I can't seem to pinpoint what muscle or which joint aches and when I felt unexplainably tired, i went up to the clinic.

With another slight fever and an abnormal heartbeat of 120 from the normal count of 80, Jane - our company nurse suggested I go home but only after my heartbeat had normalize.

And so she made me lie down and rest in one of the rooms in our modest clinic. How nurse Jane cared for me that day is another story I'd soon share.

By 1pm I was sent home.

Despite the nagging feeling that I should pay Makati Med a visit for another check-up, atleast before I head home, just to confirm what Jane and I believed to be a flu. The scorching heat of the mid after noon convinced me that I better go home instead.

Lying in my bed alone in the boarding house, didn't give me much comfort. I was soon feeling sorry and crying from self-pity.

Being away from home and being sick is unbelievably depressing and so after I've cried a river and after hours of battling the idea of asking my father to have one of my brothers fetch me at the boarding house, i finally gave in.

By 11pm thursday, I was already home in Bulacan. As soon as Papa saw me not in my usual bubbly self, he was a picture of worry.

And while he was combing my hair with his bare hands asking me how i was feeling and what i wanted to eat he did not fail to inject a father's typical lecture.

Mama on the other hand was busy preparing my bed. She was the one who was up during the night checking if i have fever and made me take my meds.

As soon as I was in bed Papa turned off my cellphone to which I could not protest. Papa doesn't like seeing us texting when we are already in bed.

The following day, Friday, i forced myself to eat atleast two spoonful of lugaw for breakfast so i can take my meds and before lunch Mama gave me sliced apples and peeled ponkan in my bed which took me until Saturday morning to finish.

Normally, two spoonful of lugaw is equivalent to two and sometimes two and a half cup of rice and an apple and ponkan wouldn't take a minutes to disappear before me.

By luchtime of the same day, I was again served with lugaw wich I have drowned with the sabaw of nilagang buto-buto.

Since my bowl was almost full, my father who's beside me didn't notice that i am only sipping the soup and not really eating the lugaw.

The soup made me sweat a great deal though and atlast i felt better and so i thought. After a couple of minutes, i was back in my bed feeling restless once again.

Dry cough, head-splitting-ache, weakening muscle and joint pains did not leave me until Saturday afternoon so I until then i was not allowed to watch TV and use my cellphone.

I was behaved enough not to watch TV and I was clever enough to put my phone in silent mode for two days and so I was able to reply to a couple of messages even when texting is too much of an effort for me.

Today, I did not only have my shower after two long days, I am also free to use my laptop.

But this doesn't mean that I am ready to get back to work.

Unfortunately, I am far from being well. I still have cough and I still tire easily from walking from one point of our house to another albeit the insignificant size of our humble abode.

I was not allowed to leave home just yet and so while I'm here I'd have to bear my Papa dear's lectures:

1st: STOP my travels. He blames over fatigue due to my two recent out of town trips last January for my being sick.

2nd: Leave the boarding house and come home to Bulacan everyday so they can look after me, my food etc.

My two recent south-to-north-trips-in-one-day may have contributed in weakening my immune system which eventually gave up when i caught a colleagues' virus but of course i couldn't admit that to my father.

And there is no doubt that here at home I will have all the TLC I usually missed during weekdays but then
being home everyday doesn't guarantee that I'll be healthy and will never again get sick.

I know that He's just concern with my welfare and I am glad for despite my age, I still feel like a child with the way he takes care of me and i also feel like a teenager with the way her lectures me.

A Not So Holy Week

In my childhood Holy Week used to be extremely boring but back then there was still a sense of sacredness as we observe Maundy Thursday when Jesus’ sufferings begin which then leads to His crucifixion on a Good Friday up until Black Saturday when we no longer have a Father looking after us.

I can still recall how my siblings and I were not permitted to play around, to make any noise, to giggle or to laugh. Even the elders were not supposed to work or do anything at the strike of 3 o’clock in the afternoon in reverence to our Lord’s agony.

It’s not really too much compared to what Jesus has to suffer for us, minor sacrifices on our end and yet too enormous for some of us to bear.

Sadly, times and things have changed.

As a child I thought that when I am already a grown up my observance of this week will be more meaningful if not pious. I thought by now I will be more equipped with an understanding of why we practice this religious tradition.

For a while I was.

I used to do the station of the cross on my own. I used to walk an unknown number of kilometers to visit churches as part of my sacrifice sometimes with friends sometimes with my sister and one time with my brothers.

I’ve done “Alay Lakad” from San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan to The Divine Mercy Chapel in Marilao, Bulacan, from San Jose Del Monte to the famous Grotto in Tungko also in Bulacan, from Pembo, Makati to Antipolo, from Pembo, Makati to Pasig to Ortigas to Mandaluyong and to Baclaran to visit 13 churches but I stopped.

If it’s any consolation, I am already in my third year of doing the Visita Iglesia.

Along with four hundred other pilgrims from a parish in San Pedro, Laguna - we visited churches in the Ilocos region a week earlier than the usual . We prayed, we reflected and yes we had our share of discomforts, which I believe is part and parcel of taking on this commitment.

The heat could sometimes be unbearable even inside an airconditioned bus, the seat was not comfy enough for us to take a nap on the way to the next church and there is also the problem of not having enough time for bladder breaks and not enough rest rooms to accommodate everybody.

Despite the uneasiness it was all worth it not only because I am doing this for Him but because of one other personal reason.

I am not proud to admit this but one motivation why I started this devotion was because it offers me the chance to travel and visit places and old churches.

I have a thing for old churches. I love looking at them and taking their pictures. I could just sit and stare for as long as time will allow me and experience an undescribable joy of being inside these ancient structures. There's just something different from the churches in the provinces which I am yet to figure out.

After the visita iglesia I don’t think I’ve done anything exceptional to make my Holy Week meaningful except to hear mass with my family last Sunday to celebrate the resurrection our Lord.

My Holy Week was no longer boring but it was also insignificant.