St. Joseph of Arimathea

Lolo Jose - Holy Wednesday Procession 2014

Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' crucifixion. According to Mark 15:43, he was an "honourable counsellor, meaning a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, who was waiting for the kingdom of God". Matthew 27:57 described this Joseph as a rich man and disciple of Jesus. According to John 19:38, upon hearing of Jesus' death, this secret disciple of Jesus, "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus".

August 31st, according to Roman Martyrology, is the feast of St.Joseph of Arimathea together with St. Nicodemus who provided and buried our Lord's body after His crucifixion.

Pilate, after a centurion confirmed the death, allowed Joseph's request. Joseph immediately purchased fine linen (Mark 15:46) and proceeded to Golgotha to take the body of Jesus down from the cross. There, according to John 19:39, Joseph and Nicodemus took the body, wrapped it in the fine linen, and applied the myrrh and aloes Nicodemus had brought. The disciples then conveyed the prepared corpse to the place previously bought for Joseph's own tomb, a man-made cave hewn from rock in the garden of his house nearby.

"Ama naming maawain,

buong puso at pagmamahal, galang at pitagang inihanda para sa paglilibing at inihimlay sa sariling libingan ng iyong tapat na lingkod na si San Jose ng Arimatea ang labi ng aming Panginoong Hesus.

O Panginoon Hesus. nag-iwan ka sa amin ng tanda ng iyong pagpapakasakit at paghihirap, ang banal na kumot na ginamit ni Jose para balutin ang iyong banal na katawan na pinahirapan sa krus

O Panginoon ipagkaloob mo sa amin at sa iyong tapat na sambayanan ang pagpapala at lakas na mahalin at paglingkuran ng buong katapatan ang iyong Anak na nabubuhay at naghahari kasama mo at ng Espiritu Santo, magpasawalang hanggan, Amen."

Turumba of Pakil

Last weekend, my friends invited me for a Laguna road trip, particularly focusing on the town of Pakil.

This is not the first time I've been here, kung tutuusin regular na ruta ko na to pag kailangan kong suminghot ng Baticuling sa Woodcarving Capital ng Pilipinas. Every time I go to Paete, its a must na dumaan ako sa St. Peter of Alcantara Parish also known as Diocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de Turumba but for no apparent reason, hindi ko pa masyadong nae-explore ang maliit na bayan na ito.

Pakil is a fifth class urban municipality.. and known to be the home of the Turumba Festival.

The Festival commemorates the Seven Sorrows of the the Blessed Virgin Mary and held 7 times each year between the months of April and May. It is also called Pistang Lupi because at the closing of each festivities the novena booklet is folded to mark the pause in preparation to the next lupi.

The Festival dates back to September 1788 when some fishermen discovered a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows on a 9"x11"oil painting in canvass in their fish net. Believed to be a religious image they decided to drop it off on a rock near Pakil Church so that they could continue their fishing duties.

One Sunday morning, a group of women found the painting and despite the bad weather condition during the night, the painting remained dry. When they tried to take the painting away, it was too heavy even for Mariangga which is the strongest of them. They quickly went to the parish priest, who in turn called the churchgoers and the church servers to get the image. Miraculously the priest was able to lift the image with ease and the people who witnessed it started to sing and dance in honor of Our Lady.

Birthday Celebration sa Estero

July is my birth month, alam nang maraming tao yan pero marami-rami din ang di nakaka-alam na:

-ka-birthday ko si Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Tisdale, at si Madam Imelda Marcos!

-ginawa ako ng nanay at tatay ko noong September 25, 1986 - pero ayoko nang usisain yung detalye.

-September 26, 1986, isa na akong ganap na embryo!

-unang tibok ng puso ko ay noong October 17, 1986

-at nang ipanganak ako noong July 2 1987, ang #1 song sa US Billboard ay I Wanna Dance with Somebody ni Whitney Houston -- EPIC!

This year, I decided not to celebrate my birthday since weekday naman at medyo maulan din. Instead, I decided to tag along with my sister in her shopping spree at Divisoria just to be treated for a surprise dinner at Estero after, thanks sis!

Estero Fast Food is situated besides the Manila-Beijing Friendship Bridge formerly known as the Ongpin North Birdge and as my foodie friends put it, your Binondo Food Trip will not be complete unless you eat here.

The place is in fact besides Ongpin's estero but don't let that bother you, surprisingly the place is relatively pleasant - carinderia type, open-air with no foul odors from the creek and very accommodating employees. This is like the nth time I tried this place but the first time for my sister.

Art App: Pinto Art Museum

After Jun of Life & Spices sent me a link about a gallery situated on a hillside village in Antipolo, I immediately asked him if we can check it out last weekend and perhaps due to the rave reviews of fellow bloggers, he agreed (o baka kasi laboy lang talaga sya, lels)

Silangan Garden's Map
thanks to their FB Page

Pinto Art Museum is located at #1 Sierra Madre St. Grand Heights Subdivision, Antipolo City which is 30mins. away from my place.

"Pinto"

It is a 1.2-hectare of breathtakingly beautiful vast gardens and Mediterranean-inspired buildings which serves as a home to Silangan Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Ecology, a Non-Profit Organization that aims to promote Philippine Contemporary Art and spearheaded by Dr. Joven Cuanang, the former Medical Director of St.Luke's Medical Center and an accomplished Neurologist, art-lover, the Museum owner and an Earth Warrior.

One thing I personally don't like inside museums or galleries are their house rules, but Pinto took a different path, they don't have that long, strict & exaggerated rules, no flash photography, take your time and ENJOY!

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Lahar-Sunken Church

Going to Subic or Bataan, a curious pair of eyes will surely not miss a massive structure 500 meters away from the road on the southbound area of the Manila-San Fernando-Subic Bay Freeport Pathway or Jose Abad Santos Ave. just right after the City Proper of San Fernando.

This is the San Guillermo Parish Church of Bacolor, Pampanga also known as Bacolor Church. It was built in 1576 by Augustinian Friars on a lot given by Don Guillermo Manabat, a rich local landlord believed to be the founder of Bacolor. The original structure was destroyed by an earthquake in 1880 and was rebuilt on 1886 and boast of having a main retablo, side retablos and pulpit that are heavily gilded with gold leaves and the rich decorations depict an advanced Baroque style.

Church Exterior

Considered as one of the the oldest and biggest churches in the country, San Guillermo Church was a tourist destination even before the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991. Despite the terrible eruption the Church didn't obtain any damage. However, on October 1, 1995 due to heavy rains brought by Typhoon Mameng, volcanic mud flow or lahar from the slopes of the volcano devoured almost the whole town of Bacolor and buried half of the church's 12 meter altitude.

the day i became spiderman

One month akong walang update - busy lang sa bagong pinagkukunan ng goldbars.
At dahil nakaluwag ng schedule nitong nakaraang linggo, my sister and I planned a weekend roadtrip to Bataan just in time for her birthday.

One of the attractions sa resort na kinuha namin ang kanilang Extreme Sports ranging from Zip-Line, Wall Climbing, Air Soft at kung ano-ano pa..
I knew that my sister would not pass the opportunity to try most-if not all these activities at panigurado na hihilahin nya din ako to try it.
Na-try ko na mostly lahat ng attractions and activites they're offering except for one, and that is Wall Climbing.

I haven't tried it yet kahit na madami ang opportunities because of two reasons:
-Una, I have an active lifestyle but I don't have a gym-rat physique (baka di kayanin ng upper body strength ko ang lahat ng taba ng lower body ko)
-Second, nahihiya ako na di umabot sa endpoint at sumuko na lang (epic fail)

Kaya I made a promised last weekend na kahit ano ang mangyari, I will try my best and climb the top ala-Spiderman..

Binangonan Rizal

Binangonan is a gem waiting to be discovered by curious travelers. Unlike its neighboring towns of Angono and Taytay, the town is on its primal stages on tourism projects, but with undeniable rustic beauty and old-town charisma accompanied with its rich culture and traditions plus the accessibility from the Metro, this town is definitely a diamond in the rough.

The Municipality of Binangonan is a first class urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 274,179 inhabitants in 54,836 households in census. It has a land area of 6,634 hectares (16,390 acres).
A thriving fish port and fishing industry is found in Binangonan, having a long coast line facing the Laguna de Bay, including the western part of Talim Island. The plant of Rizal Cement and Grandspan are in Binangonan as well. Their main livelihood are fishing and farming.
With the continuous expansion of Metro Manila, the municipality is now part of Manila's conurbation which reaches Cardona in its easternmost part, although there are efforts underway to convert it into a city.

-Wikipedia

In a good-mood for a weekend joyride with family or friends?
Here is a list of must-visit places in Binangonan...

Sta. Ursula Parish Church

It is a 200-year old church dedicated to the Virgin & Martyr, Saint Ursula. The church is located at the heart of the town and considered as an integral part of life among its townspeople.
Originally a chapel built in the 15th century by Franciscan Missionaries, the church administration where then handed over to Jesuits and then transferred to Augustinians only to be returned by the people to the Franciscans in 1737.
It was built from 1782 to 1800 and renovated in 1853.

This is also the start and end point for the famous Binangonan Holy Week Procession that includes the Giwang-Giwang or Santo Entiero (Dead Christ), 

Giwang Giwang is a local word which means “to sway incessantly”.

The Dead Christ is the center of the Good Friday procession that usually starts around 4PM and ends around 2-3AM the following day. Devotees nab their way to its Calandra or bier carrying the Dead Christ to grab a hold and hope for blessings and forgiveness hence the swaying of the sepulcher.


Mt.Tagapo
A dagger-shaped island at the heart of Laguna de Bay, Talim Island is endowed with mountains and hills such as Mt. Tagapo. Also known as Mt.Susong Dalaga (Maiden's Breast) due to its peak that resemble's a young woman's breast.