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I was invited by Mr. Rolly Magpayo together with : “Nikonistas et Canonizados: D60KREW meets Lipa Batangas Weekend Shooters, Kapamilya meets Kapuso with Kat Espiritu as muse” –tita bambit gaerlan’s caption in her FB album; (she said it all in one line!  hehehehe natuwa namn ako at muse daw ako, charing! yan ang napapala ng walang grupo) to have a travel shoot in Taal, Batangas.

First stop: Caysasay Church

It was dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia.

it has been renovated but there are still a lot of untouched details..the railings, holy water receptacle, walls made out of corals and a few baroque motifs ( i guess) .. next time talaga, NatGeo mode ako, all the details kukuhanan ko ng pics. lol

that’s Royskie Sadorra, a member of dpp, taking pictures.

they say that one of their relics, an image of the Virgin Mary was fished out near Pansipit River. Kahit ilang beses na itong nawala, lagi daw itong bumabalik..

speaking of kababalaghan, there’s a miraculous spring near the church.. the Sta. Lucia Wells

Many stories says that the reflection of the Virgin Mary appeared on this spring and brings miracle; not only to those who have gone to this place, but also to those who drank and bathe from the water. sayang, i forgot to say my prayers here in  “banal na pook”..

next stop:  ruins of Old Taal Church

hehehe medj tinamad ako kumuha ng pictures dito, siguro dahil kakakain lang namin. anyways, this church was destroyed by the 1754 eruption of Taal volcano.. same reason why the town relocate to its current location. now this is the town of San Nicolas..tabi lang to ng taal lake

to be continued…

sabi ko
ayaw kong maglaba sa gabi
hindi ko alam kung bakit

siguro’y ayaw kong makitang
nakasungaw ang bituin sa ulap
at pinapanood ang bawat kong kusot

pero hindi kagabi—
ang totoo
naglaba ako

sinamantala ko ang pangungulimlim
ng bituin sa nangingilid na ulap

at natitiyak ko
maputi ang aking nilabhan
sinunod ko yata ang bawat instruksyon
sa likod ng pakete ng tide ultra:

1. kunin sa timba ang damdaming
matagal nang ibinabad

2. kusutin nang mabuti
pabulain
pabulain upang matiyak na
natatakpan na ng bula
ang mga salitang noon pa sana sinabi

3. at dahil nahuli na sa sikat ng araw
na siyang pagkukulahan,
lagyan na lamang ng clorox
upang kumupas at walang makakita
sa mantsa ni Eros

4. banlawan
maraming banlaw
at tiyaking maisama sa tubig
ang mga sentimiyento
at panghihinayang

5. ibuhos sa kanal ang tubig
upang makapagtago sa burak
ang mga pagsinta

6. isampay sa mahanging lugar
ang nilabhang damdamin
pabayaan itong makahinga
matagal na rin namang
naikubli ito sa baul

Pagmumuni pagkatapos…

napigaan ko na ang damit
mariin
nakalimutan ko nga lamang
pigaan ang tubig sa aking mata

paalam muna
samantala’y magpapatuyo muna ako—
ng damit
ng mata

sana’y walang makakita

salamat sa pakete ng tide ultra

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published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday Magazine
and won in the Annual Literary Contest by the Philippine Free Press (1999).

Everything tells me that i am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. what does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back where i came from because i did’nt have the courage to say “yes” to life?

just like her, i want to ask “what does the world want of me?” all my life im making mistakes.. im tired of it already.

hay…i guess life isn’t for me..

live and let die

*can’t help it… gwapo at may topak!! hehehehe

i know by heart, the scenery and the boy was the same (even though i had a hard time remembering his face every time i woke-up). One conversation i remembered was he told me something about going and seeing me again, a kind of promise a kid could give after playing with some friends and before going back home. parang “kita tau ulit ha”. Strange for me to hear…he never said “goodbye” to me, not even once. as far as i remember, its our last talk. never saw that dream again. i thought, o well, its just another epic dream…nice and light.

then. yesterday came.

im in that place again..the valley of the many-colored grass. same colors, same smell, same sun, but not me. im now older than i used to be back then when i played under that tropical sun (but younger than im actually now). and i saw someone far away, walking towards me. i know that boy, i know its him.. the same faceless boy that i used to play with in that place. face to face, we just smiled. no murmurs, no anything. we said our “hello”s, “how are you?”‘s, “im fine, how about you”s with that smile. funny, but i think we both understood it. and then, he just went away.

that meeting…its weird, but im satisfied. i don’t know why, im just satisfied.

scary dream no?