yes, this is still not the end of my blog. i just divided them into three parts.
so there we were, walking past the armored tank and soldiers, going towards the local market when we noticed the birds in the electric lines. my dad had to tell us to walk faster or we would get poop on our heads. my mom and i couldn't just believe how many birds were there, sitting on those wires! granted that this is a phenomena in the city for a long time now, but everytime we see it, it just feels so weird (and scary sometimes). my mom said that it was even featured in a tourism story on tv -- about how one visitor has to notice the birds lining up in the wires along and across the streets. it is just so unbelievable. i even noticed that part of the streets smell of guano already. maybe in a few decades if this does not stop, the accummulation of their poop may give us a source of methane gas! :D
anyways, what i really wanted to talk about was how early it was when were there (just a little after 5 in the morning and still dark) at the market and how amazing the produce are. just lying there on the streets, over old tarps, are the day's freshest produce sold at really low prices! i would suggest that those who visit the city come here early to buy their vegetables before flying off to home or their next destination (sort of being in Baguio and you just had to buy your vegetables before leaving for Manila). it was really a grand adventure with my parents and i'm glad i got to discover this again of my hometown - zamboanga.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
in town - armored tank
but my story doesn't end there!
after the mass, my parents decided to go to the local open market to purchase the vegetables we will need for this Christmas eve's dinner. leaving the cathedral, the first thing i noticed was that McDonald's, which was just across the cathedral (we only have a two-lane street), was already open and there were just so many people converging in that area. i noticed then the native dishes sold by some early entrepreneurs. sometimes, seeing these things make me realize that this habit is very Filipino, and not just confined to the people of the north -- after a misa de gallo, people feast on native dishes like bibingka, puto bumbong or suman. this event just makes me really feel like i'm at home and i'm glad i was able to feel it today.
anyway, the biggest surprise maybe, was finding the army's armored tank beside McDonald's and several military guys with their full gear on guarding the streets. then it hit me again. with all the tranquility inside the church, there is still danger outside. though the city do not suffer terrors such as suffered by our neighboring islands, it is still always good to be on guard. though sometimes realization make you feel scared, it's better than not being prepared at all. when i gave this comment to my mom, she told me that we ought to be grateful for these men for standing guard over us. i do not have any objections to that. i am grateful that they are there, protecting us, even giving up a good morning sleep for us. i write this in hope that others who read this blog, also give the soldiers the thanks they deserve. granted that some people in the military are corrupt and without morals, we cannot let go of the fact that there are still men and women in the service who are honorable -- those who do their jobs because they love our country. i believe in those men and women and it is to them that i am grateful.
after the mass, my parents decided to go to the local open market to purchase the vegetables we will need for this Christmas eve's dinner. leaving the cathedral, the first thing i noticed was that McDonald's, which was just across the cathedral (we only have a two-lane street), was already open and there were just so many people converging in that area. i noticed then the native dishes sold by some early entrepreneurs. sometimes, seeing these things make me realize that this habit is very Filipino, and not just confined to the people of the north -- after a misa de gallo, people feast on native dishes like bibingka, puto bumbong or suman. this event just makes me really feel like i'm at home and i'm glad i was able to feel it today.
anyway, the biggest surprise maybe, was finding the army's armored tank beside McDonald's and several military guys with their full gear on guarding the streets. then it hit me again. with all the tranquility inside the church, there is still danger outside. though the city do not suffer terrors such as suffered by our neighboring islands, it is still always good to be on guard. though sometimes realization make you feel scared, it's better than not being prepared at all. when i gave this comment to my mom, she told me that we ought to be grateful for these men for standing guard over us. i do not have any objections to that. i am grateful that they are there, protecting us, even giving up a good morning sleep for us. i write this in hope that others who read this blog, also give the soldiers the thanks they deserve. granted that some people in the military are corrupt and without morals, we cannot let go of the fact that there are still men and women in the service who are honorable -- those who do their jobs because they love our country. i believe in those men and women and it is to them that i am grateful.
misa de gallo
today i attended with my parents my first and only misa de gallo this year. when i was back in manila, there was never a chance to attend the misa de gallo, even the anticipated one. it's for simple fact that in the evenings, i had errands to do in my last week in town and in the mornings, i'm afraid to go alone on my own. yet today, my mom woke me up at the unholy hour of 315 am so we can attend the 415 mass at the cathedral. i thought we were so early but when we arrived there, we had to grab any monoblock chairs we can outside the cathedral. if you've seen the cathedral here in zamboanga, it's really huge. that shows you how many still believes in Christ and really do celebrate Christmas.
the cathedral however wasn't decorated much except for the symbolic belen. my mom said that the bishop didn't want much pomp in the cathedral, in light of what happened to our brothers and sisters who were inundated by natural calamities near the end of the year. come to think of it, i heard in the news yesterday that a large area in both makita and pasay city burned to the ground yesterday; that means, people living there had to celebrate their Christmas in the streets because they have nowhere to go to and they have no money. this is a terrible time for them and i cannot be sad for them. on the other hand, burning to the ground an area occupied by informal settlers could give the government an opportunity to rebuild that area that gives those who live there a more "dignified" (can't find the best word, sorry) place to live in. just my two cents. well, back to my misa de gallo story.
so there we were, sitting outside the cathedral, listening to the priest. the homily teaches us about appreciation and expression of our gratefulness to the good things that are shown to us. we should never forget to say Thank You and I Love You.
but mind you, the choir was so horrible (or was it just the acoustics?). i can't help but notice the grating noise they make sometimes (especially the high pitched one) and they make me wince sometimes. the choir loft was wasted on them. i can't help but wonder also if the organ they were using was the same one that we used whenever we have our Friday mass in my grade school years. if that's true, the organ is older than me by give or take ten years? amazing!
and while i am writing this, all i can think of is being grateful to be able to attend this last misa de gallo with my parents. thank you God and happy birthday, Jesus!
the cathedral however wasn't decorated much except for the symbolic belen. my mom said that the bishop didn't want much pomp in the cathedral, in light of what happened to our brothers and sisters who were inundated by natural calamities near the end of the year. come to think of it, i heard in the news yesterday that a large area in both makita and pasay city burned to the ground yesterday; that means, people living there had to celebrate their Christmas in the streets because they have nowhere to go to and they have no money. this is a terrible time for them and i cannot be sad for them. on the other hand, burning to the ground an area occupied by informal settlers could give the government an opportunity to rebuild that area that gives those who live there a more "dignified" (can't find the best word, sorry) place to live in. just my two cents. well, back to my misa de gallo story.
so there we were, sitting outside the cathedral, listening to the priest. the homily teaches us about appreciation and expression of our gratefulness to the good things that are shown to us. we should never forget to say Thank You and I Love You.
but mind you, the choir was so horrible (or was it just the acoustics?). i can't help but notice the grating noise they make sometimes (especially the high pitched one) and they make me wince sometimes. the choir loft was wasted on them. i can't help but wonder also if the organ they were using was the same one that we used whenever we have our Friday mass in my grade school years. if that's true, the organ is older than me by give or take ten years? amazing!
and while i am writing this, all i can think of is being grateful to be able to attend this last misa de gallo with my parents. thank you God and happy birthday, Jesus!
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