True-blue/Skywatch Friday

Even 

after 

all this time

the Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look

what happens

with a love like that,

it lights the whole sky.

Linking to Skywatch Friday

Adobong Kangkong and Baked Boneless Bangus

I was in the vicinity of WTC when I was got word that I needed to fly to Cebu, pronto.  So I rushed to the mall to buy plane tickets.  Didn't plan on having dinner but traffic was horrible going out of the area--turned out it was the night Aerosmith had their Manila concert at the MoA-Arena.  I walked towards the bay area and decided to eat dinner while waiting for the traffic to ease.

I wanted fish and the waiter suggested Baked Boneless Bangus, it's new on their menu.  It was flavorful but  the flavors of cheese and butter were too rich and I didn't even finish half of the fish.  Good thing I ordered adobong kangkong---its pleasant tartness countered the strong flavor of cheese.  This adobong kangkong was quite delicious, so different from other adobong kangkong I've tasted before;  even better than my mother's adobong kangkong, or apan-apan as what we call it in Ilonggo.  Just don't tell her.:p

Linking to Food Friday

Food Trip Friday

Abstract 21/NF Abstract

"The way lies in softness and patience, as the softest water cuts through the hardest rock."  ~ Jonathan Lockwood-Huie

Linking to NF Abstract

Journey/Watery World Wednesday

The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask.  ~ Rich Ridgeway

Linking to Watery World Wednesday

Barasoain Church/Our World-Tuesday

Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan is one of the historical churches in the Philippines.  My friends and I visited this church one Saturday in early May enroute to Sta. Maria, another town in Bulacan.  Truth be told, I wasn't aware of the church's historical significance until a former President (who, ironically, was later kicked out of office) was inaugurated here in 1998.  It was an unusual venue for a presidential inaugural ceremony.

Also known as Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Barasoain church is the site of the First Philippine Republic in 1898, and has earned a title as Cradle of Democracy in the East.

This church was founded by Augustinians Missionaries and the original church was constructed in 1630. The first stone structure was built in 1871 but it was burned during the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. The current church was rebuilt in 1885, the bell tower was constructed in 1889.

The facade has touches of neoclassic architecture.  The interior of the church has wood panels painted in white, with frescoes of flowers, angels and saints; the altar was also painted in white with gold trimmings.  The interior was not as rich and elaborate as the other old churches I have seen but inside has an airy, spacious feel.

There was an on-going wedding ceremony during our visit and I wasn't able to take photos of the interior.

The term "Barasoain" was a place in Spain to which the missionaries found to have similarities to this place in Malolos.  When the Spanish-Filipino revolution broke out, revolutionaries coined the term "baras ng suwail" which means "dungeon of the defiant".

Barasoain Church was a temporary shelter of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines.  During this time, three important historical events happened in this church:  the convening of the First Philippine Congress in 1898, the drafting of the Malolos Constitution, and the inauguration of the First Philippine Republic in 1899.

During the revolution, this church was the haven of the Congreso Revolucionario with the ilustrados as its delegates and Gen. Aguinaldo as the leader.

I spotted this Pieta sculpture outside the walls of the church beside a small chapel (below).  

Behind the church is a courtyard and the adjoining convent has a museum dedicated to the historical events that took place in the church, a part of the museum is a repository of artifacts found in the province.  There was a Marian exhibit during our visit, in connection with the Flore de Mayo celebrations.

Barasoain Church was declared a National Shrine in 1973, and featured in the New Generation series of the 200 Philippine peso banknotes.

Malolos, Bulacan is 42 kilometers north of Manila.

Linking to Our World-Tuesday