Sunday sunrise [SWF]

@ mirandablue

Sunrise on October 10th, Sunday.  Taken from the roof-top of my apartment, this is looking towards the east---to Antipolo.  I enjoyed the orange haze at the horizon as I exhaled a yawn and was ready to hit the sack.  It was a long night!

@ mirandablue

I have a "carpe diem" mug and, truthfully, at six in the morning the words do not make me want to seize the day.  They make me want to slap a dead poet.  ~Joanne Sherman

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Posted for SKY-WATCH FRIDAY

Pork Hamonado

                        @ mirandablue                                 

My mother's pork hamonado for lunch two Sundays ago.  Yes, it's a cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging dish---I guess my mother wanted to live dangerously once in a while.  Pork hamonado is somewhat a heirloom recipe---my grandmother used to prepare this dish.   At home,  we usually use pork belly because it's boneless and the thick layer of fat keeps the meat moist as it simmers.   Salt, ground black pepper and diced garlic are rubbed on thick slices of pork belly then it's marinated with unsweetened pineapple juice overnight.   My mother's "modified" version is frying pork belly until it's golden before slow-cooking meat in marinade until tender.  


Pork hamonado is  basically a pork stew, cooked slowly in pineapple juice and spices allowing flavors to blend.  The result is super tender meat, pork fat that melts in your mouth, with the sweet and delightful flavors of pineapple, garlic, peppercorn and onions.  Garnish with slices of pineapple and sweet pickles.

Perfect with steamed rice.

Posted for Food Trip Friday and Food Friday

Private [Pribado]

@ mirandablue

Karamihan sa atin ay may kanya-kanyang pribadong santwaryo.  Isang sulok sa bahay o ligtas na lugar na pwedeng manihimik, magmuni-muni o magkape at magbasa ng walang istorbo.   May kilala ako na banyo ang kanyang dakong banal.  Doon s'ya tumatakbo kapag gusto n'yang mag-isip at syempre maligo.:p  Karamihan sa confessional ang punta kung saan pribado ang usapan (sigurado ka bang hindi bugged ang confessional?:p).  Ang iba naman dumederecho na para walang taong  makakarinig sa mga hiling nila.

Posted for Litratong Pinoy

@ mirandablue

Most of us have their own private sanctuary.  A corner at home or a safe place where we can spend some quiet time, meditate, enjoy our coffee and read in peace.  I know somebody whose private sanctuary is their bathroom.  It's his place of refuge when he needs to think or solve some problems.  Others go to the confessional where everything is private ( are you sure the confessional is not bugged? :p), while some of us pray directly so no man would hear our petitions.

For Thursday Two Questions:
1.  Where is your private sanctuary?
2.  Do you build walls around yourself, around those closest to you, and around your heart to feel secure?

Koi pond at Fort Ilocandia [Watery & Outdoor Wednesday]

@ mirandablue

A small pond under the glass-topped atrium near the lobby of Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.  There is a cascading waterfall on the left side of the pond but it was not working when we visited.  Across this pond are cafe and restaurants, and the hotel's shopping arcade.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Posted for Watery Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday

Paoay Church [My World-Tuesday]

@ mirandablue

I believe this is the most popular church in Ilocos Norte.  I first heard of Paoay Church in the 80's when Irene Marcos, former president Marcos' daughter, had her wedding in an old church in Ilocos Norte.  Not in this church, but that fairy-tale wedding brought forth the beautiful churches of Ilocos to the public's attention.  

@ mirandablue

Found in the town of Paoay, approximately 470 kilometers north of Manila is Paoay Church or Saint Augustine Church.  Built in 1704 under the initiative of Augustinian priests, the church was completed in 1710, the bell tower in 1793.  The church was built of coral blocks, stucco-plastered bricks, salbot (tree sap) and lumber, bound together by mortar--a mixture of sand and lime with sugarcane juice. 

A unique combination of Gothic, baroque and oriental architecture, the style has been dubbed an "Earthquake Baroque" because of its massive 24 carved buttresses flanking the sides and rear facades.  Large coral stones were used for the lower level and bricks on the upper level--the walls are 1.67 meters thick made of the same materials (reminds me of 1.618 meters--the golden ratio, the mathematical formula for beauty :p). The builders made sure that the church would be a safe refuge that could withstand natural calamities.  A few meters away is a 3-storey coral stone bell tower.  The bell tower served as an observation post of the Katipuneros during the 1896 revolution against the Spaniards, and  by Filipino guerillas during the Japanese occupation in World War II. 

President Marcos declared Paoay Church as a national treasure and it was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

@ mirandablue

@ mirandablue

Compared to its impressive exterior,  I was surprised that the interior of the church---especially the altar, was simple and almost austere.  I was expecting a stunningly carved retablo, beautiful antique religious icons, and a painted ceiling similar to that of the Sistine Chapel.

At the doorway, we met a man (a Knights Templar, according to my sister :p) who gave us a brief history of this church, and pointed me to good vantage points to take photographs.  He said that four generations of his family have been serving this church.  Our Knights Templar confirmed that the original ceiling was indeed painted with murals but it was destroyed a long time ago.  He added  that the ceiling would soon be replaced---UNESCO gave the parish 5 million pesos (or about US$100,000) for the rehabilitation of the church and grounds.

@ mirandablue

Viewed from the right side, these giant buttresses reminded me of a Javanese temple.  

@ mirandablue

Fr. Pedro Galende, director of San Agustin Museum in Intramuros notes, "There is massiveness, movement, integration, and above all, a forceful sweep of illusion that say a great deal about Filipino ingenuity.  The result is an outstanding and undeniably Filipino type of architecture, neither Baroque or Gothic, neither European nor Mexican, but authentically Filipino."

@ mirandablue

Posted for My World-Tuesday