Ode to “my” Sunset

an arresting orb—
a delicate red, in deep orange,
and fading yellow
from the shielding clouds revealed.

a quiet work of art
swathing both a remorse
and an forgotten ache
rekindled by a desire to possess.

subtle shimmer of hope
moving slowly, almost fading
from the rippled water, to sand
to my eagered arms.

a fleeting moment
it was good while it lasts
to describe is much painful
than a quiescent gazing.

I watch you fade.

As once again,
—I walk a dark path.

~rayts/011409/insidemysticallore~

CALERUEGA: The Transfiguration Chapel

I’ve known and heard of the place way before I even had the chance to actually be there. I had little knowledge of the place and what actually it is. I had an officemate who’s been a frequent to this place and I asked him: What is there to see? He would say: A lovely chapel. It’s beautiful there!

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to actually be there and experience the place. Located in Brgy. Kaylaway, Batulao in Nasugbu, Batangas you’ll find Caleruega-- “the seedbed of preachers and the cornerstone of spiritual inspiration”.

People who seek silence, solitude, and harmony with nature find them here in Caleruega. That kills me. How could I miss such a place?

To end such disgruntling deprivation, Charl, Tet and I went there a few weeks ago. According to the brochure that was handed to us after we paid 30 pesos (each) for the entrance, “Caleruega is a house of prayer and renewal.” It is also a venue for various group activities like retreats, renewal workshop, youth camps, seminars, art, music, and more.

Being a big fan of churches (architecture-wise), our obvious stop was the Transfiguration Chapel, a very famous landmark in Caleruega.

The façade of the chapel is an actual reproduction of the original chapel in Caleruega, Spain. The whole structure breeds symbolism and meanings which were all based in the Holy Scripture.

The chapel highlighting its hut-shaped roof is in remembrance of the temporary sheds that the apostles wanted to build for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah during the transfiguration.

Façade of the chapel showing the seal of the Dominican Province of the Philippines aS depicted in stained glass in the upper portion.

At the back of the administrative building, this serves as the main entrance going to the other attractions of the place i.e., garden, koi pond, hanging bridge, etc.

Visitors coming and going into Caleruega.

Inside the chapel is the main altar featuring the stained glass that depicts the Transfiguration of Jesus as witnessed by Peter, John, and Luke.

Another transfiguration image located at the facade of the chapel.

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This ship is taking me far away

Far away from the memories

Of the people who care if I live or die

Starlight, I will be chasing the starlight

Until the end of my life

I don't know if it's worth it anymore.

~Muse's Starlight~

Of Silhouette and Sunset

Charlotte, a friend of mine who works in China, was here a couple of weeks ago. Making the most of her 14-day Christmas vacation in the country, we went to a beach. Not to take a splash really but just to watch the sunset. It was more of a whim on my part than her or Tet who was also with us during the road trip. Our initial plan was to go to Caleruega, and had nowhere to go after that so I suggested that we wind away our time watching the sunset at a nearest beach. It was here that I asked Charl to pose a silhouette for me.

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Every day I wake up and it's Sunday

Whatever's in my head won't go away

The radio is playing all the usual

What's a Wonderwall anyway?

~from Travis' Writing to Reach You~

By the sea (and on the road)

While waiting for the sunset, I saw a good subject and he doesn't seem to mind. The kiddo was pretty much pre-occupied playing a scoop of sand in his hands.

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[Postscript]

Sometimes we shut up not because we don’t have anything to say rather we want to keep them to ourselves. My opinions are mine, you don’t need to know them, and you’d rather not hear them because there’s a bigger chance that you will not like them.

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We were road tripping. It was just me and a close friend. She was driving the car looking quite pleasant because of the smooth traffic. There was no sound except for the faint music from the radio. Unwittingly, I was tapping my fingers on my lap following a very familiar love song. Way back in college, I knew the song but I have forgotten the title. I broke the silence and made some little conversation.

Me: What would you do if you knew something but could not say it?
Friend: Then don’t.
Me: That’s it?
Friend: Depends. Can you be more specific?
Me: Well, I can’t.
Friend: Then make some hypothetical scenarios.
Me: What if you have a friend, a close one and he’s doing something wrong…err, morally that is, and you knew about it and he knew that you knew. What to do?
Friend: ahhh.
Me: What?
Friend: I know that you already know what to do. You just want confirmation from me. Now here’s the thing. You are responsible for the people that you allow to enter in your life especially your friends. If he is really your friend then it’s your moral obligation to knock some sense into his head.

That very familiar love song (which I still could not remember the title) continued to reverberate in the air but the tapping of my fingers stopped. My mind was somewhere else.

The Not-so ‘Curvy’ Trip to Mount Maculot

I first heard of Mount Maculot from Jay, a friend and an officemate. A mountaineer from Batangas, he has climbed Mt. Maculot 50 plus times already since his college days and has been swaying us to climb for god knows how many times already. Time permitted, we finally gave in to his invitation before 2008 ended—during the long break. Maculot is just my fourth mountain to climb. Not that many but I promise myself that I will engage more into climbing activities this year (*crossing my fingers*).

Initially, there were four of us - Pat, Dax, Jay, and I - but Pat backed out the last minute due to “some unavoidable circumstance”. Oki had been to Maculot earlier so I had no one to invite, considering everyone was bound home (most of them in far away provinces). The three of us climbed that one fine, Sunday morning. “Today is the best time to climb!” I told myself. The wind was like a subtle brush of cool air, the sun wasn’t too harsh. Everything went smooth.

The arch of the town of Cuenca, at the background is Mount Maculot.

Arriving in Cuenca, we were greeted by a huge arch with the inscription of the town. At the background is a great peak of Mount Maculot. Instead of riding the trike to the Mountaineer’s Stop Over and Store, we decided to walk (all because Jay said it was a short distance). We got to the jump off point way passed nine in the morning.

Dax in "pink" leading the pack.

Mount Maculot is a minor climb, around one to two hours you’ll reach the summit. At 685+meters, this is at least 5 times the height of Mount Kinabalu (4095 meters), my recent mountain climbing experience. The trail to the summit is well-established and relatively not difficult to climb (going to the Rockies would perhaps require some careful rock climbing skill since it’s quite steep going up and down but other than that, it's fine).

I am enjoying a sneak peak of what my reward would look like at the summit.

Half way to the summit, we’re rewarded by a sneak peak of the view at the top. If you’re not in a hurry to go up and you’re not aiming for a spot to camp, it would be nice to stop and enjoy what nature has to offer. The sweep of cold air is refreshing too.

Dax looking 'so pink' amidst the tall cogon grass.

We reached what Jay referred to as the “grassland”— the part of the trail wherein bust-high cogon (Imperata cylindrical) grasses abound. The grasses sway with the wind, thus we hardly see the narrow trail.

The campsite including the empty stores and the mismanaged garbage.

Finally, we reached the campsite. According to Jay, during weekends and summer months of the peak season, there is a sari-sari store at the campsite. When we got there, it was all empty and there were loads of empty plastic bottles and mismanaged garbage. It’s sad to note that, a place as beautiful as this, is not well maintained.

The Rockies at 685 meters. The trail to the top is pretty much established already.

At the top is the "reward" a scenic view of the Taal Lake and the Taal Volcano.

We continued our trek all the way to the Rockies, which is just adjacent to the campsite. We left Dax at the Maculot signage. I think, he got intimidated by the steep and rocky climb all the way to the summit thus he decided to wait for us at the other end. Rockies is actually a rocky formation covered in green vegetation. At the top is a scenic view of the Taal Lake including the world-famous Taal Volcano and the plains of Batangas. Mount Makiling and Tagaytay Highlands also come into view. Jay pointed out that along the Batangas Bay to the south is the Maricaban Island, and Mt. Halcon.

Two early climbers enjoying the view. They are almost at the edge of the Rockies.

We found some early climbers who are taking their time enjoying the view. They were literally “on the edge” of the Rockies already. We took our time at the top and headed back to the town after a few hours.

The three musketeers!!!

Yeeha. Another mountain conquered! I wish to conquer Mount Pulag soon (sana! sana!).