Friday, December 7, 2007

The Sacred Heart Novitiate: Communing with God in an Oasis of Peace

When was the last time you talked to God?

I mean when did you really have a heart to heart talk with God?

When we pray, when we meditate, when we reflect on what we have done in our lives, or when we simply listen to His messages…during all those times we need to spend quality time with the Lord. There are places that help us achieve those precious moments with the Lord. The Sacred Heart Novitiate is one such special place.

As you enter its gates along Quirino Highway in Novaliches, Quezon City, and walk trough its long and winding path going to the main facilities, one immediately feels a sense of inherent splendor and tranquility. As you look up old acacia and mahogany trees lined up the road, you enter a cathedral of nature which exudes an aura of holiness. One cannot simply deny the loving presence of the Divine.


The Novitiate has been the spiritual oasis of countless souls


For the last seventy years, the Sacred Heart Novitiate which houses the Jesuit Retreat House and Seminar Center has been the spiritual abode of countless Jesuits and lay persons that have allowed their spirituality to be enriched by its sanctity.


Walking through the Novitiate’s peaceful grounds


In the Novitiate’s vast 22 hectare grounds one could easily discover a quiet place to be in touch with nature, to commune with God. Several chapels, function rooms, conference rooms, mess halls and areas of prayer abound as well as a pool of retreat directors, religious and lay persons, adequate for virtually all kinds of requirement for an individual or group retreat. To reinvigorate the spirit as well as the physical body, sports facilities are also available like its basketball, and volleyball courts, a soccer field, swimming pool and pelota station (Does anyone still play pelota?)


At my back is one of several chapels – this one housed at the Retreat House wing


In addition, the Retreat House every year reserves the period from the last Monday of October to the third week of November for those making the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius – a full thirty (30) day spiritual retreat.



Christmas lanterns hang along the hallowed corridors of the Novitiate


The first time I entered the Novitiate was during a De La Salle University sponsored seminar for college instructors like me then in the late ‘80s. Since then, I have always yearned at the opportunity to again experience its “energy” or what others have gone to call as “spirit”.

That chance was realized late this year from November 30 – December 2 when as Pastoral Formation Office (PFO) Coordinator for my Couples for Christ chapter, I headed the service team that conducted a Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER) I in its premises. Months before, Sonny Boy (whom I accompanied during his basketball team practice in nearby Mater Carmeli School) and I went to the Novitiate to inquire about its facilities after nearly two decades of not being able to revisit it. I was so contented to feel the "spirit" of the Novitiate was still there, strong as ever.


In the stillness of our hearts, the God of silence speaks…


That “spirit” is said to be the fruit of total experiences of numerous people "who have walked through its footpaths, prayed in its shrines, hugged its trees and inhaled its silences".



In need of quiet moments with the Lord?

Sacred Heart Novitiate beckons you…welcomes you to spend time with God.


Monday, December 3, 2007

The Grand Slam: Shakey's humungous 4-in-1 Pizza

You’ll also look wonderfully amazed at this

humungous 18 inch pizza


The makers of the country’s “greatest” pizza just turned the heat up with the introduction of its newest innovative food product – the “Grand Slam”!

The Grand Slam is one huge 18 inch pizza composed of four favorite pizza flavors namely Classic Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Friday’s Special (and my personal all - time favorite…) Shakey’s Special.

For a little over six hundred pesos, Pizza fanatics like me can munch away on this gargantuan creation served with either a free pitcher of House Blend Iced Tea or soft drink in a friendly neighborhood Shakey’s Pizza Restaurant near you.

If you have some disposable income lying in your pockets and have a craving for pizza then you may want to take on this hot mama!

I’ve said it once; I’ll say it a hundred times….pizza is what saints eat in heaven. …..and I’m not surprised if the Grand Slam is on the heavenly menu!



Faith with a party perfect pizza!



Monday, October 15, 2007

Celebrating our gifts of life in Baguio (Day 3)

Hearty breakfast at the Le Chef


When I woke up today, I turned 40. Well…technically I was born early in the evening. But that didn’t stop me from going on an early food binge at the Le Chef. I had promised myself that when I had the available (financial) resources I would treat my family at this fancy restaurant at the Manor. With God’s grace, that I did!

It was a smorgasbord of gastronomic delight!

Caution was thrown to the wind as transfat and cholesterol was everywhere I looked. Flowing bacon, cold cuts, sunny side up eggs and butter was top priority in my breakfast agenda. In my eating frenzy, I also have some vague memories of taking some healthy food like greens and some fruits.

A sunny ambiance complements the great food

After the smoke cleared, we were so full that it was obvious a substantial amount of calorie had to be burned. We decided to take a stroll across the Manor’s garden and appreciate the beauty around us. The weather had been relatively sunny that morning which made the promenade extra pleasant around the Manor grounds.






Morning stroll through the romantic Friendship Garden



The grand gazebo overlooks the mountainous terrain of the Cordillera



From the garden we took a hike up the nearby mountainside. At its peek we discovered there was a “living museum”, the so called Camp John Hay Historical Core. Evidently, we had taken a different route up that didn’t pass through the entrance gate which charged a fee for visitors. We promptly paid our fees to avoid any problem and proceeded to look around. Among its attractions that we visited included a different kind of burial ground called the “Cemetery of Negativism”. An American official during the colonial period came up with the idea of burying one’s negative thoughts and attitudes in this forest graveyard.



Visiting an unusual graveyard: The Cemetery of Negativism


Another attraction was the Bell House which high ranking American generals used as residence in Baguio. The structure gave a picture of the relative opulence the colonials enjoyed in Camp John Hay during the early part of the 20th century.



The Bell House used to be the residence of the military generals during the
American colonial period…





…and this would be one of their bedrooms


An amphitheater and an eco-trail were close by but because we didn’t have much time anymore we decided to spend the rest of the morning at the old playground of the Camp.

Camp John Hay Forest Cabins area has now been closed to the public. This was the area before you reached the U.S. Ambassador’s residence which was off-limits too from the start.

Thankfully, the old playground is still there.



Mini-golf anyone?

The kids and I tried out the Mini-golf course for the very first time. It was actually a duel between Joshua and Sonny with me as scorer. However, the mini-golf area as well as most of this decrepit side of the Camp requires a much needed face lift if it wants to survive the threatening commercialization inside Camp John Hay.

My wife couldn’t pass on the opportunity to give a chocolaty treat at the Batirol but I had already set my sights on the bump car ride at the adjacent Amusement Center. So while they were drinking chocolate, Joshua and I were “burning rubber” so to speak.

I remember Joshua crying his heart out last night, not wanting to leave Baguio anymore. He probably thought we could live in this unit inside the Manor, that his parents could work in the city and he and his brothers could transfer school somewhere. Of course if we had the financial means, it was quite possible but considering our circumstances, highly improbable.

As we later took the 2:00 p.m. Victory Bus back to Manila, Joshua had to be contented with the promise that we will be back to this memorable place. Everyone had to be. Our trips to Baguio are slowly but surely becoming a part of family tradition. The hope that we’ll be back in the future is always something greatly to look forward to.


A very memorable stay in Baguio



I may have spent a fortune on this vacation but my family’s joy, laughter and the memories we bring home far outweigh its value in gold.

Thank you Lord for the blissful experiences and the new memories…

Thank you Lord for the gift of our lives!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Celebrating our gifts of life in Baguio (Day 2)

Good morning, Baguio!

Sept. 25 - Happy 5th Birthday, Joshua!

Today my son Francis Joshua turns 5. My wife’s pregnancy with Joshua was definitely the most difficult. Thought at first by medical personnel as an ectopic pregnancy and then later suspected as a blighted ovum, this wonderful gift from God came out fine and at times, equally rambunctious as his older brothers. This year, by God’s grace we celebrate his birthday where we want it…in the highlands of Baguio!


Lots of yummy foods abound as sleepy head Joshua looks on




Everyone takes their breakfast





Mother and daughter put on their lip gloss




Off to our great Baguio sight seeing adventure




Massive urbanization: A mountain covered by houses


We couldn’t contact our friend Manong Pat Cutaran for this visit so we decided to hire the transportation services of the driver we met yesterday. We first went to the famous Bell Church, a Chinese religious temple at the outskirts of the city. This place always reminds me of Son Goku and the Dragonball animè series because of its Oriental architectural design and symbols.




First stop – the famous Bell Church

Photo ops for the family




Strawberry fields forever – in the valley of Trinidad, Benguet


From Bell Church we proceeded farther north out of the city to the Municipality of La Trinidad still in the Province of Benguet that surrounds Baguio City. The valley that we went to visit is famous for its strawberries. You can hand pick them and buy what you got. But I was told that many of the strawberries that you buy from Baguio most likely come from some other place in the province. In fact, farmers here do multi-cropping, planting several types of vegetables alongside strawberries. It must have been an issue of economics. Who knows, ten years from now it may be known as the Lettuce fields of La Trinidad.





Reasonably priced food stuff and handicrafts

can be bought in this strip




Robust commerce at the Trinidad Trading Post


Not far from the strawberry fields and the campus of the Benguet State University (BSU) is the equally well-known Trading Post of the province. Here vegetable farmers from various places sell their produce at very reasonable prices. If you are vegetarian or simply want fresh vegetables in your plate, then this is the place to get your greens!


Lovey goes flower picking (Broccoli and Cauliflower that is!)




Our first visit to the Easter Weaving Room


There is always something new to discover in Baguio. Our return back to the city and into an inconspicuously designed building along Easter Road in the Guisad district is testament to that maxim. Ignorant of its existence until today, we learned that the Easter Weaving Room has been around for more than a century.

Missionaries from the Episcopal Church in the United States led by Rt. Rev. Charles Henry Brent founded the Easter School in 1906. In the course of providing private education to Bontoc children, the missionaries developed a deep appreciation for the indigenous peoples’ traditional art of hand weaving. A lady missionary, Deaconess Hargreaves ensured that this art “would neither be lost or forgotten”. Weaving classes were held in this school to preserve weaving as a traditional art form. Products became perfect gifts for families and friends abroad that further spread the weaving room’s prominence for intricate quality work. After the Second World War, the need for native quality products demanded the setting up of an industry. The rest, they say is history.


Appreciating the fruits of the loom





The store surely has something for everyone

Clothing and office accessories, bags, foot wears and native costumes primarily are manufactured using acrylic material but some products are made from polyester and cotton.

At present, the Weaving Room continues to preserve the Cordillera weaving heritage by promoting native handicrafts and improvement of Igorot skills. In response to growing demands, the Easter Weaving Room has also diversified offering other handicrafts like wood carvings, products made out of rattan, paper, shell or coconut, oil paintings, Ilocano and Yakan weaving, including several local food delicacies.




The Holy Innocents Church: Episcopalians run the Easter Weaving Room



The motto “Quality Handwoven Products” is no fluke. It is a hard earned by-word for the Weaving Room that has honed to near perfection its art of weaving through its 102 years of history.

Want a souvenir that combines the artwork of the past and the needs of the present, I recommend that you give the Room a visit. I assure you it will be a pleasant one - a stopover you will not regret.





At the peek of the Lourdes Grotto

For many Catholics who visit Baguio, a pilgrimage to the Lourdes Grotto is a compelling journey one should not fail to take. As many believe, one cannot love Jesus and not be in love with His mother.

Such love for Mama Mary and her Son easily motivates pilgrims who otherwise may be daunted to scale the grotto from the foot of the hill to its peak.




At the foot of this famous Baguio landmark


Noon time has made us craving for good food. No better time than today to try another first – The Sizzling Plate Restaurant. Located in the heart of Baguio, the restaurant is conveniently located in the middle of Session Rd. You can’t miss it.

As the name implies, the restaurant’s specialties are primarily meat stuff cooked in hot iron plates and covered in sauces, in most cases, generous amounts of gravy. While their adaptation of the sisig wasn’t even close to the authentic Pampanga versions, their Salisbury steak and Java rice are very tasty and worth coming back to again in the future. Their prices aren’t that high and, very competitive I surmise with nearby establishments. That factor may strongly account for a midday full house despite the rains outside.


A sizzling lunch at the Sizzling Plate Restaurant



As my family waited for our hired transport to arrive, I glanced upon one of the first establishments my wife and I had gone to as a couple in Baguio. It was a hip coffee shop which opened in the mid 90’s called the Ionic Café. Junior then was only around three and a half years old and Odette was pregnant with Sonny Boy. You had to enter Tom Sawyer Restaurant at the ground floor to get to the café situated at the second floor. We went there in the evening and I remember entering a dim lit room with numerous magazines to browse. There wasn’t much of a coffee culture then in Baguio (or for the whole country for that matter). You wouldn’t see any of the Starbucks or Seattle’s Best, or Figaro or Bo’s we virtually now have at every corner of the street.

Shops like Ionic Café give the city character and a uniqueness that can only be found in Baguio. We didn’t have time to pass by the café on this particular Baguio trip so I didn’t get to find out its current state. Maybe next time.

For the city’s sake, I hope shops like Ionic Café continue to thrive.

Memories of the past: Sipping Mocha Java at the Ionic Café

After the transport finally arrived, we first went to a viewing deck along Kennon Road and did some sight-seeing. The view of the Cordillera Mountains was simply majestic! Baguio City is about 5,000 feet above sea level. At this height, one’s spirit gets further lifted up as you see yourself above the clouds as they gently stroke the mountains which are as old as time itself.






The majestic view of the mountains along Kennon Road
























Spending quality time with my growing kids



In Baguio one is truly above the clouds


From Kennon Road we proceeded to nearby Loakan Road passing through the Baguio Export Processing Zone on our way to Fort Del Pilar, the home of the Philippine Military Academy otherwise known as the PMA.


Rain or shine, the PMA is a must see in Baguio





Sugod mga kapatid! (Charge on, my comrades!)




In front of the Melchor Hall


As the local counterpart of the United States’ West Point Military Academy, a great deal of military tradition rests on its aging halls. That tradition had seen some changes in the past decade or so with the acceptance of women cadets, a move that I’m sure elicited both positive and negative reactions from the military top brass.


Far away at the back is the Headquarters building of the Academy




Beside a concrete patrol ship


I believe that is an F-8 Crusader at our backs



In between a PAF trainer plane and the workhorse Huey helicopter




A refreshing site at the PMA – women cadets
(Does Baby Faith have military aspirations? Hmm….)


If you plan to visit the PMA, don’t forget to pass by their gift shop for some souvenirs. It’s a good place to buy all sorts of gifts items to remember your Baguio trip by. I suggest you take a look at their coffee mugs and key chains but the best buys are their durable shirts and cool sweatshirts.

After a quick break and merienda at a small eatery inside PMA, we then went to Burnham Park to do some serious boating. The rains have not subsided and continued to pour on this afternoon. This time it didn’t deter us from renting a boat and just having a wacky time at the lagoon.



Row, row, row your boat….
Boating under a heavy downpour at Burnham Park




To me, SM Baguio is both an eyesore and the most aesthetic of all SM structures



We passed by the Mines View Park late in the afternoon but didn’t alight anymore because of the rains. The Good Shepherd Convent where we wanted to buy delicious Ube Jam on the other hand was already close for the day. It was good that the Pink Sisters Convent was still open and we had the chance to come in and say our prayers of thanksgiving to God.




Saying our little prayers by the Pink Sisters Convent



We bought Ube and Strawberry Jams at the PNKY Home, a bed and breakfast at Leonard Wood Rd. Their version of the Ube Jam is a middle ground between the fine texture of the famous Good Shepherd Convent food product and the courser grind of the Tantamco brand. PNKY’s strawberry jam on the other hand much to my liking wasn’t too sugary to the palate, probably due to the supposed Swiss recipe that they followed.


Upon arrival at the Manor, the older brothers and I rummaged around the Mile Long Shopping Center (located at the foot of the condotel) in search of dinner chow. After a survey of the establishments we decided to order out two Double Brothers’ Burger and an order of Big Brothers’ Burger, a half pound flame broiled monster of a burger. I didn’t have it in me tonight to order the otherwise doubly tempting Brothers Pounder – a two ½ pound beef patty burger topped with cheese. (Maybe it was the price) But that day will come…Oh yes…that Pounder will soon be mine!

We also bought a cake for Joshua from the Everything Nice Cake Shop for his birthday.



By the Manor’s inglenook - Jr. holds Joshua’s b-day cake

while Sonny holds our delicious dinner from the nearby Brothers’ Burger



Joshua holds his “Everything Nice” birthday cake




Happy 5th birthday Joshua!



Joshua visibly had a great time celebrating another birthday in the City of Pines. I know how much he likes to spend time in Baguio, a fondness shared by the rest of our family members.

Years from now, if he ever gets to read back this post, I just want him to know that there are very few things that can give the same special feeling as celebrating the day you were born and spending it well with your loved ones.


Joshua and Sonny Boy combat each other with their “Yugi Oh!” cards



Happy birthday Joshua…happy birthday son.