When the Present Meets the Past.......

       When Taal Volcano erupted on 12 January 2020, one of the things that popped into my mind (aside from our friends and our fellow Filipinos living near the volcano) is the Taal Heritage Town in Batangas. I heard from the news that the town was among those badly affected after the Taal Volcano’s phreatic eruption. Can’t help but to wonder—a new year, a new decade has just begun, January 2020 pa lang, ang dami nang nangyari. Some of the major news last January: (1) bushfires in Australia; (2) US attack Iran; (3) Ukraine plane down; (4) Taal Volcano eruption; (5) Kobe Bryant’s death; (6) Novel Coronavirus or 2019 NCoV, later renamed as CoViD 19. January 2020 was too heavy. 

       The love month (February) is almost over (it's February 29, 2020. Yes, it's a leap day); as we enter to a new month (March), it is good to reflect on this fact— Life is full of uncertainty. And no matter how smart or good you are in handling things or how talented you are, things can still get out of your control. You are simply a human. Yes, we are human. So instead of over thinking everything, start living in the present. And since our life here on earth is limited, we need to be more authentic about who we are and more deliberate about how we spend our time. Live intentionally and learn to focus on what matters most to us— relationships and the fulfillment of our unique purpose on this earth.

Talking about the uncertainty and shortness of life, while writing and choosing the pictures to be included in this blog, I was reminded of Noel Cabangon’s song, “Kanlungan,” particularly this stanza —

                                    “Lumilipas ang panahon
                                      Kabiyak ng ating gunita
                                      Ang mga puno't halaman
                                     Bakit kailangang lumisan?

                                     Pana-panahon ang pagkakataon
                                    Maibabalik ba ang kahapon?”

         I was reminded of this song maybe because of the places and sights we visited during our tour at Taal Heritage Village sometime in June 2016. It was a great learning experience. Seeing the ancestral/old houses, including all furniture, fixtures, portraits etc inside....... napatanong ako bigla, “Paano kaya mamuhay ang mga tao noong araw? Gaano kaya kasaya o kalungkot ang mga tao na nakatira sa bahay/lugar na ‘to?”  I was telling myself, “Ganun lang kadali lumipas ang panahon. Buhay ka ngayon, pagdating ng panahon magiging alaala ka na lang.”   And those old houses, old trees, old cars, old photographs, etc., saksi na lang sila sa mga alaala at pangyayari nang nakaraan, and whatever stories that they tell deserve to be heard by future generations. Can't help but to write short poems. 

         

          And our walking tour began ....... 

       The town’s most important landmark is the nearly two-centuries-old Basilica of St. Martin de Tours, popularly known as the Taal Basilica. The facade of the Basilica resembles St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It was declared as a national shrine on January 16, 1974.

                            

According to the residents, this arch marks the spot where the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to a girl, Catalina Talayn. The Sta. Lucia well is also in this place.

 Shrine of Our Lady of Caysasay.

               The old houses.......
               Lakad pa more

      Not only old or ancestral houses, there are also historic houses and museums in the town.    
      Lakad pa uli... lakad lang ng lakad.

    Marcela Agoncillo Museum/House is one of Taal's oldest, built in the late 17th century by Marcela's grandfather Andres Mariño. It was in this house that the first Philippine flag was sewn by hand by Marcella Agoncillo.

     
         Ooops... kala ko by hand? haha

      Next stop.......

       Can you imagine life without camera? Hmmm.... Camera is very important especially to  a sentimental person (like me? hahaha... how about semi-sentimental & semi-logical?). Mga moments na need to be remembered, ang camera ang tutulong sayo. It will help you to preserve memories of historical/sentimental value. Kaya ang next stop--  Galleria Taal Camera Museum.

           Hindi po sya pang BP, camera po sya...

       And the food... 

   
      Ang "Tatlong Bibe"

         How we ended the tour?

      
         Our tour has ended but the memories.......  

       ....... the memories will be forever in my mind and in my heart.  

      Mind.... because we learned new things about our nation's history; we were given the chance to meet and experience the past. Para syang naging educational tour and somehow, a reunion for some of us (you may check my Baguio travel blog, you will see same faces hehe). 

    Heart.... because of the realization that indeed, life is full of uncertainty; that we cannot control everything and the only thing we can do is to accept the fact that some things are beyond our control; that relationships (vertical- your relationship with God; horizontal- your relationship with others) are what life is all about. 

    How about you? How is your relationship with God, with the people around you (your family, friends, co-workers.......)? I admit that at times, it is not easy to prioritize relationships, especially that our world today is becoming increasingly filled with distraction. It is quite challenging, nowadays, to have and maintain healthy relationships. People are too busy. But we have no guarantee of tomorrow. Circumstances change. People die. You and your loved ones are not immortal. All of us will leave this world and the fact is, we do not know when are we going to die.