Saturday, January 10, 2009
My Antipolo
Even prior to being in Saudi, everytime I come from a trip from anywhere, before going home in our house in Antipolo, it was my habit to pass by the Antipolo Cathedral to pray, contemplate, rest, converse with God, ogle at the many devotees of the Nuestra Senora dela Paz y Buenviaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), etc. During my last vacation, I revisited the habit and was amazed by how profound the feeling is: of rest, of being at home, of peace.
The Antipolo Cathedral never ceases to awe me: its grand architecture, its high dome, the artsy glass windows that surround the church, the life-size monuments of the twelve apostles standing guard on top of the dome base and the entrance, the grand wooden doors, the open altar. The sweet noises of those birds building nests in the church's crevices. To borrow Himig Heswita's song, Antipolo Church is that dwelling place; my spirit's dwelling place.
How lovely is your dwelling place
Oh Lord mighty God, Lord above!
Even the lowly sparrow finds a home for her brood
And the swallow, a nest for herself
Where she may lay here young
In your altars my king and my God
I noticed how changed the Antipolo Cathedral is now. The sound system is crisp and clear, unlike before when I can hardly hear the homily and I had to focus my ear, like a satellite dish searching for a signal, to where the sound is coming from so I can hear what the priest is saying. Now, there was even a huge projector outside for those people who are afraid to squeeze themselves pass the throngs of devotees inside the church. Times have really changed!
Sadly, I can no longer follow the mass hymns because they've all changed the music! Even my beloved Ama Namin! It's okay though because hearing the new mass hymns is still uplifting and spiritual!
Outside the cathedral fence are stands of suman, kasuy, mangoes, candlesticks, stampitas, fruits, carinderia cuisines of lugaw, goto, pansit, sotanghon, etc. While Antipolo is famous for its kasuy, nowhere will you find a kasuy plantation in Antipolo. I think they buy the raw kasuy from Divisoria. There you have it! The secret of Antipolo bared to the public!
But who wants raw cashew? Actually, that's what Antipolo is good about: the processing of kasuy! The task, I'm telling you, is difficult; it's hardwork, it's measy. Peeling raw cashew nut is not easy and it tends to leave a stain on your fingernails. But in Antipolo, the 'kasuy experts' can peel around one sack per hour, using a specially-carved knife. The nuts are then halved, baked, cleaned and baked again. The result is a crunchy, sweet, freshly baked-tasting kasuy that sells very costly!
Antipolo -- the town -- has changed in a lot of ways. Near the church now stand McDonalds, Red Ribbon, 7-11 and rows and rows of banks, shoe stores, drugstores, beauty shops, etc. Antipolo is no longer provincial as I used to remember it. The atmosphere is no longer personal as before when I'd likely meet either a schoolmate or a neighbor or a friend's relative during a night's stroll in the town plaza. Either my friends and classmates have migrated out of the country or they've decided to live in one of those many exclusive villages and subdivisioins that sprung in Antipolo during the past two decades.
hi nebz.i only tried once to attend mass in antipolo and what i love after the mass were the food on the streets from kakanin to kasoy even its a lil expensive and the travel going to antipolo is also exciting it reminds me of baguio.Sad to say antipolo is now kinda modern and commercialized with all the fast food chains and banks around.Spring resort is what i missed a lot in antipolo.
Ang ganda ng cathedral nyo ah. Modern ang facade. I didn't know kasuy is produced in Antipolo. I like its nuts but very expensive naman dito. If I go home, dyan na ako bibili sa puno, para mas mura!
i was born, raised and schooled in Mindanao. But I have a song I won't forget singing since Elementary..."Tayo na sa Antipolo, at doon maligo tayo, sa batis na kung tawagin ay Hi, Hi, Hinulugang Taktak at doon tayo'y Kumain ng mangga, suman, kasuy at balimbing, kaya't magmadali na at tayo'y tutuloy na sa Antipolo" Do you know that song nebz? Imagine how I feel the first time I've been to Antipolo on the way to a Cement Plant for water testing in Teresa. Glad to know you're from there, nebz!
Salamat sa dalaw friends!
Mightydacz: OL and tawag namin dun sa mala-Baguio na daan. Short for overlooking dahil kita mo n agad ang Makati at Cubao. Madami p ring resorts dun at affordable prices.
Blogusvox: Ala ngang tanim na kasuy dun e. Kasuy processors lang ang Antipolo. Sila ang may pinakamasarap magluto ng cashew nuts.
Kenji: Yesss! Kabisado ko p sya, pero matagal ko nang hindi nadalaw ang Hinulugang Taktak (tawag namin dati Hinulugang Tae dahil madumi dati). I think you're referring to Island Cement sa Teresa. Madalas din kami dun during high school. Layas e!
Siguro 6 years old palang ako naririnig ko na at nakita ko na sa photo ng aunt ko ang Antipolo Church! [Pumunta kasi sila du'n before sila mag-take ng midwifery board exam last 1979.] Kaya nu'ng nagkapagtrabaho ako sa Luzon, sinadya ko talaga s'yang puntahan!
Ang lahat ng descriptions dito sa post na ito ay tumpak na tumpak! Talagang taga-Antipolo nga ang nagsulat, kabisadung-kabisado ang lugar.
At yu'ng kasoy, hahaha! ...sa totoo lang itinanong ko talaga noon sa mga nagtitinda nito kung anong mga baranggay ang may malawak na taniman ng kasoy (kasi pupuntahan ko sana, magpapa-picture ako), di nila nasagot. Ayun, nasagot na ng Isla de Nebz ang aking tanong.
Nagtataka ako sa mga lumang simbahan natin sa Philippines, unti-unti na nilang pinipinturahan. Para sa akin mas ayos pa rin kasi yu'ng original na itsura nito, yung bricks?