Last First Saturday

I left the house at 5:45 in the morning, walked to Quezon Avenue, rode a bus to U.N. Avenue, took the LRT to Baclaran ... then arrived just in time for the 6:45 a.m. mass.

Today is the last First Saturday I will be spending in the home country (as brother Slash M fondly calls the Philippines). We are scheduled to land in Australia in exactly four weeks.

After the mass, I went around to the back of the church where people say their prayers, give thanks, ask for intercession, beg for forgiveness, meditate and more. Physically, one can see people lighting votive candles and knocking on the glass covering the big mosaic of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As for me, I lit two candles and said my own prayers to Our Lady.

After the mass, I had breakfast at McDonald's before going around the stalls surrounding the church. Then I headed for the nearby "mall" for more serious shopping. I didn't get too many items. The most significant acquisition was the beanies for the children. For P50, I hope their heads stay warm.

In the evening, MacGyver and I went to PSHS to attend the Alumni Homecoming.

The alumni homecoming is held every first Saturday of September. When we were still studying there, the Homecoming was held in the canteen. I suppose it is because there were only a handful of alumni. As they years wore on and the number of alumni increased, the Homecoming was moved to the gym which was bigger (but not necessarily better).

I don't really miss school but I will miss my friends from HS and I will surely miss my First Saturday trips to Baclaran.