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September 2011

Philippines 2011: Good Friday in San Fernando, San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites (crucifixion reenactment)

Date: 22nd April 2011

Good Friday — today was the big day. I promptly got up on time, had breakfast and was out of the hotel by 8am. I walked to the jeepney terminal and got into one that would first go to Dau and then to San Fernando. The ride to Dau took just 5 minutes, and from there, I was asked to get into another jeepney going to San Fernando city, the capital of Pampanga province.

The ride to San Fernando took around 30 minutes and cost ₱32 ($0.75/€0.52). As soon as I reached the San Fernando city center…

San Fernando good friday locals Pampanga
... the 'rituals' had begun
San Fernando Good Friday flagellate Philippines streets
Locals flagellating themselves are referred to as the 'mamalaspas' in Filipino

I didn’t know where the jeepney was headed or where it was going to finally stop, but I didn’t wait to find out. As the jeepney slowed down in traffic, I got down.

San Fernando Good Friday celebrations Pampanga
Despite the blood, this was an all family affair

WARNING: From here on, you are going to see a lot of photographs of people with bloodied-backs. The act of self-flagellation (usually whipping oneself or beating methodically) is a common practice in many religions. In the following context, the act is seen as means of repenting for one’s sins. You may think they are beating themselves to a bloodied state but in reality, they make small cuts on their backs with a blade. They then use those whips with wooden bristles at the end to whip themselves, quite gently ctually. The bristles get stained by blood and eventually spread out out the blood across their backs. But rarely is one profusely bleeding because of the cuts.

San Fernando Good Friday mamalaspas Pampanga

Metropolitan San Fernando cathedral dome Pampanga Philippines
Everybody was headed towards the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando
Metropolitan cathedral of San Fernando  mamalaspas gathering pampanga
They all convene in front of the church. (By the way, it was scorching hot today!)
San Fernando cathedral wooden cross panorama
The flagellants stop in front of the cross, kneel before it or lay flat on the ground
San Fernando flagellation good Friday ritual Philippines
The act of flagellation here is out of devout worship, or so they claim
San Fernando mamalaspas flagellation Philippines
Despite the bloody appearance, they really don't hit themselves that hard

San Fernando mamalaspas woman flagellating Philippines

San Fernando mamalaspas on ground kicked Philippines
They are even lightly kicked

San Fernando mamalaspas on ground Philippines

San Fernando church flagellation good friday Pampanga
As one group of devotees would leave, more would come through the gates
San Fernando good friday mamusankrus cross bearers Philippines
Often led by cross-bearers, called 'mamusan krus'
San Fernando church flagellation good friday Philippines
I can't imagine how their bare backs must have felt in this heat

San Fernando mamalaspas on ground Pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando cathedral cross flagellation Philippines

Inside Metropolitan Cathedral San Fernando Pampanga Philippines
While devout Catholics bled outside, the more restraint were praying inside

Metropolitan Cathedral Good Friday San Fernando Pampanga San Fernando Good Friday penance kneeling before crossMetropolitan Cathedral San Fernando chariot Pampanga

San Fernando good friday penance tourist camera
This was a photography opportunity like no other
Metropolitan Cathedral San Fernando Pampanga photographer
There were many others just like me who came to capture today's peculiar festivities (Shot on the 450D*)
San Fernando good friday ceremony photographer Philippines
To us, this was more an 'interesting' event than a religious one

San Fernando good friday penance flat on groundSan Fernando good friday penance feet Philippines

Filipinos easter procession INRI cross
(Shot on 450D*)

San Fernando good friday cross bearers Pampanga Philippines

Heart shaped bloodied back Filipino good friday Philippines
Not sure the formation of a heart shape is intentional or not

San Fernando children watching Pampanga PhilippinesIt was so hot that I was done with the bottle of water I was carrying in a matter of minutes. There were hawkers and vendors selling ice cream, water bottles and chilled coconut water. I had one glass of that, and then another. Five minutes later, another glass. Dehydration was a major issue in this heat!

San Fernando good friday flagellated back Philippines

San Fernando good friday nuns hit with slippers Pampanga Philippines
These nuns were a lot less tepid with their act of penance

San Fernando good friday flagellation boy watching PhilippinesSan Fernando good friday flagellate cross Philippines

San Fernando good friday flagellation group Philippines
More and more flagellants just kept coming

San Fernando good friday penance praying before cross

San Fernando good friday praying man Philippines
Not sure if they were covering their faces more so that people will not know they took part in this act
Good Friday flagellated heartshaped back Philippines
Bloody, yes, but none of them were screaming in pain

San Fernando good friday flagellate flesh PhilippinesSan Fernando good friday ceremony Pampanga church
San Fernando good friday flagellate photo cameraGood Friday locals kneeling Pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando good friday flagellation kneeling before cross
San Fernando good friday flagellation kneeling towards cross
San Fernando good friday flagellation photography PhilippinesSan Fernando good friday praying before cross

San Fernando city Pampanga Philippines
After spending more than an hour at the cathedral, I felt it was time for me to move on

I drank another glass of coconut water, bought a bottle of water and left the cathedral.

San Fernando good friday celebration Pampanga Philippines

Pampanga lodge San Fernando Philippines
This was the only 'hotel' I could find in the area (Shot on 450D*)
Metropolitan Cathedral San Fernando Pampanga Philippines
It was right next to the cathedral

San Fernando city marshy stream Pampanga PhilippinesThe Manila Times old building San Fernando Pampanga

Taxis to barangay San Pedro Cutud Pampanga Philippines
There were taxis, both jeepneys and pedal taxis to take people to San Pedro Cutud, where the site of the crucifixion re-enactment would be taking place. I decided to take a cycle taxi.
Tricycle taxi San Pedro Cutud Pampanga Philippines
Shot the following using my Canon 450D*

Road to San Pedro Cutud San Fernando Pampanga

Flagellants San Pedro Cutud Pampanga Good Friday
Flagellants from barangays (villages) walking towards the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando
Tricycle taxi to San Pedro Cutud Pampanga Philippines
It was a short ride that took around 5 minutes
San Pedro Cutud village alley Pampanga Philippines
The taxi driver dropped me here and told me I had go through this alley to get to the main road leading to the site
Road to San Pedro Cutud reenactment site Pampanga
This led to the site of the passion play

San Pedro Cutud village decoration good Friday Pampanga

Horse Good Friday reenactment Pampanga
Today's show would feature horses too I presume
San Pedro Cutud Filipino roman soldier Pampanga Philippines
"One photo? One bottle!"
Getting to San Pedro Cutud crucifixion grounds Pampanga
Took around 10 minutes of walking to get to the crucifixion grounds (Shot on 450D*)
San Pedro Cutud reenactment grounds Pampanga
The crowds weren't huge yet, which was good as I wanted to come early and find a good spot for myself

San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites firetrucks Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud passion play three crosses Philippines
The crosses for today's crucifixion
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion crosses Pampanga Philippines
Jesus, or rather the one who playing him today, gets nailed to the cross in the middle
San Pedro Cutud passion play media camera crew
I could see a media platform and I wondered if there was a chance for me to get on there with all the equipment I was carrying

I walked up to the media registration counter and told them I was from India and I run my own website. I was wearing my “It’s Football, Not Soccer” t-shirt and pointed to the back to show him my url (which was printed on the back). I also showed him the equipment I was carrying, and that was it — I got the pass to go on the media platform! 🙂

San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites media platform Pampanga
I came hoping to secure a good spot and I end up getting a great spot! (450D*)
San Pedro Cutud good friday view from media platform
The view from here was perfect!
San Pedro Cutud good friday flagellants whipped
Flagellants walk in this heat barefoot, and then get whipped? The torture!
San Pedro Cutud reenactment site crowds panorama
The locals unfortunately had to watch it from there (Panorama comprised of 8 shots)
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion ceremony media crane
To say this isn't a major media event here in the Philippines would be an understatement
San Pedro Cutud lenten rites GMA news crew
The GMA news crew
San Pedro Cutud good friday crucifixion professional photographers
There were photographers representing reputed press agencies like the Associated Press
San Pedro Cutud good Friday crucifixion tall camera tripod
They all had some serious gear

Not to feel left out, I set up my tripod, raised it to its highest and mounted the 70-200mm lens on my 7D. Trouble is, it was even more scorching hot here! My sunglasses and sunscreen weren’t enough for the burning heat. Many had umbrellas and I felt I should have carried mine as well. I hadn’t experienced such piercing heat since my years in Bahrain.

San Pedro Cutud good friday flagellant fainted Philippines
Some of the flagellants passed out in the heat and had to be taken away by medics in stretchers (450D*)
San Pedro Cutud good friday people under media platform
It was so hot, people took refuge under the stage. But not for long. Security came by and asked them to please come out. Probably because the authorities didn't want to be held responsible if the stage collapsed on them (450D*)

All of a sudden…

San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites tornado Philippines
... a mini-tornado formed and began swirling around in the grounds (450D*)
San Pedro Cutud tornado hawker stalls Pampanga
It eventually dispersed but not before taking out a stall's canopy (450D*)
San Pedro Cutud Lenten rites Filipino standing on log
Well, that's one way to get a better view 🙂 (450D*)
San Pedro cutud good Friday flagellants crucifixion crosses
Back on the hilly mound, the flagellants kept on coming (450D*)

I stood on the platform at around 11:30pm, and everyone here was getting restless in the heat, wondering when the ‘show’ would start. A lot of worshipers kept coming, but not ‘Jesus’.

San Pedro Cutud good friday crucifixion reenactment gown
Even this guy in a gown came
San Pedro Cutud Good Friday passion play man carrying white cross
This dude came carrying a white cross
San Pedro Cutud good friday man passed out
Unfortunately, he too passed out due to the heat
San Pedro Cutud lenten rites Filipino fainted
He also had to be taken on a stretcher
San Pedro Cutud lenten rites crowd tents
Where medics were on hand

Finally, just past 1:45pm…

San Pedro Cutud lenten rites crucifixion starting
The passion play was about to begin (450D*)

San Pedro Cutud passion play Chariot Philippines

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion passion play actors
Mother Mary and her entourage made their way

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion reenactment Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion Jesus Roman soldiers Pampanga
Jesus escorted by Roman soldiers for his impending crucifixion
San Pedro Cutud passion play Pampanga Philippines
The actors make their way to the crosses
San Pedro cutud crucifixion play jesus pushed around
The (Filipino) Roman soldiers push (Filipino) Jesus around
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play Jesus rolling ground
Jesus gets kicked to the ground

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play jesus on ground San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play Jesus roman soldier

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play Roman soldiers Jesus Philippines
Time for the crucifixion
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play laying Jesus on cross
They lower the cross
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play roman soldiers horse
Hey, that's the guy who asked for a bottle in exchange for a photograph from earlier 🙂
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion play actors Philippines
They deliver a few lines (Few of the actors like the woman playing Mother Mary had mics)
San Pedro Cutud lenten rites crucifixion reenactment raising cross Philippines
They raise two other penitents

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion actors passion play Pampanga Philippines

Good Friday Crucifixion reenactment cross Philippines
Though these guys weren't nailed to the cross
Good friday crucifixion Jesus cross Pampanga Philippines
Filipino Jesus getting ready
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion nailing Jesus on cross Pampanga
Checks the nails

Easter celebrations crucifixion reenactment Romans nailing Jesus hands Philippines

Crucifixion reenactment nailing Jesus hands on cross Philippines
There goes in the first one!
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion passion play nailing Jesus hand
And here comes the second one
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion nailing Jesus hands on cross
Filipino Jesus didn't have a mic on him, but you could still hear him scream from where I was standing (and some in the crowd jeered and laughed)
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion raising Jesus Philippines
"You raise me up...."

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion Jesus cross raised Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion jesus closeup Pampanga
In case you had any doubts on whether they actually did nail his palms
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion nailing jesus feet Pampanga
If you thought it was over, no. They nail his feet as well.
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion nails Jesus feet
Though I wondered if they just nailed in between his toes

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion spearing Jesus pampanga

San Pedro Cutud lenten rites crucifixion reenactment Philippines
Some more chants
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion ladder Jesus Pampanga Philippines
After a few minutes, they take out the nails

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion taking nails out of Jesus PhilippinesSan Pedro Cutud lenten rites removing Jesus nails PhilippinesSan Pedro Cutud crucifixion bringing Jesus down

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion over Jesus Philippines
The soldiers bring him down

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion ceremony romans carrying jesus Philippines

San Pedro Cutud lenten rites crucifixion Romans carrying Jesus
Wonder where they were taking 'Jesus'
Good Friday passion play Romans carrying Jesus to medics
Oh that's right, the hospital

At this point, few of the locals were cheering as ‘Jesus’ was taken away by medics. One could tell from the laughter that this passion play has become less of a religious event and more, comical of sorts.

Anyway, just when I thought it was all over, the announcement came on to inform us that there are going to be other penitents crucified on the cross. These people volunteer in the hope that, by doing so, they are forgiven for their sins.

San Pedro Cutud passion play bringing down crosses Pampanga
They bring down the other two volunteers
San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion volunteers Pampanga Philippines
The second batch of penitents took their places
San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion volunteer Pampanga Philippines
Here they go again

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion hammering nail Pampanga PhilippinesThere was chatter going around me saying these people who volunteer to be crucified are drunk, so they feel less pain.

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion penitent nailed Pampanga Philippines
Looking at some of their faces, who knows, could be true. Though it defeats the purpose if they volunteered to do this in a bid to quit their alcoholism in the first place!

San Pedro Cutud crucifixion raising cross Pampanga Philippines

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifying volunteer Pampanga
Now for the third penitent
San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion hammering nail photographer Pampanga
I don't know if that medic is capturing this in the name of science 🙂

San Pedro Cutud passion play raising penitents crosses Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud penitents crosses Pampanga Philippines
The put a lot of effort into this event, with the costumes of that era and all that
San Pedro Cutud good friday crucifixion plane flying above
Except for, you know, the occasional airplane flying above (450D*)
San Pedro Cutud plane flying blue sky cloud trail Philippines
Shot with the 70-200mm lens
San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion spearing heart Pampanga
Is there something symbolic of spearing one's heart (or torturing one's nipple?)
San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion guards penitent Pampanga Philippines
I left the media stage and move to the side of the grounds. Plus, the media platform became 'everybody's platform' after the villagers ran on-stage.

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion play actors Pampanga San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion crosses PampangaSan Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion play crosses Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion penitents Pampanga
There were more penitents in queue

By the point, the locals had infiltrated the grounds and were inching their way closer to the crosses to try and get a closer look.

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion locals running towards penitents Pampanga

San Pedro Cutud passion play crucifixion guards warning locals Pampanga
The 'Romans' tried to stop them
San Pedro Cutud good Friday crucifixion crowds near cross
But eventually...

I bumped into the American girl whom I had met on the journey from Baguio to Sagada two days ago. We chatted for a bit and when we saw the people thronging towards the cross, we both assumed the same thing: “Hey, when in Rome…”

Crucifixion reenactment locals crowded Pampanga Philippines
And so we both climbed up to get a closer look

Good Friday Pampanga nailed hand on cross Philippines

Crucifixion reenactment nailed hand on cross Pampanga Philippines
What I really wanted to know is why there isn't any blood and was the nail going all the way through his hand. Gory thoughts, I know, but I was still curious.
Crucifixion reenactment nailed feet on cross Pampanga Philippines
I tried to get a closer look but there were so many people in my way
San Pedro Cutud crucifixion nail in leg Pampanga Philippines
So I held out my cell phone and took a snap. This is what I captured. So I guess they really do nail their legs.

Since the hustle and bustle was getting a bit too much, I just used my phone to record this video as they were about to take the nails out of the penitents:

As you can tell from the above video, the locals found all this just as amusing as I did. (Just so you know, I don’t find blood and gore ‘amusing’ — it was this whole act and how the crowds were reacting to it that I found amusing).

Good Friday Pampanga nailed hand cross from behind
(Taken on the Nokia E72)

In fact this event shouldn’t be taken seriously. These crucifixions aren’t even organized by the church. In fact, the Catholic Church condone it and do not endorse them in anyway.

It was a local theatrical troupe in the 1950s that first reenacted the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It became popular enough to become an annual event. Word spread across the Philippines, and later, the world. It became a media event, and an interesting one, for photographers both amateur and professionals alike.

San Pedro Cutud good friday passion play crucifixion nailed to cross
Safe to assume these guys take this act very seriously?
San Pedro Cutud good friday passion play nailed to cross
Anyway, I had seen enough. It was time for me to leave

Good Friday Pampanga nailed to cross Philippines

Crowds thronging crucifixion site good friday Pampanga
Hawkers were making hay while the heat took its toll on me. All I had the past 3 hours were lots of water and ice cream. I couldn't wait to get back to the city and eat something heavy. (Nokia e72)

Looking around you can see why the City of San Fernando continues to host this event. San Pedro Cutud is an impoverished village with little else to offer tourists (same can be said about San Fernando city too). So Good Friday seems to be the only day in their calendar where locals earn good income selling everything from drinks to food. There are thousands who visit San Fernando just for this.

Flagellating penitents good friday San Pedro Cutud Pampanga
Walking back, the flagellants were still at it
Flagellation locals good friday San Pedro Cutud Pampanga
This was at 3:30pm

Good Friday San Pedro Cutud Pampanga flagellating

San Pedro Cutud road Good Friday traffic Pampanga Philippines
The road was jammed, and I had to squeeze through people, cycles, and cars just to get ahead
San Pedro Cutud barangay hall Pampanga DC logo
DC Comics says Congressman Dong Gonzalves is no hero (You may not get the reference if you don't read comics or recognize that logo)

I managed to get a bicycle taxi further up the road, and I asked him to take me back to the cathedral in San Fernando city.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando panorama
It was nearing 4pm
McDonald's Jollibee restaurants San Fernando Pampanga Philippines
As always, there's was a McDs and a Jollibee right next to each other. I chose to go to McDonald's.

The McDonald’s was full of tourists who had just come back from San Pedro Cutud as well. Freshened up, sat in the air conditioning and enjoyed my meal. After the meal, I sat a few minutes longer and reviewed my photographs. Needless to say, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I came, I saw, I captured.

But the day wasn’t over yet. Though many were making the long journey back to Manila, I stayed back in San Fernando because I had only planned on leaving after I photographed the procession at night.

Penitents walking to cathedral San Fernando
I walked back to the cathedral

San Fernando Cathedral priest sermon good friday PampangaWooden float carrozas San Fernando Cathedral

San Fernando good friday jesus float Pampanga
There were many floats (or 'carrozas') that were going to be used in tonight's procession
Fernando III statue church Pampanga Philippines
The man whom this city is named after

Good Friday holding crosses San Fernando Pampanga Good Friday man holding cross San Fernando PampangaGood Friday man carrying cross San Fernando PampangaI just stood outside, hoping the sun would set early and the procession would start some time soon. It was just 5pm, so I knew I had quite a bit of waiting to do.

San Fernando street children smiling Philippines
Boy: "Hey!" (grabs sister)... "take photo mister" ~ Me: *clicks* ~ Boy: "Oh, he's actually taking a photo?" (shy)
San Fernando local boys Pampanga Philippines
After that, these guys asked for photos. I had to click. And no, I'm not going to put them *all* up. Don't know why they ask for photographs but never ask for a copy. Probably think I'm a newspaper photographer.
No to RH bill banner San Fernando church Pampanga
I noticed these 'No to RH bill' banners on many of the churches here and I had to ask my friend Aimee what the bill was. Turns out it is a Reproductive Health Bill proposed by the Government to control population growth by encouraging the use of contraceptives -- but the church is against it! It was just one of many things I would later learn about the thin line separating church and state in Philippines.
Inside Metropolitan Cathedral San Fernando Pampanga
I thought of sitting inside the cathedral for some time
Good Friday procession float San Fernando Philippines
But instead, I went for a stroll
Good friday procession float San Fernando cathedral Philippines
The carrozas were lining up

Agony in the garden corazza San Fernando Pampanga PhilippinesGood friday float San Fernando pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando city stores closed good friday PampangaSan Fernando meat market Pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando market evening Pampanga Philippines

San Fernando drunk local Pampanga Philippines
He's high
Good Friday San Fernando old man Pampanga
There were more carrozas brought in from other areas

Good Friday candles for sale San Fernando Pampanga

San Fernando good friday procession Pampanga
Looks like the procession was about to begin

City of San Fernando seal on wall Pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando market good Friday crowd Pampanga

American Pie 15 dvd cover Philippines
Really, they made 13 shitty sequels?

San Fernando public basketball court PampangaI walked back to the cathedral and saw people walking as the procession had begun. I asked a police officer as to where they were headed and he told me they would be going around and coming back to the cathedral by sunset. I only wanted to take photos of the procession once it had gotten dark, so I sat inside the cathedral until the sun had completely set.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando hall Pampanga PhilippinesSitting inside the cathedral under the fans made me feel sleepy. I guess all that scorching heat and the early morning wake up was getting to me.

Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando dome Philippines
The dome

After half an hour, I looked outside and by 6:30pm, the sun had set. So I left the cathedral.

San Fernando chariot horse Pampanga Philippines

Chicken grilled street food San Fernando Pampanga
There's a lot of grilled chicken on the streets of Philippines
San Fernando Elementary school road evening Pampanga
I waited for the procession to make its way down this road

Good Friday evening procession Pampanga Philippines Good Friday procession San Fernando Pampanga Philippines

Catholic figurine carrozas Good Friday procession Philippines
The carrozas were lit up, which made them even more beautiful

Beautiful carrozas good friday procession San Fernando Pampanga Philippines Carrozas good friday procession San Fernando Pampanga PhilippinesBoat carroza good friday procession PhilippinesJesus carrozas good friday procession PhilippinesGood Friday carrozas march Pampanga Philippines

Good Friday night procession Pampanga Philippines
Definitely more than a thousand people were taking part in this procession

Santa Maria Veronica carrozas Pampanga Philippines Good friday carroza night procession San Fernando Pampanga PhilippinesSanto Entierro carroza good friday march san fernando Pampanga PhilippinesCatholic figure carrozas good friday procession PhilippinesCatholic carrozas good friday march San Fernando Pampanga PhilippinesGood Friday carrozas Pampanga PhilippinesGood friday carrozas procession San Fernando Pampanga PhilippinesSaint Maria carrozas Good Friday procession PhilippinesSan Juan Evangalista carroza friday procession Pampanga Philippines
San Juan Evangalista carrozas friday procession Pampanga PhilippinesSan Fernando good friday night procession PampangaGood friday procession woman holding candle San Fernando

San Fernando good friday procession night Pampanga
I took one final parting shot as the procession group continued its way into the city

And with that, I was done! Phew, what a day!

I walked by myself down the quiet road and tried to catch a jeepney going to Angeles City.

Iglesia ni Christo church San Fernando Pampanga Philippines
It was 7:15pm when I clicked this photo

I had to wait around 15 minutes until I finally managed to get a jeepney going to Angeles City.

Angeles City jeepney at night
It took nearly half and hour with all the stops until I finally got to Angeles City

But the driver eventually asked me, where exactly I wanted to go because he was nearing his final stop.

Angeles City pampanga Philippines at night
I didn't quite recognize any of the surroundings, so I told the driver I needed to go near SM Clark. He said, for that I'd have to hop onto another jeepney passing by Balibago

Which is what I did. Then when I got asked to get down from the second jeepney, I saw SM Clark, but it was still a bit far. So I hopped into another jeepney going up Perimeter Road and got down at the jeepney terminal.

Three jeepneys and ₱50 later, I was back in familiar territory. Even though I wanted to go back to my room and take a bath, I decided to have dinner now itself since I was out anyway. Plus, I was desperately craving some chilled beer!

Despite being Good Friday, some of the nightclubs and casinos were open. I took a stroll down Walking Street and finally ended up sitting at club called Angel Witch, only because it sounded badass and they were playing rock music. They had a few girls dancing to Bon jovi’s “It’s My Life,” but 15 minutes later and a beer down, I was bored and soon left.

I stopped by the Turkish restaurant on the way back, packed a meal and walked back to my room. I got out of my blood-stained clothes (you can’t help it, droplets of blood will splatter on you if you are close to the flagellants) and enjoyed a good, clean shower.

As I copied my photos over to my back-up hard drive, I couldn’t be more happier with my coverage of this, erm, interesting event. The above are just 220 of the 793 photos(yup!) I shot using my three devices: my Canon 7D (mostly), the Canon 450D* and my cellphone.

With the main event of this trip in the bag, I felt this visit to Philippines was well worth my money and time. And to think, I still had more than a week left and a lot more to see in this country!

*Regarding the photos taken using the Canon 450D. I mounted my wide angle lens on the 450D so that I could use the other lenses on my 7D. But I noticed just about every image I shot on the 450 was very blue. I only realized this after I had taken a few shots and I could figure out why the photos came out that way. The tungsten filter wasn’t enable and the white balance was et to auto. I couldn’t afford to restore the camera to factory setting in case it formatted the SD card in the process.

I did try and correct the blueish hue in every image, but only some I could turn from this:

Canon 450 d blueish tungsten look…. into this:

San Pedro Cutud village alley Pampanga Philippines

The rest had too much blue in them.

 

Previous posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city (Days 4 & 5)

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Sagada’s Lumiang burial cave, Sumaguing cave, Hanging Coffins of Echo valley

Philippines 2011: Day 3 – Banaue town; heading to Sagada via Bontoc

Philippines 2011: Day 2 – Banaue rice terraces; trekking to Batad village

Philippines 2011: Day 1 — Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Fort Bonifacio

Philippines 2011: Flying over South China Sea for the first time

Other posts in this series:

Philippines 2011: Day 7 – Leaving Angeles City for Manila, Mall of Asia

Philippines 2011: Day 8 – Manila tour: Rizal Park, Intramuros, Manila Cathedral, China Town

Philippines 2011: Day 9 – Cebu: Fort San Pedro, Basilica of Santo Niño, Taoist Temple

Philippines 2011: Day 10 – Bohol tour: Chocolate Hills, Loboc river cruise, Tarsiers, churches

Philippines 2011: Day 11 – Arriving in Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 12 – Puerto Princesa Underground River tour, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Day 13 – Puerto Princesa to El Nido by bus

Philippines 2011: Day 14 – El Nido island hopping tour A and sunset at Las Cabanas beach, Palawan

Philippines 2011: Back to Manila, shopping, and my final thoughts about the country  (Last post)

U-KISS – ‘Neverland’ Album Review: I’m going to stop laughing at these guys

I never thought I would be writing about this group. I mean, U-KISS/유키스!  The boy band whose first two hits were catchy, but extremely repetitive hook songs like “Man Man Ha Ni” and “Bingeul Bingeul“. They followed it up with “Shut Up,” which featured one of the lamest dance choreography I’ve seen in K-pop. U-KISS, a band that’s has been poked fun at so many times for being “gay“. That U-KISS!

But you know what, I’m reviewing their music, not the members. And the music in their new album “Neverland” (their second full album)… well, call me impressed!

U-Kiss Neverland album review members kpop boyband
Don't know who is who... but I really don't care

U-KISS has seen line-up changes around three times since inception, with the most recent one being in February this year when members Alexander and Kibum were kicked outreplaced by AJ and Hoon. NH Media, U-KISS’s corporate overlords, didn’t waste anytime in pushing the new line-up in front of fans with the release of “0330” a month later. The ‘updated’ U-KISS seemed to showcase a different direction the boys would be heading. No more formulaic, repetitive monotone songs with lazy choreography, or so it seems.

U-Kiss Neverland new album covers K-pop boyband
So does the new album 'NEVERLAND' keep the new direction on the right path?

In January, when NH Media announced that U-KISS were going to prepare for an American debut, I scoffed at the thought. No way was a Korean boy band, least of all U-KISS, going to succeed with their style and their kind of music!

But listening to the songs on ‘Neverland,’ you know NH Media were serious about their US ambitions (though I hope they have come to their senses now). Many of the songs don’t sound like your average K-pop record. Here’s a track-by-track review:

01. “Intro” – 0:58 of nothing special

02. “Neverland” – The title track and main single:

If there’s a finer example of how one incorporates pure dance music and boy band pop, “Neverland” is it! It’s a fantastic single with great choreography, even though it is a bit heavy on the auto tune. (I’m not going to comment on the fashion or the wiping-fingers-down-face act, because it’s getting stale). Surely they must be some DJ out there already working on a remix of this song for the clubs!

The true test of how good this song is for U-KISS is when they perform it live. The video may not be anything special but I couldn’t help but hit replay as soon as the MV ended. It’s definitely one of my top K-pop songs of the year!  – 5/5

03. “Baby Don’t Cry” – Upbeat, synthesized chorus driven pop bliss! Makes me wonder if this was produced by a foreign producer. Edit: Produced by Ryan Jhun, who produced most of the album.  – 4/5

04. “Someday” – Listening to this, I couldn’t help but assume this is a kind of song one would find on a Westlife album! 🙂 Produced by Denzil Remedios, I wonder if this was one of the songs considered for U-KISS’s English debut. – 4/5

05. “Take Me Away” – The first ballad on the album and again, not the usual K-pop fare. Just when you think the instruments would keep piling on from the second verse  onwards, they don’t. Instead, it’s just the boys and their vocals that carry this song all through the end. A very good track, and I hope they get a chance to sing it live on the music shows. – 4/5

06. “On The Floor” – With a track title like that, it’s fairly obvious what to expect. This one is from the K-pop electronic dance pop music factory. Not bad, but nothing noteworthy. If you listen to K-pop regularly, you have heard this kind of music before. – 3/5

07. “A Friend’s Love” (친구의 사랑) – Officially in familiar K-pop territory now. The first ‘standard’ ballad on the album, but still a very a listenable track. KissMe*s are surely going to sing along to this chorus! – 3.5/5

08. “April Story” (4월 이야기) – When the song first starts, I wondered if they dropped another artist’s song in here by mistake! But no, the woman voice belongs to Brave Girls’ Eun Young and this ballad is a duet with Shin Soohyun. Standard OST fare, but a well sung track none the less. – 3.5/5

09. “Obsession” – Half the song’s lyrics are “You are my obsession…” and “Love equals obsession, obsession equals love” 😀 Erm, no thanks. I don’t think I’ll be listening to this song often. – 2/5

10. “Top That” – This song has traces of Timbaland’s “Carry Out” (featuring Justin Timberlake), so, one of those “inspired” tracks. – 2.5/5

11. “Tell Me Y” – While MBLAQ sang “Give it to my Yyyyy….” (which made little sense), U-KISS presents a brighter, piano-tinged, rap-filled track. Simple and one of the better album fillers. – 3/5

12. “We’ll Meet Again/다시 만나요” (U-KISS with Paran) – The first two & half minutes of the track are the boys of U-KISS and their labelmates (another boy band, but one that unfortunately never saw much success) Paran chattering and having fun. But as the laughter gives way, the final song on the album is an epic ballad, and a good one at that. A fitting end to the album. – 3.5/5

13. “Someday” (Instrumental)

—-

Until last year, U-KISS and B2ST to me were in the same lower tier of K-pop boybands. Silly, lyrically bland songs with lame choreography, and always inferior compared to the likes of SHINee, BIG BANG and DBSK. Yes, I know the latter are from two of the most famous entertainment companies, but SM and YG didn’t get to where they are today if they hadn’t gotten their formula right. They knew where to invest their money to produce the best, in every regard — from appearance to the music, they know quality!

That is not to say the smaller entertainment companies haven’t stepped up their game. B2ST matured in 2011 and won me over with “Fiction“. And now, U-KISS has made me take them seriously as well. NH Media seems to have figured out the ‘right formula’ with this album and given the boys the best they have released to date.

‘Neverland’ is easily one of the best K-pop studio albums an idol group has put out in 2011. Far better than the last album I reviewed — and that came from SM Entertainment. U-KISS’s ‘Neverland’ is an album that manages to draw the listener in from the start and you won’t find yourself skipping past many of the songs. A testament to how well paced the album is with good songs.

So in conclusion, hats off to U-KISS (with its current line-up)! You guys (along with B2ST) have move up several notches in the Korean boy band world and can proudly claim to be one of the best the Hallyu wave has to offer today. I won’t call myself a KissMe because being an adult male, that would be, erm, gayawkward — but consider this: I will buy ‘Neverland’ legally and (if I ever get the chance) I would be excited to see you guys perform live in concert!

My final rating: 4 out of 5 (Very Good)

*KissMe is the official fan club of U-KISS

Edit: Just saw this posted on U-KISS’s official website:

U-Kiss Neverland website description
LOL! What, they couldn't just ask Eli or Kevin to come up with a less cringe-worthy description?
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