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

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Sep 10, 2011
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Philippines, Travel

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.

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 on ground kicked Philippines — They are even lightly kicked

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

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

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

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

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

It 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 nuns hit with slippers Pampanga Philippines — These nuns were a lot less tepid with their act of penance

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

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 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.

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

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*

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

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 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 crucifixion passion play actors — Mother Mary and her entourage made their way

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 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

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

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 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 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 over Jesus Philippines — The soldiers bring him down

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

There 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 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 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 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 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 Sagad a 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

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

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

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

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 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

I 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

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

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

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

I 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.

Sitting 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.

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

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

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

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:

…. into this:

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 out~~replaced 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, ~~gay~~awkward — 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?

Philippines 2011: Leaving Sagada for Baguio, and arriving in Angeles city

By Mithun Divakaran
/
Aug 31, 2011
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Philippines, Travel

Date: 20th April 2011

I got up at 5:30am, and had to freshen up using water from the hot shower as the tap water was freezing cold!

Sagada village road early morning — I checked out of George's Guesthouse (by leaving the key on the table because there was nobody at the reception) and walked out

Yoghurt house Sagada Philippines — Where I had dinner from yesterday

Sagada village early morning buses — A few inter-city buses were parked at the village center

Alfredo's Inn, Sagada Guesthouse, Gandu Yan Inn — Alfredo's Inn (L), Sagada Guesthouse (2nd from right), Gandu Yan Inn (R) -- plenty of accommodation near the bus station (Panorama shot comprised of 4 photos)

Inside Sagada first bus to Baguio early morning — I boarded the first bus to Baguio leaving at 7am (ticket cost ₱200/$5/€3.5)

Sagada to Baguio misty morning forest trees — The bus left on time. Since I was still sleepy, I decided to keep shooting using my phone as I was in no mood to take my DSLR out.

Sagada village man sitting early morning — Good morning to you too

Sagada to Baguio misty hill — Very misty at this time

Sagada to Bagiuo bus journey view — This was the last photo I took before I fell asleep

But I ended up waking up just half-an-hour later when I briefly opened my eyes. I just had to take my camera out now and take a few shots of the terrain I was passing through.

Rice terrace hills Ifugao Luzon Philippines — I didn't dare open the window as it was freezing cold outside, so I shot all these behind the not-so-clean glass

Ifugao rocky river luzon Philippines — Mostly rocky rivers in these parts

Sabangan town bridge Ifugao Philippines — We arrived at some town/village

Welcome to Sambangan Ifugao Philippines — Where we were

Sabangan rice terraces Ifugao province Philippines — There was more beauty to behold

Sagada to Baguio hills highway Ifugao — We kept going higher and higher

Sagada to Baguio Halsema Highway lettuce farms — Lettuce farms

Sagada to Baguio Gawis Ay Hawkers on highway stop — From a market we stopped at

Sagada to Baguio inside the bus — A lot of the passengers were villagers or farmers getting down at various markets to sell their produce

Mountain province rain clouds Philippines — The stretches of sunshine didn't last too long

Mountain province morning star stop Philippines — We stopped here for a few minutes for a snack/toilet break

Lagoon near Baguio hills — The dark clouds gave way to sunlight

Road works mountain province Philippines — There weren't many bad stretches on this highway, for the most part, it was a lovely journey!

Baguio city shanty homes Philippines — And after nearly six hours, we were in Baguio

I arrived at Baguio just past 1pm. Where the bus stopped was at some lot inside a shopping complex. Didn’t look like a main bus station or anything, so I asked around how I could get to Angeles City. The locals told me I would have to go to another bus depot near SM Supermall and catch a bus from there. So, in a taxi I went.

Riding through Baguio, you could see why Baguio is a predominantly a ‘university town’. Students from all across the North come to Baguio for higher education as it’s the only developed city in this hilly region of North Philippines.

I never had any plans of staying in Baguio because I didn’t find any of the attractions worthy of spending a night here. A short 5 minute ride later (which cost less than ₱100), I was at the bus terminal very near to SM Supermall — the only major mall in the city.

I asked for buses going to Angeles City and was instructed to board any of the buses going to Dau. I bought my ticket (₱290/$6/€4.7) from one of the private bus companies that operates the route and dumped my backpack on my seat. I had a few minutes before the bus departed so I quickly stepped out and went to the nearby Jollibee to pick up some lunch (Jollibee is there wherever you need it!)

Bus terminal Baguio city Philippines — The bus terminal was very busy as this being a hugely student populated town (and Holy Week), many of the buses to the various neighbouring provinces were running full

The bus left at 2pm and I had my lunch watching a very charitable man give away gifts and cash to Filipinos on TV. As the TV signal strength weakened, they put on the usual pirated copies of low-budget action films (first, an unheard of horror movie starring a really fat Val Kilmer).

I didn’t take many photographs on this leg of the journey — mostly because there wasn’t a whole lot of scenery worth capturing. It rained a little bit and the bus moved slowly because from here on, we were going downhill and it was quite misty outside.

After a few hours, it got really cold inside the bus as the air-conditioning was truly working. I had to wear my jacket and use my camera bag for additional warmth.

Villasis town hall Philippines — Taken at 4:51pm. We mostly travelled through impoverished towns and small villages.

You know it’s an impoverished part of the country when you see the locals rejoicing with banners when one of their residents become a lawyer. Saw a few of those.

Familyradio.com rapture judgement day billboard ad carmen Philippines — Hey guess what nut jobs, the world didn't end after all!

Soon after one B-grade movie ended, they put on another. This time a Tagalog dub of a Thai action movie starring a popular Thai actress whom I cannot name at all because I only remember seeing the ‘making of’ this film on a show on NHK. Sigh.

I kept wondering how much longer I had to sit in this bus. By sunset, the bus had stopped in the city of Tarlac — and it stayed there for some time. And by now, there weren’t many passengers in the bus. I stepped down to ask if this was where I need to get down but the driver who was taking a break said “no”. I went back in and waited for the bus to move again.

And move on it did. We were on McArthur Highway by nightfall and I again wondered just how much longer I had to go to get to Angeles City.

Around 7:30pm, we finally reached a very busy Dau bus terminal. From there, I got into a trike and asked him to take me to my hotel. The journey took another 10 minutes (he charged ₱110) but I finally got to Red Tulip Hotel. I chose this hotel because I didn’t want a place on Fields Avenue, near all the nightclubs that go late into the night, and Red Tulip Hotel looked like it was a safe distance away. But that was as per the map on their website. In reality, it was a little too far from the main jeepney hub. But more on that later.

Red Tulip hotel single room Angeles City Philippines — I was just glad to see a room so I could dump my bags and stretch my legs!

I had spent more than 12 hours today just sitting in buses. I was tired, so I quickly stepped out to have dinner at 9pm and then went to sleep immediately after getting back. For the first time this week, I didn’t have to wake up early tomorrow!

Day 5 – 21st April 2011

I don’t know how many hours I slept, but I slept well. Lord knows I needed the rest after the last three days! I switched on the television and watched the news reports of how crowded EDSA was yesterday night, with everyone rushing to get out of Manila. In some ways, I guess it was a good idea to arrive a bit early.

By the time I got out of bed, freshened up and made my way down for ~~breakfast~~brunch, it was noon.

Red Tulip hotel restaurant Angeles City Philippines — Looking at the menu, the tulips made sense... the hotel owner was Dutch

I ate lazily, chatted with the waitresses who asked me where I was from and where all I had been to in Philippines so far. Then I went online for a bit after brunch and only at around 2pm did I finally decide to step out of the hotel! I wanted to take it easy for once.

Red Tulip hotel Angeles City Philippines — The entrance

Angeles City sandy road Philippines — It was a sandy road from The Red Tulip Hotel to the San Angelo street (where the Hotel 24 sign is)

Angeles City perimeter road Albacio restaurant Philippines — The walk from San Angelos St. to the main Fields Avenue road was around a 1 minute long

ABC Hotel Angeles City Philippines — Angeles Beach Club hotel, one of the more posher hotels in Angeles City

Balibago jeepney terminal Angeles city — This was the jeepney terminal...

Hotel Tiger Angeles City Philppines — And I initially looked at hotels on this road, San Narciso street. Hotel Tiger looked atrocious both inside and outside...

PJ Inn hotel Angeles City Philippines — ... so PJ Inn was the one I had selected. But they were late to reply back with my room enquiry and by the time they did, they were full. So I had to book at Red Tulip Hotel for 3 nights (they gave it to me for ₱800/$18/€13 per night)

San Narciso street jeepney Angeles City Philippines — The jeepney terminal was up this road, a 2 minute walk from here. I figured, after I was done with the festivities of Good Friday in San Fernando, I could easily catch a ride from here back to Manila.

Angeles City perimeter road traffic Philippines — I walked back to the main road

Angeles City Istanbul doner kebab house Philippines — I had dinner from this Turkish restaurant yesterday night, good shawarmas!

Angeles city Balibago terminal Philippines — I decided to hop over to SM Clark mall to pass some time

Angeles city road to Clark afternoon Philippines — This road leads to the Clark Freeport zone and Clark airport

Angeles City Clark freeport zone Philippines — My friend Aimee told me AOL once had an office in the Freeport zone

Angeles City Clark road closed Philippines — The plan was to first check out SM Clark and then head to the Freeport zone for all the duty free shops

Angeles City SM Clark mall Philippines — But as I walked towards the mall...

SM Clark mall Angeles City panorama — Closed! (Panorama shot comprised of 5 shots)

A security guard came up to me as I took the above photograph, and he told me the mall was closed today and tomorrow, being Good Friday. I asked him how far the Clark Duty Free was from here and he said around 8kms and he told me there’s a high possibility that would be closed today as well.

I sighed and walked towards the jeepney drivers nearby and asked them if the Clark Duty Free was open today but they confirmed it saying it was a holiday today.

Angeles City Balibago jeepney terminal Philippines — Oh well

Angeles City jeepney terminal Philippines — So I walked to the jeepney terminal to find out where to board the jeepneys going to San Fernando and the timings

Angeles City Dau pickup-point to go to San Fernando — This guy told me to come to this pick-up point tomorrow morning to go to San Fernando. Yes, he was quite joyful to be in the photograph.

Angeles City perimeter road Philippines — Decided to check out Fields Avenue

Angeles City walking street girls Philippines — I was stopped by another one of those "Hey foreign guy with DSLR, take photo of us!". Guess which was the girl who requested it.

Angeles City walking street Philippines — This was Walking Street (don't know why they call it such but still allow vehicles in!)

Angeles City closed shops afternoon Philippines — Here too, the scene wasn't any different -- just about everything was closed!

But I wondered if it was just because it was in the afternoon.

As I reviewed my shots, I noticed they were all quite dark and that I couldn’t change my shutter speed now. It was stuck at 1/1250! Grrh, I hate it when things like this happen, and that too just before a big event like tomorrow’s crucifixion ceremony! I had no choice but to continue shooting with it.

Angeles City locksmith near public park — I went to that locksmith who was fortunately open. He tightened one of my tripod legs with an Allen key as I had misplaced mine. He wouldn't accept the ₱10 I was ready to pay him either 🙂

Blue Nile Double A poker club walking street Angeles City — I walked back on to Walking Street. Only a few places were open and had the usual sight of geriatrics drinking away with their Filipina companions

Angeles City Cambodia nightclub Philippines — Pretty cool entrance

I walked back to my side of town and felt the urge to have some ice cream.

Iglesia ni christo church Angeles City Philippines — Iglesia ni Cristo church

Bought my ice cream from a convenience store at a Petron station on this side of Perimeter road, which houses a few more nightclubs, and little else.

Once back in my room, I fiddled with my camera for nearly an hour, switching it on and off, taking the battery out multiple times. Fed up, I went online to find a solution. Saw a few threads on such issues and then felt like an idiot after reading the ‘solution’. I had accidentally pressed the ‘Lock’ button near the dial which stuck the shutter speed at the last setting.

-_-

Anyway. After ‘fixing’ my problem, I sat in the room and worked on a few photos to upload and stepped out only for dinner. I went back to the Turkish restaurant as I miss Middle Eastern food and I wanted to make the most of the authentic food available as much as possible. (The restaurant was run by Turks)

At night, there were a lot more people out and about, but it still didn’t look like this is the most action Angeles City usually sees. So yeah, if you are coming to Angeles City purely for the nightlife, Holy Week isn’t the best time for that 🙂 Some of the nightclubs were still closed.

Back in the room, I packed my camera bags, kept all my batteries for charging, cleaned my lenses, set my alarm, and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be the big day, and I couldn’t wait for it to begin!