The Buzz at Masinag Junction

Here we are! After that ride to Marikina, we tell the driver to drop us off at Masinag. This place is a busy intersection. This is where the two major highways meet: Sumulong Highway (which we talked about in my previous blog) and Marcos Highway. Let's cross the street at the pedestrian lane and go to the other side.

 

Okay, now were on the other side. From here, you could see the reason why this place is called Masinag--the Masinag Wet Market has been around since my family moved to Antipolo. We are at the lower part of Antipolo--Baranggay Mayamot. We're still far from Antipolo proper. This also became a buffer zone for commuters from Cogeo, Marikina, Padilla, and Antipolo. There are terminals here formed by various transport groups. Some commercial establishments make it a very busy district, such as pawnshops, drugstores, hair salons, fast food chains like Jollibee and McDonalds, and convenient stores like 7-11.

Super 8 is a supermarket just across the Masinag wet market. This is also the reason why this area is heavily flocked by lots of people. You have choice between buying your goods in the supermarket or the wet market. In both places, you'd have lots of food stalls and kiosks that serve snacks and light meals: dimsum, siopao, siomai, noodles, fish crackers, kakanin (various types of native delicacies made of sticky rice), pizza, and a whole lot more. This road we see is already Marcos Highway.

 Marcos Highway is currently undergoing some serious improvements and construction. That is also the reason why traffic has been quite heavy in this area. A series of road widening projects and installation of new water pipes are all in preparation for what I think is another major transportation project.

And that is the buzz at the Masinag junction. We'll be walking down this road--yes, this highway with all the construction and stuff. Not to worry though, we'll tread carefully. After all, it is a Sunday, which is the best way to have a walk along this highway where the traffic is light. Again, not to worry...the Antipolo commuter will be with you. Ciao!

Sumulong Highway: Just a Neighborhood Walk

I've lived in Antipolo for 20 years. This highway is familiar to all who live there. Yes, believe it or not, this is a highway, consisting of only two lanes which doesn't seem much. Yet, the volume of traffic here does have its usual rush hour peaks. This is Sumulong Highway, a few meters from where I live, just outside of the subdivision. It is a Sunday morning and I saw it as the perfect time to take a picture of it. These vehicles headed my way are heading towards Antipolo proper. There are many establishments and factories here. See those coconut trees across the road? Behind those trees is Otto Shoes Factory and Factory Outlet. When you live in this area, buying a good pair of shoes is just a matter of crossing the highway.

Turning 180 degrees to my right, this is the opposite side of the picture I've taken earlier. That jeep is heading towards Marikina City. Sumulong Highway connects Antipolo to Marikina. Across the street, you can see a typical sari-sari store, which is also a canteen. You could also see a view of the mountains from here. Let's see if we could capture it.

Well, I did try! I was trying to get a closer view of the blue skies and the mountains. It was a beautiful day that morning. It wasn't hot nor cold. These clear blue skies are a welcoming sight.

Traveling along Sumulong Highway, you could see a beautiful view of the Metro Manila. From where I was standing, it was quite difficult because a lot of subdivisions have been developed along this busy Antipolo highway: Valley Golf, Kingsville, La Colina, and Francisville to name a few. This picture was taken from the highway, from the entrance of a subdivision. And there are the blue skies again.

My focus was literally on the road or highway itself. This is where I usually take a ride towards another highway that's even busier than the one you've just seen. This highway intersects Sumulong and that area forms a commercial junction. More on this when we get to that junction. This is the starting point of a neighborhood walk. For now, let's take ride...yes, on the jeep that you saw earlier, going to Marikina. We're gonna commute and you'll join me, the Antipolo commuter. Now let's hurry and cross the street, but watch both sides first!

Capture it! -- Guadalupe Nuevo Cloverleaf Park

This was an attempt to capture the park that you see on the left portion of the picture. This was taken from the MRT train, while it was leaving the Guadalupe Station. I was on my way home and sometimes I get to stand on the eastern side of the train. Every time the train leaves Guadalupe station, I'd see some sort of park at the corner of J.P. Rizal. Well, it's not clear from the picture and I was trying to capture it using my meager camera phone.

If you'd like to know the exact location of this park, you can click here. 

A better looking picture can be found here. 

As a commuter, I would take the time to look around. That is also why I would stand near the windows or the doors of the train. It makes me see things from above and it's interesting to take it the surroundings. It's also my way of relieving stress from work. I've a commuter all my life and looking around wherever I go is something that I'm fond of doing. More "Capture it!" snapshots upcoming in my next few blogs.

The Antipolo Commuter goes spiritual at Serendra

I've heard about Serendra through friends and ads. I just thought it was a cluster of condominiums located at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Whenever I go to the Fort, I'd find myself at Market! Market! and so far, that's my only tripping at the Fort. One Easter day, my friends and I decided to go to Serendra. They've been there before (in fact, lots of times) since most of them live in or near Makati City. Yes, I'm the only one in the group who lives in Antipolo. More about my life in Antipolo in the next few blogs.

I went with them wondering what we will see at Serendra. Not wanting to feel naive, I kept silent until we got there. I did not know until then that Serendra was also a park and a strip mall. When we got there, there were lots of people. I know from the picture above, it didn't seem like it. I took this picture attempting to capture the park's landscape. Many groups of families were here and some activities geared towards Easter time, such as Easter Egg hunting. But I did say that I went spiritual on my first trip here. There was actually an area in the park that offered a spiritual journey, in keeping with the recently concluded Lenten season.

In cooperation with the Church Simplified, there is a walkway that was designated as Stations of the Cross. I was surprised to see something like this in a place where people just hangout. My friend and I decided to go through all the stations and it was in fact, a refreshing and spiritual experience.

I'd like to point out some of my favorite points for reflection as I go through the entire walkway.

A nice looking crown, yet with a wreath of thorns...simple, yet easily captures the meaning of Christ's image as the King who suffers to save his people from their sins. It looks like a display in a museum, but I found it clever. The true meaning of it though, one has to turn to the explanations one will find on the stations themselves.

I took a closer shot of this to show what is written. It serves as a helpful guide for us who would reflect on each station. The stations are also designed to be interactive. For example, this station reflects on Jesus carrying his cross. After reading through the reflection, a portion of the station labeled "Act" will ask you to do something concrete there and then.

I saw my companion try and carry one of these things. Someone told me that at this station, some people would actually try and carry these crosses around the park or to move on to the next station. Of course, I tried it too, but only to get a feel for its weight. The guides were there to help and these things are even small compared to what Jesus actually carried. As I read the reflection and carry this cross, it made me humble and definitely more repentant than ever. After all, I am one of those whom Jesus tried to save and he had to carry a really heavy cross. Makes you feel small and ashamed after that...but at the same time, thankful to Jesus for what he did.

That's my friend, nailing a piece of black cloth onto a gigantic wooden cross. Those black clothes symbolize our sinfulness. Jesus brought the weight of all our faults and sins on his cross. It was the only way for us to be saved. This nailing of the black cloth is an invitation for all of us to repent and be sorrowful for our sins. Every time we commit sin, it is like nailing our Lord to the cross once again. He is nailed on it so that we might be saved. Again, this experience was humbling and although it causes one great sorrow, in the end Jesus rises from the dead and we become part of God's family.

In the end, WE become one family; WE become brothers and sisters in Christ; WE become the symbols of God's love and mercy here on earth; WE become a community united through Christ; WE become bearers of peace and good will; WE become heralds of the good news of Christ; WE become a community of friends and who will bring other people to come to a relationship with Christ; WE become the defenders of the poor and the oppressed. It's an ongoing mission that does not end on Lenten season.

After that spiritual journey, I grew more appreciative of life and all the blessings that God gives in my life. I guess I can say that being led to Serendra was one of those blessings. Now, I can better appreciate what life has to offer. The challenge now is to bring this blessing to other people, especially those who wouldn't or even couldn't go to a place like Serendra.

I like fountains. Whenever I see one such as these, the flow of the waters offers a relaxing and cool mood. After my journey of the stations of the cross, I felt refreshed and energized as though a spring of fresh water has entered into my life--it cleansed me, moved me and reminded me of God's love for his beloved people.

Magallanes area--Pasong Tamo Ext.: Not a dead end

Here is a picture of EDSA that intersects Pasong Tamo Extension. This is the area below the flyover. This was the area where the Mantrade building used to be located. It is now occupied by the San Lorenzo Place construction site and showroom. Across from it, now stands Save More Supermarket. The jeep you see passed through a narrow tunnel, from the eastern side of Pasong Tamo (i.e. coming from FTI). Going west, the jeep goes through Chino Roces Ave. (Pasong Tamo's new name) all the way to PRC.

When I was trying to figure out how to get to Alphaland Southgate Mall from Chino Roces Avenue, I realized that you had to take the jeep that's specifically labelled "DPC Ext". Otherwise, the jeep from Chino Roces would only take passengers to this area you see in the picture--not the other side. From Chino Roces, the jeep wouldn't go through the tunnel unlike the jeep you see above.

The next picture (directly above) shows that area under the flyover where the jeeps pass in order to get to the other side of Chino Roces Ave--or the Pasong Tamo Extension. From this view, it looks ordinary from where I'm standing. The view is different if I turn around from where I stand.

Where did that fountain come from? This area under the flyover is actually beautified into a park / plant shelter. Here's another picture of it. Here you can see a row of bushes. If you go around this area, you'd see more plants and some flowery plants as well. I guess this project is part and parcel of making Metro Manila beautiful and clean. You'd be reminded of MMDA's theme of "Metro Gwapo." This isn't the only area under a flyover where they tried to beautify the place. Something quite similar was also done under the flyover along C-5 / Ortigas Avenue Extension.

When I first discovered this area, I was really amused. What I thought was a dead end, wasn't really "dead" at all!