#norman agatep

[whereiwander]

EL ATENEO GRAND SPLENDID, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (December 24, 2023) One Big Fight! How could I resist passing by and taking snaps in this famed bookstore that carries the same name as my alma mater? The day prior, Paul Pasco took me brought me to the wrong branch; and so today, while he was in Uruguay, I took the subway and relied on my instincts to find in another part of the city this picturesque store. In 2019, the National Geographic named it “the world’s most beautiful bookstore.” Originally the Teatro Gran Splendid of Buenos Aires, it was an auditorium designed in 1919 to pay homage to the Paris Opera with its ceiling mural, marble columns, and elaborately decorated balconies. Today, the stage is a cafe, the orchestra and first balcony are brimming with bookshelves, and the upper floors have been converted into reading rooms for this bookstore, which is just one in a chain of others called El Ateneo.

[whereiwander]

IGLESIA DEL SALVADOR, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (December 24, 2023) After visiting El Ateneo on Christmas Eve and while heading toward the subway station to get back to my hotel, I chanced upon the Iglesia del Salvador, Buenos Aires’s second Jesuit church, which began construction in 1872. Within were statues of familiar Jesuit saints (I recognized the names from our beloved classrooms at the Ateneo Grade School), including of course Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. I'm glad I stopped by. Though I was running a tad late for Christmas Eve dinner.

[whereiwander]

LA RECOLETA CEMETERY, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (December 23, 2023)

An odd place to start my first day in South America. But why not? Once the garden of the Recollect monks in Buenos Aires, the cemetery is the final resting place of Argentina’s who’s who, including several presidents, a Nobel Prize laureate, prominent artists and writers, and of course Eva Peron, whose family vault is the most visited there. But the Recoleta Cemetery is a veritable open air museum too, with its 5.5 hectares of elaborate mausoleums and sculptures in Art Noveau, Neo-Gothic, and every style in between. And then there are the stories of those who lie within its tombs. My favorite is of the young lady whose mother was in a hurry to bury her, not realizing that she was still alive. As I write this, the theme music of HBO's Six Feet under is playing in my head.

[sorqpmusicmin]

Magpasalamat Sa Kanya

Umawit nang sama-sama! Magpasalamat tayo sa Kanya! Sumayaw, humiyaw, magbunyi, Sa pagmamahal ng dakilang Manlilikha!

Sa pag-ibig, sa pag-asa, Sa biyaya at ligaya, Magpasalamat sa Kanya Sa mabuti N'yang balita.

Umawit nang sama-sama! Magpasalamat tayo sa Kanya! Sumayaw, humiyaw, magbunyi, Sa pagmamahal ng dakilang Manlilikha!

Sa saganang pang-unawa Sa masusing pagkalinga, Magpasalamat sa Kanya Sa handog N'yang kaligtasan.

Umawit nang sama-sama! Magpasalamat tayo sa Kanya! Sumayaw, humiyaw, magbunyi, Sa pagmamahal ng dakilang Manlilikha!

Sa dalanging kaayusan Sa mithiing kapayapaan, Magpasalamat sa Kanya Sa pangakong katarungan.

Umawit nang sama-sama! Magpasalamat tayo sa Kanya! Sumayaw, humiyaw, magbunyi, Sa pagmamahal ng dakilang Manlilikha!

Sumayaw, humiyaw, magbunyi, Sa pagmamahal ng dakilang Manlilikha!

[sorqpmusicmin]

Kailan Pa Man

Kailanpaman 'di mawawalay Pag-ibig Ko sa inyong tapat at tunay. Kailanpama'y h'wag mabahala 'Pagkat kapiling Ako t'wina.

'Di na mag-iisa, Mangangamba, mangungulila. Kayo'y Aking hinango, Muling sinuyo sa 'King puso.

Kahit anong dilim, Anong lagim ng tatahakin, Kayo'y aalagaan, Gagabayan kailan pa man.

Bansang Aking sinugo, H'wag masiphayo at h'wag susuko. Kayo'y pangungunahan, 'Pagsasanggalan kailan pa man.

[sorqpmusicmin]

Pag-aalaala

Bayan, muling magtipon Awitan ang Panginoon Sa piging sariwain Pagliligtas Niya sa atin

Bayan ating alalahanin Panahong tayo'y inalipin Nang ngalan Niya'y ating sambitin Paanong di tayo lingapin

Bayan, muling magtipon Awitan ang Panginoon Sa piging sariwain Pagliligtas Niya sa atin

Bayan, walang sawang purihin Ang Poon nating mahabagin Bayan, isayaw ang damdamin Kandili Niya'y ating awitin

Bayan, muling magtipon Awitan ang Panginoon Sa piging sariwain Pagliligtas Niya sa atin

Sa piging sariwain Pagliligtas Niya sa atin

[sorqpmusicmin]

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ Sanctify me Body of Christ save me Water from the side of Christ Wash me, Passion of Christ Give me strength

Hear me Jesus Hide me in thy wounds That I may never leave thy side From all the evil that surrounds me Defend me and when the call of death arrives Bid me come to thee That I may praise thee With thy saints forever Hear me Jesus Hide me in thy wounds That I may never leave thy side From all the evil that surrounds me Defend me and when the call of death arrives Bid me come to thee That I may praise thee With thy saints forever

[whereiwander]

TORCELLO ISLAND, ITALY (April 5, 2018)

Even before what we know today of Venice existed--the Piazza San Marco, Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge, and gondoliers on the Grand Canal--there was Torcello, the first of the lagoon islands to be called home by a mainland population fleeing the Barbarian during the Dark Ages. It was once the largest and most important settlement in the Venetian Lagoon; but those days are now long gone as silt from nearby rivers found their way to the shallow waters surrounding Torcello, and trade became nearly impossible. Palan, Barok, Leilah and I took a water bus from the mainland and crossed the lagoon to reach what is left of the isle--one long canal leading from the ferry landing to a handful of ancient structures standing quietly but proudly at the center. It took us all of 45 minutes to tour the practically abandoned area. Points of interest include Ponte del Diavolo or the Devil’s Bridge, built in the 15th century. The brick and stone structure has no railings; so don’t fall into the canal! There’s also the 11th century Church of Santa Fosca with its octagonal portico, and of course, Venice's oldest monument, the Cattedrale di Torcello or Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, whose foundation dates to 639 AD. Unfortunately, the cathedral was off limits when we arrived so we only got to see it modest-looking facade. I am told that its splendid Byzantine mosaics make the church among the most beautiful in all of Greater Venice.