SONGS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION...

...is not just the theme for this week's post, it's the title of an obscure Depeche Mode album I often invoke to establish my new wave bona fides. Win-win!

And speaking of waves...

Fluvial Pursuit

Last week, the good people of the UK Bicol Association staged their version of the famous Our Lady of Penafrancia fluvial procession. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience on many levels. First and foremost, of course, was the profound meaning of the activity and its deep connection to our homeland. Second, there was something serenely surreal about singing beautiful Philippine hymns as River Thames landmarks passed you by.

Third, I like saying "fluvial". Fourth, the very definition of "fluvial" (geologic processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them) naturally gives rise to my favorite only-lawyers-will-get-it joke of all time: A man lawyer and a woman lawyer are walking along the banks of a river; the man turns to the woman and whispers, "alluvion." (non-lawyer diplomats, look it up! That's legal comedy gold right there!)

Fifth - to my total surprise - once all the ceremonies were completed, the pious boat suddenly turned into... a Party Boat!! Complete with dance floor blooper at the end!

In case you're wondering if such a shift from sermon to salsa was OK, let me assure you it was the presiding priest who was rocking the ray-bans and busting the moves =)

Pope! The Visit

As you no doubt heard, the Pope was recently in the UK. Now, I leave it to the pros to better elaborate on the significance of the visit; I can only contribute some photos of the vigil at Hyde Park -- an event with such a concert-like atmosphere and spiritually raucousness it was described as "Glastonbury with God."

(I know, I know. I know I said after the Rutland Bird fair I wouldn't ever call anything the "Glasto of ____" again. This was the last time. I swear.)

A truly memorable and touching experience. The only thing really missing was a happy and catchy greeting everyone could use. I distinctly remember during the previous Pope's visits to the Philippines, we all serenaded him with "Totus Tuus" or chanted "Lo-lek! Lo-Lek!" or joked "Welcome Pope John Paul and Ringo!". In the UK there was...nothing. Some tried "Be-ne-dic-to!", but it didn't really resonate. Oh, if only someone in Hyde Park was creative and smart enough to appropriately capture. . .

. . .ah, there we go. "England 4, Benedict 16". And the banner was led all around the park by a Philippine flag and held up by some Fil-Brit youths. Perfect.

It takes a Pinoy, I guess =)

Amen.

JANE, BATH AND BEYOND

The LLDD-Hyphen-L has two former officemates who became ninangs at our wedding: Ms. Tina, who the LLDD-Hyphen-L affectionately calls "Mommy Teens"; and Ms. Fely, who the LLDD-Hyphen-L affectionately calls "Mama Fe", and I affectionately call "Mamafe Mamasa Mamakusa".

Anyway, it was "Mommy Teens" who was in London recently, and the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I took the opportunity to bring her to some places in the UK that we've heard much about but never actually been to. More particularly, we decided to take a day trip to beautiful Bath, setting of some of the most famous romantic literature in history.

Bath, of course, is also home to other romantic literature greats, namely Jane Austen and her classic novels. Now, as a dude, I confess to not knowing much about Ms. Jane or her work, but the LLDD-Hyphen-L is a big fan, and she (and our tour bus guide) assure me that we should get excited over the following places pictured:

(appeal to readers: what exactly am I looking at here?)

Fortunately, Bath is such a lovely place that you don't have to be a Jane fangirl to appreciate it's charms.

At the center of town is a private garden/park that's so beautiful and picturesque the newlywed couple above made it their wedding shoot location. Ang mali lang nila, ginawa nila harap-harapan sa amin ni LLDD-Hyphen-L, so of course we matched them cheese-for-cheese with our own pre-nup photo shoot re-enactment.

Bath is also known for its, well, baths. Particularly famous is the town's ancient Roman spa complex which features thousand year-old hot springs and pools...

...amazing relics and artifacts...

...models and dioramas depicting typical Roman life (complete with blush-inducing nude miniatures [bottom] that beg a slew of "aw, look at his little __" jokes)...

...and, of course, questionable gift shop merchandise tie-ins.

But it's all good, because the Roman baths gave off such a pampered, luxurious and indulgent vibe that all lady visitors couldn't help but feel (and pose) like they were Roman goddesses themselves.

And as we head towards the last stages of our tour, we encounter an ancient wishing well where the LLDD-Hyphen-L drops a coin to wish for an early return to and a longer stay at beautiful, historic and romantic Bath.

And then this suddenly appears on the well's walls, and I begin to wonder if the LLDD-Hyphen-L's wish actually involved some sort of Jane Austen/Gladiator spa fantasy