I found myself traveling all the way to Alabang from Parañaque at 3:30 in the morning to attend my 5th Misa de Aguinaldo. This time, my good friend who lives in Ayala Alabang Village joined me at Parish of St. James the Great. I have been to this church a couple of times but never attended any dawn masses. The first time I saw this church was year 2000 when I came back from Singapore and landed a job in a small advertising company. My bosses house is inside the village and every time I get to pass by this church, its beauty always puts a smile on my face. From what I gathered, the church of St. James the Great was established in early 1997 and its mission is to commit themselves to the Church of the Poor as well as create a greater sense of community.
I got there just in time. Mass started at 4:30am.
I felt like visiting a palace rather than a church. It was as if I was called by the Queen rather than God. The altar was "golden" and magnificent. I just wished that their choir practiced days before the mass because they weren't in sync. With the grandeur that came with the place, I was expecting a very good choir. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the mass.
Mass ended at exactly 5:30am. I killed time in my friend's place and when the sun was finally up, breakfast was the first order of the day.
Since I planned to do my Christmas shopping at Rockwell's Powerplant Mall, I decided to have breakfast in Pancake House.
2-piece Pancake Classic- Php116.00
Crispy Bacon Strips- Php89.00
The classic pancakes were good especially with the whipped butter. Trivia: I seldom eat my pancakes with syrup so a good butter is a must. The bacon strips were crispy alright but surprisingly bland. It was like eating deep-fried sheets of paper. I didn't finish it. Aside from the bacon, their service that day was utterly disappointing. With only 2 orders, it took them 30 minutes to serve. My, oh my.
Bad breakfast experience.
But I was glad to have finished 5 of the 9-day Simbang Gabi. *smile*
