San Carlos

Simula

Mabilis at hindi na kailan man mababalikan. The moment when time has passed, you can't do anything to bring everything back to the beginning. A grave truth, indeed.

Ito ang naging dahilan ko upang mas pahalagahan ang bawat sandali at minuto sa buhay natin. I've learned that every second is precious and should not be wasted in vain.

Alongside this, I have come up with a solution where I may not be traveling back exactly to the time and place, but I can still reminisce about the precious moments I've shared with my family, friends, or loved ones.

Photographs. The thing that keeps our memories last longer and live longer.

Isa.

Dalawa.

Tatlo.

"Smile!" ani ko at siya namang pag-guhit ng ngiti sa mga labi ng pamilyang nasa harapan ko.

They thanked me before taking their camera and then left. Ngumiti ako. At least now, they can look back at this precious moment of their lives.

"Eloise!" liningon ko ang boses na tumawag saakin at nakita ko ang isang lalaki, di kalayuan sa lugar ko.

Joaquin Sandoval, my younger brother, is standing five feet away from me. Suot nito ang isang puting long sleeves polo na itinupi nya hanggang sakanyang siko. He tucked it in his slacks and wore a pair of black shoes to complete his look.

"Kanina ka pa namin hinihintay nila mama. Mahuhuli na tayo sa misa," simangot na mukhang sabi nito.

I chuckled, "Mukhang overdressed ka para sa isang misa, Joaquin."

Sinimangutan lamang ako nito bago tuluyang tumalikod upang umalis. Laughing, I ran towards him. It is hard to distinguish who is the older one between the two of us. Lalo na sa ugali nito na para bang matanda kung kumilos at manalita saakin.

Pumasok na kami sa loob ng simbahan at lumapit sa lugar nila mama. San Carlos' Church is a 19th century old church with a complete touch of baroque. It is huge in height and space and screams antiquity.

The church is known as one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Hindi katulad ng simpleng araw, mas marami ang mga taong dumalo sa misa ngayong gabi. Idagdag mo pa ang iilang turista na bumisita.

"What took you so long?" salubong na tanong saamin ni mama.

"Itong si ate kasi ma," masungit na sagot ni Joaquin. I raised a brow at him and our parents laughed.

"Alright kids, father is here. Huwag na kayong mag-away," pagputol ni papa. I sighed, rolling my eyes in defeat.

It is the time of the year again, when people are out of their comfortable and warm homes to celebrate the establishment of our little town.

Unang araw ng Disyembre, ang araw kung kailan naitatag ang bayan ng San Carlos. It is actually a week long celebration and tonight is the last day of it. We would always end it with a mass to be followed by the Sayawan sa Paraiso and a fireworks display.

It didn't take long enough and the mass has ended. Awtomatiko ang naging pagmano namin ni Joaquin sa mga magulang namin pagkatapos ng misa. We also did the honoring-gesture to the other elders that we can see as we make our way outside the church.