And Also With You...
Well-e Well-e Well, my Bloogies(guess what film this is a reference to and you get a cookie). It's Monday night and I'm watching BBC World News, one of my faithful ports in a stormy sea of crappy TV. I had a nice day off yesterday, punctuated by a bizarre "religious experience", so to speak. So, the Philippines is +85% Catholic country and I figured there would be churches all over the place. What I did not expect, though, was the places they would spring up on a given Sunday.
Asia is the land of malls and, of course, we are staying next to a series of malls which, in reality, has me turned around still due to its' sheer magnitude. Sunday morning, I was up early and went to said mall(s) for a stroll and breakfast, as I just missed the complimentary smorgasbord at the hotel. So, I remembered one of the many coffee shops selling what looked like, and turned out to be, tasty cinnamon buns and excellent coffee. On the way there, I stumbled upon one of the free concerts these grandiose malls host daily. The funny thing was that during one of the numbers, there was a guy with a basket on a stick collecting cash for the performers singing 2 stories below- or so I thought. That was until I heard the ever familiar "The Lord be with you.", to which the crowd- myself included- instinctively responded "And also with you." Before the celebrant got to "Lift up your hearts.", I realized I had stumbled onto Our Lady of Abercrombie and Fitch Church, which was going on amidst the regular hub-bub of a Sunday morning out at the mall. It was bizarre- I realized I was wearing my hat and as I sauntered by, I quickly took it off, befuddled, and proceeded to get my "Coffee And", though I was a bit guilty it was during and not after mass.
If this wasn't telling enough, a few hours later, I stumbled upon another service, this time outside in a rain protected circus-sized tent between yet another series of malls(I told ya, they love their malls here). Am I a bad Catholic because I didn't see past the kitch value of saying mass in these strange places without more than a quick moment of reverence? What would you have done? (Yeah, right...)
Now that I know, I'll just have to attend one of these strange celebrations, get a smoothie(afterwards, of course) and call it a holy day. Or maybe, instead of nodding off during the homily, I'll just get up and browse around at the Gap. Hey, a sale is a sale.
I still think they should make people toss their donations into a fountain and make a wish- albeit for world peace and an end to hunger- and that the cute chick at TGIFridays will notice me.... Anyhoo,...
Ta for now- see you in h-e-double-hockey-sticks, as that's where I'm going after this blog...
Steve
Asia is the land of malls and, of course, we are staying next to a series of malls which, in reality, has me turned around still due to its' sheer magnitude. Sunday morning, I was up early and went to said mall(s) for a stroll and breakfast, as I just missed the complimentary smorgasbord at the hotel. So, I remembered one of the many coffee shops selling what looked like, and turned out to be, tasty cinnamon buns and excellent coffee. On the way there, I stumbled upon one of the free concerts these grandiose malls host daily. The funny thing was that during one of the numbers, there was a guy with a basket on a stick collecting cash for the performers singing 2 stories below- or so I thought. That was until I heard the ever familiar "The Lord be with you.", to which the crowd- myself included- instinctively responded "And also with you." Before the celebrant got to "Lift up your hearts.", I realized I had stumbled onto Our Lady of Abercrombie and Fitch Church, which was going on amidst the regular hub-bub of a Sunday morning out at the mall. It was bizarre- I realized I was wearing my hat and as I sauntered by, I quickly took it off, befuddled, and proceeded to get my "Coffee And", though I was a bit guilty it was during and not after mass.
If this wasn't telling enough, a few hours later, I stumbled upon another service, this time outside in a rain protected circus-sized tent between yet another series of malls(I told ya, they love their malls here). Am I a bad Catholic because I didn't see past the kitch value of saying mass in these strange places without more than a quick moment of reverence? What would you have done? (Yeah, right...)
Now that I know, I'll just have to attend one of these strange celebrations, get a smoothie(afterwards, of course) and call it a holy day. Or maybe, instead of nodding off during the homily, I'll just get up and browse around at the Gap. Hey, a sale is a sale.
I still think they should make people toss their donations into a fountain and make a wish- albeit for world peace and an end to hunger- and that the cute chick at TGIFridays will notice me.... Anyhoo,...
Ta for now- see you in h-e-double-hockey-sticks, as that's where I'm going after this blog...
Steve
posted by Gags at 10:21 PM
4 Comments:
Pop Says
Me and "she who must be obeyed" are flying off to her holy land in the AM. Hope I come home with a couple of bucks but you know how my luck runs. Talk to you when we get back from Saint Vegas.
Hey Gags! Keep writing, Linda and I will be reading. Just talked to Matt Jones and found out that he will be here in Orlando just as we are opening Kiss Me Kate: I'm playing the First Gangster and singing "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". We should be able to see each others shows.
Loving it here in Orlando; hope the tour goes well....and longer than last years!
My cat's breath smells like cat food.
cute chick at TGI FRIDAYS???!!!
much luv, your girlfriend
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