Yesterday my sister celebrated her birthday. And so on a whim, my mother decided a few days ago to catch the 7:30 a.m. mass at the Adoration Convent of Divine Mercy (a.k.a. the Pink Sisters Convent) in Tagaytay.

My mother got the idea from my sister who tried the morning mass there last weekend. The convent only has two masses, the one in the morning and one at 5 p.m.

So the whole family woke up last morning at 5 a.m. and left for Tagaytay at 6. We arrived at the chapel at 7 and there were already a few hundred mass-goers there.

Did I mention that it was really cold? Because this was Tagaytay, and since it rained intermittently the previous day, the weather was like Baguio. I guessed that it was like 18–20°C or something. Because the chapel was small, we sat outdoors. I wore a long-sleeved shirt but it proved infective since it was thin. I was amazed that my younger brother still wore shorts and so he had to endure the cold winds.

By the time the mass started at 7:30, the whole area was filled with people. I think there were around a thousand people in attendance. It seems to be a semi-tradition for many of these people, most of whom I think came all the way from Metro Manila, to go hear mass at the Pink Sisters.

Another tradition is that after the mass, people will fill up pieces of paper with prayer requests and drop it off at the nave at the side of the chapel. My sister and mom filled up a couple or so pieces of paper while I contented myself with just praying directly.

Incidentally, we saw Mrs. Apostol and Mrs. Coronel, two of our teachers in high school. Mrs. Coronel still recognized my brother.

After the mass, we had brunch at Pancake House. The new branch of Pancake House was situated in this really neat dining area overlooking Taal Lake. On the lot were Kitaro, Starbucks Coffee, Hen Lin, and the Tagaytay branch of Cafe Lupé.

Unfortunately, since the interior of Pancake House was filled with people, we had to eat al fresco, again enduring the cold. At least the sun shined enough times amidst the rolling clouds to provide warmth.

So there. I think I need some more sleep.