08 Easter Break Chornicles - London

Date of the trip: 23 - 25 March 2008

Easter - A Reflection of the Experience of 2 Services

For us to enjoy this holiday, Jesus Christ and what he did plays a big role - after all, this is called the Easter break. This year, the commemoration of Christ's Resurrection falls on the 23rd of March, precisely the day we arrived in London. Making full use of this opportunity, we manged to attend 2 services. The first being in St. Paul's Cathedral and the second was Hillsongs London, held in Dominion Theater.

This is the interior of the famous dome of St. Paul's.

This being the majestic dome from the outside.

There are several things that came to my mind as I experience both a traditional Anglican service and a Charismatic service on the same day. The first thing that draw my attention is the luxurious feast for the senses that is true for both. Some people might criticize Hillsong's lighting and the showy stage effects as being a waste of money better spent for charity, yet I see the same excess and lavishness in everything about St. Paul's. The lifelike statues, the elaborate murals, the intricate architectures and the many relics involved in the rituals, I'm sure all these cost more than a fortune as well. A church with a long history, surviving the blitz placed beside a younger one that is contemporary and capitalizing on technological advances showed a similarity in this regard. There are people who believed that the House of God ought to have the best. And some would argue that the magnificent cathedral of old would stand for ages, benefiting generations to come as compared to the modern presentation with screens and sounds that is transient in every sense. Has the society in general moved from investing in things eternal to temporal things? Perhaps. But for a tourist like me, there wouldn't be a difference. Both are capable of facilitating the way for which some people (maybe not all) could approach the Throne of Grace. And that moment in the presence of the King is at once eternally significant and often time temporary. We ascent to the mountain top, catch a glimpse of glory, (hopefully) be changed and need to descent once more to the Fallen Valley.

Is the church periphery to the world or the world periphery to the church I do not know. In fact sometimes man and pig can look so alike in so many ways that it is hardly distinguishable. But this I know, your preaching and words are certainly periphery to your actions and attitudes.

Trafalgar Square and beyond

On the second day in London, we visited the National Gallery as well as the National Portrait Gallery. Both wonderful place to enrich your senses. Personally, walking though these hallowed aisles make my hands itch. It filled me with longing and desire to paint. How long was it since I last touches a brush, soiled my hands in acrylics, and ran my finger over the rough canvas surface? On the other hand, after seeing so many Jesus, Mary, Peter, Paul, Cupid and Venus for the umpteen times in the national gallery seems to weary the soul. Maybe that was the incarnation of 'Manga' of their days.

The Lion and his Boy: You can hardly get a picture of the lions in Trafalgar Square without some people in the frame. I suppose not being able to see the sculpture of Alison Lapper on the 4th Plinth is a shame.

Sunset over the National Gallery. London is a wonderfully diverse city of spectacles I'm sure. Yet somehow, I think visiting Cheddar prior to visiting it pretty much skewed my perspective. Grand as the works of man may be, they can hardly compare to the handiwork of nature, crafted and refined over the millenniums.

For the 2nd night, we managed to catch Chicago in Cambridge Theater. I find it a highly entertaining albeit slightly dark musical - 'guilty' pleasures indeed!

The 3rd Day

We stayed in St. Christopher's Inn, a great hostel with really commendable facilities. It is located strategically near London Bridge and its close neighbor, the iconic Tower Bridge (above). Tate Modern is also a within walking distance from the hostel. This space for modern and contemporary art is where we spent the bulk of the day. The former power station houses such diverse range of works with even more different ideologies and intentions vested in their making that it is a true eye opener.

'Can one make works which are not works of "art"?' ~ Duchamp 1913

Finally, I would like to thank Kay and Hoeynn for bringing us to the homely Portuguese restaurant. It is a such a delicious meal! I agree that Portuguese food is excellent!