Yes, we flock our malls

I was on Forbes.com and found a list of the World’s 10 Largest Malls.

I already knew that malls in the Philippines were HUGE but I didn’t know they were so big that 3 of them would make it on the list!

1. South China Mall – Dongguan, China – 7.1 million square feet
2. Golden Resources Shopping Mall – Beijing, China – 6 million square feet
3. Mall of Asia – Pasay City, Philippines – 4.2 million square feet
4. West Edmonton Mall – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – 3.8 million square feet
5. SM Megamall – Mandaluyong City, Philippines - 3.6 million square feet
6. Berjaya Times Square – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 3.4 million square feet
7. Beijing Mall – Beijing, China – 3.4 million square feet
8. Zhegjian Plaza – Guangzhou, China - 3 million square feet
9. SM City North EDSA – Quezon City, Philippines - 3 million square feet
10. King of Prussia Mall – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - 2.8 million square feet

Filipinos love malls simply because they have everything – restaurants, supermarkets, computer shops, clothing stores, shoe stores, bowling alleys, pool tables, skating rinks, arcades, cinemas, sometimes even medical and dental clinics, cellphone stores and repair shops, game and specialty stores, toy stores, pet shops, photo studios, bookstores, music stores, optical shops, dermatology clinics, hardware, small amusement parks for kids, flea markets… you name it, they have it. Not to mention that on Sundays, some malls even hold Catholic masses for the people!

These malls also make it convenient for people to go there because they’re everywhere, they provide lots of parking spaces (but even so, sometimes it’s not enough due to the amount of people that go), they provide free AC on really warm, humid days and because they have almost anything you need, you can’t go wrong. It’s a good place for people to hang out because there’s always plenty to do… you can go bowling or play pool, hang out by the arcade, see a movie, play a game at the Internet cafe or just chill with friends at coffee shops.

The first time I stepped in a mall here in Canada, I was a bit disappointed because it’s way smaller than the average mall in the Philippines. Plus, they’re normally mostly clothing and shoe stores. And the size of the food courts are about a fourth of the food courts in SM Malls. Here, you don’t go to the mall to simply hang out… you go because you need something. There really isn’t much to do in the mall except to shop or window shop or eat. Even though some malls have theatres, most of them don’t so you have to go somewhere else to see a movie.

I always tell Steve how surprised he’ll be when he steps in one of the malls in the Philippines. I can just imagine how he’ll react when he sees SM Megamall where it’s about 5-6 floors high (including the basement) and about 2-3 times the length of the Eaton Centre downtown. It also surprises him that Malls in the Philippines also carry some North American stores like Gucci, Prada, Zara, Mango, Marks & Spencer, Guess, Levis, etc… and that we also have Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Subway…

Here are some pictures of SM Megamall (grabbed from the gallery in Wikipedia):

Pictures of Mall of Asia:

I’ve never been to SM Mall of Asia because when we left the Philippines almost 4 years ago, it was still being constructed and we haven’t been back to visit yet. Steve kept insisting that no mall in the Philippines could be bigger than the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta… I just proved him wrong!

Juno

Last night, Steve and I stayed behind at work to help the others run a few tests on one of our databases. Luckily enough, we didn’t have to stay the whole night and only ended up staying for an hour and a half. After leaving the office, we decided to go to Yorkdale to have dinner and see a movie. We didn’t really have a specific movie in mind and neither did we check the movie schedules before going there but we thought we’d just go and check the movie listing when we got there.

I had wanted to see Atonement since it came out but it’s not Steve’s idea of a good movie to see in the theaters (he doesn’t like period pieces and really sappy love stories… too bad for him because I just happen to love them! LOL) plus it wasn’t showing at Yorkdale so it was either National Treasure or Juno. We decided on Juno so we’d have enough time to grab a bite before the movie.

I loved Juno. I thought it was a really good movie. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet and have plans on going. I’m sure most of you know it touches on teen pregnancy but yeah.. it’s an interesting movie and I especially love the lines.. quite witty. I would highly recommend it.

Some good lines from the movie:

Vanessa Loring: Your parents are probably wondering where you are.
Juno MacGuff: Nah… I mean, I’m already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?

——————-
Juno MacGuff: You should’ve gone to China, you know, ’cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events.

——————-
Juno MacGuff: I think I’m, like, in love with you.
Paulie Bleeker: You mean as friends?
Juno MacGuff: No, I mean, like, for real. ‘Cause you’re, like, the coolest person I’ve ever met, and you don’t even have to try, you know…
Paulie Bleeker: I try really hard, actually.

——————-
Juno MacGuff: If I could just have the thing and give it to you now, I totally would. But I’m guessing it looks, probably like a sea monkey right now, and I should let it get a little cuter.

——————-
Juno MacGuff: I could like, have this baby and give it to someone who like totally needs it.
Leah: You should look in the PennySaver.
Juno MacGuff: They have ads for parents?
Leah: Yeah! ‘Desperately Seeking Spawn.’

——————-
Juno MacGuff: It all started with a chair.

——————-
Juno MacGuff: Can’t we just like kick this old school. You know, like I stick the baby in a basket, send it your way, like Moses and the reeds?
Mark Loring: Technically that would be Old Testament.

——————-
Paulie Bleeker: I still have your underwear.
Juno MacGuff: I still have your virginity.
Paulie Bleeker: Shut up.

——————-
Juno MacGuff: Can two people stay together forever?
Mac MacGuff: You mean like couples?
Juno: Yeah, like people in love.
Mac MacGuff: Are you having boy troubles? ‘Cause I got to be honest, I don’t much approve of you dating in your condition. That’s kinda messed up! That’s pretty skanky. Isn’t that what you girls call it? Shanky? Skeevy? Tore up from the floor up?

——————-
Juno MacGuff: Bleeker is actually good in… chair.

——————-
Mac MacGuff: Look, in my opinion the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what-have-you. The right person is still going to think the sun shines out of your ass. That’s the kind of person that’s worth sticking with.

First-time Skater

Guess what?!

I finally went SKATING!!

Since it wasn’t too cold last Friday night, Steve decided to take me skating. He knows I’ve never been and I’ve been dying to go for a really long time now so after work, he suggested that we head home, grab our skates and go downtown for dinner. I didn’t own a pair of skates so his sister let me borrow hers instead (there’s only about an inch or so difference between our foot size).

Nathan Phillips Square, downtown, has a rink that’s free and open to the public. They have skate rentals too for those that down have one. We decided to have dinner at the Korean BBQ Grill nearby which is a really cool place to eat because you get an all-you-can-eat dinner for less than $15, the food is great and you get to cook it yourself. It was packed by the time we got there but since it was near the rink and we really didn’t feel like going some place else (not to mention that we already paid for parking) we decided to wait for a table.

After dinner, we walked to the rink and Steve helped me put on my skates (those things are heavy!) and he made sure they were tight but comfortable enough to move with. After helping me with mine and putting his on, it was time to get on the ice. He went in first and told me to wait until he got a feel for it (he hasn’t been skating for quite sometime so he wanted to make sure he was comfortable enough to help me). He made a lap around the rink, came back for me and slowly helped me get on the rink. I have to tell you, watching other people skate seemed easy but as soon as I stepped on the rink, I yelped and grabbed Steve for support. It was so darn slippery that I was scared to even move a little.

He kept telling me that it was ok, he wasn’t going to let me fall and that we should take baby steps towards the center of the rink. It was HARD! I almost fell so MANY times and each time one of my legs slipped from under me, I’d scream and grab him. We were laughing so hard and I told him I felt a little embarrassed because everyone else seemed to know how to skate and I was the only one in the center, yelping with arms flailing. I asked him if we could move to the sides of the rink where it wasn’t so obvious that I was a beginner. He looked at me and said, “Honey, beginners always skate in the middle so we don’t get in the way of those people going around the rink and moving really fast…” I looked around and said, “I really hate all the people in this rink right now who make it seem so easy!”

Steve said that with enough practice, I will eventually get the hang of it and that I was doing really well for a first-time skater (maybe knowing how to roller blade helped noh?). Towards the end of the evening, I was much better although I still cannot let go of his arm. I had fallen twice on my bum and after the second fall, we called it a night. My arms were sore and I was sure I had a huge bruise forming at the part that hit the ice.

We were skating for an entire hour and although it was a bit painful, I had so much fun. Steve asked me whether I would want to go again… Of course I would!

Here are some pictures Steve and I took with my phone camera but the lighting wasn’t very good so the pictures came out a little blurred.

View of City Hall and the Big Tree from the Rink

First-time skater!

The Rink

View of the Christmas Lights above the Rink

The skating champ!

Proud.

Today I had another one of those moments where I realized my baby brother, Miguel, is really no longer a baby and that he is well into his teenage years.

I was trying to look for his email address so I could give it to my aunt. I thought I had it in my messenger contacts but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I remembered him adding me as a contact on his MSN live space so I figured I’d just access his page and I’ll find his email there. So with just a few mouse clicks I was on his page. I expected it to be a simple online page with, oh I don’t know, maybe an avatar or picture of some sort and maybe his email and messenger ID or something… but never in my life did I expect to see his blog!

I was really impressed! Although there were only 2 or 3 posts in it (mostly talking about his favorite animes and shows and his opinions on them), I thought it was still quite impressive. No grammar mistakes, no spelling errors and in full English too (oh ok, we speak English at home anyways so we’re all used to it) but I was just so proud! (and here I thought I was the only writer in the family…haha)

I don’t know how to explain it but it’s like seeing your sibling in a different light. Like seeing a side of him I never knew existed. I always knew he was smart (both my brothers are anyways) but seeing something concrete… proof of how smart and talented and witty they are is always such a pleasure. I get this warm fuzzy feeling of nothing but pure love and pride and fascination. It’s like, “look at my cute little brother and what he did and how good he is! Look, look, look!”

I can’t get over it! Just reading how he expresses himself and putting his thoughts into words and all that just makes me go… wow. I guess it’s more impressive to me because in my eyes he’ll always be my baby brother and every step he makes (no matter how small it may be) will always be big in my eyes.

Nakanampucha.

I came across this site while browsing through another person’s blog (this line seems all too familiar…how many times have I mentioned stumbling onto something from someone else’s page?? It’s amazing where one mouse click leads you. LOL)

http://nakanampucha.wordpress.com

Aaaannnyywwaayy, the site name caught my attention and I thought the site itself is pretty hilarious. I’m so glad I came across first thing this morning. It certainly made my day.

I couldn’t stop laughing and I’m just glad I have my own office or else everyone will think I’m nuts for laughing by myself.

Peelings

Just thought I’d share with you one of my favorite Happy Slip videos:

Dao Ming Si

I have no idea why but all of a sudden I remembered my beloved Meteor Garden and of course, my Dao Ming Si.

Oo na, baduy na kung baduy, but he is still my celebrity crush. Nyak! Hahaha! Pero oo, talaga.

I still remember the whole Meteor Garden craze when all we could do was watch the very addictive, slightly crazy, I-don’t-know-why-I’m-watching-it-but-I-love-it-anyways show. I remember finding out they sold pirated copies of the entire season and asking my dad if he could take me to Quaipo to buy my very own set. Panu, nakakainis manood sa TV.. sandamakmak naman kasi na commercial.

I remember Ana and I going through forums and Google, looking for fan sites and websites that gave episode synopsis and of course, had a LOT of F4 pictures in them. Kabaliwan ba? Um, yeah.

I remember watching each episode with my mom and crying over the episode where Dao Ming Si falls in love with Yesha. Hey, he’s supposed to be madly in love with Shansai noh! Just because he got his memory wiped clean doesn’t mean Yesha should have him (even though she was such an adorable and sweet character… plus he’s supposed to be mine! LOL).

I remember when F4 came to the Philippines and we were dying to go see them but the tickets were so freakin’ expensive! It was literally worth an arm and a leg and maybe worth my whole torso na rin. Of course we couldn’t afford it.. even if we saved our allowances. I also remember when my mom bought me those F4 posters. At the time it was so great but now…Ah yeah… I think I’m a little embarrassed.

And I remember when Bench had Jerry Yan as their model and they had this promo where if you spent a certain amount of money on Bench, they’d give you a free Jerry Yan calendar. Those bastards were smart… they changed the picture all the time and you had to keep spending to get the stupid calendar. You know what’s even worse? I fell for it. But hey, I only have 1 poster which means I only spent once and then I just had to let it go. My slight obsession with the guy was costing me money.

I even bought those F4 concert cds and even though I had no idea what they were saying in their songs, I still loved listening to it and watching the VCD. Don’t ask me why.

Makes no sense huh? But I think each one of us is entitled to a little bit of cheesyness and maybe a moment of um.. um.. ah.. yeah.

Snow.

Here is a funny video of my parents having fun with the cold!

It sure feels and looks like winter already although it officially starts in a few weeks. We had our second snow storm yesterday and according to the news, it was unusual for Canada to be hit by 3 storms at once… from the east coast all the way to the west coast. Even British Columbia where snow storms rarely hit had 40 cm of snow!

We left the house early yesterday morning to go to mass and there was a ton of snow on the ground. It was as high as my mid-leg and since it was still so early, they hadn’t plowed the snow yet and we had to trek. I’m so glad I bought a really practical pair of snow boots or else I would have had to wear my black leather boots and it would have been really difficult to walk. As much as I hate the winter and the cold, I always like fresh snow on the ground because it’s so beautiful and it’s really soft when you step on it… it’s like fine powder. It’s always so very quiet after a snow storm because snow seems to absorb noise… and it doesn’t feel as cold. My parents, brothers and I were having a lot of fun with it. I was making footprints and kicking snow around while Miguel playfully teased us with snowballs. He never really throws one at us… he just throws it at a wall.

After mass, we went grocery shopping and since we took the bus, it was quite challenging to carry heavy grocery bags, make our way through snow and ice and get on and off the bus at the same time. I almost fell several times and JR had to help me get on and off the bus since there was a huge mound of snow right where the bus door opens. We had to step over the huge mound and at one point, it was so wide that I alsmost did a split while holding grocery bags. Although it was a little difficult, I couldn’t help but laugh it off. Good thing my brothers were helping me.

Here are some pictures I took!

3 Snow Plow Trucks working in harmony to get snow off the road

My foot in the snow

Lots of Snow

Things that made me smile today.

Steve saved lunch for me and later he made me dinner.

My new Abercrombie & Fitch shirt which fits me perfectly.

A loving brother who always asks me about my day whenever I come home.

Freshly laundered clothes sitting on top of my bed.

It’s Friday.

Thinking of wearing my new dress.

Manicured nails.

A good hair day.

Received a really sweet compliment.

Realizing that I have such great friends.