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!

Just Typing Away…

I often wonder whether there is really one true religion. Do we all worship the same God regardless of what religion we belong to? Maybe the different religions out there are just the many different ways that God chooses to reach out to people and that one religion isn’t necessarily greater than the other… just different. If there is only one true religion, then what happens to someone who, let’s say, is born in a really remote area where that person grows up, lives and dies without knowing about that one true religion? Then does that mean that person is condemned? If so, how is that fair?

————————
Do you ever wonder if there is really life elsewhere in the Universe? My mom thinks there’s probably some other life form out there. By life form, she doesn’t necessarily mean another human being but that it’s a “living thing” like a living particle or amoeba or what have you. Is it possible? Maybe. I just think that God wouldn’t have created such a big Universe for nothing. Maybe there are living things out there or maybe not. It’s just so darn big to just be space and rock and dust. Although maybe, God gave us such a big Universe so we have lots to explore and learn about. Much like a kid in the playground. The bigger, more active kids will want a bigger, wider playground instead of just a tiny little playpen.

————————
Isn’t it so bizarre when you try to imagine what it means to have no beginning and no end? Well, no end is much easier to imagine because you just sorta think of forever… but no beginning?! I find it so difficult to fully comprehend exactly what no beginning means. Ya, sure I know what no beginning means but when you really, really think about it, isn’t it so…so…difficult to imagine? Maybe I’m just being weird and over-analyzing things.

————————
Yeah, so I can’t really sleep and now I’m posting nonsense…

The "Know Myself Better Test"

Found a link to this quick quiz on a friend’s page and gave it a shot.

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don’t judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren’t necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people’s eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that’s why you’ll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You’re a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you’ll be set for life.

How do you view success:

Success in your career is not the most important thing in life. You are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It’s time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Meme

Nicked this one from Violet

Do you own a gun?
Nope.

What do you think of hot dogs?
Tender Juicy (a Philippine brand – believe it or not) is still my favorite. I have a theory too – hotdogs sold on the street tastes better. LOL

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water or coffee.

Can you do push-ups?
I can do a few and then I’ll roll over to my back, gasping for air and thinking that I am going to die.

What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
Earrings. I almost never go out of the house without them.

What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?
Wit? Charm? I don’t know! Hahaha

Middle name?
In the Philippines it would be mom’s maiden name but in Canada, they’ll consider my second name my middle name (confusing eh?)

Name three thoughts at this exact moment:

1. Why is time going by so SLOWLY?
2. What am I going to buy with my $500 gift?
3. I wonder how much my next pay cheque will be…

What time did you wake up today?
6:15 am

Current hate?
Slow databases

Name three drinks you regularly drink:

1. water
2. pop/iced tea
3. coffee

Do you own slippers?
yep.

What shirt are you wearing?
A brown tank top and a sweater on top.

Do you burn or tan?
Burn… easily too.

Favorite color(s)?
White, Blue… pastel colors mostly

Would you be a pirate?
Nah.

What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas

What songs do you sing in the shower?
I hardly sing in the shower and if I do, it’s because I’m having a last song syndrome.

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
Those puppets hanging in our bedroom wall. I don’t know what my parents were thinking hanging them there to begin with!

What’s in your pockets right now?
Nothing.

Last thing that made you laugh?
the site I mentioned in my previous post.

Best bed sheets as a child?
There’s one that was soft and had cartoon characters on it and it was white with a predominantly green design (aside from the cartoon characters, of course).

Worst injury you’ve ever had?
I can’t think of one right now.

Are your parents still together?
Yes.

Do you wish on shooting stars?
Not really. I’m lucky to even see one.

What is your favorite book(s)?
Just refer to my Book widget on the right side of this page.

What is your favorite candy?
I don’t have a favorite candy.

How is the weather outside right now?
A little cloudy and cold.

What was your first thought this morning when you woke up?
what am I going to wear to work?!

Die Hard.

Last night, Dad brought home the DVD for Live Free or Die Hard.

I didn’t see it in the theaters because I thought it would suck but when I saw it last night, I thought it was actually quite good. Of course there were scenes that made us go, “Yeah right, like that’s possible!” but it was still really entertaining nonetheless.

During the entire movie, my family kept referring to poor Justin Long as “MAC”. At the part where they go to see the “Warlock”, both JR and dad go “Oh look he’s going to see PC!” LOL. I think Justin Long will always be popularly known as “the MAC” from now on. I love those commercials by the way. Whoever came up with that concept was genius.

I wish I was as smart as those hackers featured in the movie. Not that I want to be a hacker… I just want to be as “talented” in figuring codes and making different algorithms. I think it’s geeky but cool.

Misleading.

Someone had sent the company boxes of Laura Secord chocolates which are now sitting in the kitchen for anyone who wants some. It’s one of those boxes with assorted chocolates inside and a small leaflet telling you what each kind is… it’s quite nice except that when you take a bite of the said chocolates, it never turns out to be what you expect it to be from the leaflet. So freakin’ annoying. I took a look at the leaflet and decided on a piece that was supposed to be white chocolate with pistachio inside. I took one bite and instead of a nut inside, it was cream! I read and re-read the leaflet and it clearly said pistachio nut.

Very misleading, indeed.

Shrunken?

Weird.

The other day I was going through my closet looking for something to wear and found some of my older sweaters from last winter. I tried them on but for some reason they’re a lot shorter and a little tighter. I don’t think I grew taller and when I weighed myself, it looked like I didn’t gain any weight either (unless the weighing scale is rigged).

I also noticed that none of the clothes I brought with me from the Philippines fit me anymore so I might as well give all of them away. My dad said maybe my clothes shrunk but I doubt it (after all, there were clothes I had never worn since I moved here which means they never went in the dryer so they couldn’t have possibly shrunk unless clothes shrink when they’re kept in your closet too long).

It’s about time that I did some closet-cleaning anyway. I need to sort my clothes and take away those that I won’t be wearing anymore. It’s getting too crowded in there.

I have made a resolution to stop spending (I know, I’ve said this a million times before) so older clothes will have to do. I really NEED to save MORE.

Teleserye

I was bored last night so I ended up going to YouTube and watching a bunch of videos. I was just randomly entering keywords in the Search Box to see what videos would come up and eventually I stumbled upon some old teleserye videos which I found quite interesting to watch. They were, of course, very very cheesy and quite shallow but entertaining nonetheless. I wouldn’t even dare mention which one it is. It’s quite embarrassing, you see. It was with Anne Curtis and Oyo Boy Sotto (ayan ha, I told you na who starts in it so it should narrow it down for you by much).

I couldn’t help it, I was so curious that one episode led to another until I had watched 18 episodes of it. The sad part was, all the other episodes after episode 18 are missing and they don’t have it on YouTube. By this point, I was already hooked and I needed to know what was going to happen next. So I went on ol’ trusted Google and searched for the missing episodes. It was so late already and I really needed to get some sleep so I settled with a website that had episode by episode synopsis all the way until episode 30. Of course it wasn’t as exciting as watching a video but at least I got to know what happened and how it ended.

There was one episode that got me crying and my dad just happened to enter my room at that point. He took one puzzled look at me, looked at what I was watching on my laptop, put two and two together and closed my bedroom door laughing.

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