Everyday City | Christmas Day

12.26.2018 – The Holiday Season in the Philippines is insanely festive that people are all over the place prior to Christmas Day. But once that day is finally here that’s where you tend to realize there’s A LOT of them spending these annual Holidays from far off places that you tend to wish it’s like this every day but its not. Spending the Holiday Season again in Manila and the last one was more than two years ago. Back then my perspective was different it’s the usual thing year in and year out. You spend it like the last few years of your adult life. This season I take like any ordinary day like last year when I was out heading to work late at night.

The Summer Holidays back in South Australia is really that different on Christmas Day every shop out there is closed and will resume trading hours the following that, which is the 26th, a Boxing Day which is sort of British Holiday. The last five years experiencing this day was something away from the crowded malls and congested roads that I’d rather spent it working instead.

Every year is something different this time it’s just another day. I’ve been fortunate to see two different countries spending this celebration like no other. But I prefer to spend the quite subtle minimalist Christmas and its personally not feeling it back in the Philippines as I would rather spend the scorching 30 to 40 degree dry summer of the season just sitting on my favorite bench in Brighton Beach while I see the waves as the sun try to make my sweat come out.







But here I’m back in Manila heading to the nearest shopping centre going through enormous people who would spend their Christmas Day while the air-conditioning blast through the area. The Landmark department store had an early opening as most of the trading hours for that day starts at 12 noon.

Before we found our way to the carpark at The Link there was a smoke belcher amidst of our front view booming with black smoke the passenger Jeepney. It was certainly having an early New Years Day firework in the form of a thick smoke coming from its exhaust a terrible sight, which is typical in this lawless country that supposed to police these so called violations, but its only in the Philippines you see these outdated vehicle on the road doing unhealthy things.





It was an early trip heading to the shopping centre as people waited for the metal doors to roll up. From there traffic has begun with these useless bag inspections. You’ve entered through Landmark as your bag gets checked and then do the same routine again when you go through another entrance. It’s a common redundant to find yourself making more congestion than eliminating the same concern.

The security in this country inside the shopping centres is so outdated they prefer to give the same type of work and then overly employ enough to look aesthetically congestive when installing security cameras and detectors instead doing a manned inspection that not all of them a thorough enough.

Westfield Marion doesn’t give you the hassle when you enter the auto-sliding doors. It has eyes on its nook and cranny section of the shopping centre. If you violate or do something scandalous six foot tall guards in trendy ties will escort or carry you out. There was one incident sometime this year that really caught a lot of people when a guy went bonkers to the point of violence then security was called about eight tall men dressed professionally appeared from nowhere and removed the guy like it was nothing to worry about. That’s the kind of security service you encounter inside a shopping centre. You don’t see them but when trouble erupts you’re in deep trouble than you ever think. It’s not like in the Philippines where uniformed men or women appear to be intimidating when they’re actually annoying not even welcomingly polite when they are greeted back that appears to greet you with their scripted monologue.





It was already brunch that we ended up at Pizza Hut and I was hoping to try fro S & R, but I was outnumbered which was just fine. I tried one of their salads as I’m not used to eating heavy anymore during the Holidays. It’s not that usual thing personally as I’ve been conscious about the portions that I consume.

After dinning for brunch headed to Miniso to check on some items there, that has become a common trend in the retail industry in this country. A random Asian store that carries a lot of different things from plush toys to electronic device accessories that seemed to be like the Reject Store although it only carries specific items not like they have chocolates or other consumable stuff for the house.





Miniso is not entirely a Japanese store but what I read somewhere is a Chinese store that became legit with its content. But looking at the toy section these toys are just repackaged with the Miniso aesthetics to appear legit. The brick toys itself is a throwaway with a Chinese company Bao Bao manufacturing the set. There are license products but they’re like made of very cheap material. It’s like a CD-R King trying to look like Uniqlo and an Apple Store had a love child.

The action figure in a spacesuit caught my attention, but as I stare at the packaging, the details, and the product intently lost the interest to see beyond that this product is not worth spending. I did spend something for myself a few days before and I guess I’m good with what I have for this year without the need to make it special. I try not to get into these things rather appreciate what I already have and that was enough.









I separately went my way to head out to the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and made the effort to drop by the LEGO store in Park Triangle. Rarely, people make it there but most families would go there for something else namely having their kids spend the day at Kidzania. There have been LEGO Stores in Metro Manila but this one was sort of a hole in the wall. I didn’t get around much as most of the crowd is at the Bonifacio High Street. I did see a few familiar faces who greeted me on my way out of the very congested area. It’s really crazy there now compared to ten years ago.

Boni High Street used to remind me of Rundle Mall, but now it’s intensely insane with heaps of people converging in for some music and lights show it’s outrageous. I left in a rush to catch the next bus and take the next MRT tram to meet a friend hoping to see one of the movies from Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF).









To cap it off I got home past midnight didn’t see any local movies and was way too tired to realize how Tuesday turned up. I hope your have a good ending its not that I’d hope for this day I just treated it as how my day had gone. Well today is Boxing Day back in Adelaide I’m sure happy for everyone to brave the intense heat. For now the tropical storm will do as I head out and see what’s good to see today.