Star-studded
While Makati’s busy highways are lit up with garlic and onion lanterns, Mandaluyong’s light posts with Tigger and Pooh and Manila basks in their version of Las Vegas (lights and all), Pasig City’s Ortigas opted to dress up the business district the traditional way.
Lighting up the dark cold night
This Christmas tree is smacked right at the heart of Ortigas Center where traffic proved to be unbearable on days like these. The tree stands proud with a twin just right across the street, both along ADB Avenue corner Julia Vargas. It’s nice to have something to feast your eyes on at night while taking long walks from office to an overcrowded Megamall. It refreshes those already troubled minds.
There is something about the trees that reminds us of the peace and quiet in the middle of strife and anxiety. Christmas celebrates the simplicity but extraordinary way of showing love to the undeserving. It boggles the mind but nevertheless that remains a reality we all should learn to embrace.
Designer trees
I have been a resident of Greenbelt 5 long enough (if one week of lurking counts) not to notice this one particular exhibit at the center of the mall. Designer Christmas trees are currently on display for more than a week now. People have turned it into some wonderland theme park where they take pictures of themselves posing with the trees. These photos don’t look like they were taken anywhere in ‘Pinas.
Dolled up
The trees were still lovely no matter how their designers have gone way bit too far in terms of overloading them with various trimmings from dolls to ribbons and wreaths. But I won’t spend a dime on these lavish trees even if I have a $1000 to spend. The designs are too heavy my eyeballs would pop out of their sockets. It’s the minimalist in me talking. I don’t know with you.
Winter feel
It’s ten more days to go before Christmas and I haven’t done any serious gift shopping yet. The malls are too crowded these days that I avoid them as much as I can. If you want to lose those unwanted pounds without diet pills, try mall fitness walking. You won’t be disappointed.
Greenbelt 5
The last time I was inside Greenbelt 5 was more than a month ago. Phase 2 was still covered with dusts, the smell of paint was filtered through my nostrils and at every corner, construction was underway. But after a couple of weeks of massive work, Greenbelt 5 is now in its full form, positioning itself as one of the few shopping centers that caters to the elite.
While the possibility of people being laid off from their jobs looms in the horizon, Pinoys are busy building malls…and shopping 
Not that it is a bad thing. These malls that sprouted at every corner like your mega sari-sari store sent Philippines back to the map. It was SM Mall of Asia, the world’s third largest mall, that did it and every mall management seemed to head to that direction. We’re no longer just notorious for being one of the world’s most corrupt governments and top human resource exporters. We, a third world, have become the world’s shopping capital, housing every signature brands and welcome the likes of an Oscar de la Renta to our fold.
Our malls can actually shame those that stand on the English soil. Well, the British are known to build magnificent palaces that can overwhelm every visiting statesman. Even their ordinary houses can turn the most common among us green with envy. While we build palatial malls, we have a huge chunk of the population subsisting in a P50/day budget.
What we lack is a lifestyle consistency. We simply dress to impress.
