so how many have you been to?
Posted at 02:03 PM

i just realized yesterday that traveling around the philippines can be mapped by how many SMs one has been to. now some of us may be unhappy about the mall-ification of this country, but you gotta admit, an SM makes you feel like you're home no matter where you are.

here's my list of SMs i've been to:

north edsa, manila, makati, centerpoint (gasp yes), megamall, mall of asia, dasmarinas cavite, sucat, bicutan, baguio, cebu, bacoor

and growing! haha!

it's not a big stop
Posted at 03:04 PM

i dare you to walk 2 blocks anywhere in metro manila and not hit a mini-stop. they have, seemingly overnight, taken over many a corner around here. in my area of makati there are 3 that are all within a 100 meter radius.

not that i'm complaining. just this morning i went to the one beside the bank to buy a P20 siopao for breakfast. that's the cheapest i could get - my biggest challenge with makati life having to give up the P10 meals in UP, but that's another story. so i lined up to get my siopao and in 3 minutes i was out of there.

the guy who wrapped it up was lightning quick - having graduated from, i suspect, the ninja siopao wrapping academy. everybody in there was in and out in 5 minutes. and that is the beauty of the corner convenience store. everybody understands when you have to run in, run around the aisles to get what you want, and then run out again. it's not just understanding, it's the way of life.

no longer do we have to apologetic for not being lingering and polite. the browsing through choices is all but dispensed with. how many people enter a convenience store not knowing what they want to get?

and the fact that manila is now dotted with these quick relief centers, what does that tell us? yes, that people now are more in a rush. yes, that we will never rid ourselves of the need for a nearby sari sari store. whatever it is, i think "stop" is an ironic thing to put in the name. maybe "speed through" is more accurate. but then, "mini speed through" makes no sense.