SM North

In one of my previous entries, I mentioned that SM might be putting up a new mall in the city. But that came as a surprise since SM City in Ecoland has a sprawling land behind it covering more than thrice the mall’s current floor space. Why not utilize it?

I don’t know what’s up in a businessman’s mind, but it might as well be true that a petty rivarly between Ayala and SM is on tack. This is just a rumor, but it sounds funny so I’m putting it here. I’ve read somewhere that Henry Sy was not particularly happy when Trinoma opened because it “snatched” most – not some – of SM North’s customers. There is some truth in that though, as some of you who have been to the place may attest.

And so they say, that with the Abreeza coming up (yep! that’s the name of the Ayala Mall), SM just doesn’t want to be left behind. All I knew then was that it will be in Lanang, but specifically where, I just didn’t know yet.

But now I do! The Lanang Golf and Country Club is now being bulldozed off supposedly for the new SM Mall, which for now is called – drum roll pls. – the Davao SM North. At first I can’t believe that they’re actually destroying the golf course for a mall, but I’ve seen it and the old country club is gone. Oh well…

So for the record, 3 new malls are currently being constructed in Davao – Abreeza, Robinsons Cybergate, and “SM North”. These three are all located along the JP. Laurel Avenue and are slated to open two to three years from now.

More…
Sensing perhaps the upcoming competition, Gaisano Mall is actually doing a mall-wide renovation and a massive expansion. In that lot in the middle of Davao Central School and the GMall carpark, the new 7-storey Gaisano mall annex is currently being put up.

On top of that, the main building has finally come into terms with the word aesthetics. Right. The air conditioning tubes traversing the mall corridors and alleys are now out of sight and yellow lights are replacing most of the fluorescent lamps. A small job actually, but looking at how the malls looks now is really laudable.

Victoria? Ha. Nothing for now.

robinsons, ayala and a second sm?

When the news came up that Robinson’s and Ayala will be putting up their malls in the city, I told myself not to get too excited. But as a metro-minded Davaoeno, I can’t help myself but be engrossly hopeful. Now, after months of expectation, it’s finally official! The sites are ready and the plans are all laid down. The construction’s to start soon and there’s certainly no turning back!

This is the soon to come Robinson’s Cybergate Davao. It is a two-storey mall to be located near the DPWH office along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Bajada. The mall is set to open in 2009. It’s pretty small for a mall but at least it’s Robinson’s.

The more exciting one is the upcoming Ayala Center. This huge development (pegged at Php 3B worth – the single biggest investment in the city to date) will sprawl in front of the Redemptorist Church still along J.P. Laurel Avenue in Bajada. Aside from the mall complex, it will also house a 2-hectare IT park. The IT park is set to be constructed first and expected to open by 2009. The mall will follow in 2010.

Want more? Visit these great sites:

http://neodavao.wordpress.com/

http://ptlavina.wordpress.com/

Second SM?

Moreover, there is a rumor that a second SM mall will rise in Davao (in Lanang in particular) and is said to be much bigger than the one we have at Ecoland. But as I told myself before, I won’t get too excited. It might be just a rumor, anyway (*smiling profusely*).

lo and behold the golden civilization

the kinnari …
a half-woman, half-bird hindu goddess…
but what makes this specific figurine special is that…

it is 3D (a one of its kind among the other kinnaris)…
it is made of gold…
it is made by Filipinos..
over a thousand years ago…

It is quite embedded in our consciousness, though some of us may deny feeling so, that the Philippines did not exist in importance before the Spaniards trampled our shores. The stretch of our history from then on made us seem more Hispanic-American than Asian as are our neighbors. We may have ethnic and tribal origins but even these do not collectively identify us as reminiscent of a civilization. it appears that we did not have one a long time ago. What is left for us as a consolation is that we are doing our best to build a contemporary identity however extraordinarily varied cultures might be at every island in our archepelago.

But we may be wrong. We may actually have had a civilization before the Spaniards came.

And realize that

if china is to jade
as india is to ivory
europe is to silver
what the philippines is to gold

click on:

going for the gold by jessica zafra
gold of ancestors: precolonial treasures in the philippines, ayala museum
gintong pamana, abs-cbn documentary

On a personal note, last night when I watched abs-cbn’s gintong pamana I was having goosebumps all the time. The magnitude of this archaeological discovery and its impact on our identity as Filipinos is so overwhelming my heart was pounding on my chest i was near to tears.

The first thing that came to my mind then was, “God, I want to go to the Ayala Museum!” I do hope that as this sure will invite scholars to pore once again into the precolonial history of Southeast Asia, may we be able to finally piece together and discover for ourselves that we do have a civilization, though not as brilliant as those of China and India, but certainly no less important in its contribution to the world.

pinas got a trio of wonders!

The night after I heard that an online poll for the new seven wonders of nature is on the move, I was already voting. And just a couple of months have passed, and indeed the wonders are moving!

Way back in March, the strongest bet the Philippines got was Tubbataha reef, which was only at 8th spot then, one notch short of the coveted top seven.

By May, Chocolate Hills went into the picture, and was skyrocketing from nowhere into the 9th spot. Following not that far at rank 21 was the underground river in Bohol. Dear Tubbataha unfortunately did not move.

Much as I want the Philippines to at least get these trio on the seven, I emailed all my contacts inviting them to – well, you guessed it – vote.

Since then I wasn’t able to check on the site regularly. And just this moment I did, and lo, I nearly jumped. the trio did get into the top seven! look:

Tubbataha is now in the 2nd spot, the Chocolate Hills in the 4th, and the underground river at 6th.

As an added surprise, another Philippine wonder joined the race. Mount Mayon is climbing up at rank 10.

The media coverage this voting is getting once in a while must have fueled the uprise.

I am not sure when but somewhere in the middle of the year, the daily top 77 will be trimmed down to 21. From 21, voting will again commence to finally choose the top 7, which will be announced next year.

Wouldn’t it be a blast to have the world know that half of nature’s most wondrous creations are in darling Pilipinas?

So for those who have voted, keep voting. For those who have not, just visit this site: http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/liveranking/

watch plays

i had a unisilver watch as an anniversary gift from my girlfriend last feb 6th. it’s digital and blue and has a stopwatch and alarm features. some think it’s kiddie stuff. but i like it. the time is easy to read, and it fits just right in my wrist.

this day, my watch seem to be playing games on me. twice, i read 5 same digits in a row accidentally. one was at 3:33:33 pm and another at 5:55:55. the thing is, i didn’t wait to see the numbers flash that way in my watch. i just happened to look at the time and they’re there.

i don’t know what this coincidence means, but i do like the way it put a smile on my face. it doesn’t happen all the time, does it?