Shop Malling in Cebu, Philippines

I’d had dreams of coffee but had always been able to waken myself before drinking it. This time my eyes wide open after a nap, I sat down and still thinking of coffee as the smell of it was stronger at this height as the wind buffeting the coast carried it from where I was sitting. I suddenly grabbed my bag and asked my cousin to drive me to SM Cebu. As Cesar, my cousin circled SM before dropping me to Gate 6, I’d had my nose glued to the window of F150. My favourite shopping mall, SM, my mom had called it as she’d told her friends stories about her music adventure, shopping sphere and restaurant hopping with me, my sister and my cousin.

SM City Cebu

SM City Cebu is a huge shopping centre which has a land area of 11.8 hectares and a gross floor area of 2,891,300 square feet or 268,611 m2. It’s the 4th largest shopping mall in the Philippines and is in the 19th place in the world’s largest shopping malls. Name what you want, it has everything in it. Some people enjoy a day at SM to shop. Others prefer to shop mall or spend time in SM on a nice warm day.

So, I was in SM, Cebu one Saturday afternoon. It’s a four-level complex, that was where we were headed first, the 4th level, so, we had a lot of walking to do. Almost feels dreamlike to be shop malling on this beautiful, organized shopping, boutiques and stores with Frenza, a close friend. We passed by a fully computerized bowling centre before checking the cinema listings. There are eight cinemas with a total seating capacity of 8,848 on this floor. We finally skipped watching a movie in the end and continued shop malling until I found a beautiful pair of boots in a style I hadn’t seen before. I literally did a double take. I was supposed to be just window shopping, not boot shopping. I froze in my tracks and took a closer look and decided to buy it. Fren bought something for her niece, too.

We had finished shopping and were looking for a short line to get in to. On an average day, over 100,000 people pass through the mall’s doors. I could see a lot of life, it was like watching scenes of a movie. I chose a line that had two women, one was getting ready to pay and another woman in front of me anxious to pay. I was waiting for my turn when the baby cried. I found myself looking at a woman who was carrying an infant. The baby looked as if she had just had some kind of medical treatment on her skin. Some of the people who were shop Malling also stopped and simultaneously said, “What’s wrong baby?” Then two children approached the baby and tried to calm her down. I found that endearing.

North Wing Hang Out

We headed for the North wing, my fave hangout in SM. As our legs carry us to the area, our spirits rose high for we knew that once we arrived there, there would a band performing great music. The bustle came at us from a distance, we bounced off a couple of passing shoppers, carrying shopping bags, talking, laughing and probably going for a cup of coffee like us. We paused for a minute to hear the flow of music. We walked around, enjoyed the music and Saturday buzz.

Listening to music usually helps me jump start my imagination and I saw beauty everywhere we went, in every face I saw, in every single soul we’ve met in the mall. People were being fashion-forward and innovative. There was beauty all around us and we took the time to appreciate it. Then...there was this song, has a chorus that goes just like this:

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don’t be afraid I have loved you

For a thousand years

I’ll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I’ll love you for a thousand more

One step closer

One step closer

The singer sang her version of Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” and began to gather a large amount of attention. People started to sing along including me and my friend. The audience’s reaction plus the emotions of the story song only made the performance more magical and personal. I wouldn’t be surprised since the song was recorded for the movie “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” which was a sleeper hit. I was sure that there were lots of Twilight Saga Fans during the performance. In the first place, it was understandable why fans are attracted to Christina Perri’s songs in those moments. Though her songs are sad, she still imparts hope. She encourages the people to follow their own dreams and embrace their happiness. For me it’s a great way to connect with people. In the second place, people from Cebu better known as the Cebuanos are known to love music, known for the culturally rich and diverse music. Indeed music has a soothing power and a unique link to people’s emotions. It’s awesome!