December 25, 2009
Beauty, Business, Consumer, Corporate, Events, Features, Gifts, Leisure, Mindanaoan Update, Photos, Society, Style, Travel, blogging
So yes, Mindanaoan was in Metro Manila for two days. Hence, the obvious lull here in my humble blog. My two-day Manila trip was a surprise Christmas gift from two very special friends whom you’ll learn more about in the next few days. Needless to say, the trip was the most expensive one I received this year…and the sweetest impromptu gift, I must admit.
For now, I’d like to share some of the shots I took last December 23, 2009 at SM Mall of Asia, considered the 3rd largest mall in the world.
Truly, the festive Christmas spirit can be felt at MOA!
I did a little bit of Christmas shopping there, watched “Avatar” at IMAX 3D theater, ate at a relatively new restaurant and bought Krispy Kreme for pasalubong. I wanted to visit Trinoma, too, but 2 days just isn’t enough!
Anyways, here are some of the photos I took while I was at MOA.
Here’s a shot of the huge Christmas tree by the bay:
And here’s a shot of the uber tall Christmas tree inside Mall of Asia:
More photos after the jump…
LikeI’ve been so preoccupied during the holiday season that I now only had the chance to post this picture! Well, better late than never, eh? 
Here’s a picture that I took of the large Christmas tree found in Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. I took this on a Friday, which coincidentally was also “Night Cafe” day in CDO. “Night Cafe” is a regular Friday and Saturday event in the City of Golden Friendship. Most roads within the Divisoria area are closed to traffic and various vendors put up shop along the streets. So without further ado – here’s the lighted Christmas tree. Pretty, yes?
From my family to yours – Merry Christmas! (Malipayong Pasko) I hope the past year has been fruitful, peaceful and definitely merry for you and your family. My 2008 has been (and still is!) amazing – I have traveled to more places this year, attended more events and festivals around Mindanao, met more interesting people around the Philippines and tried my hand on more things such as photography, white water rafting and Photoshop dabbling! I intend to continue this amazing journey next year, 2009 – the Year of the Ox. Hopefully, I will travel even farther, increase my list of friends, meet more people, help more strangers, hone my talents more and just become a well-rounded, warmer, more confident, more courageous person. Expect bigger things here in Mindanaoan as well!
Once again, Merry Christmas to you – let love and peace reign! Cheers!
So how much did you receive as Christmas bonus this year? If you think your ten or twenty thousand pesos is already a big amount, think again. Government employees in Bukidnon received fifty thousand pesos for their bonus this December. Yes, Provincial Government of Bukidnon (PGB) employees received P50,000.00 each (more than a thousand US dollars) this year.
Don’t be too surprised, though, because the said amount is actually LESSER than what the regular Bukidnon provincial government employees received last year. The year 2007 saw each and every regular provincial government of Bukidnon employee receiving a staggering eighty thousand pesos (P80,000.00)
Interestingly, some of my friends working in the PGB said that the P50,000.00 still wasn’t enough. They said that they still have to pay a lot of IOUs.
“Daghan pa gihapon mi utang nga pagabayran (We still have a lot of debts to pay off). Nag-hope gyud ko nga more than eighty thousand ang bonus but kini ra man (I really hoped that the bonus would be more than eighty thousand but this is all we got),” one of my female friends said. She recently got hitched and has a baby boy. Still, my friend admitted that the fifty thousand bonus was a big help for her and her family. She admitted it was definitely a far cry from the usual five thousand bonus most private employees in Bukidnon received this year.
Which brings me to ask…how come a province like Bukidnon can afford to give this much as bonus to its government employees?
Have you been to Gaisano Mall of Davao lately? Because I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that you will never think there’s a financial crisis going on when you see the throngs of Christmas shoppers in that mall. Actually, the scenes in other malls aren’t different either. A lot of Dabawenyo Christmas shoppers are also busy checking out the Christmas sales in SM Davao, Chimes, 168 Mall Davao, NCCC Mall, Times Square and in other shopping centers around Davao City, Mindanao. I also spotted a lot of people along San Pedro Street (does anybody remember Mantex? What about A & M?)
Anyways, here are some photos I took over the weekend when my family and I bought some gifts at G-Mall:
See? You can’t help but wonder, “Crisis? What crisis?”
I guess CRISIS-mas isn’t “uso” in Pinas!
What about you? Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?
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