Photo source is from here. I haven't had the chance to take a shot like this because it's located on a highway. My phone might be snatched, hehe.
Philippine Supermalls bring warm and joyful spaces for every season, especially during Christmas. Well, at least back then, it did. You'll see families shopping and looking for gifts. Kids were eating at Jollibee. A mall that is full of people. But, now, all I see are adults covered with masks and face shields.
SM Malls are like a culture to the Filipinos. We are addicted to 'malling,' though sometimes, we don't buy anything, and we're just there enjoying the fantastic air-conditioning system due to the scorching heat in our country.
Dare my mom to go to SM every day, and she'll gladly take your challenge, lol.
It's aMASSIVE!
It's AMAZING. I know, I'm kinda lame on that pun, hehe.
With a total current land area of 86,463 sqm + the expansion size of 51,000 sqm, it will have a total land area of 137,463 sqm! This is equivalent to having 20 football fields! Wow!
Located at the Old National Highway, Brgy. Tagapo, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, Philippines is the soon to be 3rd largest SM Mall in South Luzon. We'll be seeing the expansion area this 2021! Super excited with that!
SM City Sta. Rosa is a home for plenty of pop-up stores and restaurants! For more information about its partner stores, look here.
Photo credits from City of Santa Rosa, Laguna 4026 and Sir Odiver Jayson
The spirit of Christmas!
I never thought that Christmas is fast-approaching until I saw it at the front area of the mall. Da*n! This pandemic really got a hold on me. I've no track of how days passed. I just care about the plan of surviving each day.
A cold, refreshing air numbed my system upon stepping 2 meters away from the mall's front. The Philippines is a tropical country. We're not bothered about experiencing a 30+ degrees Celcius temperature, haha. So, it's a relief to experience some cold, fresh air.
SM Supermalls, owned by SM Prime Holdings Inc., has over 70 malls in the Philippines and seven in China. Yes, China! It has been expanding its international market over the years.
Three of the SM Malls actually once belonged to the top 10 largest Malls worldwide a few years ago. That's how crazy our malls are! Though we are just a dot on the global map, the Philippines still has many to offer despite its limited land area!
If it wasn't for SM, I wouldn't know that Christmas is just around the corner. Every corner has a Christmas season vibe! From the entrance, every shop, and the escalator!
What I like the most about this mall are its structure and designs! This area here is visible from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. It has trees, butterflies, and plants! Like a mini-dome💕
As you know, we're still in a series of lockdowns a year after the start of the pandemic. That's on corruption out there, wews.
Going to the mall has been hard for us. For instance, we have to wear this face shield over a mask, wow. Filipino engineers and scientists who have immense knowledge about aerodynamics have been condemning this face shield thingy as it is NOT necessary unless you're in a hospital under critical condition. But yeah, as a citizen, we have to do our part as per the law.
But, they are really a hassle, especially if you have eyeglasses :<
I'm here in SM with my mom because I mentioned in the last blog that we're going back on our appointed schedule to fix the laptop.
After fixing the keyboard of the laptop, we went to KFC to eat. I was surprised by how cheap their foods are! I mean, I avoided dining in KFC before because it looks super expensive, lmao.
This meal only costs us around Php 120.00 - Php 150.00 ($2.37 - $2.97). Sulit, right? Sulit in Tagalog means "Worth it!"
The flavor shots rice meal with mushroom soup only costs us around Php 90 - 100.00 ($1.78 - $1.98), and the burger's price is only Php 35.00 ($0.69). It's such a great deal!
After all the walking, window shopping, and eating, we decided to get home and had a takeout of a dozen of Dunkin' Donuts for my siblings.
I love how the light illuminates the dark sky!
But, there's more!
After leaving the SM Mall, my mom decided to buy some biscuits from Savemore Supermarket (owned by SM.) Upon setting my foot at Savemore, Christmas interior designs caught my attention, again.
But, despite all these lively designs and colors, I felt an unsettling feeling? Is it possible to be surrounded with lights yet emptiness still creeps in? Does the spirit of Christmas season really died? Or this is just a part of my adulting stage? What's your take on this?
Hope you got a good read here! Have a wonderful day, everyone!
