Happy Weekend my friends!
Saturdays for me usually mean doing errands and the usual mundane activities that needs completion before the start of a new week, but this one turned out to be more colorful than expected. We went back to Marquee Mall in Pampanga, the same place where we tried Vietnamese coffee last week, and this time I thought I would explore the other areas.
The first thing that caught my eye was this walkway adorned with gold and red baubles, hanging above like fruit on a festive vine. It wasn’t even December yet, but the mood was there, as if the season had arrived early. That is how excited we all are here in the Philippines about Christmas. We have this thing called the "ber" months which starts on SeptemBER all the way to DecemBER that is the start of Christmas season here so expect the decorations are already up even before celebrating Halloween. I had this photo taken that is me with a grocery bag. It may not look much but these ornaments transformed an ordinary walkway into something inspiring and wonderful.
We went inside, the mall was just waking up and there stood a bright red London bus that caught my attention. Not the real kind, of course, but a playful replica, parked and waiting. Yay there is a double decker here no need to visit London hahaha
Then the errands began: groceries. And there, piled high, were pumpkins that are big orange ones. Look at the local squash beside them feeling dull and neglected. I am thinking these pumpkins could be imported? unless we are now growing them here in the Philippines. I usually see them online, carved up for Halloween, but here they were, labeled and ready to buy. I just smiled at how global and local blend together in the simplest things, even supermarket shelves and took a photo to remember.
We ate lunch after, and on the way home, I thought the day was already done but we chanced upon one more surprise. From the car window, we saw a parade forming. At first, I thought it was just a small barangay event, but then came the dancers with costumes exploding with color, gold and red against the light, followed by others in layered greens and silvers that looked like living gardens swaying in rhythm. The headpieces alone were works of art.
And then row after row of performers, I saw some of them with their shoes off maybe their feet got tired pounding the pavement . I still have no idea what the event is for as this is my first time seeing this at this time of the year. I wonder what are they carrying here. It is already late afternoon and I know these folks are tired walking and performing but their faces lit up with excitement still. There had been two typhoons recently and it was raining last night but today it is dry and sunny seems like the weather is cooperating with this event.
The ordinary afternoon had revealed a celebration I wasn’t meant to see and yet, I was lucky enough to catch. I don’t even know if these performers were from Pampanga or visiting from somewhere else, and honestly, I didn’t need the answer.
It felt like a festival that bloomed out of nowhere, unexpected and unscheduled. That parade became the highlight of my Saturday the kind of experience you don’t plan but it was there happening and I can only take quick snaps of it to cherish.
Looking back, this day was more than errands. It was a series of little discoveries like the baubles, playful symbols, foreign pumpkins, and finally, a parade that turned an ordinary weekend into a memorable story worth telling. It is not about chasing after experiences it is about letting them find you when you are least prepared. And that’s what made this weekend unforgettable.
