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Return to Divisoria – Thursday Thirteen – #12

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Though I did not get much sleep, I am so happy with how we spent our day. Alfred finally took me for some retail therapy where all the bargain hunters go – Divisoria! (Check other posts about Divi – the place to be! – here, here and here.

So this edition of Thursday Thirteen is all about my July 2 2008 trip to Divi!

  • This was the earliest I’ve ever been to Divi – we were there before 9am. I got off work at around 730 and we went there right after breakfast. We were able to beat the traffic because we passed through North rather than traverse the length of Quezon Avenue and España. Early is the best time at Divi!
  • We hopped on a jeepney from Divi to Morayta on our way home. Why is this worth mentioning? Because I do not commute (public transport) on a daily basis. I take a cab to and from work not because I’m rich or maarte but because it’s the fastest, and actually the most practical way for me. If I were to go by public transport, it would take 2 rides and about 4 blocks on foot to get to work. I do take the jeepney if I only have to go somewhere “near.” The ride reminded me that I should commute more often – ditch the cabs!
  • We set out to find these, and we did! All I need is magnets and can turn them into those. They were so cheap!

  • We also got two pairs of pants for myself with some embroidered embellishments on the pockets (not too attention grabbing, don’t worry). (PhP 250 each)
  • I also grabbed a pair for my mom!
  • There are 2 shirts for dad too! (at PhP 250 for both!)
  • A black jacket for Alfred which really made his shoulders look broader than usual (I likey). This would hopefully curb his craving for an Adidas jacket. 🙂
  • Anime DVDs! (for Alfred too)
  • It rained so we had to purchase two big umbrellas (for 90 pesos or 2 US dollars each)
  • We used only 50% of plastic bags than we would normally have because I had my funky Envirosax tote!
  • Oh, and I got cheap fabrics for a project I’ll be making this weekend. I’m not sure but I got the feeling that these were scraps or rejects or something. But the prints are awesome. No pictures for now because I’d rather post the finished product.
  • I got a muumuu for myself, and one for Alfred’s mom. Okay, we don’t call them muumuus here, we refer to them as dusters but that’s the closest English equivalent I could find. And these ‘dresses’ I got are house-dresses, not what one would normally wear when going out. 🙂
  • Aside from the assault we did on Divisoria Mall itself, we were only able to look around the two streets leading to DM but there are so many other shops and sidewalk stalls in that area that we will have to scour next time we’re there. If things go the way I want them to in terms of projects, we’d probably go there at least once every month. Yay!

Read my past TTs here and here.

Oh, Thank you for taking me there Babe!

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

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The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan. Where do I even begin?

I got the book months ago. When I finally picked it up from the pile, it took me weeks to finish. The beginning of the story didn’t really capture my fancy, but once I committed to reading it through to the end, I was actually captivated by the stories weaved by Libby-ah and her sister Kwan.

While reading, I had this vision of China that was much like Bangaan, the province where my grandfather came from. Mountains, rice paddies, cool, misty and peaceful. That was the Changmian I saw in my mind. But it wasn’t the same one I saw when Kwan was recounting stories of Miss Banner and the rest of them. In my mind I was seeing the China from the older Jet Li movies.

Kwan’s disappearance puzzled me. I couldn’t understand why she had to be gone. I guess it can’t be perfect right? Did she know she was not coming back? It seems like so.

The World of Yin. I’ve talked about this before – how, nearing my grandmother’s death, she sees visitors. Plenty of them who have come to see her. She often mentioned women, friends, who have passed away years ago, coming to ask her to go with them. For a long time, she chose to stay. But then we’d see her startled sometime, as if she was still seeing them there.

So do I think there’s a World of Yin? I’m not sure really. But it’s a comfort to know that when you go, you wouldn’t have to be alone and afraid.

What Happens in Vegas (I <3 Ashton Kutcher)

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*Click the photo and it’ll take you to the movie page in Yahoo.

Before I saw CSI on Cable on Sunday night, I watched What Happens in Vegas on DVD.

Predictably – Ashton Kutcher was disgustingly lovable! Haha.

I enjoyed watching and I had some laughs. I wasn’t creeped out laughing on my own in the middle of the night Giggle 2. It was a fun movie to watch.

I have to agree with my friend though, they don’t really make a cute couple, but I guess they were effective for their respective roles. It was quite easy to figure out the story. It makes for very light watching – no analysis needed. They did try to put something else into the story – like a background for why Jack was such a jerk, or why Joy was so uptight. But they just played on the same things over and over so there wasn’t really much there…

But that’s the up side to this movie too: just plain fun to watch.

Oh, here’s a thought too. What made Joy bet on Jack? I mean, apart from him going to the retreat and saving her ass, what did Jack show her that made her bet on him? Or was she just saying it out of pity. I get how easy it was for Joy to be herself around Jack, and not to wish she was something or somebody else. But the other way around? I didn’t quite get that.

Anyhoo. I still enjoyed the movie and would recommend it for anyone who’s bored Laughing. I also agree that for any relationship to work, the individuals have to somehow come to terms with their own demons. If they can’t rid themselves of it, at least they should know that they have quirky issues.

What Happens in Vegas also got me thinking: what does it really take to make a marriage last? What makes a union a marriage? My parents have been together for over 30 years. I was at my grandparents’ golden wedding anniversary just before I started my freshman year at the university. I’d still like to believe that most marriages in the Philippines do last. Will Alfred and I make a good marriage?

Yesterday, he mentioned to me that he has casually told his parents our plans to get married in June of 2009. Casually. It was his eldest brother’s despedida lunch and that brother’s father in law casually asked his mom when Alfred had plans to tie the knot. So he told them. That was it. We don’t know how we’re going to tell my side of the family. It feels kinda weird. Haha.

Have we prepared ourselves for it already? Do we bring out the best in each other like Jack and Joy did? Though sometimes it doesn’t look like it, I still think that we do.

SM Biodegradable Plastic Bags

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One night, alone in my bed, I couldn’t sleep. My mind was working overdrive. My attention was somehow directed to the trashbag we had hanging by the doorknob of my bedroom. It was an SM shopping bag and I was puzzled by what was written at the bottom: BIODEGRADABLE.

I was itching to turn Alfred’s laptop on and do some research right there and then. But I had already turned off the wifi router downstairs and I really didn’t want to make myself up more by walking all the way down and then up again. So I decided to leave it until the next day.

I forgot all about it though. The next day, I wracked my brain for what I wanted to research but couldn’t remember what it was. Today, I saw three or four blue SM plastic shopping bags on a chair – obviously my parents went shopping on Sunday afternoon. Then I saw it again: BIODEGRADABLE.

Was it possible? I asked Alfred. We finally looked it up.

I am disappointed that there is not much press about SM’s – the largest shopping mail chain in the Philippines – initiatives like this. I mean, they should totally use it in their advertising. Here’s one story I found on Google. And there are a lot of shoppers who blogged about this too. They have photos posted as well, which is what kept me from posting my own photo of the bag. Haha.

BUT. There seems to be a question of proper disposal still.

On the Wikipedia entry on Biodegradable Plastics, it says

“Proper composting methods are required to efficiently degrade the plastic, which may actually contribute to carbon dioxide emissions.”

Okay, I’d really like to know more about bioplastics and the proper disposal of such. Like, would it better if we use the SM bags to line our trash cans or would that mean it would also end up in landfills and would still not be decomposed as fast as literature says it should? I’d rather not research much on it right now though. At least not now. So if you have any useful links that can tell me more about this, be sure to send it over?

I appreciate that SM is taking steps to address the problem of environmental degradation, at no obvious added cost for the consumers. Maybe Robinson’s and Ayala Malls will follow suit? They should also encourage buyers to bring their own reusable bags.

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