Shopping here appears to be the national pastime. Forget basketball. Hit the mall. You can even got to Sunday Mass there if you are so inclined, with services in English and Tagalog. (Remember, English is an official language here.)
We are about to celebrate my mother-in-law's 80th birthday in an hour. There should be 200+ people in our yard here, and hopefully we'll have enough food. You never know how many people will show. The problem with estimating a crowd is that it is acceptable for the invitees to bring family and friends. And since my wife and I are the official hosts of the party...well, you get the picture. The mayor of Maria's hometown (pop. > 260,000) was kind enough to send over a tent.
A burger, fries and a drink: $1.50 US.
Two large pizzas: $9.
A party for 200 with food, two bands, a staff of 20 serving and all cheaper than you would think.
Going to a shopping mall literally halfway around the world from home and randomly running into Eddie and Carmen, friends of the family who have visited us in Bourbonnais: priceless. It's a small world after all.
And by the way, this mall (one of soooo many) is, in our opinions, nicer than the regional mall where we live. And it's about 98% leased at less than one year old.
