Malls Malls Malls!!!

They say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend but in my case, malls are what I consider my best friend. I believe that life would be so much different if malls were not created. It is where my family and I go to spend time together on Sunday afternoons. When I go out on a date with my boyfriend, malls are on top of the list of places to go. Malls are also the usual places where my friends and I go to for some catching up. We shop, watch a movie or simply, chitchatting at a coffee place in the mall. Given the fact that Malls are a huge part of my life, I must say I was oblivious of how malls are designed… not until I read the article of RolandoTolentino entitled “Sa Loob at Labas ng Mall Kong Sawi Kaliluha’y Nangyayaring Hari”. This reading is certainly an eye-opener for me!

Here are some of my favorite insights from the reading:

Ang mismong artifisylidad ng kapaligiran sa Megamall ang nagbigay sa atin ng tilamas makakbuting opsyon mula sa kapaligiran ating nararanasan sa labas.

I can still vividly remember the first time my heart was broken, I immediately called up my friends and invited them to go with me to the mall. Going to the mall alleviates the pain I’m experiencing. Though I still can’t rationalize how this happens but when I’m in the mall, my problems are forgotten. It’s like magic! Poof! No more problems!

Ang mall ay ang modernong plaza ng mga bayan.

Long before the construction of malls, there were already plazas. I love it how they modernized the concept of plazas into a more sophisticated structured malls. On the other hand, I am also concerned of the risk that malls can wipe out one important part of our culture which is the Plaza.

Itong dating ng karanasan sa mall ang siya ring nagtatakda ng sentralidad ng lugar sa usapin ng modernisasyon ng bansa.

Although it is a sad thing that Filipinos are little by little forgetting plazas like the Luneta Park, at least we are preparing ourselves to the concept of globalization through the help of Malls. Globalization is a big step towards a more modernized country.

Bakit habang tumataas sa Megamall ay lalong uunti ang tao nagiging mas spesyalido angmga tindahan?

This line really struck me to the point that I thought of the answer the whole afternoon. My hypothesis is that they placed the regular shops on the first 3 floors so that the consumers won’t have to go up to the highest floor just to avail of the common products. In short, the specialized shops were situated on the last floor for the convenience of the customers.