11.09.08
All in a Mall
Finally, Dipolog has a mall. No longer “s-mall” or “mall-i-it,” but a real mall with a grocery containing ingredients essential for mimicking Giada de Laurentiis, Ina Garten, and Bobby Flay. Weeeeeeeeee! BUT! To my chagrin, no bookstore yet. I earnestly hope they unveil one… for don’t they know, a mall without books is like a body without a soul?!
~~~
Milk for Misha, slices of pork steak for Espresso Barbecue, a kilo and a half of chicken wings for Chilli Wings, flour, sugar, cake ingredients, no beauty products; judging by the items in my cart, one would have easily mistook me for a housewife… and yet as I double-checked my calligraphed grocery list and lined up at the counter, the crude palavering of married women nearby, shocked me.
One was confessing to another that she married a foreigner “for the dollars,” while another chimed in dreamily and shifted the topic to genitalia sizes which perceptibly connoted that she, if not for money, married for sex – or both, and believe me, it sounded more nauseating in the Visayan dialect, and I refuse to elaborate.
“Has the world gone mad, or am I the only person in this line who thinks that marriage is supposed to be sacred and not looked upon as a means for lucre, convenience, or mere pleasure?” I thought. Rude as it may have seemed, they were worthy of the generous disapproving glare I gave them.
Even though romantic notions of love is not what marriages should consist of entirely, last time I checked, I still wished to marry not even for admiration, not for the benefits, not because I owe a person anything, not because I’m afraid I’ll end up shriveled and alone, but for good old love. And although I’ve conceptualized what my wedding cake should look like, marriage is certainly not a piece of tasteless cake the way those women (were they?) along the check out counter made it seem.
jonathan hawk said,
November 10, 2008 at 12:47 am
don’t let them disuade you, your path is the one with heart, and the path you choose, cake and all… will be the one that makes you happy. we can only hope they’ll find that on theirs, for whatever reason they found their union, yours has to be about YOUR path of heart.
i learned that the hard way, my friend. and i have the scars to prove it. but, because i’m kind of bright, won’t be a fool again!
rogen said,
November 10, 2008 at 8:03 am
hi mewa! naa nay mall ang dipolog? dili na kadtong city mall? asa dapit man na? wow! i’m looking forward to visiting dipolog again. dipolog will always have a special place in my heart. :)
sopraninigabi said,
November 10, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Even the little mall within UP Diliman (Shopping Center) boasts of no less than two bookstores.
I CANNOT imagine a mall without a bookstore. Nor a coffee shop. :)
Very apt description… “a body without a soul”… *applauds*
I agree with you, Mir, about what marriage should mean. But a part of me sympathizes with the women you described. We are so blessed to have led privileged lives, compared to the hard lives some women are condemned to live upon birth. We can only guess at what hardships they endured (and go on enduring) if they had to resort to marrying for money, for security.
And about the woman who married for sex, what kind of an upbringing must she have had for her to find no shame in brazenly admitting her lusty appetites in public? No blushing Maria Clara privileged upbringing, for sure.
Indeed, we are very lucky, Meewa. Some cultures call marrying for love a luxury. For me, it is a luxurious necessity. :)
Miracle ♪♫ said,
November 11, 2008 at 1:09 am
¤ To Jonathan:
It’s hard to imagine you ever being a fool, but I’ll take your word for it. Hehehe Seriously, I shall keep those things in mind, Jonathan. Thanks so much.
¤¤¤
¤ To Gen:
Hi Gen! Yes, this mall is certainly waaay larger than the city mall-i-it. It’s right in front of ABC’s entrance - your old neighborhood. Come back soon, Gen! Cafe Romano’s waiting!
¤¤¤
¤ To Gabi:
“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
Credits to Cicero. ;-)
That’s true, Gabi. After posting this entry, I realized a harshness in my tone that slowly dissolved into pity. When love is compromised and trodden down, it irks me so much… but it is not for me to condemn them. How blessed we truly are.
Seriousness aside, look at us who wish to marry for love. In their eyes, we’re the empty-handed. hahaha =P
sirok said,
December 1, 2008 at 10:52 am
ach! i’m lost in your blog somewhere. must be wordpress…
Miracle ♪♫ said,
December 1, 2008 at 11:02 am
Haha =) That’s no surprise. I still have trouble finding my way in my own blog, Ma’am. Yep, they’ve adapted the Wordpress format.