a photo story from SS

Does Anybody Know This Flowering Plant?

A new commercial establishment has newly opened in a reclaimed area called Bay City along Roxas Blvd, Pasay City. It’s called "SM Mall of Asia". I’ve been there last week and what intrigued me most was ....

NOT its catch phrase "No other Mall Comes Close" (see below the name in the picture) To some, this commercial motto can be likened to a siren song, a hyperbole that conjures up the scenario of that of a weak-minded window shopper being gripped at both ankles, turned upside down and being shaken to empty out all that is in his pocket. (As a widely traveled person who has been to such big cities as New York City, Vancouver, Miami, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Naples, Sydney (to name a few), I become jaded to most advertising claims in giant Manila’s billboards as to regard them as mere empty boasts. In fact, one foreigner has once observed with a bit of exaggeration that "Filipinos has an obsession for the grandiose but always fall short of it".

 

But that’s only in the area of commercial advertisement; it’s even worse in Philippine politics. It’s election time here now and everywhere you look, you see posters of candidates who proclaim themselves as being the best and unparalleled persons in so-and-so. No need to be surprised at all, folks; it’s in the culture. So what does one has to do when he’s in his native land? Be like an eagle --- test before you trust. As a specific example: when you go inside a fast food chain store which says its recipes are "finger-licking good", don’t dive for them immediately; taste them first.)

...nor its numerous gourmet restaurants with some of them featuring, not candle light dining, but something else like the one above (Can this be an "elixir of old age"?

…nor its southern view of its baywalk area towards Cavite City

…nor its northern view of its baywalk area towards Manila’s South Harbor.

…nor its westward seaview of its baywalk area towards Corregidor Island.

 

…nor its roomy ice skating rink area. (Given the Filipinos’ inborn talent to imitate and learn a new craft, it would come as no surprise if they would rule the ice skating "world cup" very soon.)…nor its reasonably-priced (are they?) ice skating rates.

 

…but the sight of this outlandish, out-of-this-world-looking, unique, eye-catching, attention-getter, crowd-drawer, spectacular, one-in-a-million flowering plant which I caught in four camera poses while being posted on the sides of a cordoned rectangular area on the center second floor hallway of the "SM of Asia" at the top of a flight of stairs leading to the Ice Skating Rink.---#

ps---Mr. Vic, please take note, you don’t have to go to Hawaii to personally see the hula dancers, there’s a better version of it (hula dancing) here. Come to the Philippines instead, and spend your money here (it’s good for the economy); a number of Pinays have already mastered the above Indian and Arabian art

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Real Hula dancing is not erotic: Filipino hula dancing, esp. in clubs are hotter than the salsa..!

---vic