Diversions

While it seems like I spend most of my time tiptoeing along a wobbly tight rope between utter despondency and frustration on one end and a fleeting sense of triumph over adversity on the other, it isn’t always so. I do try to fulfill that “stop and smell the flowers” adage in my own little ways once in a while.

On weekends, it is all too easy to get lost in the euphoria of generally flat-tummied citizens walking around in a relentless state of oblivion. As if everything else is cool, stable and easy. The accessibility of malls here (read: no security guards pretending to inspect your bags with a measly wooden wand – I mean really, what’s up with that? Only in the Philippines, I guess.) allow for that much needed break from the monotony that has been strangling me for days. Window shopping is a form of diversion more than anything else. It is a way to alleviate the pangs of scarcity -- real or imagined, emotional and material – albeit temporarily.

But this diversion has its way of luring you in if you allow it to. One of the first few shops that will blind you is the jewelry shop. The diamonds that sparkle in all their glory behind glass cases will surely send any girl’s heart aflutter. They are the same “best friend” that can make your heart stop and throb all at once whether you are the one buying or the one being gifted with. It was my first time then at Tampines Mall and I realized that these jewelry shops were strategically located near the mall entrances. Business must be good and Singaporeans do love their blings. It might be a hypnotic attempt at attracting passersby the way that a male peacock captivates a potential mate with its flamboyant feathers. And before you even start to recite the 4 C’s, you are already singing your way in to the tune of Katy Perry’s “I wanna see your peacock” anthem. Just don’t echo the last syllable the way she does.    

The next thing that will catch your attention are the appliances and gadgets shops. Luckily, I am not a techie and I can be content with a modest version of whatever is on the market. But still, I can’t deny the intimidating presence of iPhone-wielding teens whose sole accessory should only be a solar-powered scientific calculator. But nobody said that life is fair. Nowadays they can have instant access to both the Theorem of Pythagoras and the theory of the Lady Gaga generation, where X equals iTunes + MAC cosmetics + jôie de vivré. Funan Digitalife Mall is built for the gadget-hungry. It is an entire building that sells anything and everything that could fit into this category. But I don’t fit in this techie mould. Perhaps it is indeed a guy’s world. It is the only realm where guys and girls alike understand the concept that smaller is better anyways. 

After all, size matters. I’m talking about food servings of course. I was at West Mall when I first tried Subway. I have always believed that the short interaction between the staff and the customer of any food establishment is crucial in the overall dining experience. Despite what I imagined to be a routine spiel, I still felt the “freshness” and sincerity of the staff as he presented me with the choices from the type of bread to the type of meat and veggies all the way to the sauces. He got me at the end when he spoke to me in Tagalog. He can easily be Malay/Singaporean with his looks and accent, but he is pure Filipino. Another reason to feel comfortable I thought. 

Now that I have heeded the advice of a wise man who once said that if you must window shop, do not go on an empty stomach, I can now continue my diversion. One of the best cures that window shopping brings to hapless souls like mine is presented like a tableau by the mannequins. As a child I would recite my ABC’s alongside cue cards of the alphabet where A stands for apple, B is for ball, and C for cat. But once you step inside Ion, Takashimaya or Paragon malls, you end up unlearning your alphabets and replacing them with Armani, Burberry and Chanel instead. And the best part is, you are willing to recite your whole new alphabet until Westwood, Yamamoto and Zegna. If their chic displays will not captivate you, the lingering aroma of fine fabrics and luxe leathers will surely do.

I soon found myself eating my quick perk-me-up comfort food in the form of McDonald’s vanilla sundae cone, closing my eyes on alternate licks. At the end of a day full of walking, I felt more tired than the lady who just came out of the mall with several paperbags and an easy-breezy-beautiful smile of confidence. For an Andersenian matchstick girl like me, I am content on staring unabashedly at the glass windows. At least for now.