One more obligatory gift to go, and my Christmas shopping is done. Jeez, I sound like a grinch. I used to love shopping for gifts, but I'm just not feeling the spirit. I miss shopping in Manila. There's this hype about Dubai being the ultimate shopping destination- with its gargantuan malls and exotic souks, the supposedly non-existent taxes, the fact that it has made shopping an actual event with its annual Shopping Festival, etcetera etcetera- but I don't buy it. Nothing beats shopping in Manila. Especially at Christmastime.
***
Ever noticed how a city feels and smells different around the holidays? There's a feeling in the air, everyone's extra happy or extra sad and expectations rise along with disappointments, holiday food scents are all over the place, the weather plays with everyone's moods, and all that. Here in Dubai, there's none of that. Sure, the weather has changed and malls and hotels have decorated a little bit, but that's it. Or maybe it's just me. Because I'm being all grinch-like.
***
I'm craving for bibingka- fresh, hot, steaming bibingka straight from a stall outside a church. Homesick much?
No comments:
Post a Comment