#capitol commons

It was raining when I woke up, and there’s a chance it will rain through the rest of the day. It may have stopped briefly when I left, but it resumed while en route to North Avenue.

As for the outfit, it’s orange and black. Yup, I’m wearing the orange Shoyo Hinata shirt and a pair of orange socks, but everything else is black. Plus, I’m wearing the usual accessories.

I left the house before 10:00 AM. Traffic is light (a little heavy past Tandang Sora, though), but I’m dealing with heavy rain along the way (with low visibility and a chance of flooding).

Reaching North Avenue, I immediately took the MRT to Shaw Boulevard, where the first two malls on my itinerary are connected. I decided to visit Starmall EDSA-Shaw first.

I didn’t visit any of the shops. I only wanted to check the (former) cinema area, where ALLTV and ALLRADIO (formerly K-Lite) studios are. Aside from that, there’s KKV at the ground level (I didn’t go down, though). Also, AllHome is already closed (and probably also some of Starmall’s anchor tenants, including AllDay Supermarket).

I immediately headed back to the MRT entrance after taking a few snaps.

I then proceeded to the other side of MRT Shaw Boulevard, where Shangri-La Plaza Mall is. I checked a couple of shops and a showroom.

I visited Biblio first. I’m still amazed at the bookshop’s ambience, as well as the typewriter displayed alongside the featured books. I just browsed through some book titles and moved on.

Next stop, Muji (East Wing). I finally got to buy the khaki green shirt I’ve been eyeing since late last year. I also bought a bag organizer to replace the one I had at the moment.

And then there’s Asian Eats at the event center. It features food and products from different Asian countries, including ours. At this point, I was starting to get hungry, but I decided to hold off for a moment.

It was still raining when I headed to my next stop, Estancia at Capitol Commons. I walked toward my next destination, and I immediately realized it was much faster to take a ride instead.

A portion of Meralco Avenue is temporarily closed to give way to the Metro Manila Subway project. One of the subway stations is located right next to the Estancia Mall.

Reaching Unimart (Capitol Commons), I decided to have lunch at Jollibee. It’s burger steak, chicken macaroni soup, and mashed potatoes. I then checked the rest of Estancia afterward. And yes, I also passed by the Muji branch there.

Next stop, Ayala Malls The 30th. I only checked a couple of shops there. There’s the Kawaii Fest XIII on the ground floor.

A lot of shops had closed, including Fully Booked (not sure if they relocated somewhere inside the mall or have already moved out). The cinemas are also closed, having been converted into an active lifestyle hub called Activate.

And it’s time to head to SM Megamall. This time, I took a jeep to EDSA-Shaw. It took me a while to hail one, and it had to take a long detour as there was ongoing construction of a subway station right beside Estancia. Around this time, I received a red warning notice from the NDRRMC, indicating heavy rain in my area.

Next stop: SM Megamall. The mall is currently undergoing redevelopment and rebuilding, so I’ll probably explore Mega Buildings B and D, and portions of Mega A. Also, I visited several shops, including Fully Booked and The Craft Central. There’s a Muji pop-up store at the Mega Atrium, but I decided to skip it.

Yup, the Otaku Expo Tanabata Festival is happening at the Megatrade Hall. I decided to check it out. There was a Battle Of The Bands by the time I entered the venue. I had a few selfies with cosplayers as well. I never bought anything at the venue, though.

Outside, I can see the demolished part of Mega A. The construction works are ongoing. The redevelopment and rebuilding are done in phases, and it'll take at least a few years to complete, given how massive Mega A and Mega B (SM Megamall's oldest structures) are.

Next stop: The Podium. I only checked a couple of shops there.

I stopped by Craft Coffee Roastery for a vanilla affogato and macadamia sansrival. I also uploaded the first set of photos on Instagram.

Regarding the affogato, it was actually scoops of ice cream with an espresso shot. It was served in a fancy ice cream cup, which is kind of unusual for a supposed coffee drink (or it wasn't). I simply mixed the two and tried to drink from it, which felt kind of awkward. As for the macadamia sans rival, I enjoyed it along with the affogato.

I then checked the rest of the mall. I eventually made it to the rooftop, a.k.a. the Roofdeck Garden. The sky was so foggy that I even took a photo of it (upward) along with the nearby tall buildings.

I also took a moment to check the lower ground floor (The Podium expansion), where the former SM Hypermarket is. Despite it being closed, the food stalls have remained. I never get to check the other lower ground floor where the service shops are.

Next stop, Robinsons Galeria. I wasn’t able to check the third level due to time constraints, but I was able to check Comic Odyssey. Looks like the escalators near the Ortigas Avenue entrance are boarded up, probably for replacement or maintenance works.

And finally, Greenhills Shopping Center. I can’t wait to check out the GH Mall. The mall looks quite massive. I visited a few shops, including Muji and the newly opened Fully Booked.

The mall was connected to the bazaar area.

I then checked the Shoppesville and the Promenade. I decided to skip the V Mall due to time constraints.

While visiting the latter, I noticed that the chandeliers had been removed, as well as the projectors that decorated the halls leading to the cinemas. I then took a moment to visit the Fully Booked branch there.

And I decided to head home. I took a short jeepney ride to MRT Santolan-Annapolis and then took the train to North Avenue. I passed by the Landmark Supermarket (expansion) to buy a bottle of Pocari Sweat, as I was really dehydrated.

Waiting for the UV Express to SM Fairview took longer than expected. But at least I didn't get stuck in traffic or a flood. I got home around 11:00 PM.

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Well, this mall-hopping trip is close to perfect… if only it didn’t rain all day. Yeah, the heavy rain managed to slow things a bit. Also, I must’ve spent a considerable amount of time at some of the shops, and I may have stayed a bit longer at the cafe while enjoying my affogato and sans rival. Sometimes I need to plan carefully if I want to maximize everything on this mall-hopping trip.

Regardless, I enjoyed this and the otaku event (even if I didn’t stay long inside the venue). I wonder if the weather will cooperate next month, during MIBF week. Besides the Mall Of Asia Complex this September, I’m also looking forward to visiting the BGC-McKinley area this October, hopefully on my 36th birthday. And by November or December, it's either the Eastwood/East Ortigas or the Eastern Metro Manila (including Robinsons Magnolia and SM Sta. Mesa) areas.

That’s all for now. And I hope I won’t encounter another heavy rain on my next mall-hopping trip. Ciao!

I decided to wear my gray “I am not a latte” shirt, the one with a pumpkin on it. I left home a little later than usual, but I don't think the traffic situation will be that bad. Well, maybe. Along the way, I accidentally hit my head on the edge of the roof while getting inside the UV Express van after a lady (who is seated right beside me) get off at the UP Technohub. Obviously, I was seated right next to the door so I have to get off as well. I managed to arrive at MRT Quezon Avenue Station just before noon.

The MRT is running slower in some parts of the rail line, partly due to the rehabilitation works. It will take a couple of years for it to operate smoothly once again. Right now, I'll just have to deal with it.

I got off at MRT Shaw Station, passed by Shangri-La Plaza Mall without checking any of the shops, and immediately head to the two malls along Meralco Avenue: The Estancia Mall at Capitol Commons and Ayala Malls The 30th. I only checked a few shops in these malls. I also had hotdog on bun sandwich for lunch at 7/11 inside the latter.

The SM Store will open soon at the Estancia Mall. Meanwhile, some of the shops at Ayala Malls The 30th are closed.

Heading back to Shangri-La Plaza Mall, I passed by the stalls featuring Japanese items at the hallway. At the mall's East Wing, there's a photo exhibit featuring the sights of Japan, taken by Filipino photographers.

Visiting its neighbor SM Megamall, I checked a few shops. There's an exhibit at the Mega Building D, featuring Philippine-made products.

At the Podium Mall, Phase 1 of the mall area is now open. The layout remains the same, yet the interiors are updated. There's an ongoing music performance at the mall’s ground level.

Heading to Robinson's Galleria, I visited a couple of shops and had dinner at Greenwich. It's chicken, rice, and pasta, actually.

Final stop, Greenhills Shopping Center. The mall's logo is updated, and some of the shopping areas are being renovated, particularly the V-Mall and the bazaar area. I only checked the bookstores and found some amazing manga books, but I just can't blow money on it right now.

I took the MRT-3 back to Quezon Avenue Station and passed by the Centris Mall. I then took the UV Express home.

To be honest, I was feeling down and depressed during the latter part of that week. Somehow, the trip helped me cheer up and maybe realized that the sun is there to brighten up my day. Good thing it didn't rain throughout the day.

In a couple of weeks or so, I'm on another mall-hopping trip again. No details on the next place yet.

That's all for now. Time to get back to (a sad) reality, Keihancarl.