IT was when I was around 14 years old I remember buying my first Swatch. I saved enough from my allowance along with discount coupons cut out from newspapers at that time.

The only place I know where to buy one was in SM North in Quezon City–specifically in the Annex area because I’ve seen a Swatch store when our teachers took us there during a class field trip to Manila.

A field trip then wouldn’t be complete without a visit to an SM mall.

I never went to Manila on my own before then, but in previous trips (by car or bus) I’ve always figured out that once you’ve seen it you know you’re already in Manila.

And so I skipped class one morning and instead hopped on a bus bound for Cubao, told the conductor to drop me off at SM North, hopped on the bus a few hours after and was back in Tarlac in time to show off my brand-spanking new Swatch to high school buddies who may have thought I was sick that day.

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Ever been to Carriedo street in Quiapo lately? Wondered how it looks like these days?

Multimedia reporter Lawrence Casiraya visits this once-famous shopping center in Manila where the earliest malls like Shoemart (SM) and Isetaan were built.

By Izah Morales

BEFORE the sun painted the sky with orange and indigo hues, my companions Liberty, Maya, Red, Jing, Eden and I found ourselves stuck in traffic as we approached Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The cab driver told us that almost every household in Kuala Lumpur owned a vehicle, which explained the traffic jams.

Sitting for almost an hour and a half reminded me of how this trip from the Pan Pacific Hotel to KLCC was like going from Calamba City to Makati City. Finally, the cab driver dropped us in front of the famous Petronas Twin Towers, which was the world’s tallest building from 1998 until 2004 when Taipei 101 claimed the title of being the tallest building.

From the Petronas Twin Towers, we headed to the Raja Chulan Station, KL’s monorail. Paying RM 1.60 (approximately P15), Maya and I were off to Maharajalela Station, where Petaling Street was just a few meters walk while the others went to Bukit Bintang.

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