The Urban Roamer

Christmas in the city: the moving Christmas displays

July 29, 2014December 21, 2009 by The Urban Roamer

It was 52 Christmases ago when a small department store located along Rizal Avenue in Manila thought of a creative gimmick to entice prospective shoppers to go to their store.

Without much funds to do advertisements on print and radio, Alex Rosario thought of putting up a belly dancer plaster doll which was fitted to the motor of an electric fan to make it move. It became a hit for his department store known as Manila C.O.D.

Who would have thought that this simple marketing strategy would be the beginning of what would become a well-loved Christmas tradition? Who would have foreseen that it would soon evolve into a tradition that has found its way to become a staple of Christmas in the city, a spectacle which has meant more to generations beyond what supposed to be Christmastime advertising?

Christmas in the city: the Christmas spectacle at Policarpio St.

December 23, 2014December 10, 2009 by The Urban Roamer

As part of this year’s Christmas in the city 2009 series, the Urban Roamer takes you to one of the most famous streets in the metropolis during this season.

Located within the vicinity of Barangay New Zaniga in Mandaluyong City, is a street known as F. Policarpio. I have yet to find out who exactly is F. Policarpio but I can surmise he’s some Mandaluyong politician or some prominent figure there. While it looks just like any other middle-class neighboorhood typical here in the metropolis, this neighborhood shows a different face every Yuletide season. A face some may find too flamboyant or extravagant. But hey, it’s the Christmas season so we can at least cut some slack on that.

Christmas in the city: the great bazaar of the south

July 29, 2014December 5, 2009 by The Urban Roamer

The Christmas spirit is definitely in the air. And here in this urban jungle, nothing can define this spirit than the maddening crowds at every shopping place imaginable. From the airconditioned malls to the crowded flea markets, people are flocking to the very corners of the city looking for that bargain find as a present to himself or to someone else.

The recently concluded St. James The Great Christmas Bazaar down south in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa was a testament to the dedication many people have all in the name of bargain finds. There are shoppers who came from far north just to see what the bazaar dubbed as the “biggest bazaar in the South” has to offer.

The Urban Roamer’s ePassport Guide

May 27, 2015November 24, 2009 by The Urban Roamer

In case you haven’t heard (or if you were too busy/distracted with the reemergence of Cory magic at that time) the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs launched back in August 2009 the ePassport, a biometrics-based paper-electronic passport which is considered to be most advanced type of passport being adapted by many countries around the world. With advanced recognition features embedded in a thin electronic microchip located within the passport, it was specifically designed to be forgery-proof in the wake of terrorism threats in recent years.

While my old passport does not expire yet for another couple of years, looking at that green passport with those hand-written entries makes the bearer feel embarrassed especially if you look at the other travelers who bear at least machine-readable passports and worrying about how the immigration officer looking at your passport. While I was fortunate of being spared from much immigration scrutiny during my recent trip overseas using a green passport, my mind was made up on updating my password early in light of recent policies put forward by the International Civil Aviation Organization promoting the use of MRP’s (machine-readable passports) and ePassports. So you can imagine my excitement when news that ePassports are now available.