CCTV

Jigo

I never really monitored our CCTV cameras seriously. It's not like parang SM or Ayala ang mall namin for thieves to visit us. We had cameras installed at common areas, but many of the tenants have their own, so di naman kami masyadong kailangan. 

And some of our tenants operate till late night, even 24/7, sure namang merong security guard if ever may mag-attempt na mangholdap or something. Mornings are no problem either, as we have dozens of gun shops, anyone attempting a crime is assured to be shot by their owners. There was even a joke that we have enough guns to start a kudeta.

I enjoy every time I monitor the CCTV room. Yung guard talaga in charge doon, pero pag umaga they're busy sa mga rounds nila as well as manning the entrances. Sometimes I take over the room just to watch shoppers and what they're doing. I have fun observing people, trying to guess their deepest feelings. I watch them and wonder why they choose to shop here. They can always shop dun sa competitor namin nearby, but they drop by our old and dimly-lit mall.

Most of our shoppers are residents of nearby areas, some even our condo-owners and tenants upstairs. Yung iba naman, students ng isang famous high school nearby. Some force themselves to be here - when they're in their plain shirts and jeans, carrying an envelope, I know sa mga government agencies punta nila. On weekends, I see women with random piercings and men with mullets dining at the restaurants and thrifting at the ukay. Sometimes they drop by Booksale and read books for hours. Pag gabi, I laugh seeing drunkards fighting or rich tourists being lured by bar hostesses.

I've seen a lot of familiar faces, I know if someone is new. Like when I saw this guy years ago. He was holding his phone trying to take a photo of the mall's facade. He's fast at it, like may iniiwasan siyang guard or something.

He entered our mall, opening his bag even if our guards don't expect them. (I told them not to.) I know first-timer siya the way he walks. He's lost, trying to figure how to exit one of the corridors he entered. Then he entered another one, only to realize bumalik pala siya sa umpisa! I know it's a common complaint online pero aliw pa rin ako seeing someone actually experiencing it. Oh boy, I'm really sorry my family built it this way.

I remember back then, meron pa kaming Japanese bookstore sa Upper Ground Floor called Nantosha. I don't even know what motivated them to open here, except for the fact na we're called Little Tokyo and maraming Japanese expats around. This guy entered the bookstore, trying to check the aisles and look for something to buy. Then he went out holding a small paper bag. I assumed he had no shopping list, as I've seen otakus buying box sets of manga there.

Then the guy left the mall. Di man lang umabot ng two hours stay niya. He must be in a hurry.

I don't have social media, and our mall never really bothered to maintain one. Our tenants market themselves on their own. Pero minsan I check online if they're talking about the mall. There's this website called Skyscrapercity where fans of tall buildings gather all over the world. But locally, there's a group of mall rats that gather in their so-called malls thread. 

Funny enough, all of them seem to be men. People have this assumption na mga babae lang mahilig magshopping tapos there's this group of grown-ass men talking about store openings, mall expansions and sales. From MoA to Fairview, SM North to Alabang, every corner of Manila may member sila to cover the latest happenings. Glorietta and Greenbelt is no brainer, but it's not surprising walang post man lang about our mall. We're in the poorer side of Makati, anyway.

Then at random, someone posted something about our mall.

casper, post #364

Dropped by MCS after shopping at MIBF. There was this Japanese bookstore selling manga kaso most of them are box-sets. Isa lang nabili ko.

It was just various photos of the mall's exterior and interior. Nothing special, really. I guess he's just there para may mapost siya.

atlassian, post #365

Hindi ka dumaan sa kudeta row?

hell_lower, post #366

You should've had lunch at the restos. I recommend the ramen.

casper, post #377

Was in a hurry. Nothing to see there anyway.

He's merely saying the truth, but I felt slightly hurt. I know naman our mall is not meant to compete with the Ayalas and SM of the world. But we had our glorious past. I check my lolo's old photo albums and how we had a fancy department store and multiple cinemas back then. But it's a different time now. We even had worse nightmares pero somehow, we survived. Buhay pa naman ang MCS.

But one thing I noticed is that this "casper" has no profile picture. Some of the tambay sa malls thread, regulars ng Gold's, Fitness First at Anytime Fitness. Others seem to be models or rich kids with cars. Pero siya, walang profile picture. I wondered if all these guys have met each other. Funny lang if they didn't, considering malls ang lagi nilang topic.

Maybe I was the only one who knew how cute he is. Like's he a walking plush toy.

Casper did not visit our mall for more than a year. The next time I saw him, it was in the flesh. He was there sa Booksale, busy looking for a book. Seems like he was really into manga kasi iyon lang tinignan niya ng more than three seconds. When he saw nothing interesting, he walked to the other aisles, then left. But before he walked away, di niya nakalimutan to snap a photo of the store.

I entered the store, pretending to look for some office supplies to get some intel.

"Ate, regular niyo po ba yung lumabas kanina?" I knew their store has a list of parokyanos buying their books in bulk. "First time I've seen him."

"Parang di ko naman siya namumukhaan. Saka wala naman kaming bagong stock."

"Ah. I've seen him looking for manga kasi. He seems disappointed." I was trying to nudge them to stock more.

"Naku ser, pag may bagong dating dito may bumibili na agad. Latak na lang nandyan." I left the store, thinking baka umuwi na siya.

Lo and behold, turns out he hasn't left yet. I was going back to the CCTV room when I saw him at the donut stall. He picked some iced coffee and a plain, glazed donut. The stall was full, and if not for a couple leaving, I doubt meron siyang mauupuan. He sat there, alone, in a table meant for two. I felt he had no time to relax with how he rushed na nguyain yung donut.

I sensed the loneliness in his eyes. I didn't want to assume or judge him naman, like people go to malls alone for all kinds of reasons. Nothing wrong naman dun. Pero with how he looked at the people around him, alam ko inggit siya. Like, he wanted someone to shop with him, kaso wala. Just like before. He must've imagined a scenario like that pierced girl and mullet guy flirting with each other.

He quickly finished the food and took more photos of the mall. I expected he'll post them on Skyscrapercity again, but this time it was on Google Maps. It was weeks later nung napatingin ako sa app, trying to find directions for another place but the first thing I saw was his review:

Casper Antonino, Level 7 Expert

Manila's weirdest mall as it's organized as a condominium, not a mall for rent. But it has a lot of hidden gems, every visit feels unique and fun. It's a perfect place for a first date, especially if you're dating a Manila yuppie.

I had to search for the word "yuppie" - may term palang ganun? I don't hear Gen Z nor millenials using that these days.

Paired with that review was a letter of love to our humble mall. Pictures of every nook and cranny. From the facade, the restaurants, the parking lots...north, south, east, west. The supermarket beside the gun shop, our lovely tiangges and cellphone stalls, works of art, thrift shops, Japanese food, secondhand books, artisan furniture, a recital...there are rarely people who get attached to places like ours but here he goes. Even me who's living here for a long time, I never felt that strong of attachment. It's just a place I take care for others in exchange for a place to stay.

I browse more of his photos, thinking...the next time I see him, I will not let go of him. I will thank him for loving a place more than I do. I will ask him what I can do to serve him.

I'll ask him what can I do to make him feel happy.

And when I saw him sitting at the bean bags, I knew I had to act. Gosh, di ko personality maging forward ng ganito, but I just had to tell him and beg him to stay. Good thing I have my landlord perks and a reason to invite him to linger.

"Hey, you're free, right?" God, please, please don't let him leave. Bigay mo na muna sa akin 'to.