new bridge, old premonition

The new bridge that I had blogged many months ago actually opened last 9 June with not much of a thud, but greeted with sheer relief by commuters after months of exhausting, grinding traffic. The contractors may be credited for surprisingly fast and structuraly sound construction.

It didn't take long though for the passers to notice something amiss. What used to be a local's simple pleasure of having glimpses of the historical Davao River while crossing the bridge is now blocked by drab walls, a foreboding premonition once blogged here.

Perhaps it may still take time for this society to be civilized and cultured enough to appreciate an aestheticaly pleasing bridge. Right, what matters more to other people are the practicalities first, but after their bellies are fed it still matters with the individual keen to the art of feeding one's soul, rather than the lack of it for such cannot appreciate the role and value of art in building a nation, not just in building a bridge.

abstract painting?

An abstract cubist painting? Nope, it's a pic I took with my phone inside one of the mall's theaters.

mall interior

This is the high-ceiling atrium in the interior of the same mall where various activities are often held. The mall is considered to be the mall company's largest branch in terms of floor area. However, news buzzing about two huge mall complex and business parks to be developed in the northern part of Davao City may challenge its title.

mall traffic

Bottleneck traffic begins to form as PUJ's (public utility jeepneys) vie for passengers in front of a large mall north of the city. Davao undisputedly has the largest consumer population among Mindanao island's major cities. Just reported recently, Davao City garnered the 2007 record for being the most competitive city in the entire country.