New Year's Day stroll at TriNoma

After attending New Year's Day Mass at the Sagrada Familia Church in Roxas District, we immediately proceeded to TriNoma which is just a few minutes away by cab. We planned of treating the kids to a movie ('tis the season for the Metro Manila Film Festival; tanquiliquin natin ang película filipina cahit pañget). But we also thought of strolling around the mall first. We're southerners, so we're not really used to moving around the northern part of Metro Manila, let alone its many famous malls. We've been hearing about TriNoma usually in the papers and the web, and we find it cute. That day when we explored the said mall, we found it to be even cuter in real life.

Several local and foreign shops can be found here.

The Landmark supermarket and department store (lower right), a familiar "landmark" in Ayala Center, Macati City, is TriNoma's major anchor.

Brightly colored square-shaped ceiling lights (left). Towards the IT Zone (right).

Yep, this is where we did that soon-to-be-legendary New Year's Day blogpost. One day, they'll put a historical marker here saying that we blogged about it right on this site. =)

Just like the first mall we featured in this jaw-dropping, eye-popping, nerve-searing family travel blog of ours, TriNoma is owned by our good friends and business partners, the powerful and ultraelectromagneticrich Zóbel de Ayala clan. The mall is as old (or as young) as our son Jefe; it opened in 2007. None other than former President (and now celebrity hospital patient) Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former Vice President Noli de Castro (¡nag-uulat live mulá sa TriNoma!)  led the opening ceremonies.

The mall's major attraction is its two-level al fresco hanging gardens called TriNoma Park. It has eye-catching water features with an excellent nature-inspired landscaping complete with several restaurants catering to various appetites and budgets. It even has a small chapel.

Krystal was about to make a dash here towards the bright lights beyond those glass doors. It is actually the mall's main attraction: the uniquely landscaped TriNoma Park, an oasis that sits atop the mall.

What interests many is TriNoma Park's "reverse waterfall". Its pools found in different levels/floors have spouts that blow water upwards, towards the next level's pool.

This reminds me of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (sans the electric lights, of course)!

One might get dizzy here, what with so many restaurants to choose from! But preggy wifey was craving for fish, so we opted for Blackbeard's Seafood Island.

We ordered a peculiarly named dish called Magellan's Landing, served on top of a huge banana leaf. It is composed mostly of grilled grub such as squid, liempo, tilapià, and eggplant, then chicken inasal and crispy danguít, and also quiniláo na tanigue. ¡Pero canin pa lang, ulam na! The funny name of this dish probably implies the kind of food that was served by the natives to Fernando Magallanes and his crew upon arrival in the Visayan islands.

It's movie time! The kids voted to see Regal Films' horror flick Pagpág: Siyám na Buhay. Sure enough, the film was horrifying not only for my wallet but also for my time. Nevertheless, wifey and the kids enjoyed it.

After seeing that horrible film... I mean, that horror film, we went back to TriNoma Park to enjoy the garden's bright lights under a cold night sky.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Three Kings!

Before going home, we treated ourselves to some delectable Italian ice cream in Gelatissimo.

Whenever we go to malls, we don't usually shop (we ain't a shopaholic family). Aside from pigging out —which is our main motive in going to a mall, hehehe!—, we'd rather enjoy each mall's sights and sounds, what they have to offer aside from selling various merchandise. That is what's cool with malls these days. They go for innovation. TriNoma did just that.

Happy Three Kings everyone!

♥L♥A♥F♥A♥M♥I♥L♥I♥A♥V♥I♥A♥J♥E♥R♥A♥

TRIVIA: TriNoma is a portmanteau of Triangle North of Manila. Aside from the fact that this establishment is located north of Manila, the whole area it covers is also triangular in shape: Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) serves as the base, Mindanáo Avenue to the south and North Avenue serve as the legs, and the apex is where both Mindanáo and North Avenues intersect.

¿Caya niyó 'tó? =)