Who else loves the city -- at night -- when it is quiet and the lights of different hues flash right in front of our very eyes?
Who else loves the city when you have to wander around its streets without having to worry about your skin getting burntly tanned by the scorching heat of the sun?
Who else? Because I... personally love the city -- AT NIGHT.
Although I am the type of person who loves the slow paced, peaceful place of the countryside, a part of me loves to meander the city and witness the city lights like stars falling down the earth, showcasing its variety of shades, finding its right places on this very planet. They tend to give that equal amount of amazement the stars and moon in the sky could give me.
Cebu City is only one of the best cities I've been to and not to be biased about it, but this city, although not as big as Manila or New York or the cities of Singapore or the biggest city in the world, Tokyo; still, it provides that kind of magnificence the big cities could offer.
And in this small yet developing city lies a tiny city-like that offers a lot of job opportunities in which a lot of Filipino citizens come and find their career growth in there, meet their future or just visit the place when they want to de-stress and meet with friends or former colleagues.
There are a lot of things you can do in this city within a city -- the CEBU IT PARK.
Cebu IT Park was originally known as Asiatown IT Park and was formerly built for Lahug Airport but eventually, it became an Information Technology (IT) Park when the airport was transferred to Mactan, Cebu.
This so-called IT Park offers a miniature of things the big city could offer.
When you want to seek for jobs, it has Call Center companies, ESL (English as a Second Language) companies, Life Insurance companies and a lot more.
When you are having a cheat day or just want to dig into some delicious foods, it has couple of restaurants you can try to satisfy your tastebuds.
When you just want to relax, watch the people pass by or talk with some old friends or few acquaintances, they have several coffee shops like Starbucks, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Bean Leaf Coffee and Tea, The Civet Coffee Roasters, A Little Tea, Pickup Coffee and a lot more.
When you want to hang out or party with friends or peers, they have Music One Family KTV and DVD where you can have karaoke and sing along to your heart's content. They also have The Distillery Cebu, Pipeline, G-SPOT bar, Straight Up Rooftop Bar at Seda, Basic, The Walk and a lot more when you want to have a shot of whiskey or beer or tequila and party like there's no tomorrow.
There are also bands playing on different bars and lawns covered with bermuda where anyone can sit and talk about anything and everything. And, a food park where various types of mouthwatering foods and drinks will be displayed every Wednesday through Sunday in the designated area for Sugbo Mercado which I will be sharing with you on my next blog.
Plus, it has Ayala Malls, Condominiums, Hotels and Massage Spas. How very city-like, right?
What else could you ask for?
Anyway, roaming around the streets of this city within the city may hurt your feet but gives your eyes the satisfaction and bliss when you see the tall buildings and lights as the sky slowly swallows the very light of the sun and changes from a clear blue sky into a dark gray moonlit one.
I used to work here before I was assigned to teach in a countryside in Santander, Cebu. And the moments I had in this place are still vivid in my memories. I worked as a call center agent in one of the call center companies here and I was in a graveyard shift. Everytime I clock out from work, I used to walk from the building I worked at to the jeepney terminals, now a bus terminal. And what I loved most about the experience was that I learned how to make acquaintances and how people in the city are so different from each other. We had different upbringings but the universe had conspired in letting me meet those types of people.
We used to laugh together while walking towards the terminal and talk about our experiences during work and then have our separate ways as we come out of the IT Park and go home to our separate so-called houses and face our different battles.
And I guess that's the thing about the city. You meet people and then time will come they're gonna leave you or you are gonna leave them. And on this part, I was the one who left -- to find a place where I can grow my career and be stable. But in this tiny city which I can call a city within a city will always have a place in my heart. A memory of this place will forever be etched in my heart and memory.
Even though I love where I am right now, the sight of city lights like stars falling down the earth, showcasing its various spectrum, finding its right places on this very planet will forever be craved by my eyes from time to time -- the memories, the scenic beauty this place has given -- offered me a tranquility I would always come back for more and more.
So, when I have a time to visit the city, I would always make time to visit this place because in this place, I used to dream big dreams. I used to be the happy one. I used to be the problem-less type of a person. I used to be young. I used to wander around these streets not having to worry about what I was doing with my life and what tomorrow might bring.
