Programs — the first one
a life centered on you, or around you
I put this walk together from the receipts in my ledger: ten stops around the Mall of Asia, what each one costs, where I would live, who does the work, and what I do with my day.
Quest one
Walk them in this order. The last one is free.
0 of 10 stops ticked on this device.
Mall of Asia, Pasay — the strip opposite
Count the condo towers across from the mall.
300 to 600 PHP a ride; once 760 PHP for the round trip
760 PHP is about 17 to 18 CAD both ways.
"I rented further away to keep the rent down and it turned out to be a costly mistake."
Any short hop around Pasay
Ask the price first. Pay that price.
100 PHP, about 2.50 CAD
The driver asked 50; the fare home is about two dollars.
"Catching a cab here costs me about two dollars, so I take one home instead of walking."
Shore Towers, MOA area
Ask for a one-year studio lease. Write the number down; convert it.
12,000 to 18,000 PHP a month
A one-year lease in MOA Shore Towers, October 2026. About 272 to 409 CAD a month.
"My going prices for a one-year lease in MOA Shore Towers, October 2026."
Inside the mall
Order the 200 gram Brazilian ribeye with rice, then a regular drink across the way.
600-something PHP plus 100 PHP
About 15 CAD for the ribeye. Another day about 14 dollars, and two more for the drink.
"600 something pesos for a 200 gram Brazilian ribeye, about 15 CAD, with rice on a sizzling plate."
The bay walk, then the mall for the AC
Half your steps in the morning, half at night by the water. Carry a towel; walk the mall for the cool air.
No money, one towel
18,000 steps, split in two. The mall closes at 10.
"My little towel is one of the most useful purchases in my travelling history; here it is a necessity."
A lower level of the mall
Take the one hour foot massage. Ask the price first.
31 CAD for one hour
About 30 bucks. A 16,000 step day earns one; about once a week if you live here.
"One hour, 31 dollars, and I cannot complain about it."
Shell Residences, at the base
Take a bag of clothes to the laundromat downstairs.
360 PHP, about 8 or 9 CAD
A bag, back dried and folded. About 89 percent came back cleaned.
"I did not even know there was a laundromat at the bottom of the building; now I do."
Between the laundromat and where you are staying
Pick up your clothes, then flag a tuk-tuk instead of walking.
Nothing yet: walking it takes about 15 minutes each way
"Learning to walk here is knowing where each place is, so you can chain one errand into the next."
Outside the mall, at closing time
Check the fare while the mall is busy, then when it is quiet.
310 PHP, about 7 CAD
At ten or eleven at night it was more than double. A taxi in that crush was twenty to thirty dollars.
"When everybody comes out at the same time you pay higher fees; the same ride, more than double."
Silverworks, inside a mall
Take a piece you made into a local silver shop and ask if they would carry it.
Nothing. The ask is the task.
They said to ask on Facebook. Nothing is agreed.
"I want to show them the piece and see if they will carry it, along with other stores."
