Dreams Can Be Realized

sesantos.com.ph

 

“Hope is the dream of a man awake“.

Thus commented by Alex in my post A New Breed Of Rebels .

Dream… it’s free… anyone can dream… but only a few can make their dreams a reality.

On May 20th 2006, I’m a witness to the realization of one of the dreams of a visionary, Mr. Henry Sy Sr. Tagged as one of the richest man in the world and shopping mall magnate in the Philippines.

T’was the soft opening of Mall of Asia, the dream of a man who was once a poor boy who moved to the Philippines from China when he was 13 years old, hoping for better life. His hope was rocked by the onset of world war 2. But this did not affect him from pursuing his dream, he believed that there is opportunity from every tragedy–

After the war, he started selling shoes along the streets of Azcarraga (CM Recto) and soon he got an opportunity to have a shoe store along Avenida Rizal in 1958.

The Shoe Store expanded and have several outlets and became a soft goods Department Store in 1972, the year martial law was declared. 3 years after, it became a full line dept. store– made known as SM ShoeMart, We’ve Got It All For You!

In the 80’s, when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated, and the Phils. is rocked by political and economic crisis, SM ventured into another unknown and spearheaded the “malling phenomena” — The birth of the first SM Mall (though not the first mall in the Philippines), SM City North EDSA. Taunted and predicted to fail, SM City became and still one of the strongest SM Mall in terms of foot traffic and revenues.

Again, when the Philippines is in the midst of another crisis brought by high fuel prices and political problems, SM opened Mall of Asia. Undaunted by negative publicity, it was inaugurated on May 20, 2006 and opens its doors to the public on May 21, 2006.

Mall Of Asia, being the 25th SM Mall is envisioned to be a tourist destination as it boasts of showcasing the Philippines best with its world class facilities and products. The Mall of Asia is home to some 1st’s in the Philippines–

1. The first “Olympic size” Ice Skating Rink.
2. The first IMAX Theatre in the Philippines but holds the distinction of having the largest screen (8 story high) in the world.
3. The first Mall overlooking the famous Manila Bay sunset.
4. The first Mall equipped with golf cars, Jeeps and trolleys to help customers move around the mall.

From the press releases I read, soon construction will also start for the trade and convention center that will rival PICC, an sports arena that will rival Araneta Coliseum, a state of the art planetarium, hotels and residential condo will also be built.

With the soft opening and inauguration,

No less than the President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapacal-Arroyo, graced the ceremonial ribbon cutting. She was later wowed by the IMAX experience.

The other dignitaries who graced the occassion came from the business community, foreign embassy representatives, local and national leaders.

I am privileged to see in action Filipino IceSakaters, who brought glory to the nation by winning in international competition, beating western countries though we are a tropical nation. See the snap shots here.

I can’t find a word yet that bests describe the IMAX experience. It’s best if you’ll try it yourself. Entrance fees are very reasonable. Depending on the film, the lowest is P 150 ( less than USD 3) and max is P 250 (less than USD 5).

I have not visited the entire mall yet. But the architecture and design is elegant and non traditional.

Indeed, the life of Mr. Henry Sy Sr. and his family is a story of success brought by hard work, smart spending, persistence, determination and courage. While all people have dreamed, not all have made it a reality. We can take the cue and make our dreams a reality too.

With Mall Of Asia around, it hopes to bring the “world” to Filipinos and the Philippines to the world.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

 

 

initial pics here.

more pics here.

 

 

 

Sonnie Santos is a Motivational and Self Help Resource Person, Human Resource Generalist, Trainer and Volunteer Worker. He has authored several anecdotes on work issues and career development in the context of life principles.

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