Lex in Another City

Living in Manila, Quezon City that is, for the last 22 years of my life made the person that I am right now. So moving into another city was a monumental task for me. You see, I love the city. I might have been mugged a couple of times, hmmmm three times to be exact and hates the rush hour traffic but I still am a Big City person.
Then here comes Cebu. I cannot say that I know much about this city, but based on what I have seen for the last 3 days, inspite of what people are saying that Cebu is already a Big city, it is not. It's like a big town trying be a small city. The flairs of Manila is absent. The bustling streets, the ant-like people walking on the way to work, the pollution. Cebu City is more quaint, smaller is so many ways. Though there are also many Manila-like qualities, for example, the pimps and their hookers and the staple sidestreet beggars and vendors.
I have always believed that if one really wants to know the city, the heart of it beats loudest at night. Same applies to Cebu. People would fill the park fronting our hotel. It's more like their version of Luneta, though it is a lot more wholesome. A good thing about Cebu though is their BEACHES! I have not seen much aside form what I saw aboard the plane, I can already tell. based on the numbers of tourist, they are beautiful!
What else? Oh yeah the people. Cebuanos, well mostly, have this notion tha everybody in Manila is rich, or least better than them. NOT! In fact, they are nicer and more friendly. I had this conversation with one cute Cebuano who has been to Manila once, I asked him on what he thinks is the difference between Manilenos and Cebuanos, and he said, " Sa Manila, mas madali magka-kwarta, kaya makakabili ka ng gusto mo. Yung mga tao dun mas elegant ba? Kasi dito pwede ka lumabas ng bahay na di naliligo, dun parang hindi." I was shocked. How little this guy knows about Manila, but then I thought, ignorance is bliss, specially these days. I wanted to correct his notion but what for? I might destroy his rosy-glassed impression of the Big City I still love. But one thing that never lacks in Cebu is mall! They have malls in every corner, small, medium sized, big malls. Though it's not like what we have in Manila, at least I have a replica of my domain, my territory, I'm safe. Heheheh! And the movies, it's kinda late, like a month late, the last time I checked, their just showing "The Cellular" and "Polar Express." Hmmmmpp... I hate it when I don't get my dose of the latest movies. So with all these things weighing against this city, one cannpot help but ask, what the hell am I still doing here? The answer, I don't know and I'm clueless as Paris Hilton can be.
And just to let you know, they have Starbucks here, operational since last month! I never saw a Starbucks in Manila that is infested by ants the size of a jeeepney because the site sits beside a lagoon with lush forestry around (no pun intended, promise!).
I miss the City. The miss the mean everyday people you'll meet, I miss my bed and above all. I miss my friends!