New Year is taken Seriously

I don't know if it is living in the middle of the city with it's bustling vibe or if it is being in the Philippines. New Year celebration are big and taken very seriously. Lots of planning and effort goes into this night. I watched different preparations from my window balcony.

I watched far above as they set up this shelter for the band in the rain and set up the chairs

On the top of the mall, the fireworks were set up despite the rain

A few hours later as the water dried up quite an arsenal was set up

Booths were set up and lined the outside of the mall

As the day went on more people arrived

It was fun to watch the stockpile. Men just kept carrying big pallets over

As dusk approached we could hear the band warm up and watch people begin to arrive

The booths started filling up and so did the walkways. I could see the cars lined up in the streets and people walking everywhere

I couldn't understand the words but it was similar to rock music I felt part of it even though I was 26 stories above

As the night grew later the crowds started getting dense
They looked like little ants milling around with lots of music and talking

Many people were in all the booths and listening to the band for hours

These apartments had people full of flashlights and noisemakers , laser lights and cell phones

I don't have any pictures of the fireworks as a mist had started and the light bounces off the droplets and distorted the light.
Just before midnight some of the fireworks from other mall started going off and some fireworks from the neighborhood behind this mall started firing off their own. At midnight with a huge chorus of people counting down - the fireworks went off with the music and everybody's lights and noisemakers. I could see little kids in their darkened apartment room with lights and horns dancing around. People on top and in the apartments and all the roofs had lights and waved them all around. Laser beams were swirling all over and the fireworks were incredible!  So beautiful and different. They had long and short, multicoloured and fountains, rockets, twirlers, and those that burst and then shoot up again. The incredible thing was looking out the other window from our apartment and seeing fireworks in neighbourhoods all over the valley right up to the mountains. Even neighbourhoods without electricity had fountain fireworks and others shooting off. It felt like the entire world was in commotion. Even after the show was over in our mall, other fireworks would go off in other places and other cities and malls. The streets came to a standstill as all the passengers jumped out of their cars for a better look. For about 20 minutes it was all about the lights, noise and fireworks. Fun!
It really did look like an anthill of people who stopped for a time to watch the lights, then they went milling around again.
I didn't fight crowds, get caught up in traffic or rain, didn't have to look over anybody and could flop down in my bed and go to sleep when it was all over. Sometimes life is really sweet!