Draft entry dated June or July. Published just now cos I totally forgot hahaha
I won’t be surprised if I get called out nastily for slacking off too much at work. For the past few months I’m not doing any scripting and it bums me ‘cos you know, that’s the fun part of my job. Right now I’m assigned to collecting summary reports and analysis for a bunch of projects we did in the past and it’s boring as hell. So boring it’s delayed for months. There are days when all I ever did was check out the excel document from Sharepoint and stare at it. Seriously. No new rows. No significant data added. I don’t know how do deal with this immense feeling of demotivation. It’s not like I have better things to do. Err, actually I do.
Jeckie and I are condo hunting right now. Mostly me actually haha. We’re looking at possible places to live in after the wedding. Since I’ll be working mid-shift in Makati, and Jeckie reg-shift at Cubao, we figured the best place to stay would be around EDSA-Mandaluyong area. I’m looking at the bunch of condos littered around there, SMDC Light, Pioneer Woodlands, Flair Towers, Pines Peak, etc.
My choice? Hands down Flair Towers because the building layout is more breathable than their neighboring condos. I have a bias for DMCI. Anyway, what I’m looking for is a semi-furnished real 1 bedroom unit with balcony because I need walls and I need air. Our budget is around 15k per month inclusive of any association dues. Long shot but I’m still looking. So far, our budget is only good for a bare unit, something we have yet to consider.
Oh, allow me to blab about the joys of condo hunting. First, I’m learning about the market value of rental establishments around the metro.
Makati
I started searching at Makati because I thought we were both gonna be assigned there. For 15k you can get a fully furnished studio with wobbly brass bunk beds, mismatched furniture, and zero ventilation. 18k would give you larger windows (where only 1/4 can be opened and at a maximum of 45 degrees only) and probably a balcony. Hay. Those are my observations from the row of condos at Malugay and Chino Roces listed at RentPad (Avida West, Linear, Beacon, etc.).
Ideally, I would want to live inside Salcedo or Legaspi Village. You know, the residential areas surrounding Ayala Avenue because there are trees and parks at least haha plus it’s walking distance to the actual CBD. But the condos there are not cheap. They’re super old and ridiculously priced too (Asian Mansion, Prince Plaza, etc). 50k for 2 bedrooms anyone? The cuts are definitely bigger but the flooring is mostly outdated wood parquet and the walls are trimmed with moldings. Not my style.
EDSA-Boni/Mandaluyong
Boni area is slightly cheaper, and there are also a lot of condos around. It’s central enough and transit oriented too so yeah, not a bad place overall. Except that it’s too industrialized for my own liking, it’s almost suffocating. I didn’t try looking at the Makati side of Mandaluyong, which is by the left side of EDSA if you’re north bound. I dunno how the place is called lol. I just didn’t like the environment there haha. Based from the route the colorum vans used to ply whenever I go to Makati CBD, I see shanties, towering condos that look run-down, and it’s so frkn dense with people, so nope. You can maybe get a place there for 5-10k though. Haven’t explored the deeper parts yet but I didn’t like the idea of riding a jeepney or a tryke to work so we skipped it. I skipped it hehe.
The other side of EDSA was bearable. So many new condos to choose from, but I didn’t really like most of them. Narrow hallways, ugly cabinets, poor tile works, screaming tile gaps, bad bathroom layout, I could go on, the finishes are just so bad. You really gotta choose your developer seriously if you’re getting a condo.
Anyway, fully furnished studios range from 13k-18k depends on where you’re looking. If you’re super arte like me, get a bare unit and customize it to your heart’s content. The condos in this area are too clustered together, IMO. Flair, Light, Pines Peak, Pioneer Woodlands, Sunshine, Gateway Regency, etc. They’re all within a block of each other. If you’re lucky you may still get a little sunshine lol. The area behind these condos are mostly factories, outlets, and low buildings. Then there’s the residential Kapitolyo side which isn’t so dense. This side of Mandaluyong is generally nicer lol.