Sunday, May 22, 2011

House hunting

Yesterday, Vince and I took Vito house hunting. After all, we really don't need to look for a new home since we already live in a fabulous apartment with west-east-south views and fantastic location. The only problem with our place is it's in a high-rise and a little boy needs big wide spaces to run around in and conquer. So since this is for Vito, it's actually Vito's house we were looking for!

The first place we went to was Kapitolyo, which is our home's backyard. We liked that it has the same conveniences of our place (in the middle of everything!) but we didn't like the security. Or the feeling of lack thereof. So that leaves us with the two other choices:

NEAR BUT FEELS CROWDED
Mahogany Place 3 is a DMCI project about 5 minutes from Bonifacio Global City. The benefit of living there is that it's near BGC, near St. Luke's Global (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac), near Makati CBD, near good schools.

Even though it's near everything, it doesn't feel like it's in the city. DMCI acquired the vast Acacia Estates and turned it into a residential development that has a resort-like feel. And I'm not quoting a press kit here. That's how we really felt! Security is tight. There's even an electric perimeter fence surrounding the entire development! The amenities are superb, the roads are wide and beautifully paved, there are clubhouses, commercial playgrounds, swimming pools and more.

Little boxes on the hillside
Tiny kitchen and dining area
And that's all there is to the living room!
Three bedrooms, one of which is decorated like a boudoir
A walk-in closet makes up for the teensy-weensy bathroom.
So here's the catch: Mahogany Place 3 is lined with townhouses and duplexes, narrow buildings that stretch upwards. The land may be wide open but the houses feel, I dunno, I feel hemmed in. Vince says they remind him of London. He spent a few of his growing up years there and he said it was fine. We'll see.

FAR BUT FEELS SPACIOUS
Ametta is a community development by Ayala Land or Alveo. It's gorgeous there! The townhouses are designed so that they feel open and airy. There's plenty of light pouring in through big windows into spacious rooms. There are parks and pools, pocket gardens and playgrounds, and wide streets perfect for a little boy with a bicycle!
Blessed space!
Construction is done well.
Side view of the house we really liked
Big kitchen with lots of counter space
Spacious master's bedroom with walk-in closet and own bath
Two bedrooms, one for the princess...
... one for the prince!

The problem with Ametta is its location. It almost feels like there's no rhyme and reason for its location. It's like someone built a beautiful village and dropped it in the middle of nowhere. The nearest schools, malls, shopping centers, hospitals are a good half hour away. Plus, it's in Pasig and during Ondoy, that area was flooded for a week. To combat this, Alveo built the community on land raised a full storey high and is currently improving the drainage system of the entire area--the streets around the village are all dug up right now. That's reassuring. And yet... scary still!

Vince and Vito and I had fun!
So we're still thinking about Mahogany Place. If only the houses were built like Ametta and had a location like Mahogany's! That would've been perfect. Oh well! The search continues!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

If the world were to end today

I won't change a thing. I'd still go about my day today, which is to spend the whole day with my Vince and my Vito.

We'll look at houses today. We can't afford a house yet but we still got a real estate agent to show us some properties. It's nice to dream and plan, especially when you have a darling baby boy.

We'll also drop by the Yummy Eats event at NBC Tent. It's the baby of my friend, Franny of Franywanny: A Food & Travel Blog, so I'm excited to see what she's been busy with these past weeks. Then we'll go to Power Plant and buy Vince a new PS3 game and maybe I'll go buy an electric pleated skirt from Zara.

Then Vince, Vito and I will go home, cuddle and watch TV while we eat the last tub of Haagen Dazs ice cream that Vince gave me for Mother's Day. I'll just stay there in my husband's arms, with Vito squished between us, all three of us in a pile, and we will laugh at the funny things we're watching on TV or at Vito's many new tricks or at each other's silly silliness. Because that's what we do every weekend and this weekend won't be different.


And if the world were to end at that point, it would be most bittersweet because I have never been this happy in my life and so I regret nothing. Well, I would regret one thing and that's I won't see my darling Vito grow up into a handsome, healthy, smart, loving man. And that thought makes me sad.

So I hope the world doesn't end today or ever because some good things shouldn't end, and what I have right now, right here in my small apartment that's filled with all the love in the world, is very good.

Friday, May 20, 2011

What I wore... to the Jessica Soho interview

Because some people asked me on Twitter, here's what I wore: I wore my favorite black Karimadon dress, Cole Vintage leather flats, Vita Fede leather-and-bamboo bangle, and my Gucci bag with the limited edition snowman-elephant print.

For the interview, I brought out the Evita Peroni fascinator. I also wore these fab plastic earrings I bought from a tiangge for P200.

For my makeup, click here!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

My life's magic charms

Today's Tweet:
"Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you."
A lot of people go by the motto, "Life is short so spend it with the people you love." So I do. I really do. Especially after my mother died. Even though I'm busy, I make time to see, talk, write to, spend even just a few minutes with the people I adore. And I am so so so very glad they do the same.  

Obviously, if I don't spend time with you, I don't love you. Obviously, if you don't spend time with me, you don't love me. It's simple enough and I feel no guilt or sadness over this. Neither should anyone actually. Again, life is too short to spend it suffering the presence of people you intensely dislike or who don't like you. 

It is sad, I will admit, that the people I should love and who should love me are the very ones who suck the happiness out of me. My happiness and my money, I'd like to add. Do you have people like that in your life, too? I call them Dementors. 


Thank God I have Vince and Vito. They are my powerful Patronus charms. I know Patronuses (Patronusi? Patroni?) are supposed to take animal form. Well, Vince and Vito were both born in the year of the Tiger so they can be tigers. Or because they are just too wonderful and adorable and chase all the gloom away, they can be rabbits!

Do you have a Patronus, too? Take care of them! They're the magic in our life! 

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

This is why I love Japan!

Enjoy!



Those Japanese are beyond crazy! I laughed until my tummy hurt and there were tears in my eyes. I have got to visit Japan soon!!! But I hope I don't get to be a prank victim!