Jenna has been asking to catch up and come to their house for dinner, only daughter of Mr. Han, CEO of the Korean Company where I worked as Marketing Director almost 2 years ago. Jenna is entering college and shared her excitement with me. We really missed each other, her English has greatly improved and so is her brother Deff’s. They are Koreans. A lot of them come here for business and education primarily to learn English along the way. Jenna’s 14 year old cousin moved here too, studying at Brent International School. For security reasons I can’t post their photos.

Going to their house which was also in Alexandra where I lived during my stint in his Dad’s company brought back memories of my living and working in Ortigas. I stayed there together with our General Manager, Mam Trisha (as I call her) who is also a Korean. But I would only stay in Ortigas from Monday to Sat afternoon, I always came home to see my parents on weekends.

Our office was at the 32nd Floor of Tektite Tower, located right behind Alexandra. I just had to walk 5 minutes and I’m in the office, or 2 minutes by car.

Having a place very close to work has huge advantages. It really saved me precious time which I used for working out either at the Clubhouse gym or Fitness First Wynsum, swimming in the morning, hanging with friends at my most frequented Starbucks Coffee-Pearl Drive at night or attending Prayer Meeting in Victory Galleria and a bit of dating hehe. No traffic stresses, gas and parking savings coz I just had to walk.

The only disadvantage I could think of is the boredom I feel in going anywhere more than 1 hour by car and my boss of having the excuse to have me work longer hours because home is close anyway (lol). You bet, if your Company provides you with a place, count on it that you are like on call!   

Alexandra units are big, about 250 sq.m, all are 3 Bedrooms, with a maids room and spacious kitchen, living and dining areas. Lease is about P50K a month ($1000). Half of the residents are Foreigners especially those working at the nearby Asian Development Bank, the rest are Chinese and Filipinos.

To track back a little, we (Mam Trisha and I) weren’t really to be lodged at Alexandra, because we were staying in a 2 BR unit in Residencia 8888. Alexandra was for our Chief Finance Officer, Mrs. Kim’s. But Mrs. Kim later decided to stay more in Korea. Being a Finance person that she is, she found it more logical to give up Residencia 8888 and save P30K a month on rent and have us move to Alexandra coz she will just be visiting and will need only 1 room, and the 2 others can be for mam Trisha and I.

 

  We moved to Alexandra. In about a year of stay there, Mrs. Kim only came twice for a few days of stay. I encountered something ghostly/scary in our condo unit and so we later moved to another one in an upper floor of the same building. But I can’t mention the unit number, otherwise, the owner would go after me coz no one might want to lease it anymore lol…  

So, what is it like living in Ortigas?

1. It is a quiet place and a little laid back compared to Makati. I can compare because I also lived in Magallanes Village, Makati for two years and my office was in Buendia.
There are less office buildings in Ortigas, and not a lot of residential condos either. By about 9PM the streets are already very quiet with just a few cars passing and a number of people walking, unless its in the Megamall and Shangrila side where it is quite busy because it’s the commuter route going home from the offices.

2. Malls are also close, but not necessarily in walking distance from where I lived, about 20 minutes away on foot.  It is actually near when you are just looking at it, but walking it can take a while, unless you are walking at night and with company.

My favorite Mall until now is Robinsons Galleria, primarily because it’s where my church, Victory is.

Shangri-la Mall. The less crowded, more of the upscale and branded stores. We spent a lot of Saturday nights at the Strip here, where there is a band playing, and very nice restaurants. We frequented Gloria Maris.

SM Megamall. Probably the biggest mall in the area, but really crowded, its like the passage way of all the working people of Ortigas going to their homes.

3. Very Good restaurants like Congo Grill, Rack’s steak house where we have lunches often, and shabu shabu at the Podium, are close by. Our most visited is of course the Korean restaurants, I practically lived on a Korean Diet, I have acquired the taste for Kimchi lol it is quite addictive (you almost can’t eat without it). I learned to enjoy a lot of their spicy dishes whose names I can’t recall anymore. My favorite was sang geop sal though.

4. A lot of Coffee shops to hang at, Starbucks was on most major streets.

5. It is quite safe to walk around, because there are patrol cars roving around a lot.  It’s normal to see young students of University of Asia and the Pacific walking around Pearl Drive, working people at Emerald Ave., and ADB Ave.

6. There are a lot of Hotels too, so when ever there are visiting guests, it’s easy to go see them. Hotels in the area are Shangrila Hotel (our occasional dinners here), Holiday Inn (enjoyed staying here), Richmonde, Linden Suites, Astoria Plaza (i like the Santi’s Deli Sandwiches here).

I would say that Alexandra is the best Residential Community in Ortigas because it is the Only condo that is a Complex of about 13 Clustered Buildings with two gates, one in Meralco Ave., and another at Escriba (where I pass).

You get to enjoy a private road where you can jog at night within a guarded community, get to enjoy a bigger swimming pool, gym, a salon. Security is also strict and the place is well maintained. Incidentally, it is being taken cared of Century’s Property Management Company, which explains why it’s really nice. I can vouch that it is great to live in a Condo or Community managed by Century. 

     

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