When green and blue make good 'feng shui'
Margaret Jao-Grey
Business Mirror
May 19, 2008

No, Ortigas & Co., Ltd. Partnership (OLCP) didn't name its latest project "Aqua Verde" because its deputy chief operating officer Joey Santos is from De La Salle University and real estate division general manager Cathy Co is from Ateneo de Manila University. In truth, Aqua Verde combines OCLP's lucky color (read: Greenhills, Frontera Verde, Green Meadows, Valle Verde) and the ideal color of Marikina River, which skirts half of the property in Quezon City. And, yes, the property has good feng shui, with the river in front and the mountains behind.

Although the project is not really huge at 12 hectares, only 30% is set aside for 12 to 15 high-rise residential buildings. The rest will be open spaces for children to play in and adults to take in the fresh air. Hey, there's even a dog park so neighborhood dogs can, well, get to know each other.

**Aqua verde was renamed Circulo Verde later on to distinguish it from a water station.LOL 

House or a Condo?

Source: street directory

A big debate these days is whether or not to buy a house, or buy a condo. Most of this debate comes from a lack of understanding about condos, and what they are. Hopefully, the following information will prove to be helpful.

When Buying a condo, are you a tenant?

No. That simply isn't true. When you buy a condo, you are buying a part of the corporation, and are thus an equal owner. It is true that you can be forced to move, if you are really disturbing the other owners, or causing problems. But this is true of residential homes as well. If your neighbors complain repeatedly about smell, health concerns, or criminal behavior, then you may be forced to move. The same holds true in condos and houses alike.

The board can force you to pay thousands of dollars arbitrarily, and without notice.

At first glance, this may appear to be true. But keep in mind that the condo association is made up of owners who have the same goal as you… Having a comfortable place to live that is building equity. The members of the condo association do not make any money from their positions. They are owners like yourself, who are volunteering their time. There can, however, be 'special levy's' brought about by unexpected maintenance in the building. The same holds true of a house as well; the expenses just come from a different place. Ask anyone who owns a house how much it cost them for their last furnace. Or how much they spent repairing the water leak, and replacing the shingles. The advantage in a condo association is that you share these costs with the other owners, and are forced to save money in advance for these repairs, through the reserve fund.

Condo fees cost too much each month!

Again, not necessarily true. If you were to add up the amount of money that a family spends over 5 years on the maintenance of their house, you'll usually notice that it equals more than 5 years worth of condo fees. Also, many condo associations pay for their monthly expenses as a group. Heat, water, insurance, and maintenance are examples of such expenses. By purchasing as a group, they can often get these services at a lower rate than a single home owner can.

I could never live in such close quarters

That's probably true. Condos aren't for everyone. Every person has to make their own decision, based upon their own lifestyle; now and in the future. If you have 3 large dogs, 3.5 children, and 4 cars… a condo probably isn't for you. But, if you're a single young executive who works 80 hours a week, or you're retired and travel most of the year, then perhaps a condo is the right choice for you. Only you can make that decision, as it is a lifestyle choice. Here are some factors to consider in your decision.

1. How much time do you spend at home?
2. Do you want to shovel walks and mow lawns?
3. Are you used to having your neighbours far away from you?
4. Is the condo association that you're considering favorable to your children's lifestyle?
5. Do you want a low maintenance home, or do you like tinkering in the yard and garage?
6. Who's going to be living there? What are the neighbors like?

In fact, these are issues to consider on any home, not just a condominium. It's just as easy to get 'bad' neighbors when you buy a house as it is when you buy a condo. The best advice that can be given is to research your choices, and be objective when choosing a home. My favorite example of this is as follows:

'A friend of mine asked me to help him find a home. He's a single young man who travels 75% of the time for his job and is rarely at home. When he is home, all he wants to do is sleep and watch TV. He wanted to buy an acreage so that he could have privacy. After looking at the amount of continuous maintenance required for an acreage, he realized that acreage living wasn't for him. He's very happy in his apartment style condo.'

Make your own decisions, based upon what's best for you. If a condo is where you'll be happiest, then buy a condo. If a house is what's right for you, buy a house.

Spacious 1-3 Bedroom Condo Units w/ Generous Outdoor Space in Libis QC

Green architecture amidst modern city life?

Generous open space?

Strategic location?

If you are looking to have a condo in the metro with all the wonderful features above, then look no further!

Only at circulo verde - the newest and most ambitious premiere development of Ortigas & Company, Limited Partnership, the most reputable and trusted developers in the country.

WHERE IS THIS?

Circulo verde is located at Calle Industria Bagumbayan Quezon City

(In Libis Quezon city)

GET TO KNOW THE BRAINS BEHIND

ORTIGAS & COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

History, experience, excellence.

For over 75 years, Ortigas and Company has been perfecting the art of life, work, and leisure by conceiving of and building master-planned developments that have become thriving communities over time -- paradigms of excellence in the Philippine real estate landscape.

On July 10, 1931, “Ortigas, Madrigal y cia., S. En C.” was incorporated as a limited partnership of Francisco Ortigas, Vicente Madrigal, BCM Johnston, Fulgencio Borromeo, Clyde A. Dewitt, and Manuel L. Quezon. All incorporators (except Quezon, who was President of the Philippine Senate at the time) were constituted as managing and general partners (socios gerentes colectivos) while the other shareholders were designated limited partners (socios comanditarios) –seeing to the acquisition of a sprawling property where now lie the major cities of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Pasig, and Quezon. The management team headed by the visionary Atty. Francisco Ortigas Jr. as president and chairman orchestrated the dramatic transformation of the property from wasteland to a thriving, progressive industrial, commercial, and residential urban complex.

Today, Ortigas and Company counts in its portfolio some of the country’s best residential, business, and commercial developments – including the landmark Greenhills Shopping Center, financial district Ortigas Center, value regional shopping destination Tiendesitas in the mixed-use prime location of Frontera Verde, residential areas Valle Verde, Greenmeadows, Greenhills, Wack-Wack and Luntala Valle Verde and other fixtures and standards in real estate.

We at OCLP rise to the challenge of the future of the Philippines – confident in our role in making a positive difference in lives even as we face our role in nationbuilding through the Ortigas Foundation.

" OCLP strives to be the preferred partner for value driven real estate and retail community "


More about Ortigas & Company Limited Partnership on Business Mirror. Click here.

WHAT'S BEST FOR ME?

Circulo Verde is being envisioned to have 5 Phases, each with condo buildings & structures of varying heights and tastefully strategically designed, giving you an unobstructed magnificent view of the mountains, the river, and the city nestled below it.

To start with, Phase 1 which is planned to have 5 buildings, has two of its buildings currently being built and offered to you, namely, the Majorca Residences, and the Ibiza Tower.
Turn over of both condo buildings will be on 2012.

MAJORCA RESIDENCES

an 11-storey mid-rise residential building

Perfect for Starting Families & Empty Nesters.

Units available at 1, 2 or 3 bedrooms

1 Bedroom - 42 - 44 sqm
2 Bedroom - 61 - 68 sqm
3 Bedroom 98 - 107 sqm

With a separate maid's room & bathroom per unit

Has 11 to 13 units only per floor

Full balconies opens to a view of the city

IBIZA TOWER

a 23-storey High-rise condominium building

Designed for Young Couples & Independent Individuals

Units available in 1, or 2 bedrooms, which can be either sinlge level, or bi-level whichever you want to choose.

1 Bedroom - 42 - 44 sqm
2 Bedroom - 61 - 68 sqm
1 Bedroom bi-level - 44 - 70 sqm
2 Bedroom bi-level - 80 sqm

With a seperate maid's room & bathroom per unit

Has only 6 to 12 units per floor

Full balconies opens to a view of the mountain.

28 PREMIUM FEATURES YOU WILL SURELY LOVE and MUST NOT MISS!

All features are common to all units.

1) All units w/ balconies

2) View of river, city, mountain

    Residential units starts at 5th floor.




3) Very accessible and major comute to major schools, hospitals, business, shopping malls, transportation, churches, banks, & major subdivisions.

...easily accessible via Metro Manila’s major traffic veins such as EDSA, Ortigas Avenue, E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue (C5), Katipunan Avenue and Marcos Highway
...commercial centers such as Greenhills, Ortigas and Cubao.
...Ortigas Center and Makati Business District are mere minutes away
...Ateneo, U.P. Diliman and La Salle Greenhills
... sports facilities like Wack-Wack and Aguinaldo Golf Courses

4)  Security CCTV

5) Main Town Street Concept

6) 70% of Generous Outdoor Space for neighborhood parks, jogging & walking pathways, and
multi-purpose lawns

Who says you need to move to Tagaytay or the province to enjoy more space and the greenery?

Circulo Verde dedicates more than 8 hectares (of its total 12) to purely open green spaces to give you more freedom and balance.

7) Accupressure paths

You saw it right!

8) Dog park

Yup we are pet dog friendly!
Walking them would not be a problem with circulo verde's vast open space.
Where else can you get that in the middle of the congested Metro?

9) Indoor Sky Gardens

If it rains and the weather is not good, your kids can still enjoy the greenery inside.

10) Mixed retail& residdential units.

Retail shops on the 3rd & 4th floors.

11) Parking lot podium style

Located at the 1st & 2nd floors of the buildings.

12) Marikina River as its natural boundary so you have an unobstructed view of the city/river/mountains, as well as the breeze

Fret not!

Marikina river is clean, and the cleanest river in metro manila

13) Massive stone walls around to protect the property against the river

Since we are thinking of your welfare and saftey, we have conducted a detailed study on possible flooding of the river and its effect on circulo verde. We are happy to say if for example the river overflows in the next 100 years (due to massive rains perhaps) , the river level would only rise so much as to the level of the 1st floor which is the parking lot.

Neverthless, we still will place massive stone walls as barriers against the river surrounding the entire property.

Also, the entire property is sitting in an elevated area making it even more secure.

14) Ferry station

This will be installed in the near future.

15) Swimming pools

16) Gym

17) Racket Sports Facilities

18) Pavillon

19) Social Hall, 

20) Lobby/Lounge

20) Separate maid's room & bathroom

21) 2-3 High speed Elevators with 20 passengers capacity

22) Provision for raceways for internet connection, cable TV and telephone- provision for cable risers

23) Individual mail boxes with keys

24) Fire detection and alarm system

25) Individual electric and water meters

26) Standby Power Generator- 50% provision

27) Garbage disposal system

28) Good feng-shui

We have several different payment schemes that are unbelievably flexible and buyer-friendly!

To know more of the details or schedule a free tripping, you can leave me your email, or you can email me at ag_isilant@yahoo.com.

You can also contact me at:

Cell: +639175453584

+639175008037

Landline: +63 (02) 868.40.33

Your own living space in the city.

Circulo Verde.

Soon.

the best blogger

I've been meaning to post some new pics today, but with the rain, sour weather, I can't yet bring myself to start downloading them at the moment.

At the moment, and as sometimes the case with me when my being resourceful and snoopy kicks in, I found the blog of  the famous "the professional heckler",  who I learned got the best blog 2 award. Though it talks about Pinas political blunders (yawning) and personalities (zzzZZZ..),  I just could not stop laughing at the wittily crafted statements.  Now I have even added this blog to my fave hits, and has upseated dr.ofw of livejournal and mister hubs down to the 2nd and 3rds 'of blogs to read when you are depressed'. Here's a sampler (quoting form the professional heckelr's blog): 

"Some of the things I’ve learned from recent events in politics and government:

You are poor. You are a suspected thief. You get locked up.
You are rich. You are a suspected thief. You get a check up.

A contingency fund, a cash advance, and an intelligence fund. They are one and the same.

If you’re a police general and you couldn’t attend an Interpol conference abroad, send your wife.

Catholic bishops and nuns - the staunchest critics of the proposed bill to curb population explosion do not actually contribute to population growth.

Impeachment is a numbers game. Winners usually take home a seven–figure jackpot.

History tells us that it takes decades to build states and nations. Today, it only takes a MOA to create one.

When an economic adviser calls her president a “bitch,” something is wrong with the adviser. If he doesn’t get fired, something is wrong with the president.

Double budget insertions are perfectly legal. Unless discovered.

The surest way to get appointed in a government post is to lose in a national election."

And this:

"Jocjoc Bolante has finally been returned. We have waited so long for this event to happen. To give you an idea how long we have waited, when Bolante fled the country, he looked like First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. When he arrived, he looked more like Joker Arroyo"

Why can't more people write with much honesty and chutzpah like this? Hats to you professional heckler.

Elements of a Country Home

Country Homes are described as charming, simple, unfinished, and warmly inviting. They are also called log houses similar to houses in the mountains of temperate countries.

It uses natural woods with rough finishes and aged surfaces. 

Furnishings have simple lines with hand-painted  designs depicting flora and faunas, creating the impression of man connecting back to nature. 

Colors found are of neutral tones and earth tones, with some reds and greens as accents.

The dining can be adorned by a large heavy wooden table with simple lines.

You can use baskets to store small things, magazines, plants, white hand towels.

Oil or kerosene lamps, or brass candle holders metal chandeliers, antique wrought-iron can be made as accent pieces.

To depict a cozy, fuss free kitchen, open shelving to display hand-painted plates & dinnerwares , plate racks, walls hung with glazed earthenware, large plain pots of copper, steel & cast iron can be seen.

Bright fabrics are hung on wooden windows. 

All in all,  a country home is wonderful to go home to because of its very personal and simple nature.

I'll be posting soon how to get the western country look for LESS.