Have always loved the indulgent feel of Cafe Juanita in Pasig City. Visited its new location (across the old one) last week and was happy to see the same quirky aesthetic translated to the garden setting:
Simple layers of plants and outdoor elements (parrots!), put together with lots of love.
🙂
![\"Nuvali\'s](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/6971609068_7871259d3f_z.jpg\")
This photo was taken by my friend, Christopher Tan, last Easter. Looking good! I just hope to see actual people on boards going around that lake soon soon soon. 🙂
…and anyone who’s ever imagined a dream home (that means you, me, and everybody)!
Groundbreaking episode of HOME BASE tomorrow, Saturday, April 28, 2012. This is a labor of love that my friends and I have been working hard on, hope you can watch and support!
From the team behind National Geographic Channel\’s Inside: Malacanang, we bring you a realty show that will help you build not houses but HOMES. Please watch the premiere telecast of HOME BASE, tomorrow, 9:00-9:30am back-to-back with the Season 3 pilot episode of TURBO ZONE, feeding drives of the motoring public, 9:30-10:00am on GMA News TV.
It’s a double date tomorrow morning! 🙂
![\"Nuvali](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/7112933405_f785fea5f3_z.jpg\")
Spotted in Nuvali: the \”free ride\” shuttle!
According to the driver, there are three shuttles like this that go around Nuvali. They do the rounds of the different villages (pick up point is by the gate), even all the way to Montecito, and back to the Solenad area three times everyday:
He said pick up schedule from Solenad is the same– can anyone help confirm this, as well as exact pick up points there?
🙂
When it comes to finishing my doors and cabinets, am very thankful for Mang Romy, who is skilled in giving any piece of wood that beautiful hardwood look just by painting lines to resemble wood grain or haspe:
![\"My](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7054/6966845124_48b7d19179_z.jpg\")
The door primed in yellow before the wood grain finish:
![\"My](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/6946461792_cfc167cf40_z.jpg\")
Stained (first coat):
![\"My](\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/7092535773_8cfa8faee8_z.jpg\")
Here\’s Mang Romy working his magic on shelving in the bedroom:
![\"My](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7112922197_01e168f22f_z.jpg\")
He\’s also transformed these ordinary wooden cabinet doors into textured ones with a softer and more natural look:
![\"My](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/6946460426_0f2612c150_z.jpg\")
![\"My](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/6946465880_2bbe2b4570_z.jpg\")
As an aside, I came across this gem of a document on scribd while searching for the correct spelling of haspe — uploaded by Zy-rah de Chavez (thank you!):
english-tagalog construction terms
Very handy, thank you again to Zy-rah de Chavez for sharing.
Was happy to see this on the way back from Tagaytay last Monday– the Nuvali gas station finally open!
![\"Around](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6966855928_a4cca518da_z.jpg\")
I took a quick shot and the Shell Nuvali gas boys were happy to oblige, complete with welcome waves and big, warm smiles!
Just a tip: We went back there today and were told they\’re still operating on a cash basis (i.e. no credit cards accepted for now).
![\"Zombies](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/7092535159_27a0fd5efe_z.jpg\")
Was very excited for the first ever Zombie fun run in the Philippines, held in Nuvali last April 14, 2012, and although I couldn\’t join the race itself, really made it a point to just drive by last Saturday and see how things were!
![\"Zombies](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7092533993_9fc5da4c4e_z.jpg\")
We saw runners casually walking the last few meters, some even posing for pictures, so we initially thought the fear factor was a sham and that the zombies were actually friendly.
![\"Zombies](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/7092533867_8838fe7019_z.jpg\")
![\"Zombies](\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/7092534361_38e0832f74_z.jpg\")
![\"Zomibes](\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5458/6946586868_3099201dc8_z.jpg\")
But on our drive back we saw what the race was really about: Zombie patintero!
![\"Zombies](\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5455/7092534621_14800a20a2_z.jpg\")
…
Inspired by my friend Asha\’s thriving vegetable garden in her small townhouse in Quezon City, mom and I set out to transform the planters in our lanai– planted with flowering Birds of Paradise for years now –to our own \”vegetable backyard garden\” in the city.
![\"Our](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/6946555474_f06e1beb1b_z.jpg\")
My brothers did their own herb garden project on one of our concrete planters/boxes a few years ago, shown below complete with the white picket fence, but mom and I thought to add actual vegetables and leafy greens to the garden.
![\"Our](\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/7092625231_c90e6ec226_z.jpg\")
We visited the Manila Seedling Bank on Quezon Ave. cor EDSA last week to check out what\’s there.
On day 1, we went through the columns of shops by the entrance/exit road and made this big greenhouse at the end our last stop:
![\"Manila](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/7092607583_1fcaf54786_z.jpg\")
Herb and vegetable seedlings here went for 3 for P100, which we thought was a good deal already.
The next day, we went back and really looked for the Manila Seedling Bank office, and saw seedlings for sale at P10!
![\"Manila](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7092619837_bf6214b3cd_z.jpg\")
…
Happy to see this Sta. Rosa City Ordinance being implemented in Robinsons Supermarket Nuvali:
![\"Robinsons](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/7005215437_def826ac28.jpg\")
What used to be a once-a-week practice to use paper bags or cartons instead of plastic (every Friday if I remember right) is now an everyday rule. To that I say hurrah!
Thought it was a fantastic idea the first time I heard about it– a fun run with zombies.
The most spectacular part? The first outbreak is happening in Nuvali.
![\"Outbreak](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6955572531_2783b18606_z.jpg\")
![\"Outbreak](\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6809461238_6b77b8f2ef_z.jpg\")
I\’ve never been a fan of running per se, but this would make for a great first run, don\’t you think?
Since 2008, fun runs and marathons have increased greatly in popularity. Despite this growing figure, running has yet to meet its full potential.
Inspired by Run For Your Lives, Outbreak Manila adds a whole new twist to the typical 5km run. Our goal is to come up with a race that stands out from all the rest by giving people a cause that they would really run for. And what better cause can there be than to run as if your life depended on it?
This time you aren\’t just running against time or obstacles. But you\’ll also be running from FLESH EATING ZOMBIES.
Brace yourselves. The Outbreak is upon us.
I tried flag football for one season, and it\’s no joke having to dodge fast runners trying to unflag you. This time you\’ll have a horde of zombies grrr-ing and shouting for your brains, in costume at that– even just to stand by the sidelines and watch the mayhem would be well worth the effort!
Quickie facts:
TOBY\’S SPORTS
Megamall
Mall of Asia
The Block
RUNNR
Alabang Town Center
Bonifacio High Street
Trinoma
More info on the Outbreak Manila Website and Facebook page.
Happy to share the following photo updates from a Republic Wakepark album aptly entitled \”Ok. So you wanted proof\”:
![\"\"](\"http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428592_272297246173262_179735422096112_644691_1764899610_n.jpg\" "\\"Wakepark\\"")
![\"\"](\"http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422106_272297386173248_179735422096112_644693_304136403_n.jpg\" "\\"Lake2\\"")
The official website and facebook page of Republic Wakepark have been idle for a while, what with continued delays in the opening of what\’s been dubbed as \”the newest and most innovative wakepark in the world\”, but the BIG BUT is that they\’re idle no more!
From their latest blog post:
In the next few weeks, you will witness the first pull of the cable carrying its first rider, gliding on water amidst the backdrop of blue skies, surrounded by lush greens and beautiful architecture.
As of presstime, the red rental vests and helmets have arrived, cables are properly working and water is scheduled to fill up the oval.
To add, the latest Liquid Force boards are being shipped and new Republ1c wakevests are going to be placed on the clothesrack.
You can feel the excitement flowing in our veins, and there are surely no signs of us stopping.
Fingers-crossed they hit the target this time!
A quick look at three planned infrastructure projects South of Manila– LRT 1 expansion, the Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway link road, CALA Expressway – Cavite side — as read in the Inquirer:
The LRT 1 expansion project aims to stretch the existing 15-kilometer line that ends in Baclaran by an additional 11.7 km to reach Bacoor, Cavite.
From the LRT.gov.ph website:
Start of Construction (Phase 1) August 2012 – August 2014
Start of Construction (Phase 2) September 2014 – March 2016
Commissioning Phase 1 September 2014
Commissioning Phase 2 April 2016
More from the Inquirer article:
Fresh from its victory in the bidding for the Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway link road, which was the Aquino administration’s first PPP project, Ayala is preparing to bid for the Cala Expressway project, whose likely route would likely be within a “striking distance” from the group’s vast mixed-use estate Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Francia said.
…
The 27.5-km Cala Expressway ranks higher on Ayala’s priority list…
From another Inquirer article:
Daang Hari is a major arterial road connecting rapidly growing towns of Imus, Dasmariñas and Bacoor in Cavite to Metro Manila via the SLEx. It will be a new road that will exit South Luzon Expressway near the Susana Heights Interchange and pass through government properties in Muntinlupa, ending at Daang Hari near Verdana Homes in Imus, Cavite. This road provides strategic access to Cavite, much-needed relief to traffic in the congested Alabang-Zapote Road and Commerce Avenue.
Singson said the Daang Hari-SLEx Link Road Project was a “strategic component” of the Metro Manila Urban Expressway Network Master Plan, which intends to provide a high-standard highway within a 200-kilometer radius of Metro Manila. He expected the Daang Hari construction to start by February 2012 for segment 1 and September 2012 for segment 2. The project will be implemented following the Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) arrangement for a period of 30 years.
CALA Expressway – Cavite side section (27.5 km) from DPWH website:
![\"\"](\"http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/bureau_services/PPP/projects/image/cala_m6.jpg\")
Project Objective :
To ease traffic congestion and support economic development of the Cavite-Laguna (CALA) regionProject Description :
Construction of a 27.5 km, 4-lane highway from the terminus of the R-1 Expressway in Kawit, Cavite to Aguinaldo Highway at Silang, Cavite and LagunaProject Cost : P 11.79 Billion (US$ 262 Million)
Construction/Opening: April 2014 – Nov. 2016
Exciting developments indeed, targeted for completion four years from now.
By then I\’d hope that the Nuvali business and residential communities–which have much to benefit from and contribute in terms of traffic and actual use to these three projects–will have grown by the hundredfold! 😉
Thanks again to gerard505 of Skyscrapercity-Nuvali for the link to the news article.
![\"\"](\"http://www.lrta.gov.ph/projects/photos/Line1_SouthExt/Line1_SouthExt_01.jpg\")