Well it has been a long 2 weeks, but finally today we put pen to paper and signed the lease. I wish I could say that the process over the last 2 weeks has been great, but they haven't exactly been the easiest.
We found the perfect property for us in Legazpi Village. Less than 5 minutes walk to the husbands work, and 5 minutes to Greenbelt shops as well so both of us are happy. And we have an awesome pub across the road which has a 4 hour happy hour each night. Woo hoo!
We advised our real estate agent that we were happy with the property and to draw up the lease for us. If you are working for a large company that has an in house lawyer it is best to have them look over your contract just to double check there is no tricky wording in there for you. We had a few small changes be made to our lease after having the husbands work lawyer review it for us. Nothing dramatic though.
One thing to be aware of is the deposit (aka bond) that a lessor requires. The common deposit over here is 2 months rent - regardless of the amount of time your lease is for. We wanted our deposit to be reduced from 2 months to 1 as we are only signing a 3 month lease. However after many discussions back and forth we ended up agreeing on keeping it as 2 months. That just seems to be the way it is. If we decide we are going to stay for 12 months that 2 months will roll over we wont have to pay any extra.
Also make sure if you have a fully furnished unit that you sign off on an inventory list as well. Our list makes mention of curtains (which haven't been installed yet) so we have held off signing this until Wednesday when we move in and confirm all of this has been installed properly.
Filipino people are very polite, however they are not very time efficient. Getting the rent cheque from my husbands work was like getting blood out of a stone. That probably would of been easier to be honest. You just need to keep on their case and stress the importance of getting something sorted on time as if you leave it up to them they will not deliver on a promised time. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to paint the Filipino people as dishonest or untrustworthy but the way business is done over here is different to back home, and to a Westerner if you do not understand this, you can see them as dishonest people.
So today the dotted line has been signed, the cheque has been handed over to be banked and in 2 days time we move into our condo in Legazpi Village. I am very excited and cannot wait to get out of the hotel and start living life together, as locals in this city.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Monday, 20 January 2014
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Where to eat: Chops Chicago Steakhouse
Trip Advisor Rating: 171/879 in Makati
Chops Chicago Steakhouse is an American style restaurant located on the 4th level of Greenbelt 5.
We stumbled across this place trying to find something for dinner, as we felt like a 'western' style meal from back home. Unfortunately it ended up being quite a disappointing meal.
The restaurant has a nice modern clean set up to it, and the wait staff were fantastic. Very helpful and as soon as something was finished they were there taking the empty place/glass away for you. I just found the food a very big downer.
We both ordered the CreekStone Black Angus 10oz steak cooked medium with fries & a sauce. Mine was cooked medium however Kevin's was unevenly cooked - some parts looked well done and others looked more medium rare.
The steak was seasoned with salt & pepper which gave it a really nice taste, but about 50% of my steak was pure fat.
In the end we ordered the 2 steaks, 2 coke zeros and 1 mineral water and the bill came to a grand total of PHP4444/AUD111.10. Although I have spent much more than this at a steak restaurant back home, I really feel for the type of meat we were served the price really did not justify it.
Such a shame as I was hoping to find a really great steakhouse when I need my Aussie BBQ fix, but I don't think Chops will be the one. Will have to keep searching.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Chops Chicago Steakhouse is an American style restaurant located on the 4th level of Greenbelt 5.
We stumbled across this place trying to find something for dinner, as we felt like a 'western' style meal from back home. Unfortunately it ended up being quite a disappointing meal.
The restaurant has a nice modern clean set up to it, and the wait staff were fantastic. Very helpful and as soon as something was finished they were there taking the empty place/glass away for you. I just found the food a very big downer.
We both ordered the CreekStone Black Angus 10oz steak cooked medium with fries & a sauce. Mine was cooked medium however Kevin's was unevenly cooked - some parts looked well done and others looked more medium rare.
The steak was seasoned with salt & pepper which gave it a really nice taste, but about 50% of my steak was pure fat.
 |
| From a 10oz steak, this was all fat :-( Disappointing |
In the end we ordered the 2 steaks, 2 coke zeros and 1 mineral water and the bill came to a grand total of PHP4444/AUD111.10. Although I have spent much more than this at a steak restaurant back home, I really feel for the type of meat we were served the price really did not justify it.
Such a shame as I was hoping to find a really great steakhouse when I need my Aussie BBQ fix, but I don't think Chops will be the one. Will have to keep searching.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
The only blonde in Manila
Here's a joke for you:
So a blonde walks into a bar ....
and EVERYONE turns to stare at her.
Over the last 7 days I really have noticed a lot of people staring at me because of my blonde hair and pale complexion. It doesn't really bother me as I've never been in a situation where I have been made to feel uncomfortable because of it. If I see people looking at me I'll usually just smile and get a nice warm smile in response from them.
Apart from the 10 construction workers I passed the other day, they weren't getting shite from me haha
In all the department stores they have on the shelves Whitening Creams, whereas back home our shelves are covered in Fake Tan.
I find it quite funny how I am looking at them thinking 'gosh they have the most beautiful skin tone, I wish I was that colour and they are looking at me thinking the exact same about my white skin.
So a blonde walks into a bar ....
and EVERYONE turns to stare at her.
Over the last 7 days I really have noticed a lot of people staring at me because of my blonde hair and pale complexion. It doesn't really bother me as I've never been in a situation where I have been made to feel uncomfortable because of it. If I see people looking at me I'll usually just smile and get a nice warm smile in response from them.
Apart from the 10 construction workers I passed the other day, they weren't getting shite from me haha
In all the department stores they have on the shelves Whitening Creams, whereas back home our shelves are covered in Fake Tan.
I find it quite funny how I am looking at them thinking 'gosh they have the most beautiful skin tone, I wish I was that colour and they are looking at me thinking the exact same about my white skin.
 |
| Hey Blondie ... come here often?? |
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
House Hunting in Manila
Today the boy & I went and looked at some Units (aka Condo's) for lease in Makati.
We have a budget of PHP50000 a month to spend on a rental, which works out to be about $1250 per month. In Australia this wouldn't get you very far, but thankfully over here we are able to have the choice of some nice & new fully furnished apartments within a 10 minute walk of his work, and the Greenbelt shopping area.
There doesn't seem to be too many Real Estate agents over here, mostly agents work as individuals rather than part of a company.
The last couple of days we have been going into unit blocks and asking the reception if they have any rentals available. This has seem to given us a better response.
Money talks in the Phils, which can be an advantage and also a disadvantage. Be a little bit vague with how much per month you are willing to spend, because we found with one person when we told them we want to spend up to PHP50000 all the properties were priced at PHP50000.
Here is some pics of a property we viewed today, which we are very keen on. This is located in the Legazpi Village area, just behind Greenbelt and Ayala Ave. This property in a new 1 bedroom condo, with gym & pool facilities onsite too. We have a couple more viewings set up for tomorrow and Thursday. Really hope we find somewhere to live this week, so we can move out of the hotel next week and start living life like a local.
I'll keep you updated with how we go house hunting.
Unit next time,
Jacs xx
We have a budget of PHP50000 a month to spend on a rental, which works out to be about $1250 per month. In Australia this wouldn't get you very far, but thankfully over here we are able to have the choice of some nice & new fully furnished apartments within a 10 minute walk of his work, and the Greenbelt shopping area.
There doesn't seem to be too many Real Estate agents over here, mostly agents work as individuals rather than part of a company.
The last couple of days we have been going into unit blocks and asking the reception if they have any rentals available. This has seem to given us a better response.
Money talks in the Phils, which can be an advantage and also a disadvantage. Be a little bit vague with how much per month you are willing to spend, because we found with one person when we told them we want to spend up to PHP50000 all the properties were priced at PHP50000.
Here is some pics of a property we viewed today, which we are very keen on. This is located in the Legazpi Village area, just behind Greenbelt and Ayala Ave. This property in a new 1 bedroom condo, with gym & pool facilities onsite too. We have a couple more viewings set up for tomorrow and Thursday. Really hope we find somewhere to live this week, so we can move out of the hotel next week and start living life like a local.
 |
| The entry - into the lounge area |
 |
| Little kitchen area |
 |
| 28th Floor Apartment ... VERY high up |
I'll keep you updated with how we go house hunting.
Unit next time,
Jacs xx
Friday, 3 January 2014
Where to eat: Peoples Palace
Trip Advisor Rating: 3/877 in Makati
Peoples Palace is a Thai restaurant located at Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
I was very keen to try this restaurant having read its great reviews from Trip Advisor back home before we left, so I was very happy when we were strolling around Greenbelt and found this place.
The restaurant has a modern set up to it, but a nice relaxed feeling too. The waiters were all very friendly and helpful and spoke / understood English easily. As soon as a plate or drink was finished, a waiter was there refilling my drink or clearing the table.
We came here at lunch time so it wasn't very busy, have been past here at night and it is packed. There is also outdoor seating which I believe allows smoking so if you would prefer to sit indoors (in the aircon) call ahead and reserve a table.
For our lunch we ordered Chicken Cashew nuts with steamed rice, and a Pad Thai. Both meals were absolutely delicious and servings were filling enough for two.
The Chicken Cashew nut was quite spicy (for an aussie) and the Pad Thai came with chilli flakes but chilli is something this aussie is going to have to get used to living in South East Asia. The menu wasn't as big as most Thai restaurants typically can be, however they have all the usual Thai food options so the smaller menu still had all the favorites on there.
In the end we had Chicken Cashew, Pad Thai, steamed rice, 2 lemon lime & bitters & 2 bottles of 500ml water and our bill came to a total of AUD35.15/PHP1405.00
Looking forward to returning to this restaurant ASAP for dinner as Greenbelt has an awesome buzz to it at night time.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Peoples Palace is a Thai restaurant located at Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
I was very keen to try this restaurant having read its great reviews from Trip Advisor back home before we left, so I was very happy when we were strolling around Greenbelt and found this place.
The restaurant has a modern set up to it, but a nice relaxed feeling too. The waiters were all very friendly and helpful and spoke / understood English easily. As soon as a plate or drink was finished, a waiter was there refilling my drink or clearing the table.
 |
| Peoples Palace |
We came here at lunch time so it wasn't very busy, have been past here at night and it is packed. There is also outdoor seating which I believe allows smoking so if you would prefer to sit indoors (in the aircon) call ahead and reserve a table.
For our lunch we ordered Chicken Cashew nuts with steamed rice, and a Pad Thai. Both meals were absolutely delicious and servings were filling enough for two.
The Chicken Cashew nut was quite spicy (for an aussie) and the Pad Thai came with chilli flakes but chilli is something this aussie is going to have to get used to living in South East Asia. The menu wasn't as big as most Thai restaurants typically can be, however they have all the usual Thai food options so the smaller menu still had all the favorites on there.
 |
| Pad Thai & Chicken & Cashew ... nom nom |
In the end we had Chicken Cashew, Pad Thai, steamed rice, 2 lemon lime & bitters & 2 bottles of 500ml water and our bill came to a total of AUD35.15/PHP1405.00
Looking forward to returning to this restaurant ASAP for dinner as Greenbelt has an awesome buzz to it at night time.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Where to eat: Mr Rockefeller
Trip Advisor rating: 385/876 in Makati
Until next time,
Our first meal in Manila was a burger & beers from Mr Rockefeller, Greenbelt 3, Makati.
Not the most cultural dish to have as your first meal in a new country I know, but after sitting on a plane for 8 hours, that burger & beer really hit the spot.
The menu had a good selection of American style dishes from seafood, pasta, steaks, burgers & oysters (their claim to fame is their spanking good oysters) and majority of the menu was pretty well priced. Steaks seemed to be quite high as they were all imported from Aus or USA.
Beers were cold & cheap ... San Miguel Pale was AUD1.75/PHP70 each so there was no complaints from me there.
We had 2 beers & 1 burger with fries each and the bill came to a total of AUD22.85/PHP913.00
Wouldn't rush back here for dinner, but a good option for lunch with a cold beer on a hot Manila day.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Thursday, 2 January 2014
What to pack??
What on earth do you pack when you are moving for 3 months, with the high possibility of that becoming 12 months??
Everything, you pack everything. Well that is what I did.
Thank goodness for Qantas and their new 30KG baggage allowance, because if we had only 23KG each we'd be paying a small fortune on excess baggage.
To me, 3 months can be a holiday. I spent 2 months travelling around Europe a few years ago and that was easy enough to pack for, because I knew I was coming home. But in the back on my mind, I know this isn't a holiday, this is our new life. We might not be coming home after 3 months.
A lot of people said to me 'take minimal things as you can buy everything while you are there' but what about all my comforts from home I don't want to leave behind.
Trying to separate my belongings from items I would take on holiday and items I need to live was quite hard for me. In the end I settled for the majority of my clothes, a small amount of my shoes (I bought about 7 pairs and for me that is good) only 4 handbags, and then the mother of all make up cases and toiletries.
I hate to admit it, but my make up alone weighed 3.7KG!
After being here less than 24 hours though, being close to the Greeenbelt area there really are a million different types of shops so if you do forget to pack something, you will easily be able to find a store that sells it. Including the kitchen sink.
Don't bother paying for excess luggage charges to come out here, save it for when you return back home. I know I am going to need it.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
Everything, you pack everything. Well that is what I did.
Thank goodness for Qantas and their new 30KG baggage allowance, because if we had only 23KG each we'd be paying a small fortune on excess baggage.
To me, 3 months can be a holiday. I spent 2 months travelling around Europe a few years ago and that was easy enough to pack for, because I knew I was coming home. But in the back on my mind, I know this isn't a holiday, this is our new life. We might not be coming home after 3 months.
A lot of people said to me 'take minimal things as you can buy everything while you are there' but what about all my comforts from home I don't want to leave behind.
 |
| 29.3KG of pure craziness |
Trying to separate my belongings from items I would take on holiday and items I need to live was quite hard for me. In the end I settled for the majority of my clothes, a small amount of my shoes (I bought about 7 pairs and for me that is good) only 4 handbags, and then the mother of all make up cases and toiletries.
I hate to admit it, but my make up alone weighed 3.7KG!
After being here less than 24 hours though, being close to the Greeenbelt area there really are a million different types of shops so if you do forget to pack something, you will easily be able to find a store that sells it. Including the kitchen sink.
Don't bother paying for excess luggage charges to come out here, save it for when you return back home. I know I am going to need it.
Until next time,
Jacs xx
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