Woodridge Place fuses the countryside mountain retreat experience with modern living conveniences

Tagaytay Highlands has long been the standard of luxe, mountain resort living in the country with its wide-array of themed residential offerings, and top-notch amenities embraced in unparalleled nature views and weather — setting the tone of a premier mountainside haven like no other.

Woodridge Place stands out on its own. Inspired by the elegant Colorado Rockies mountain resorts, Woodridge Place fuses the countryside mountain retreat experience with modern living conveniences. Here, residents are treated to a worry-free, rustic escape, assured of access to city-like facilities and amenities 24/7.

Residents can relish quiet family time in one to four bedroom units ranging between 41 to 241 square meters. Each unit features strategically-located, generous balcony areas to enjoy perpetually unobstructed views of the lush land— and mountainscapes, the Highlands fairways, and Laguna de Bay.  Large panel windows are also in place to help maximize natural lighting and cross ventilation for energy efficiency, not to mention enjoy the cool Tagaytay breeze perfected by the fresh scent of surrounding Norfolk pines.

Award-Winning Mountainside Condominium Development
Woodridge Place is certainly one of Tagaytay Highlands’ charms that its developer, Highlands Prime Incorporated, takes great pride of. The residential condominium was recently named the Best Residential Development in the Resort category of the 2017 Philippines Property Awards. Organized by PropertyGuru, the Philippines Property Awards recognizes the up and coming, and best of the best in Philippine Real Estate.

“This mountain retreat hits the mark for a resort residential development. Woodridge Place sits in the center of the thriving township of Tagaytay Highlands with the right amenities that cater to its target investors”, said the awards judges. 

Indeed, Woodridge Place is a testament of Tagaytay Highlands’ vision coming to fruition – providing a refreshing take on living amidst Tagaytay’s best bounties together with a nurturing community, giving the best mountain resort lifestyle for the family.

Coffee Culture thrives at Festival Mall Alabang

Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City is a destination not only for shopaholics looking for the hottest finds, but also for coffeeholics out to get their caffeine fix amid relaxing conversation with family and friends.

Festival Mall announces to the coffee nation in the South the opening  of three new branches of favorite coffee houses: Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Seattle’s Best.

“We want Festival Mall to be not only a place to shop, but also to hang out with friends and relax, which for many of us, involves having coffee. With the opening of these new coffee shops, we can envision the mall as a vibrant hang-out spot,” states Rose Nuqui, Vice-President for Marketing, Exhibits and Conventions, and Amusement Centers of Filinvest Alabang. “We look forward to the mall being the place-to-be to not only shop and dine but to really spend time, watch a show, and have a great time with friends or family over coffee.”

At the newly opened expansion wing located in front of Asian Hospital and Medical Center is Starbucks. Already the third branch at the mall, the new Starbucks outlet serves up its coffee and tea-based drinks, meals, sandwiches, pastries, and juices in a spacious, airy environment and modern interiors of wood and glass. Coffee lovers can try out Starbuck’s cult favorite Roasted Marshmallow S’mores Frappucino, vanilla-based and layered with marshmallow whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a graham cracker crumble. Meanwhile, the Pop’Zel Coffee Frappucino is a taste of childhood with a coffee base and popcorn and pretzel syrup, and then topped with pretzel and popcorn bits. The new Starbucks outlet has also tailor-fit their menu for the busy yuppies working in the area. On offer is their Signature Pairings which feature scrumptious meals paired with a tall featured Iced Tea. Diners can choose amongst the Cold Soba with Chicken Pairing, the Chicken Cannelloni Pairing or the Spinach Lasagna pairing.

Also at the new expansion wing is CBTL, the first outlet in Festival Mall which serves up its famous drinks, including favorites such as the tea lattes, and their Original Ice Blended, sandwiches, salads, pastas, cakes, pastries and breakfast items. Favorites include the Moroccan Mint Tea Latte, the Ultimate Mocha Original Ice Blended drink with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, the Hot Double Chocolate with marshmallows, the Triple Decker Cheesecake, and the Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich. The space is airy and spacious, perfect for hanging up with friends or catching up with reading, either at school or that novel everyone is talking about.

Seattle’s Best Coffee makes mallgoers at the  Water Gardens area stop and smell the coffee. Water Gardens is the newest dining cluster at Festival Mall. The second Seattle’s Best at the mall, the cozy spot has an outdoor area amid lush greens and the sound of water from the cluster’s gardens. SBC offers its limited edition Javakulas.

Coffee lovers can choose amongst refreshing Peanut Buttercup, indulgent Cookie Crunch, chocolaty Java Chip, and delectable Matcha Green Tea. Seattle’s Best also offers its classic favorites such as its breakfast sets, pastas, salads, sandwiches, mochas, and teas.

Festival Mall  is a Filinvest Lifemall. It is the center of attraction within Filinvest City and is considered the heart of the city. The Filinvest Mall Group is also ensuring that its upcoming mall developments in other locations such as Il Corso in City de Mare, SRP Cebu, Main Square in Bacoor, Cavite, FORA in Tagaytay among others will constantly resonate the same value of a Filinvest Lifemall. And as its new branding and tagline goes, “It’s where the City’s heart beats”. It is a premier development in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.  It is the only mall with five anchor stores: Shopwise Supercenter, SaveMore, Robinsons Department Store, Ace Hardware and Handyman. It has over 700 shops, a total of 3,600 multilevel parking slots, various food outlets, and indoor amusement rides.

PH Online Car Registration coming soon

I learned how to drive when I was 16 y/old and got my professional (take note) when I turned 18.  Because there were only very few driving schools back then, it was my tatay who taught me how to drive defensively.

At first I really didn’t want to drive but because of our business and being the eldest. I was tasked to pick up and deliver some materials from our shop in Manila to Makati.

Back then, the streets of Manila weren’t as congested so it was a bit more-friendly for women drivers like me who were still learning how to drive. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about my experience at the Land Transportation Office.

If I recall correctly, Tatay had to meet our clients so I had no choice but to go to the LTO to register our vehicle. I arrived a bit past 8am, just as they opened but there was already a long line. I was standing for almost an hour when a “fixer” approached me from asking if I wanted help in processing my papers “faster.” He then went on saying that he had an “contact” inside who can help facilitate everything in an hour or so including stencil, plus insurance, everything. All I had to do was pay an extra P1,000.

As tempting as I might seem, I didn’t have that extra money. He left and saw him approach a few other people in line offering his “service.”  After about 20 minutes, he came back reducing his offer to P800. This was in the 90’s when P1000 was still a big deal. I told him I didn’t have the money, but he was really getting persuasive,  telling me that I would be spending the whole day in line--unsure if I would even be able to file our registration.

He eventually left and he was right it took me almost five hours to finish processing our registration. When I got home I told my tatay the story, and I was shocked when he told me that there were really a lot of fixers at the LTO, it has already become the norm—that some corrupt official really make you wait long so you are forced to pay these fixers just to get things done.

Its been a long time since I last went to the LTO and I heard that the agency is trying to improve its services and eliminate fixers especially during the current administration. President Duterte had described the LTO as one of the most corrupt agencies in the country even naming some of the agency officials.

I also heard that Senator JV Ejercito has filed a bill to automate vehicle registrations (and eventually every transaction at LTO) with the aim of eliminating corruption by removing the human element.

I think this is a very timely bill and a very important one, especially with all the traffic problems in the city. Especially if you are a mom with kids, going to the LTO will just be a waste of time and would disrupt your schedule.

But with the Human element removed there would be no more opportunities for these fixers to harass vehicle owners.

UNIQLOPH unveils Fall/Winter 2017 collection featuring JW Anderson collaboration

UNIQLO launches Fall/Winter 2017 collection last July 27 at One Canvas Events Place, Makati. UNIQLO unveils the new collection from Ines dela Fressange, UNiQLO U,  Ultra Light Down jackets, Airism, Heattech and including pieces from the much anticipated JW Anderson collaboration.

INES DE LA FRESSANGE
Debuting the long-anticipated men’s line and showcasing urban essentials with Parisian flair. UNIQLO releases the eighth edition of its collaboration with French fashion icon Inès de la Fressange, with the latest installment to include
menswear. The men’s pieces feature design elements like classic stand-up collars, tweed jackets, and cashmere knits. The women’s line on the other hand is a celebration of the enduring elegance of a monochrome palette. New to the range are sports knits in vintage styles and classic Nordic sweaters.
Other items include military style mod coats, duffle coats, and fleece blousons.

LifeWear exemplifies UNIQLO’s mission of enabling people all over the world to experience the joy of wearing great clothes with the release of its Fall/Winter 2017 collection.

JEANS
Evolving from its utilitarian workwear origins,denim has embedded itself into the cultural landscape, including the fields of music, art, and film. An important element of the LifeWear collection, UNIQLO established its JEANS INNOVATION CENTER in Los Angeles in 2016, where UNIQLO creates the best jeans for everyone, everywhere. The LA-inspired pieces on show look exceptional and are very comfortable to wear.

UNIQLO continues to pursue new potential for clothing by collaborating with fashion designers, top models, and other notable personalities that complement the LifeWear concept of 'simple made better.’

British heritage meets LifeWear through JW ANDERSON 
The new collection includes men's and women's items for the Fall/Winter 2017
season. The range will bring together the British heritage of JW Anderson and the everyday comfort and perfection that UNIQLO pursues in terms of fit, fabric, and functionality through its LifeWear concept.

ULTRA LIGHT DOWN
UNIQLO’s Ultra Light Down jackets bring new life to outerwear by
combining warmth and lightness. The jackets are made of ultra-fine
fiber, resulting in incredibly light and compact pieces that and can
replace traditional sweaters worn under coats. It can easily be folded
into a pouch, making it convenient to be carried around.

UNIQLO LifeWear incorporates advanced technologies from Japan to produce clothing that is lighter and more
functional for customers.


HEATTECH is innerwear that features heat retaining properties to keep you warm and a soft texture to keep you comfortable all day. Designed with Toray Industries, Inc.—one of Japan’s top fibers and textiles manufacturers,
the HEATTECH line comes in three styles: HEATTECH, HEATTECH Extra Warm, and HEATTECH Ultra Warm, each one offering different levels of warmth to keep people comfortable anywhere around the world.

AIRism
AIRism is functional innerwear that keeps people incredibly dry and
comfortable in any kind of weather. The result of a joint project with
Toray and Asahi Kasei, a Japanese manufacturer of fibers and
textiles, AIRism employs specially engineered fibers to breathe and wick away trapped moisture. The pieces in the collection accommodate specific requirements of men, women, children, and babies to ensure comfort for all.

UNIQLO U
UNIQLO U represents the future of LifeWear, designed in visionary Paris R&D Center by a small and focused team, led by artistic director Christophe Lemaire. The center draws on the proud fashion traditions of Paris, while incorporating new fabrics and cutting edge technology, in a relentless drive to revolutionize clothing basics.

LifeWear reflects the brand’s commitment to perfection in design, fabric selection, cut, even color. The new season caters to diverse personalities and lifestyles, embodying the brand’s belief that individuality comes not from clothes but from the people wearing them.

LifeWear is constantly evolving to cater to the needs of an ever-changing world through technological innovations.

LifeWear aspires to make excellence affordable.

Smart partners with DC Comics Warner for the first Justice League Smartphone

I love Gal Gadot, but for me and my generation our Wonder Woman will forever be Linda Carter.

When you become a woman of a certain age your memories start to become a mishmash of highlights a confusing sort of sludge that you start to wonder which one begins and what happened next. 

But of the few childhood stories I could still vividly recall, my favorite was the time I used to be Wonder Woman.

Maybe it was because of the stories of my Uncle. He was a seafarer who told me he had seen Linda Carter once when he was in the US. He told me that when I grew up I should wear conservative clothes, glasses and be intelligent, if I wanted to get a good looking boyfriend. He also gave me lots of chocolates and dolls whenever he visited—in return I turned into Wonder Woman for him wearing my mother’s clothes and “transform” into wonder woman complete with a cardboard tiara, a piece of rope and of course the signature spin. It made him laugh and the more he laughed the more chocolates I had.

Back then I had made up my mind to become a secretary---and later a reporter just like Lois Lane, and maybe meet my own Superman.

Although I never read the comics, superheroes were a part of my life. I wondered then if they really existed and wished that I too had superpowers.

And though I eventually realized that Superman, WonderWoman and Batman were just like Santa Claus my fascination for them waned, I realized being a secretary didn’t pay much and that not all reporters looked like Clark Kent.

Last week, however, I finally understood why a lot of men and even women continue to be so enthralled and captivated by these comic book characters. I met Edric Chua, Managing Editor of Ekotek a tech and lifestyle brand that seeks to create fun functional items for comic book lovers like him.

“When you are young, comics and all these stuff are just entertainment. But as you grow older they become an escape during those tough times and even a source of hope and inspiration,” said Chua who admits being a lifelong DC fan.

Inspiration is what led Ekotek to create a sub brand called Ekonik that seeks to cater to comic book fans by providing accessories such as headphones, powerbanks, and speakers featuring their favorite superheroes. 

And now, in time for the upcoming Justice League Movie, Ekonic, together with DC Comics Warner Bros, and Smart has created the first-ever Justice League Smartphone in the world. 

This is one phone that every DC comic book and Justice League enthusiast would want to get their hands on this handset as it comes in a certified collector’s item package. 

Inside the box are four (4) Justice League phone cases (so you can interchange the characters anytime you want), plus specially made The Flash earphones, Wonder Woman’s golden lasso cord and charger.

There are only 5,000 units of the limited edition handset worldwide, so that means getting it from Smart automatically allows the subscriber to be part of that elite collector’s club. Each handset also comes with a seal of authenticity with indicated unique number from one (1) to five thousand (5,000).

To be amongst the first-in-the world to own this superhero package, simply add P400 to any Smart Postpaid plan and request the limited edition smartphone. Best paired with Smart Postpaid Plan 599, which comes with 5GB Data which you can stream CW’s The Flash if you subscribe to iflix, Plan 599 also comes with the following inclusions: 30 minutes all-net calls, unlimited all-net texts, Free Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Viber. 

The LTE-capable device also supports the 700mhz indoor frequency to maximize your DC and data experience under Smart’s fastest and strongest LTE network.

To know more about this exclusive offer, follow Smart’s official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. You may also visit smart.com.ph for more details.Certified fans of 
DC’s Justice League are about to unite together courtesy of Smart.

To all DC comic book and Justice League enthusiast! Are you ready to add up this Justice League smartphone to your collection? This handset comes in a certified collector’s item package.

Smart partners with  DC Justice League 

  

After Smart Giga Movies’ Batman vs Superman and Wonder Woman cinema and fly-off events and right before 2017’s biggest blockbuster in Justice League, fan boys and girls have the opportunity to be the world’s first owners of Justice League smartphones.

  

Every DC comic book and Justice League enthusiast would want to get their hands on this handset as it comes in a certified collector’s item package. Inside this package are four (4) Justice League phone cases (so you can interchange the characters anytime you want), The Flash earphones, Wonder Woman’s golden lasso cord and charger.

Smart Postpaid Brand Manager Carl Wy

There are only 5,000 units of the limited edition handset worldwide, so that means getting it from Smart automatically allows the subscriber to be part of that elite collector’s club. Each handset also comes with a seal of authenticity with indicated unique number from one (1) to five thousand (5,000).

EDRIC IVAN CHUA, Managing Director of Ekotek unveils the Justice League Smartphone to be released exclusively by Smart.

To be amongst the first-in-the world to own this superhero package, simply add P400 to any Smart Postpaid plan and request the limited edition smartphone. Best paired with Smart Postpaid Plan 599, which comes with 5GB Data which you can stream CW’s The Flash if you subscribe to iflix, Plan 599 also comes with the following inclusions: 30 minutes all-net calls, unlimited all-net texts, Free Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, Viber.

Ekotek Managing Director Edric Ivan Chua and Smart Postpaid Brand Manager Carl Wy launch first-in-the world Justice League Smartphones

The LTE-capable device also supports the 700mhz indoor frequency to maximize your DC and data experience under Smart’s fastest and strongest LTE network.

To know more about this exclusive offer, follow Smart’s official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. You may also visit smart.com.ph for more details. 

M Lhuillier partners with Starmobile and Smart to launch the ML Phone

From left to right:  Smart Dept. Head/VP, National Key Accounts Group Precy Katigbak, Smart SVP/Head for Wireless and Distribution Alex Caeg, M Lhuillier GM for Luzon/NCR Lorenzo Escaño, Starmobile CEO Joey Uy, and Starmobile President Uly Lao, poses M Lhuillier Numero Uno.

M Lhuillier announces its partnership with Starmobile and Smart with the launching of the ML Phone, a customized Starmobile PLAY Five smartphone powered by a Smart SIM with data allocation packaged for one year.  This partnership brings together the integration of mobile and digital technology to the financial services industry.

“We are very excited about this partnership with Starmobile and Smart as it extends our relationship with our customers, and expands our network to create new ones. Our efforts to push for strategic alliances help us to deliver excellence, innovation and quality service to the customers we serve,” said Lorenzo Escaño, general manager for M Lhuillier Luzon & NCR.

The ML Phone possesses advanced specifications and access to Smart’s widest internet service, thereby allowing M Lhuillier customers to enjoy and enhance their experience with its new digital solution, the ML Wallet.

A proprietary technology, the ML Wallet is an embedded app on the ML Phone.  But for the millions of M Lhuillier customers with Android or iPhone devices, they can download it through Google Play Store or Apple App Store, respectively.

With this breakthrough product, users can conveniently send money, pay bills and electronically load mobile phones anytime and anywhere.  Just some of the earlier features available on the ML Wallet app and with more robust features to follow.

According to Joey Uy, chief executive officer for Starmobile, “We promise to support M Lhuillier all the way, from providing them the units and updating their application.”

ML Phone is something to experience. With a free Smart SIM Pack and data allocation of up to 100 mbps per month, it is definite to deliver the best network service.

“Together, our teams commit to a stronger collaboration to deliver a common goal. I am happy that this project will be very fruitful. We look forward to seeing the launch of M Lhuillier Phone in the market,” said Alex Caeg, senior vice president and head for wireless and distribution of Smart.

The ML Phone is now available in select M Lhuillier Branches nationwide.