Dear Vic,
So the rumors are true… you really are moving to Makati. Wow. Why? You’re gonna regret it.
JUST KIDDING!
Someone handed me this scrapbook thingie for me to write a note for you before you go. You were probably not expecting to see my note in here, much less a really lengthy rambling letter that’s probably one of the longest you’ll ever read on this scrapbook. But this is a topic that I want to elaborate on and which I genuinely feel will benefit you, so just bear with me, okay?
You see, I once lived in Makati for four years before moving to Singapore, and it’s my most favorite city in the Philippines. Makati is relatively cleaner and greener than most of Metro Manila, so hopefully you won’t feel such a huge shock when you get there, though of course, it’s still nowhere as clean and green as Singapore, which is like the cleanest city in the world or something. In my humble opinion, Makati is quite pretty, with all those buildings and malls and landscapes, that I fell in love with it and vowed to go and work there the first time I saw it. I risked it all to fulfill that promise, and if I had to live life all over again, I’d do the exact same thing in a heartbeat.
Your office will be in the same building where I also had my first job, so I know it well. It is a pretty modern building, I remember how my friends and I struggled to figure out how to work its shiny, spiffy elevators on our first day there. If they haven’t changed much, the food court should be at the 9th floor, and Green Tomato makes a mean anchovies in oil pasta.
You will be at the heart of the business district, though, so you won’t be pressed for choices when it comes to food. There will be lots of restaurants all around your building, and it’s a short walk away from the Ayala Triangle, where you can try the famous crispy dinuguan in Kanin Club, the banoffee pie at Banapple, and the Belgian chocolate yoghurt at Golden Spoon. And oh yeah, they have Bonchon chicken there too, in case you miss it.
The best malls in the city are also within walking distance, and they are an Ayala complex too. The most gorgeous mall for me is Greenbelt. It is an opulent mall, so the inside is very lovely, especially the new wing, Greenbelt 5. There are lots of great restaurants there too – La Maison, Krazy Garlik, Mesa, to name a few.
But my favorite part is the connecting park between the different wings of the mall. How can you not love this view??
The best cinemas, meanwhile, are in Greenbelt 3. The screen clarity is even better than some of the cinemas in Singapore.
For other forms of entertainment, may I suggest Jupiter Street for the nightlife? There are also karaoke (known as videoke) places over there, and you can rent an entire room for what you normally pay for just one person here in Singapore.
There are a bajillion more restaurants and places and activities I want to recommend, but this is letter is too long already. You know what, why don’t you just shoot me an email if you have questions? Or just search through this blog. You can use that nifty search bar I installed on the right hand side. Or you can start with this memoir.
Have a safe trip and have fun in Makati! 🙂
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