American Idol Updates @ BLOGGED

If Lele has her Long Island geography 101, I have a Makati Geography 101 too. Makati city is where I live right now.


DISCLAIMER: Makati City is just one of the cities in Metro Manila (which has 10 cities and 7 municipalities) . The city does not represent the whole of the Philippines. The country is mainly agricultural and underemployment and poverty levels are high ( around 27% living on $1 a day). But since I live in this city, this is what I’ll be reporting.

Let me start off on the location of the Philippines in the world map. Yes !! right there in Southeast Asia. It has more than 7,000 islands. (enlarge)

Makati City is a suburb in the Manila metropolitan area and a part of the National Capital Region. Makati is located 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Manila’s downtown, near the Manila International Airport.

If you know my home address, Ayala Center is just 3 minutes away (car drive). (enlarge city map)

Makati, located east of Manila, is a mix of L.A.’s Beverly Hills and NY’s Wall Street. There are lots of high rise buildings, fancy condominiums, five star hotels, swanky shopping center, fine dining restaurants, and plush residential villages. Ayala Complex is a maze of shopper’s malls (like the Glorietta and Greenbelt Arcade) and restaurants which cater mainly to the rich and middle class. (read more)

View enlarged images 1|2

Important attractions in Makati include the area’s main street, Ayala Avenue, the nearby Ayala Museum, and the Manila American Memorial Cemetery where 17,000 Allied soldiers from World War II (1939-1945) are buried. (read more)

The Ayala Center has its malls ( Greenbelt Arcade and Glorietta Mall), department stores, office buildings to high-rise condominiums, global brand name shops to local specialty boutiques, continental-style cafes to fine-dining restaurants, art galleries to museums. Like I said earlier, it’s 3 minutes away from our house. My friends and I usually go to Glorietta 4 to watch movies, shop or eat. more photos. The Greenbelt Arcade is the newest addition to the Ayala Center and it’s a ritzy place to eat and watch movies.

View enlarged images Greenbelt Arcade|Glorietta Mall

Makati Business District: Makati City is the country’s premier business district of the Philippines. Comparable to Hong Kong and Singapore. The tall building is the Makati Stock Exchange. I took this photo while we stayed at Peninsula Hotel Manila during my 16th birthday.

Speaking of hotels, my favorite is the Peninsula Hotel Manila.

Another hangout is the Powerplant. This is located outside the Ayala Center and nearer to the Bel-Air Village. A lot of people go to the malls since it’s the coolest place in this hot and humid country.

The exclusive gated villages are :Forbes Park, Dasmariñas, Magallanes, Urdaneta, San Lorenzo and Bel Air.Most of the houses in our village were built during the early 1960’s but lately the old ones have been torn down to give way to the latest architecture. I don’t think we’re tearing our house down in the near future .

Makati has also other residential areas like Guadalupe, Bangkal , San Antonio, Palanan , Sta. Cruz, Tejeros.

Living in Makati:
Advantages:
Quiet and secure neighborhood.
Meeting all sorts of people since 40% of our neighbors are expatriates .
Living near the malls which makes it convenient for gimmicks.

Disadvantages:
My house is quite far from where most of my classmates live and quite inaccessible to public transportation (except for taxi cabs). It’s a 15 minute walk from the main gate.

*edit- will add more!

So what are you waiting for, visit me now.