So with all the GOlobe30tting updates, I haven’t gotten around to apprising you guys of our lives post-holiday. It’s back to normal for the Goppets, meaning back to school once again for the kids. Malaking HAAAAAYZZZ, kalungkot! I’m glad my P.A. is still around for another year before she too goes off to college. Malaking WAAAAAH!

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Henyways, off to Pasig my soon-to-be MD. And you know what’s in Pasig? Traffic, I tell you. NKKLKng traffic every which way! And since Ate‘s class starts early & ends late (life of a med student, FML), we decided she needs a halfway home for times when bumper to bumper gets so bad she’s better off staying in her bachelorette pad.

Condos are getting smaller & smaller, I swear. Halos hindi ako makahinga sa liit ng kwarto ahuhuhu. Her bedroom at home is bigger & more spacious! Thank goodness for the balcony, I told Ate whenever she feels claustrophobic to just open the door & breathe in the.. polluted Pasig air, hehe! 😛

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All of 22 sqm., and then some. Hindi ako makahinga!

Thankful for a balcony overlooking.. wag ka lang tatalon pababa ha, Ate!!!

This just proves.. it takes a village to raise a child, lol! ;))

Furnishing the eagle’s nest.. daming cheche-bureche.

Dami ding gastos hehe.. next time you see Kap, wala na syang buhok!

That smile doe.. it can launch a thousand ships! <3 And why I’m putty in her hands, grabe.

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And because of the size of her tiny studio, we fitted it with custom furnitures ala–Ikea instead of buying ready-made ones that are not space-friendly. Patterned after the bunkbed we have at home, I asked a Contractor to help me maximize the area & design my vision for Ate as I did not have the patience or the resources to go back & forth to take care of the building, painting, installation, etc. And this is the result..

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I asked the contractor for plenty of storage space -which every girl needs.

Not much in terms of space, but she calls it her (halfway) home sweet home. <3

Ate vibered this to me on her first night at the eagle’s nest.. I’m glad she felt comfy, found the place calming.. and didn’t feel smothered! ;P The cabinets below her bed house (and hide) her clothes & shoes.

A little study nook so she can review in peace. Too many distraction (mostly me) at home so she comes to her little haven for quiet haha. I had the bed & cabinets patterned after the one we have at home. Those steps are actually drawers which can hide her books & other knick-knacks para hindi makalat.

..and a lounging area for when she doesn’t want to climb up her mountain. 😉 This is actually a sofa bed which opens up to a twin-sized mattress with a click, so in case one of her GIRL classmates need a place to crash, may matutulugan sa pugad ni Ate.

Kinain ng aircon compressor ang balcony, hmp! @_@ So what I did was I looked for a console to cover it, put a runner over the glass, and bought 2 plastic stools from Dimensione for times when Ate just wants to go outdoors to breathe in “fresh” Pasig air & take a breather from her studies hehe. Voila, a little alfresco nook. Her balcony overlooks the pool below so it’ll give her some semblance of company kahit papaano when she’s feeling lonely. </3

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The Contractor I got was referred to me by the building management. To be honest, I am not 100% happy with her. 50% maybe because the bed & the cabinets came out nice as per my specification -to be fair. But professionally, she lacked ethics & I wouldn’t recommend her, which is why I will not put her number here for reference because I don’t want you to get the same headache as me. Hopefully, in a couple of years, she’d be more competent in dealing with her clients.

I gave her the benefit of the doubt upon learning that she was still a student, an architect on her final year. Since she was recommended by the building manager, I thought I’d give her a try. Our first, 2nd, and 3rd meetings, she showed up an hour late and I -the client, had to wait for her. First impressions last & these 3 tardy slips didn’t go unnoticed in my book. Still, I gave her leeway because she’s in the process of getting her feet wet & everyone starting on the ladder deserved kindness & understanding. We agreed on 2 weeks. We’re talking about just a bed & cabinet here so I think 2 weeks was more than sufficient time, plus she charged me extra for the rush work. I gave her 50% payment on blind faith because she needed money for the materials & I needed the unit to be finished asap.

A month has passed & I had to text her regularly for updates (she wouldn’t take my calls & preferred exchanging text messages). After a month, we were finally moving thank goodness! But the shelving unit for the bathroom didn’t materialize. She asked for another 2 week extension but wanted the full payment. I thought oh well, might as well pay her now, ganun din naman ang kalalabasan. Her work seemed ok naman in spite of the repeated delays -in work & in replying to my messages.

Ok, this is the shelving unit that was installed. You tell me if this was worth the 2 weeks ADDITIONAL wait. First off, we agreed on an L-shape cabinetry for Ate‘s towels & toiletries. And that it would somehow reach the floor. THIS is what she installed.

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Hopefully, the shelf we bought from S&R will fit this tiny space!

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Oh well, the ship has sailed. What’s done is done & there’s nothing I can do about it except move on. So last week the girls & I went hunting for a ready-made shelving unit for the bathroom. Ok na yan, ayoko na ng sakit ng ulo.

Moral lesson of the story: Always get the services of a tried & tested professional. Yes, a newly graduate (or soon to graduate) will charge less (the 6-figure amount I paid for isn’t actually cheap), pero yung balde-baldeng dugo naman na mauubos sayo dahil sa kunsumisyon, hindi maibabalik! @_@ You want to pay less, you get mediocre. Lesson learned, bow.

Ate, I hope you have many happy & fruitful years ahead in your halfway home, with much wisdom to glean from your school, and handy experiences you can apply in your profession.

The eagle has fled, people. She has left the old nest & is out building her own. :'( Fly my eagle, FLY HIGH! :-*

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Wag matulad sa mga kalapating mababaw ang lipad, anak. Aim high, fly high. And I shall always be the wind beneath your wings. 😉

A small reward for Ate‘s hard work & dedication.. <3 Someday, one day, that’ll be a real stethoscope around your neck, sweetheart.