No Condo-ing for Me in Manila.

My sister forced me to come along with her when she went "tripping" in search of a condo, this was before the arrival of Mr. Ondoy.

So we were driven to Serendra by two agents and shown a model unit for a studio and a two bedroom. The studio, I think, was about 42 sq. metres. It fetched for almost 4.4 million, with parking. Then they showed us The Fort.

Next, we were driven to the Colloseum in Makati, wherein in the studio consists of a 32 square metre unit. There was no model unit because turn over is already underway. The price? If cash, you pay about 2.9 million pesos.

Next offering, the soon-to-be Ayala of the South, Aveo in Santa Rosa, Laguna. Lots are available in this development which boasts, according to the salesperson, preserved wildlife, lakes and acres of greenery.

We have not gone to the Santa Rosa property yet, but my sister is leaving soon for Ohio, and plans to tell her husband of this oasis. But with the Ondoy disaster being plastered on CNN and other U. S. newschannels, I wonder if my American bro in law would still be interested in spending part of his retirement years in P.I. We'll see.

Personally, I think these Makati/Quezon City condos, even the two bedrooms, are way too small. But then, even the new condo developments in Toronto have gone petite suddenly. Where I live in Toronto now is a modest sized condo. The principal bedroom accomodates a king size bed with oversized headboard, a large size dresser, a large movable closet, a built-in closet, two extra cabinets and a 35-inch TV.

In the spare room, you can fit in a twin size bed, built in closet and stack shelvings, and a computer/TV desk.

With the new condos, the developers want you to use a twin size bed, a wall unit TV, and a small bedsize table.

In the second bedroom, you are being asked to use a sofa bed. And in the kitchen, you will have to cook and eat there, too. The living room fits only a seatee, not a full sofa. The washroom is slightly bigger than an airplane washroom.

I drove family member/s to a condo in Sucat, Paranaque where they'd spend out the days waiting for the flood to recede from their house and village, and it was small, too. They're squeezing into a one bedroom unit. At least, it sits on higher ground.

As for me, I'm back to my quarters in my sis' house in Q. C. But finding my shirts and other stuff is a problem, so are the expanded doors that wouldn't close.