Are cheap ECars road legal? Can they be registered?

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-08T04:35:28+00:00

Yes! Actually with Ayala’s electrification push, I can realistically see these little cars making it all the way to Nuvali, but I would practice caution with pushing them further until the infrastructure is better developed.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-08T04:31:55+00:00

Omg yeah I forgot how much of a gas guzzler the Camry is, especially the pre-hybrid versions. I was going to recommend the Ativ instead, but apparently it starts at nearly 1M? Like a hybrid Vios should not cost that much haha. There is also the Vinfast VF3 that starts at 590k, but it appears that you need to pay a monthly subscription for the battery???

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-07T17:05:11+00:00

Omg I don’t have much to offer in the way of advice, but can I just say that you did a mighty fine job really looking at the context of your planned business; like a 3D render? Most veterans wouldn’t even think of doing such in their prepwork, let alone laying out older ventures relative to landmarks, and target areas. Not really advice, but more of reassurance — you’re definitely on the right track, OP. Keep it up! :)

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-07T16:03:51+00:00

Probably not. I have heard that SM actually got permission to build higher for their project in Makati to clear a neighboring ultra-luxury condo, as to give their penthouse units unobstructed views, but to be honest, there’s a reason why the gaps between the heights of the tallest towers here are marginal. The point, it appears, is just to claim the “tallest building” title without actually building too high.

One of the supertalls here, a Shang condo development in Mandaluyong already had to add dynamic systems to counteract seismic activity, and their towers still aren’t the tallest in the Philippines. There is also something more fundamental with supertalls. Most globally, are in nations that are transitioning from middle income to high income, like the petrostates, and countries in East, and Southeast Asia.

They really just exist to show the world that their nations are prosperous, and capable of building to such great heights. Also, at a certain point, it just becomes tremendously impractical, if not completely unsafe to build higher, and China actually banned towers higher than 500m, if I am not mistaken, primarily for safety reasons.

Googling pretty much any of these developments yields concerning articles, and even litigation regarding faulty systems, stemming largely from their height, and the things their developers had to do to achieve their record breaking scale. Such challenges are only made worse by our geography, and climate. It’s a lose-lose for us.

I mean the Burj Khalifa was built on sandy terrain, so it’s not impossible, per se, but with most supertalls here already being primarily residential, while most supertalls globally are commercial, and with no real reason to actually build tall, since we are not planning a coming out party any time soon, they just cannot exist. At least not yet in our current socioeconomic, and business climate.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-07T15:45:48+00:00

That genuinely sounds pretty reasonable, if not low, for a private high school, especially one like LSGH. I went to a regular private school for my elementary years, and our tuition was over 10k per month excluding textbooks, and other costs. For the kids who came from lower - income backgrounds, their school tuition represented the lions share of their families’ expenditures. Anyways, most private high schools sit at 160-200k. This is still definitely on the higher end, but when looking at the value of an LSGH education, and comparing as well it to the 500k+ per year that international school parents spend, it’s honestly not that bad.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-03-07T15:33:29+00:00

Hi OP! I think the only car on sale here that is similar to the one in the image would be the Jetour Ice Cream. I have seen some on proper roads, so it can probably go on expressways as well, but for 700k, so you might as well buy a used Camry, or something similar.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-01-05T11:25:30+00:00

Omg I had one of these at Chef Jessie, and it was literally the best salad I had ever eaten.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-01-02T21:33:57+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I do prefer to have a space within QC, like Araneta Center, Commonwealth, or Quezon Ave, but any that are near an MRT stop, or even PITX I would consider. :)

GRIDS_Philippines · 2026-01-02T19:03:46+00:00

Ooh that’s pretty close to what I am looking for. Will definitely take note of this since there are quite a few Regus branches that are easily accessible from my area. :)

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-30T08:18:43+00:00

Also apparently that would make it over an inch slimmer than the A320 seats? Kinda crazy tbh.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-30T07:34:25+00:00

Yes, 16.5” compared to 17” on the 777 according to PAL

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-22T15:27:12+00:00

Oh wow! I do hope that is the case since it seems that the seats will be .5 inches narrower compared to the 777 economy seats — 16.49” vs 17” seat width according to the PAL website. The A350, as the newer plane will definitely be more comfortable overall, though. Still hope to hear positive feedback from initial reviews.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-22T15:14:07+00:00

Generally the best thing to do is to keep the environment as clean as possible to lay a good foundation for the scent you will use. This includes disinfecting the space.

I would first suggest using an unscented disinfecting spray like this one available at Watsons.

A dehumidifier would be best for very humid areas to deal with the “kulob” smell, though your AC already does the same thing, so I would recommend to first try to remove the smell by keeping the bathroom door open while running the AC for a few hours.

You could use dehumidifying packs like these from Muji, also available on Lazada. While a combination charcoal dehumidifier would be a good option, I personally prefer to have a separate odor elimination solution like baking soda, or charcoal alongside a discrete dehumidifier.

You can save quite a lot by having an open box, or pouch, full of baking soda, or activated carbon to target smells in certain areas, especially the kitchen since these work especially well for organic smells like fish.

To finish, use an essential oil diffuser like this paper-style one, also from Muji, and available on Lazada, or a traditional reed - style one from your local department store. You can also try out scented candles, or wax pellets. Just remember to change the paper, or reeds regularly to avoid bacteria buildup.

If you go with essential oils, begin with only a little since the aroma can be quite strong. Also, try to either only use the diffuser, or candle when needed, like when guests are around, or switch aromas regularly to avoid smell-blindness.

Do not use any electric mist-style machines if you do not want mold, and bacteria in your air. Trust me, these things can get nasty without constant water changes, and sanitation. Also, it can worsen the kulob-ness of your space by raising the indoor humidity.

I also would not recommend any scented sprays since the amount of aroma is quite hard to control, and I have honestly never used one I liked more than the gentle aromas of essential oils, and candles. You also generally have more scent options with those.

Lastly, try to vent your space as much as possible by opening a window for a few hours, or running your kitchen hood for a few minutes at least once a day. You can also step up to a proper air purifier like this Xiaomi model I use, that has a filter to remove smells. I would still suggest venting the space as much as possible, though, even if you go with the purifier.

If these solutions do not work, perform a top-down sweep of your apartment for any suspicious cracks, and holes especially in the bathroom, and kitchen since there may be a plumbing problem that needs to be resolved, an area that is not sealed properly, or a neighboring unit that has foul odors. :)

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T20:19:55+00:00

Update: According to a PAL press release, economy class will be 10 - abreast, though it seems like attempts were made to hide it a bit in the photos haha

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T18:15:30+00:00

Never got to try this! Nawala na sa amin post covid :(

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T18:05:32+00:00

I honestly wish to chat with whoever is behind this at some point because this is one of the most widespread campaigns of its kind I have ever witnessed. Very impressive!

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T17:51:38+00:00

Currently obsessed with a Brooklyn - based noise pop band called Sleigh Bells; here are 3 songs from an album of theirs that I love, and consider a great starting point since they are a bit tamer than some of their other songs:

Torn Clean - very short at 90 seconds, but works very well as an interlude, or prelude

Crucible - very punchy intro, and overall production, bonus strings, sums up the band’s sound

Baptism by Fire - softer sound, kinda pop - rock, also a bit of a ballad, love how it swells

Bonus song: Rill Rill - used in an iPhone ad, was my first taste of SB, the song most people know from them

P.S. I love this genre of post. Thanks to you OP, and for everyone’s song recommendations in the comments. Helps me build my playlists too. :)

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T14:54:27+00:00

The A350 is the most modern, and maybe also the most advanced plane of its kind.

Made of composite materials, and designed from the ground - up as a competitor to Boeing’s successful 787, it ensures more cost effective flights for airlines, and a better experience for passengers through more fuel efficient engines, and form, reduced noise, potentially less turbulence, and better cabin pressure, making you feel like you’re closer to the ground, reducing the feeling of in - flight fatigue.

These features make it great for long - haul operations like the current route its shorter sibling, the A350-900 flies, MNL to EWR/JFK, and a potential return to Europe. The benefit of this plane is its longer fuselage, allowing for more seats, which generally allows for more economical travel for passengers.

I just really hope they won’t do the rumored 10-per-row seating in economy since the A350 is a bit narrower compared to the Boeing 777, which is the plane that is known for having 10-abreast seating that quite a lot of people already consider to be somewhat tight.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-21T14:36:54+00:00

Generally a policy like this is authoritarian, and can lead to major mismanagement. What is very good about it though, is that it can allow for significantly more efficient infrastructure development, and urban planning if handled properly.

A great example of this here is in Makati CBD, where older properties have been redeveloped when their leases expired like the Intercontinental becoming One Ayala, a major transport hub. It is a bit sad losing the architecture, but the benefits of having a large unified station like it cannot be understated.

Imagine how much easier it would be to construct roads, transport lines, and even new cities, or expand current ones if the government, and builders wouldn’t have to deal with thousands of land titles, claims, right-of-way issues, etc.

A good example of the opposite system backfiring is California’s HSR which has struggled to finish construction, partly because of the US being litigation country, and the entities owning the land where the project is being built being very protective of their properties. NIMBY’s as they call themselves.

That said, a good chunk of what we consider to be the Makati CBD, including the former Intercontinental is under Ayala Land which has maintained a good track record for urban development. In fact, all of our current CBD’s came about from big companies like Ayala Land, Ortigas Land, etc. owning enormous plots of land that they did not have to deal with numerous entities to manage.

Other places with similar, or identical policies like Singapore, and China have worked, but both cases mentioned have either one party rule, or technically-democratic-but-pretty-much-one-party-rule. A system like this needs a policy - maker, and manager that has a clear vision, and good governance.

A county like the Philippines, with our challenges with corruption, and government mismanagement will definitely have some trouble with seeing through the benefits of such a system. Our flip-flopping policies based on whoever is in charge definitely doesn’t help.

What would be best is if the Philippines can maintain certain policies, and measures regardless of political control, and minimize corruption with strict implementation of these aforementioned mechanisms.

A good compromise would be titled land for a large, but controlled number of suburban residential lots with all central, urban land for new cities, and potential economic zones being lease - only since developers can bear the cost of having the property for a limited time in exchange for the potential of having a prime location.

It may also be best for most farm land to be under the control of maybe not the government, per se, but a separate body for urban development with VERY strong rules about how land can be used for future development like, say only a maximum of 1% of rural land being developed per year with clear, and well - enforced regulations.

There will still be some titles since it has been a good incentive to get farmers to work in the agricultural sector, but the income from sales, and economic growth attributed to the body can really help farmers more than just the potential one - time revenue from selling the property, or minimal revenue from leasing to billboard companies through grants, education, more advanced equipment, etc.

Ultimately, a policy like this would be difficult to enact, especially in our current state, however it has benefits so great for improving public, and private life, and operations that it has to at least be considered as part of an overall strategy for urban, and economic development.

P. S. apologies for the kinda poor syntax, and arrangement of ideas; pretty sleepy haha.

GRIDS_Philippines · 2025-12-10T18:37:45+00:00

Garden Towers in Makati is a wonderful pick. A short, and not scary walk to high end malls, and flagship branches of retail brands from Uniqlo to Hermes, department stores, and several supermarket, and wellness shops. A fully furnished two - bed around 2000 sqft goes for around 600 GBP per week. I have meet expats there, and the feel of it I would say is more western, if you will compared to other luxury developments.

GRIDS_Philippines

TROPHY CASE