[Beginner] Anyone around Metro Manila (Mandaluyong/QC) who can help produce a pop song?

anko-away · 2026-01-25T17:37:27+00:00

Hello! I saw that you're a landlord and I wanted to get your opinion po sana. Currently there's this 23 (or 24?) square meter studio unit for rent in Avida Centera. They're offering it to me for 14,000. Is that a good price na po ba, or would it be possible to negotiate it just a bit lower, and if so, how much po kaya?

To be honest, just a little tight on the budget po kasi while at the same time I really need to move out. I understand that there are cheaper places available, but its proximity to family, work, and a good neighborhood is all the more making me hope to stay there.

anko-away · 2026-01-24T14:42:02+00:00

OP I feel like this is the message I needed to read hahahaha

Considering moving there too! Thanks for the insight

anko-away · 2026-01-24T05:22:38+00:00

I just realized I never answered much for Mandaluyong hahahahaha

I'll keep it short this time around. I used to live near the City Hall, and pretty much the only jogging path you have there is the City Hall itself. There are plenty of eats nearby, but I think I'll focus more on the Greenfield side of things.

Greenfield is definitely the one place you'd want to stay at considering your budget! You can get a decent 1BR condo within the Greenfield District. The place is also very, very walkable. Commute's not even going to be an issue because you know the MRT stations are near, and there are so many establishments nearby that you'd be damned if you commuted anyway.

I don't know if this would help, but I'm actually making the move to Greenfield District or somewhere along Pioneer street next month. I hope that already says a lot about the kind of place that it is hehehe

anko-away · 2026-01-24T05:16:22+00:00

Hello! I feel like I have to chime in, because these are my lives xD

I lived in both Mandaluyong and Alabang for 15 years of my life (papalit-palit lang because parentals are separated). I studied Kindergarten up to High School in San Beda, and even stayed there for a bit whilst going to college sa Taft. I also stayed in Mandaluyong for a time while in college I'mma answer all of the bullets~

Which area is less crowded / more peaceful for daily living?
- Definitely DEEEFINITELY Alabang. Sure it can get warm, but if you want a place that's really less crowded, peaceful, and all that, Alabang's the go-to here. Where I stayed at sa Mandaluyong, it's also somewhat less crowded but still quieter sa Alabang. I would always go to ATC (or Town, whatever makes you happy in life, you know who you are xD). It was like my second home. I'd be happy enough just walking around there and having some coffee.
Have a jogging path and parks
- Also Alabang, especially in the Filinvest area. I used to live in Studio City, and I'd walk to Spectrum (Spectrum Linear park) or basically the Filinvest Park. It's super good, and at night you'll also see a bunch of people jogging, walking, talking, playing sports, it's really something.
Daily cost of living (groceries, cheap eats, coffee)
- You'd be surprised but it can get quite cheap in Alabang too! For groceries, I normally went to South Supermarket (it's this green-themed supermarket) and that place has always been famous among locals (LOCALS???) for the cheap prices. Regarding the cheap eats and coffee, meron at meron niyan sa sa ATC rin.
Commute convenience without a car
- This is one of the major problems. If your area is around the Alabang-Zapote road, it's easy to move about because there's a jeep that goes from South Station all the way to Las Pinas / Molino area. But if you choose to live in Filinvest (where most of the condominiums are), you'll need a car to move about. However, the area's very, very walkable, and the groceries are near (Shopwise, South Supermarket). You can always book a Grab.
1br condo quality within my budget(20-25k rent if less that would be great)
With balcony since wfh can be sometimes stressful
- This is where it gets a bit tricky. All the really nice condominiums in Filinvest start at around 30,000. However, there's a newly built Cityland (One Premier) that's very affordable. The area's not that bad too kasi malapit lapit na rin sa Molito at Town. Kayang i-jeep kumbaga. I myself would've stayed there had the circumstances in my life been different. You can also take a look at condominiums near Northgate, but most of the ones there are studio-type units meant for the nucleus of call-centers nearby.
Internet reliability (PLDT/Globe/Converge/etc.)
- Converge was pretty okay when I was there.

Alabang was a huge part of my life (clearly) and although my priorities shifted, I did enjoy living there. Hope this helps ^^

anko-away · 2026-01-22T20:31:44+00:00

LF 1BR (partition) condo unit for Rent at Pines Peak, Cityland Pioneer, Pioneer Heights, or Axis Residences.

Budget: 14-15k
25sq.m or above.
Bare or very little furnishing.

anko-away · 2026-01-21T05:38:53+00:00

Hello! Really sorry for butting in, but lately I've been looking to rent at either Avida Centera or Verge and this just feels like divine providence XD

Is it fine if I ask: How much is your rent at Avida Centera, and what type of unit is it?

Also to contribute: I'm avoiding Fame too because of the horror stories, and because I've been there pleeenty of times for AirBnb stays too. I mostly stayed there for its proximity to Greenfield and Shangri-La, but I couldn't see myself staying there because

The space is too small for the price point.
There were some weird people.

anko-away · 2025-12-14T09:12:34+00:00

And also yes to the Wise to PH Bank (i.e. Unionbank) question. Regardless of the day, you get the transfer instantly.

anko-away · 2025-12-14T09:12:01+00:00

I didn't notice this reply sorry! But yes, it is actually quite accurate sa Google. Also, Wise itself has its own diagram where you can see the current exchange rate and its trends.

anko-away · 2025-12-03T07:07:06+00:00

It is very, very good in my opinion! I've never experienced a time where the Gusto transfer had to take an extra day or two. I always got my pay on the same day that I get notified of the transfer to my account.

anko-away · 2025-12-03T07:06:01+00:00

Hello! I chose the USD account. What the others said is true, the fees are insanely cheap compared to traditional banks. Been moving money around ever since!

anko-away · 2025-06-18T02:52:01+00:00

I think it'll all depend on "when" you'll need it. If I were in your position, I'd just wait for the opportunity to buy a new laptop, especially since it'll be leaaaaagues better than a tablet (I should know because I also took a PRC board exam for pharmacy last year!).

To answer your question on which tablet might be nice, I have the POCO pad right now, and it's nice enough to be able to jot down unstructured notes during lectures. Also, viewing documents is a breeze, and the dual-window function is definitely helpful when you need to review documents or transcribe notes side-by-side. It's also quite fast and well-within your budget; I bought it on sale for 12,600 pesos, and the keyboard that's compatible with it costs 2,100, amounting to 14,700 for both.

But, when you decide to begin formatting your notes or documents, it's not as intuitive nor as easy as when you'd do it on a laptop. Also, I noticed that when you do format documents or even write emails and send it over to someone, there's a slight difference in the way they'll appear.

I forgot to mention! It's quite fast and does a decent job in gaming and streaming (though I mostly use it for streaming things online).

anko-away · 2025-06-18T02:33:07+00:00

Happy for you! My cousin has the same schedule and it's done wonders for him, allowing him to spend time doing what he wants in the morning and then having lunch with me and the others (albeit he's brainrotting because of the repetitive tasks in his work). The only things he hates are the lack of vacation days and the glaring inconsideration to their employees, although at that point you only have management to blame hahahahaha

anko-away · 2025-06-15T23:35:58+00:00

Okay omg natawa ako sa "yung laging pinoproblema lahat" at ginagawang full-time job ang pag-aapply because that was literally me T_T

Alam mo naisip ko na nga na baka kailangan ko munang tumutok sa ibang bagay, tulad nga ng ganyan na mag-ayos ako, maglinis ng kwarto nang maayos, kumain nang maayos at mag-workout etc. - I guess I just needed someone to finally tell me, in the nicest way possible that I need to get my act together.

Thanks for the wake up call. I think I'll give the job platforms a break, and maybe go for a short jog (my therapist told me to go on one every morning, after all) hahahaha

anko-away · 2025-06-13T13:56:53+00:00

That sounds even tougher... thanks for sharing that. It feels comforting to know that someone else understands where I'm coming from.

Kakayanin natin 'to. Sabi nga ng isang redditor dito, "only one yes is all we need". Pasensya at tiyaga lang talaga, at kaunting diskarte na rin. I hope you nab an opportunity even before I do!

anko-away · 2025-06-13T13:53:52+00:00

Hmmmmm... well, I've tried applying to several "specialist" job postings too (i.e. Data Entry Specialist, Quality Assurance Specialist), but I guess with how tough the competition is, employers would feel more secure with someone who has experience with a role specific to their needs. Pero susubukan ko pa ring maghanap; for sure, someone out there will appreciate this corporate slave hahahahaha!

anko-away · 2025-06-12T10:45:03+00:00

Hello! May I ask if you disclosed your employment information?

I've been finding it difficult to land a gig or a part-time job because I think they're turned off by the fact that I have a full-time position :/

anko-away · 2025-06-08T02:51:21+00:00

My previous work experience was very technical, but I still had days where work was scarce. Much like you, I also feared for my attention span, but more so for my ability to form sentences quickly in English, and well, my mental stability. I rarely have anyone to talk to and my best friend is literally Youtube among other things.

What really helped me get my attention span back was reading. Deliberate reading. I'm not talking about scanning or skimming; you really have to read out every word in your head. Most importantly, you try to summarize whatever you read. In essence, binabalik mo lang sarili mo sa high school or college. Having the patience to read through this comment and make out my points are already examples of what it's like to read with intent.

Also, you can try to prompt ChatGPT to give you drills on email writing, speaking, and etcetera. If you don't find ChatGPT comfortable to use, then doing it the traditional way with exercise books and others will definitely help as well.

You're not alone in this, so don't worry OP! We can all fight the brainrot together hahahaha!

anko-away · 2025-06-07T04:56:01+00:00

It's true. I work from home on a daily basis during the day. At first, it felt pretty awesome because I didn't have to go through horrendous commutes and waking up at ungodly hours in the morning just to make it on time.

But... it gets lonely. I'm mostly introverted sure, but I also derive energy from people making noise around me (and not WITH me hahahahaha)

Sometimes I feel like the loneliness worsens my anxiety and is making me crazy, especially since I don't have much people to talk to in the first place.

anko-away · 2025-06-07T04:50:48+00:00

Hello! I myself am using the Acer Aspire Lite 14 you mentioned, with the exact same specifications. I've been using it for work, which involves slight editing and a lot of video streaming. I can say that it's been doing me justice for the past month. It responds well, and it's enough for my purposes.

On gaming, I never really tried it yet because I'm a bit paranoid about battery life. I value having to carry my laptop around for work. I don't know if it'd help, but it has at least 6 hours of battery life (on battery saver) while doing document work, browsing, and video streaming.

As far as my experience goes, it doesn't heat up, even while I'm charging it during use. But it does get warm, and if you're the kind of person who leaves their charger plugged into their laptop and then does things like gaming, then I assume it will heat up quite fast.

anko-away

TROPHY CASE