Transforming My Small Condo Bathroom with a Smart Exhaust Fan: A DIY Upgrade

 In small living spaces like condos, maximizing convenience is key. One of the areas in my unit that needed an upgrade was the bathroom ventilation. The old, standard exhaust fan wasn’t cutting it anymore—it was noisy, inefficient, and didn’t provide the level of control I wanted. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and install a smart exhaust fan that could be controlled via voice commands and a smartphone. The process was simpler than expected and gave my bathroom a tech-savvy boost that aligns with the modern, streamlined lifestyle I’m aiming for.

The first step was gathering the necessary components. I found a smart switch online that’s compatible with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, and purchased a reliable exhaust fan from a nearby hardware store. Installing these upgrades was a bit challenging but rewarding. With careful planning, I managed to remove the old ventilation system and replace it with the new setup, all by myself! The integration of the smart switch means that I can now control the fan with a quick voice command or even remotely through my phone, adding both convenience and a cool factor to this tiny space.

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This upgrade wasn’t just about adding smart features—it was about enhancing the functionality and comfort of my condo. Now, the bathroom air circulation is much more efficient, and it’s easier to manage without having to manually toggle the switch every time. Plus, it’s a great example of how small, budget-friendly tech investments can make a big difference in micro-living setups. If you’re considering smart home upgrades or want to enhance your small space, this project could be an inspiring and practical start. Stay tuned for more DIY projects and tips for maximizing small spaces!

🏡 How to Store Too Many Groceries in a 13 SQM Small Condo Unit?

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I already showed you guys on how to design your small apartment to accommodate numerous visitors in one setting in my previous blog post. Today, a certified foodie named Migs Bermido will share his own approach on how he maximized his 13 sqm condo unit especially he is a self-confessed Food Hoarder.

Migs loves inviting his neighbour inside his tiny space and cook for them. Indeed, he is fascinated of letting his friends, visitors and neighbour consumed his food supplies.

“Congressman nga ang tawag nila sa akin (They even tagged me as a politician) “he jokingly said.

 Undeniably, his cabinetries are full of food supplies, his refrigerator is jam-packed of drinks, his fridge is occupied of too many processed foods and meats, above his cabinetries - you can find a lot of cereals , wines and on the floor, he put a plate rack wherein most of the space is full goodies.

“Isn’t it obvious with my body?” he added.

RELATED: The Best Birthday Gift Ever I Gave To Myself – New Condo Unit.

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Indeed, he has planned to install more cabinets in the future for more food storage. This guy is truly amazing on how he was able to maximize his small condo unit without sacrificing his love of foods. He even managed to cook foods inside his room using an 8 in 1 multi-cooker.

Moreover, hoarding too many foods inside in small apartment is everyone’s challenge mostly -living in the urban zone. We opted to buy at the fast food restaurant or even frequently bought ready-to eat foods in Carenderia and we tend to forget  – to live a homey feeling – cooking foods, dining after and washing dishes.  And with Migs, he still maintains the lifestyle of living in a big house yet he is inside a 13 square meter studio apartment.

🏡 Designing a Tiny 13 Square Meter Condo Unit to Accommodate Innumerable Visitors.

In this vlog, I’ll be visiting a unit owner of a micro-living condo unit along EDSA, Mandaluyong. She will be sharing what she did to make her friends feel welcome despite its constraint.

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Rai, a Transpinay acquired her property year 2018. She is fun-loving on maintaining a massive circle of friends. And so, she came up with sacrificing her queen size bed and bringing a couch for the visitors. In addition, she opted for a couch that can be converted into a bed for her comfort after work. She also bought an additional two foldable chairs so that she can hide them once not being used.  And she kept the other two for her dining table – free when the unit was turned over.

Rai loves yellow-green and so most of her things are yellow-green. She also considers not spending too much in making her unit visually pleasant.

“Pumupunta ako ng Divisioria , kasi mahal sa mall “ she said.

“Pag may nakita kayong nakasale or buy 1 take 1, grab niyo na”

Undeniably, her own way on how to maximize a small space is truly amazing. She was able to design a dwelling that is visitor-friendly without sacrificing her comfort during her own “ME TIME”.

Watch the video below:

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🏪 S&R : The Exclusive Shopping Center in the Metro.

S&R is an exclusive shopping establishment for official members only. Any individuals with 2 valid photo identification cards or documents can apply for a membership card (Passport - Voter’s I.D -Driver’s License - Tin NO. Card -SSS/GSIS I.D. (Digitized) - Postal I.D -PRC License - Company I.D -NBI Clearance - School I.D). Complete S&R Membership application form and pay for appropriate fees (Gold membership is Php700 and one extension card per household is Php400 )

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S&R offers a wide array of imported products (70%) and locally made products (30%) such as food items, wines and liquors, meat products, bath and body products, towels, beddings, electronics, appliances, household items, and a lot more at very affordable prices. It is a supermarket with a warehouse concept just like Costco and Sam's in the US. They also hold sale events wherein the place gets really crowded and people would actually fall in line for half a day or more but on during normal shopping days it is very convenient because of the limited access inside because you have to be a member first. 

S&R has 5 locations in Congressional, Aseana-Baclaran, Bonifacio Global City, Alabang, and Cebu; we always frequent the former 2 branches.

So since I am not a member, connivance with a friend of mine who is an affiliate of the said shopping establishment happened-Shay Cua. Together with another four non-member workmates of mine name Edna, Michelle, and John Aduna who celebrate his 24th Birthday at that time. We decided to have a good time with their Aseana-Baclaran Branch. Anyone can go inside as long as one of your friends is a member.

There are also food stalls available in the area so when you get tired and hungry shopping, you can get your fill without leaving the establishment.

Inside, I would recommend you to taste their Pizza. I already tasted pizzas  ( Pizza Hut Yellow Cab and Home-made) but what I loved with their pizza was the dough. All I can say, It was totally their trade secret, the dough is very soft - enough to appreciate the entire slice. A price varies on the sizes. You can order the huge one with two toppings just like in the picture attached below.

Apart from pizza, I would suggest not to miss their Roasted Chicken, - so tender  and juicy. Try to eat it without rice and you will appreciate the savory taste. Of course, eat it with your bare hands.

  
So, If you want to try a place to shop which is not that congested as other malls, try S&R.

Tips on How to Become a Successful MRT Commuter.

The MRT (Metro Rail Transit) is one of the Philippines’ most useful public transport systems aside from Buses and Jeepney . It is located along EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) with  thirteen stations that passes through the cities of Makati, Mandaluyong, Pasay and Quezon City. MRT is an alternative transportation for you to avoid suffering heavy traffic. But beyond this advantage of choosing it - congestion during rush hour is a daily challenge to all commuters in opting MRT.

As an ordinary commuter, it is truly a battle royal for me in my daily routine going to work and back home wherein I travelled via MRT. Let me share you my techniques how I ruled against my day-to-day fracas.

TIP 1: Early Bird Catches Worm – No matter how they labelled MRT as the fastest transportation in EDSA, consider that you are not just single passenger. Yet, there are thousands of commuters who are willing to fight just to reach their destination. Based in my experience during rush hour, I need to fall in queue towards the ticket booth for 15 minutes, 15 minutes idle for the guard inspection and another 15 minutes to insert your MRT card at the gate. Once I reach at the track, you have to wait another 15 minutes for the train.  Because it arrived in every 10-15 min and the worst scenario do not expect that you can get inside the train on the first try. You have to wait for another one and it takes another 15 minutes. So the best option to save your time is BUY STORED VALUE or TWO-WAY TICKET. Remember, STORED VALUE CARD is PHP100 which is valid for 3 months and if you buy roundtrip ticket, that is only valid for one day (see prices at the ticket counter). By buying these tickets, you will avoid long infinite lines. Remember, getting into a train on the first try during rush hour takes lots of patience, vigor, and ability.


TIP 2 : Get Ready for the Game – While waiting for the train, brace yourself and be prepared for the next event. Expect that there will be pushing and prodding waiting ahead. But remember, never step on yellow lane while the train is about to arrive to avoid accident. When the door starts to open, let the passengers get off the train first. And be watchful, if there is now a space and a chance wherein you can now place yourself inside; go and push yourself as far as you can until the door close. Don’t mind other, mind your game. If you feel like things getting physical, don’t hesitate to elbow others – don’t worry everyone used to it.

TIP 3. Travel with nothing. – It is not suitable to ride MRT if you have heavy baggage. Imagine after shopping and you have lots of huge grocery bags and you let the guard check it one by one. And how about a 45ltrs of backpack and those wrapped gifts – in the first place you are not bringing them for the guards to open. And you have to spend longer time at the guard’s station to check it, while hearing those bad words from other passengers waiting behind you. How about a bouquet of fresh flower for your date? Visualize how it looks like once you arrived to your destination? Moreover, it is not also advisable that while waiting at the queue “Eating is your pastime” because once you’ll get there at the guard’s station, they will not allowed you to enter with food at hand – you have to eat it all or leave it at the guard.


TIP 4. Wear MRT Dress - In order to accomplish Tip 3 effectively, consider the advantages and disadvantages when choosing you dress. Especially for ladies (e.g. glampackers ) do not wear low neckline to avoid the opportunist voyeurs. High heels and stilettos is advantage of all girls who can’t execute pushing and elbowing because in just a single step on other’s toe – your opponent will lose the game. However, your best weapon is also harmful for you; imagine the risk of tripping or falling off balance when the train starts to operate. Therefore, rubber shoes, flip flops and any flat shoes will work best. For boys, sleeveless is undeniably more comfortable especially in a congested environment but make sure once you grab the hand grills and raise your armpit , you use deodorant prior the TIP 1 ; it can be your best firearm but it can be your point of entry to the world of “Shame” . Imagine, the face of other passenger were rubbing towards your wet armpit – that’s a good fight.


TIP 5 Be cautious of your things- Rush hour is the perfect moment wherein in robbers exists -While everyone are busy and the fast pacing of life happened. No matter how tactful you are on getting inside the train but if you will lose unconsciously your phone or wallet- your effort is worthless to win the game. Esp So, place your backpack in front of you. Be watchful and always check your pocket. And put your ticket in a safe part of your pants or bags or else you will pay for that at the counter once you arrived in case of lost.


TIP 6.  Try to RELAX: When everything starts to be ok. And you already secured your belongings (like mentioned in TIP 5 - just go with the flow and just feel the MRT’s movement. Expert MRT commuters are equipped with MP3 or phone with music player – listen your favorite music to divert your attention from the stressful environment. Just visualize that while the MRT move and the music play, you are the star in a music video. Make sure that you are still in reality or else you might consider other commuters as your back-up dancers. If you are not a music lover, bring reading materials (eg magazine, books or newspaper) but make sure that the content is safe for everybody or else you will notice another passenger rubbing their bulge towards you. To be safe, just bring rosary and pray that you’ll not be harmed.

 TIP 7 MRT is not a Confession Room - It is very irritating to commuters hearing some conversation in a public transportation- about the salary they received, her husband with other woman (husband with another man is interesting story), those call center agents kept speaking in English and etcetera. It would be better if you minimize the volume of your voice especially when answering your phone. And if possible, save the personal stories for conversations over coffee instead – even in your lowest tones, the person beside you can still probably hear.

TIP 8. Always remember your Goal – Since you’re already at ease after conquering the TIP 2. Keep in mind that the fight is not yet finished. Be aware that getting off the train also takes as much vitality as getting in. When you are just one or two stations away from your start point, then TIP 6 is not applicable. Always place yourself near the door and never push yourself in the middle part of the train or else you will suffer in getting out. Polite phrases such as “excuse me” and “makikiraan po” (“passing through!”) will not work. Now this time, apply TIP 2. After being wrapped up with various set of passengers (sometimes with powerful odor), always bring hygienic essentials to freshen up after a train ride. But if you really want to maximize the tax that you paid every month- there are few stations that alcohol and tissue paper are free.
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Now, practice it daily – don’t worry, been there done that. It sounds funny but that’s the reality of being a traveler along EDSA.

Year 2014 SM MOA Pyrolympics: Firework Display Trivia, Tips, Spots and Schedules

Last Year, I was able to witness the amazing fireworks competition. Actually, this event started as part of Chinese tradition of welcoming the New Year. With a dazzling display of fireworks and firecrackers, it has been believed that evil spirits that bring negative vibes maybe scared and banished away so a prosperous year will be waiting for anyone. Moreover, with the said tradition it has been innovated for a reason of aesthetic and entertainment value. Pyrotechnic appreciation became an annual competition.

This 2014, Eleven participating countries will fight head-to-head in this competition namely Australia, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Japan, China, Germany, Finland, Canada, USA and the Philippines. More than just a demonstration of finesse and beauty, this exhibition is the Olympics of fireworks and each country is expected to give its best shot. Indeed, delight at the grand profusion of colorful lights in time with music all across genres that showcase the artistry and skills of each competing team. Take pride in the Filipino progress in the field of pyrotechnics and delight at witnessing the country’s global competitiveness.

Each week two countries are competing and showcasing their Fireworks. In the same manner, there are establishments are offering a fine dining in front of the said event. So let’s take a glance of the exhibition while dining with your love ones. Tickets for the entrance are available in SM tickets, you can also avail it at the entrance point.  But if you are tight budget and you don’t want to spend for tickets, I will give you some tips and spots where to see the display clearly.

Best Spots:

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1. Parking Lot at Ocean Drive. - In this place you can easily watch the display in a different point of view.
2. 2ecom Prism Plaza. - Just go to the 3rd floor using the escalator, in this place you can clearly watch the firework.
3. Seaside Blvd- This Street will be closed however you can stay there if you are early at the railings.

Tips- You can bring your picnic blanket. Bring your own bottled water and foods. But foods are available also. If you are about to go home, make sure to stay at least 1 hour and avoid the huge number of audience that will also go home.



The PyroMusical Competition 2014 schedule:

February 15: 
 Platinum Fireworks Inc of the Philippines
 (Opening Exhibition)
 Howard and Sons fireworks of Austrailia

February 22 
 Spain - Brunchu Pyro Experience
 Jubilee Fireworks of United Kingdom

March 1 
 Brezac Artifices of France
 Tamaya Kitahara of Japan

March 8
 Liuyang New Year Fireworks of China
 Vulcan Europe of Germany

March 15 
 Oy Pyroman Finland Ltd of Finland
 Royal Pyrotechnie of Canada

March 22
 Atlas Pyrovision of USA
 Platinum Fireworks Inc. of the Philippines -
 (Closing Exhibition)

The Huge and Comfortable Asian Development Bank Library

What is ADB Library? (As per adb.org)

The Asian Development Bank Library (ADB Library) supports the information needs of ADB staff, using a collection of more than 77,000 titles that include books, journals, newspapers, commercial databases, Internet-based publications, and newswires.

The Library's service brings the collection to its users by offering reference and research assistance, current awareness profiles, document delivery, acquisition of information products, tutorials on the use of electronic databases, tours, and briefings.

Centered on ADB's Communities of Practice, the Library focuses on the organization's priority sectors and themes, which include Education, Energy, Environment, Finance and Trade, Gender and Social Development, Governance, Health, Regional Cooperation and Integration, Transport, Urban, and Water.

Designed and managed as a collaborative as well as research space, the library hosts meetings and seminars related to ADB's Communities of Practice and book launches that showcase ADB publications.

The library is open to external researchers, provided advanced notice is given through written request to the Head, Information Resources and Services, or authorized library staff.(Info from ADB.Org)

How to get into ADB Library?
Asian Development Bank Library is located inside the ADB Headquarters. The compound is located at the heart of Ortigas Center along 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City.

If you came from Edsa via Bus. Get off at Robinson's Galleria. Walk along Poveda Avenue towards ADB Avenue.Or You take the MRT, go down in Ortigas station. Walk to Robinson's Galleria back, and the ADB Avenue is just nearby.



Don’t Worry Here is the Map:


Tips to all external researchers of ADB Library.

If you are a traveler and you are looking for information about travelling in a specific country (esp in Asian countries), ADB library is perfect for you. The library offers widest and latest information about Tour and travel. Inside the huge and comfortable library you can do the reading while having a coffee and pastry because Starbucks is available here. Yes, you heard it right, a coffee shop inside the library.

Not Only 77,000 titles that include books, journals, newspapers, commercial databases and newspaper are available here. You can also do an online research and access Internet-based publications because Computers are available here for free. Actaully, when I went online that time, I checked my Facebook account only.

But since it is owned by ADB, it is very difficult to experience this library. Management is very strict when it comes to external researchers. But don’t worry, we conquered it and I will give you tips.

1. Secure an appointment for your research; you need to submit it to ADB Library. Click HERE to Submit. List the names of the researcher/s if you are more than one.

2. You just need to wait patiently for their response via email. The Email will indicate the confirmation/authorization.

3. Print that Email because you need to present it once you are going to enter the ADB headquarters.
4. Bring your ID once you are already at the entrance, present it together with the Printed Email Confirmation.

5. The Help Desk will assist you. You need to surrender you ID, and the teller will give you an entry pass. Then you can now proceed to the library and approach the librarian/front desk of the library.

The entire compound is very huge, so you need to be tactful in finding the library.

Bonifacio Global City (BGC) located in Taguig or Makati?

Today, I’ll be featuring you guys the place of the Philippines which the Economic Growth was rapidly increasing in just a short span of time. The development of each businesses and commercial establishments are tremendously developing. I witnessed the rough transitions personally in every visit I made.

Bonifacio Global City is situated in………….. Let me check first…. For accuracy…uhm actually I don’t know, but as far as my last visit it is officially owned by Taguig City yet for now I don’t know , I am now confused.

The confusion starts when the Clash of two titans arises. These Titans named “Cayetano” from Taguig City and “Binay” from Makati City are currently fighting for the BGC. The Court is their battlefield. These two mayors are disputing who owned the Bonifacio Global City.

BGC as a new business complex where in huge amount of taxes can be collected is one factor why these two mayors are battling. Cayetano said "Kapag inagaw ng Makati ang Fort Bonifacio sa Taguig, paano na ang benepisyong nakukuha ng mga Taguigeño,” But Binay declared a moratorium for tax collection from any establishment in BGC last six months of 2013.

Well personally, BGC is the place that I can recommend establishing your business, a place where in restaurants are really sophisticated and BPO industry are numerous therefore the BGC is operating 24hrs.

But despite of the development, there is still a question until now that made confused not only myself but also travelers, Is Bonifacio Global City (BGC) located in Taguig or in Makati? We have to watch it out.

🏬 SM Mega Mall : Five for one, one for five !

Erwin Calibo , Vinna Villaluz , Geronimo Pasay , Debbie Marcelo, and yours truly Jonathan Orbuda

giving the real meaning of Bonding!!

Erwin Calibo, Vinna Villaluz, Geronimo Pasay and I are group mates in a thesis entitled Logistic Management. After we went from a company, we decided to drop by at SM megamall. We bought a tiny barkada pack of ice cream. That time Debbie Marcelo (she is the girlfriend of Erwin Calibo ) just arrived. She decided to go with us.

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While walking in the hallway of SM mega mall we noticed an ice cream both 30 PHP 5 ice cream, so we bought and eat and it's very delicious, each one of us has its own flavor, it's enjoyable moment because of one factor “the quality of time we spend each other” it's not the ice cream that matters most, IT’S THE BONDING of the team researchers.

Jonathan Orbuda

The Cheapest Ice Cream

The economics students that believe that we can conquer the challenge in thesis making for as long as we are united huhuhu!!! So emo