Bracing myself for another move, this time back to the North as I go back to university life (yes, a freshman again in my 30s!).

About a month ago, I took down the for sale sign for My Nuvali Home, after deciding to stay put in the Philippines ( I was selling to fund art studies abroad).

So I’m holding on to the house for now, and also holding on, for the remaining 30 days, to the Southern lifestyle I’ve come to really love.

I’ll still be visiting every now and then, but what will I miss about living in Nuvali everyday?

• biking!
• the long easy drive on SLEX
• trail biking!
• peace and quiet
• the long easy drive on Nuvali Boulevard, where I usually roll down my windows to let the fresh air welcome me home
• being so close to freshly-harvested organic produce from Sta. Elena’s Holy Carabao Farm
• being 20 minutes away from Tagaytay and 10 minutes away from fresh buko
• being an hour ++ away from the Batangas beaches
• not needing to use fans or aircon, even during the day
• wide open spaces everywhere
• just the sights and sounds of the South:  Mt. Makiling, the birds, the Nuvali lake, the stars at night, the pink-orange-purple sunsets
• the active energy of Nuvali athletes– the everyday bikers and runners
• the new friends I’ve made in the South!

What would I cram into the days I have left?

• more biking!
• I will probably finally give wakeboarding a good try
• I would’ve wanted to try yoga everyday, but Breathe, the new yoga studio in Nuvali, will only be opening on May 20 (that’s actually in 10 days already!)

I have a lot in Parkway which I’m saving for another creative build (will first gather enough love and resources — time, energy and funding– to birth another home!), so definitely there are still a lot of blank pages on my personal Nuvali story.  My family also has properties here, so Nuvali will continue to be home in more ways than one.

I will still practice real estate when able, but my main occupation for the next four years will be full-time student.  For any real estate inquiries, please do contact our office as we still have a team of brokers ready to help:

Metro Realty
Registered Brokers since 1975

+632 655.3765
nuvali@metrorealty.ph

Our websites:
MetroRealty.ph
OurTagaytayHome.com

I do hope the Nuvali community grows richer in camaraderie and actual face-to-face encounters. One of my dreams is still to create a physical gathering place for innovative, positive, and active dialogue by way of art, green tech, and wealth creation.  Think art salons of the olden times, but Pinoy version (with abundant food! and laughter! and doers! Bawal all-talk), and with lots of playful spirit.  An open and friendly place for ideas to germinate and get implemented.  Haaaay. Dreams are free. But they also have a deadline.  Baby steps.

Nuvali sunsets turn yellow and pink and purple. So lovely.

Click here for a panoramic view.

We got to explore a bit of the nursery itself, which had rows of trees with matching labels, just like the fruit tree area at the Manila Seedling bank along EDSA.

The rest of the area was closed, but the caretakers/gardeners told us they just need a go signal from Nuvali management to let visitors in. If you’re looking to visit, drop by the Evoliving Center for a pass beforehand. Other areas of interest include a vegetable maze, an herb garden, even a pond. I was curious to see the vertical garden… maybe next time.

I would assume the area is accessible to light vehicles via the dirt road in between Elaro and Montecito in Nuvali Central. Just know that the road is not paved (i.e. it’s just compressed soil), so best to go on a dry day.

It’s a scenic, easy roll up, roll down trail across the Miriam College site all the way to the back of Venare.

We thought weekends would be especially crowded at the trail but we were greeted by slow traffic even on a weekday morning:

I’ve been charged by a cow in Batanes, so I know better than to startle a grazing herd.  It took about 10 minutes and a gentle “excuse me” for them to let us pass.  :P

I hope they keep this trail open and develop other parts of Nuvali first… it really is a gift to have this just five minutes away!

We did a quick stop last night to restock on fruits at home and were surprised to find the fruit pile almost emptied out, but for melons and papayas (even bananas were sold out). Seems everyone had fruit salads over the Holy Week. Was glad for it though– I tend to skip the melon corner on a regular day because I can’t blend them in my green smoothies (melons are best eaten alone). This batch was so sweet and delicious, I finished the whole thing in one sitting! Wasn’t able to take a pic of the uncut melon, but it was of the yellow skin variety. Still have two white cantaloupes waiting on the kitchen counter, along with other summer fruits:

I had to go back for the bananas and mangoes this afternoon, but am happy to share that the squash above is from our own garden. The plant grew out of our compost pit last year, so we moved it to a nice sunny spot, and voila– three months after, we harvested our first homegrown kalabasa!

Here’s another happy leafy green that sprouted from a fallen seed:

Very thankful for the fertile Nuvali soil.

Spotted at the mall yesterday — chair leg covers! Didn’t even realize these things existed. Bravo Daiso!

I haven’t bought anything for the house in over three months, and I think every homebuilder can relate to this: there just comes a point when you want to put down the builder’s hat and go back to everyday life. This happened for me in a very pronounced way — I quit the hardware store (byebye True Value) cold turkey last December and decided I would stop spending for home renovations or decor.

Yesterday I remembered something a friend shared years ago: once you have a house, you’ll forever be renovating and restyling. So true. Little pick-me-uppers that don’t hurt the pocket are a good way to get into the groove of being a homemaker once again… but this time I’ll go at it slowly and remember to enjoy the process.

I think these leg warmers are a fun alternative to foam pads that come in uninspired white or black.

Available at the Japan Home Store/Daiso.

Had my first morning trail ride in Nuvali yesterday — was happy to discover a whole new world right under my nose!

A friend came to visit so we could go biking, which I took as doing 10K rounds around the village. Ten minutes into the ride and we reached the edge of Avida Settings, saw Elaro across the street, and casually decided to head for the Bird Sanctuary (neither of us had been there before).

Little did we know we’d end up on an actual bike trail, and 2 hours later reach Venare via the uphill path behind Montecito.

Was an adventure of a morning, what with both of us being first timers on any trail.

We entered the soil path between Elaro and Montecito and followed the signs that pointed to the bird sanctuary.

There were no other bikers in sight, and many times we considered turning back for fear of getting lost or not having the energy for the return trip.  On occasion we’d come across a maintenance personnel or a security guard, who would greet us a good morning, encourage us to press forward and just follow the path.

We eventually reached a lookout point with 2 viewing decks and a small pond, and (much) later on were comforted by a familiar sight: the Big Gazebo overlooking the Aviary lots of Elaro.

We could’ve turned back then but saw signs to the right, pointing to the Nuvali community nursery, Greens and Patches.   Since we were already there, we decided to just go for it.

We never found it.

We passed a couple of houses with men tending goats, geese, and possibly pigs and chickens, but we must’ve made a wrong turn somewhere and missed the nursery.

It was a good thing that at this point, we ran into two other bikers, Manny and Kristel, making their way through the trail, and they told us we were near the main road near Venare already.    I remember my brothers telling me that the biking community is generally friendly and helpful, so I was glad for the company.

Manny told us that we picked a good day to do the trail, as it usually gets crowded on weekends.  He also said that there are about 4-5 trails inside Nuvali alone — really exciting to have all this is my/our backyard!

Here’s a pano shot of the peak of the trail and what greeted us after our biking mini-adventure: Mt. Makiling and Tagaytay under the dazzling 9:30am sunlight, and an army of tall grasses swaying to the winds of Nuvali South, right across Venare. Click again when you open in Flickr to see the full size.

Was so beautiful, and worth the aching muscles and sunburn.

We said we’d turn it into a weekly habit — let’s see how next week goes.

I went to check out the site last Saturday — it’s going to be located right above Yellow Cab in Solenad 1:

Classes will start in March or April, but the good news is that they are already conducting free sessions every Tuesday morning at the Monochrome, the new events place right by the lake.

I met Oudine Santos, one of the owners of Breathe, a few weeks back and her fitness vibe instantly rubbed off on me. That same day I took my bike out for a ride and definitively jumpstarted my fitness comeback.   Oudine was all warm and inviting about the Tuesday classes, so I was eager to give it a go this week.

It was Session#3, and my first attempt at Zumba. Until now my muscles are still (happily) complaining from the work out, but I’d gladly do it again!

Was a great morning, what with this to greet us along with the happy smiles of about 25 participants:

Side note: It really is such a gift to live within 5 minutes of this.

Also noted the juice bar component of Breathe, and as a raw food advocate, am mighty excited about this!

Looking forward to next Tuesday’s Yin Yoga, a less active form of yoga that involves prolonged stretching. My introduction to yoga was at a 3-day retreat in Palawan in 2011, where I learned that there are actually a number of different yoga practices.   Yin Yoga was one of those that I found enjoyable (we were holding our stretches by the beach!).  It “targets the connective tissues, such as the ligaments, bones, and even the joints of the body.”

Oudine gave a brief on the various yoga styles they’ll be offering (Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin Yoga), and said they will eventually also offer other forms of dance, kids yoga, kids dance and pre natal and Sivananda yoga. You may email her at breatheph@gmail.com for more info.

Meanwhile, here’s the list of yoga/dance packages for those interested to enroll already:

Chanced upon this last Sunday, February 3, 2013. Kanin Club is one of my favorite eating places in the general Nuvali neighborhood (note: it’s in Paseo de Sta. Rosa).  Sharing for everyone’s info that they are currently closed and will resume operations on February 18, Monday .

Also saw this billboard for the new Paseo commercial center under construction:

This is the one near the Paseo wet market or palengke.  There is another complex being built on the opposite end of the main Paseo block, with Shopwise as one of its locators.

Looks tall enough for a cinema right? Still keeping my fingers crossed…