Let there be Light

No direction home, like a rolling stone.

For most of my life, I knew how that felt. Being shuffled from one relative’s place to another, saying goodbye to old scourges, saying hello to new tormentors, learning the jeepney routes to the new domicile, keeping track of shortcuts and trouble-free alleyways, re-learning to be a complete unknown all over again. And, yes, trying to desperately to feel at ease in some strange room in the dark maw of the city by filling it with records, books, magazines and moments. Paint the walls black, put up Pink Floyd The Wall and “The Persistence of Memory” posters (well, that’s what I did, so many, many times). But there is just no joy in being a roamer, wanderer, nomad and vagabond (unlike what is glorified in the Metallica song), so one aspires for a space to lay one’s head in. 

You know what? This aspiration is legion. I am not the only one with this desire to have a place to call one’s own. A place preferably in the city (despite the noise, the heat, and the snarl of traffic). City life is inspiring, mad, chaotic, astonishing, exciting in its scale and overarching dimensions; it toughens you up, hones your survival skills, makes you appreciate being alive even more. It is where the action is. I’ve done a bit of traveling, but I still feel Metro Manila, with its flaws and frustrations, is the best piece of land on this planet. Many of us believe in this chorus: Nothing beats home.

And having a home nowadays is not some wispy, willowy dream anymore. What with the initiatives undertaken by SM Development Corporation (SMDC) in offering high-rise condominiums that not only allow residents to be more creative, efficient and productive in their own place, but also provide them a living space without necessarily costing them an arm and a leg in terms of price points.

 The latest high-rise is right smack in the city, along EDSA, adjacent to three business districts (Ortigas, Makati and Bonifacio Global City), within reach of malls such as SM Megamall and The Podium, and right beside the Boni Ave. MRT Station: Light by SM Residences.

Light up your life: Modern contemporary is how Light Residences AVP and project director Glenna Galupo characterizes the design of the units, which were created by Albert Yu and Asya Design. The units are already furnished with beds, sofas, ovens, refrigerators, etc. Photos by FERNAN NEBRES

Light Residences is three-tower, 42-storey residential and commercial development spread out in almost two hectares along EDSA corner Madison Street in Mandaluyong. It has the regular studio (20 sq.m.), the one-bedroom unit (23 sq.m. and 27 sq.m. with balcony), and the two-bedroom unit (43 sq.m.). Tenants can also merge units for a bigger space (a combination of two one-bedroom units — 50.84 sq.m.). Tower One (the middle building, 90 percent of which is already sold) will be completed by the third quarter of 2013, with the other towers to follow a year apart.    

Modern contemporary is how Light Residences AVP and project director Glenna Galupo characterizes the design of the units, which were created by Albert Yu and Asya Design. The units are already furnished with beds, sofas, ovens, refrigerators, etc. So all you have to do is show up with your Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains and Black Flag CD collection

When asked whether the smoke and noise coming from the country’s major-major highway, EDSA, or the electric hum of the MRT reach the living spaces in Light Residences, Galupo explains that the residential units start at the seventh floor, so the effects are not as noticeable as one might expect. The SMDC also coordinated Light Residences’ traffic system with the local government.

She says, “We have a two-lane internal road network within the development, hindi siya nakasagad sa EDSA. And the buildings are linked directly to the MRT station, so it’s more practical to take the train,” she adds. So you could just imagine being steps away from the metro. Or the buses that ply EDSA for that matter.

Light Residences boasts five-star amenities, four pools (two lap pools and two children’s pools), a landscaped garden, a jogging path, function rooms, a children’s playground, Wi-Fi access in all lobby lounges, and — get this — an SM Mini-Mall. The mall will have retail shops, dining establishments, cinemas and a supermarket. You could just picture yourself going down from your unit on a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon to buy some groceries or watch the Hollywood remake of the Swedish vampire classic Let the Right One In (which may or may not be superfluous, considering Tomas Alfredson’s film is as transcendent as the image of “red blood on white snow”). Maybe bring along a copy (bought from National Book Store) of Robert Greenfield’s account of the Rolling Stones’ season in hell at Villa Nelcotte, formerly a Nazi headquarters in the South of France, and order coffee in one of the cafés at the SM Mini-Mall, chill, and take the elevator up your unit when you’re good and ready.

“We’re not just selling a condominium unit,” quips Nita Claravall, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), “we’re selling a whole new lifestyle.”

Efren Tan, SM Land Inc. VP for sales; Julie Jalandoni, SMDC AVP and sales director; Glenna Galupo, Light Residences AVP and project director; Ana Carpio, SMDC sales director; Nita Claravall, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) head of corporate marketing communications; and Rose Qua, SMDC SVP and COO

Life is good (only if you want it to be).

Light Your Way

“We started out as the new kids on the block, but now we’re the leading condo development company in the country,” Claravall explains.

She adds that the best thing about SM Residences in general and Light in particular is the affordability. “SM as a conglomerate is able to make available appliances and furniture for the units. If you’re going to buy them yourself, they would be more expensive. This is (one of the unique selling points) of Light. And from the point of view of investors, the moment you buy it, you can have it rented out immediately. It’s very convenient.”

Claravall goes on to say that some SM Residences are differentiated by location. Case in point is Wind Residences in Tagaytay City. “Or in the case of Sea Residences (at the Mall of Asia), you sell a view, you’re selling a view of the famous Manila sunset.”

Jazz on Jupiter Street is ideally located. “There you have designer shops, restaurants, galleries — an active nightlife.” Sun is at Welcome Rotunda. “The area is near the university belt.” Berkeley near Ateneo is already sold-out, but there is a new one called Blue. “And we will have another one soon called Green near La Salle.” 

Claravall credits Henry Sy Jr. for coming up with the concept and her department’s task is in marketing the whole shebang. 

She concludes, “Colliers, an independent research company that specializes in real estate development, came out with the result of a research it conducted — SMDC is no. 1 not just in terms of volume but also in units sold. It’s amazing. We just started actively marketing three years ago. That goes to show you that there’s a demand for a good condominium that is well-located and affordable.”

So, get ready with your Salvador Dali posters and take counsel from a Coldplay song.

Ah, yes.

Light will guide you home.

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For information, call 828-0300 and 0917-5005151, or visit www.smresidences.com.