#condo angeles city philippines

[realtyhubph-blog]

27 sqm Studio Azure North with Income

[sechanjae]

😀😀😀

tahanan - a love lost and found

inspired by nica del rosario’s song

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Chapter 1: The Beginning

Andrea had always been different. A freshman at the University of the Philippines, she was the kind of girl who effortlessly commanded attention. It wasn’t just her beauty or her sharp intellect that set her apart, but the quiet confidence she carried from her past life in New York City. She was the daughter of a wealthy family, and despite her opulence, she had a passion for business and a hidden talent for music.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, was everything Andrea wasn’t. Known for his charm and playboy ways, he had no trouble catching the attention of anyone he wanted. But his world changed the moment he met Andrea. At first, he resisted the attraction, brushing off his friends' teasing. However, as fate would have it, they ended up not only in the same program but in the same classes. Over time, their academic rivalry turned into an unexpected friendship.

Andrea’s past in the entertainment industry was a well-kept secret on campus. Once a rising star, she had given it up to focus on her studies. But one evening, her passion for music led her to the university’s music room, where she met with her best friend, Luisa. As she played the piano and sang her song "Tahanan," a heartfelt piece she wrote years ago for a boy she once loved, Jaehyun happened to be passing by. The angelic voice caught his attention, but when he saw Luisa leaving the room, he mistakenly assumed she was the singer.

Jaehyun’s heart was instantly captivated by Luisa, unaware that the song belonged to Andrea, the girl who had loved him since childhood. When Jaehyun eventually confessed his feelings to Luisa, she pushed him away, knowing Andrea’s deep affection for him. "If you really love me, love my best friend instead," she told him. Jaehyun, taking her words to heart, courted Andrea, and they eventually became a couple, spending five blissful years together.

Chapter 2: Betrayal and Consequences

The years passed, and Andrea and Jaehyun’s relationship blossomed. They graduated with honors—Andrea as Summa Cum Laude and Jaehyun as Cum Laude—and embarked on successful careers, Jaehyun as the President and CEO of Jeong Design, and Andrea as the COO and Vice President of Son Corporation. Their love was strong, and soon after their engagement, they married in a beautiful ceremony.

But happiness is often fleeting. At their wedding, Jaehyun saw Luisa again, this time with a child. A secret conversation revealed the truth—Luisa's child was his. Despite the shock, Luisa insisted Jaehyun marry Andrea, not wanting to destroy their bond. And so, they did.

Andrea’s suspicion of Jaehyun grew when she became pregnant, and she followed him one day to a condo unit where she discovered the heartbreaking truth. Her husband, the man she loved, was sweetly caring for Luisa and the child. In that moment of despair, Andrea’s world crumbled. A sharp pain gripped her, and she collapsed, only to wake up in the hospital to the devastating news that she had lost her baby.

The tragedy marked the beginning of the end. Jaehyun and Andrea’s relationship deteriorated as Andrea sank into postpartum depression. The final blow came when Jaehyun announced that Luisa and her child would move into their home. Andrea’s objections led to a bitter argument, and Jaehyun’s threat to leave with Luisa broke her. Alone and suffering, Andrea’s health declined rapidly, forcing Jaehyun to return and care for her.

Despite everything, Andrea agreed to let Luisa stay, desperate to keep Jaehyun by her side. But the marriage became a hollow shell, with Jaehyun moving into another room and Andrea’s mental state deteriorating. For four years, they lived as strangers, Andrea still clinging to her love for Jaehyun while battling her depression.

Chapter 3: The Fall

Andrea’s insecurities grew as she changed herself, trying to recapture the Jaehyun’s love she once knew. But nothing could mend the wounds. Jaehyun, unaware of the depth of Andrea’s suffering, pushed for a divorce. After a particularly intense argument, Andrea’s anxiety spiraled out of control, leading to a terrifying breakdown. Her loyal nanny intervened, revealing to Jaehyun the extent of Andrea’s struggles.

With a heavy heart, Andrea signed the divorce papers and left the country to seek treatment. For two years, she focused on healing, both physically and emotionally, while Jaehyun moved on with his life, eventually becoming engaged to Luisa.

But fate had other plans. When Andrea returned, she found herself entangled in Jaehyun and Luisa’s lives once more. She had inherited an ancestral house and unknowingly hired Jaehyun as the engineer and Luisa as the architect. As the renovations progressed, old wounds reopened, and the truth about Luisa’s child came to light. A man interrupted their wedding, claiming to be the true father of Luisa’s child, a truth Andrea had uncovered through a secret DNA test.

Jaehyun’s world collapsed. Devastated by the betrayal, he called off the wedding and drowned his sorrows in alcohol. Meanwhile, Andrea released her song "Tahanan" to the public, revealing her identity as the mysterious singer-songwriter "Isabella." The world celebrated her music, but Jaehyun was haunted by the memories the song invoked.

Chapter 4: The Reconciliation

Jaehyun, overwhelmed by the realization of what he had lost, reached out to Andrea. They met at their old house, where he broke down, apologizing for everything he had done. Andrea, still nursing her wounds, forgave him but told him she needed more time to heal. Despite his plea to start over, she knew they needed space.

For a month, they spent time together as friends, rekindling the bond they once shared. But Andrea knew she needed to move on. As she prepared to leave for the US once again, Jaehyun was left to reflect on his mistakes and the love he had lost.

Epilogue: A New Beginning

Andrea stood at the airport, looking back one last time before boarding her flight. She had come full circle, stronger and more resilient than ever. Jaehyun, watching her leave, knew he would carry the weight of his actions forever. But he also knew that this was not the end—it was a chance for both of them to start anew, separately yet forever connected by the memories of the love they once shared.

As Andrea’s plane took off, she closed her eyes, her heart lighter than it had been in years. She was ready to embrace her future, knowing that the scars of the past had shaped her into the woman she had become—a woman who had found her ‘Tahanan’ in herself.

---

[porcelaine-whispers]

RED RUBIES OF AFFLICTION | PW

“What a familiar sight of a successful figure, Atty. Fuentes.” A sudden greeting from a woman in a wine-red dress, with jewelry that reflects its stones of red rubies. Her eyes sparkled. She had the sweet smile of an angel. In events like these, meeting familiar faces were no surprise. Her presence was comforting as if her greetings were anticipated. It made me feel safe.

‘Atty. Valentina Ally Fuentes; the only heir of Fuentes Pharmaceutical.’

Spoiled rich girl? Such a stereotype I refuse to be associated with. My mother is publicly recognized as Dra. Amelia Fuentes, the owner of Fuentes Pharmaceutical. As for my father, he is the company’s CLO, Atty. Christophe Fuentes. Our business is the fruit of my parents’ sacrifices. Having the title of being one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the country, Fuentes Pharmaceutical continues to flourish. Knowing that our family business is a growing company still astounds me, but along with the wealth it brings is a deprivation that silently suffocates.

After passing the board exam five years ago, my father offered me a job to work under the company’s legal department. Years of working experience exposed me to the environment and exhaustion that comes with handling the company’s legal matters. There was no special treatment, for I am an employee of my parents and I wish to keep it professional in that manner. Having to work for my current title was an endless cycle of sleepless nights.

‘Atty. Valentina Ally Fuentes.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)’

It is a title I have brought upon my name through perseverance. I have always wanted to be known for being Valentina Ally Fuentes and not only as of the daughter of my parents. With determination, I am with pride to say that I have successfully created a name for myself. I proved that I am more than just the heir of Fuentes Pharmaceuticals, that I deserve the company because of my hard work. I am to be remembered as Atty. Valentina Ally Fuentes, a lawyer, successor of the leading pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, and most importantly, a woman of her person.

Being an only child, I grew up in an environment too mature for my age. My parents were often preoccupied with the stress of managing the company. Being in the industry made it hard for them to provide time for me. I have always had a close bond with my mother. Although she used to be the CEO of Fuentes Pharmaceutical, I know how she would consistently check up on me and my state of coping with school. My energy is at its fullest when I am with my mother. She became the source of my motivation if ever I disappointed myself. Her voice gave me the peace that made me realize how valuable her presence is in my life. She is the comfort I will continue to long for.

“I apologize for my mother’s absence. On behalf of Dra. Fuentes, it was a pleasure catching up with you, Dr. Cabrera.”

I flew to Manila to assess the Fuentes Pharmaceutical Laboratory in Makati. My mother usually does the inspections of the laboratories; unfortunately, she is currently unavailable because of her emergency conference at Torres Medical Hospital. Upon arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, I placed my carry-on baggage in the trunk of the car and had Ashton drive me to the laboratory. Ashton is the son of our maid, Agatha, but he is now residing here in Manila after getting married. Even before my existence, Agatha has been working for our family. She worked as the caretaker of my grandmother, but because of my grandmother’s passing, she now works to take care of us.

Our laboratory in Makati is our second biggest after the main laboratory in Mandaue. I met up with Dr. Cabrera, a member of the board of directors and a trusted family friend. He toured me around the offices and introduced me to the staff. I never really introduced myself to staff due to some being intimidated by my presence.

So far, the laboratories are exquisitely designed. All were accessible and had a system that made it easier to inspect, and at the same time keep order and cleanliness. Of course, cleanliness is a sector that I meticulously assess. We are a pharmaceutical company after all, how could we risk the lives of our consumers as well as our staff?

After completing the inspections, I had to immediately catch my flight home to Cebu. It was around 5:35 in the afternoon when I called Ashton to pick me up and drive me to the airport. During the car ride, I felt this fear and uncertainty. I started sweating and trembling, not knowing the reason for my abrupt shivers. I calmly looked out my window, diverting my attention to the towering buildings in the area. City lights remind me of the times I used to come home late with my mother since I would always insist on coming home with her after my student council meetings. If only I could go back to the days where I am in the comfort of my mother’s warmth. I instantly avoided the sight, trying so hard to forget the distinct memories instilled in my mind.

“Oh my god! If I walked to the airport, I would have probably arrived there by now. Is this a sign to stay the night?” I said in annoyance.

The traffic in Manila is dreadful. Imagine sitting in a vehicle for almost an hour, what a hassle. If only I could just spend the night in my condo at Rockwell Makati, which is only a few minutes away from the laboratory. Unfortunately, I do not have all the time in the world especially now that I have duties to attend to back in Cebu. Good thing my secretary, Mrs. Aphelion, booked a flight at 9:25 PM so I do not have to worry about missing my plane. What would I do if I miss my flight due to traffic? At last, we arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport before the expected boarding time. Ashton assisted me with the door whilst saying his goodbyes. I boarded the plane, tired from all the wandering I did the entire day.

Upon my arrival at Mactan International Airport, I went to the parking lot and decided to drive myself home. I was on my way home when a sudden buzzing came from my phone. I ignored the call because I was driving, and I did not want to kill someone with my awful driving skills. Driving is not something I would do often. I barely passed my driver's license test. What choice do I have now that I am driving on the road together with reckless drivers?

“Urgh! Who again is calling?!…” I answered the phone when it rang again at the stoplight. It was Emsie, one of our maids. She rarely calls me, why would she call me multiple times now? I was about to speak when I heard her voice of fear.

“Ally, you need to come home right now! Please...” She sounds muffled. Her voice was breaking as if she was restricted from breathing. I felt needles puncture my skin, anxious about the reason for her flowing emotions.

“Madam is—”

“Ally, your mother is—” The call ended.

My mother? Did something happen at the conference? My thoughts were jumbled. I started imagining things I should not be imagining. My mind was too occupied with the thought of what had happened to my mother. From there, I knew it was something serious. I said how driving was never my expertise; but with shock, I drove fast and even forgot to breathe.

As I arrived home, the guards opened the gates with panic seen in their gestures. I ran inside as fast as I was capable of, not even caring about the glass sculpture I broke while rushing to find my father. The staff were in tears, I was confused. They pointed in the direction of the study. When I barged into the room, I saw a group of men talking to my father. They have dressed in navy blue uniforms with one holding a folder; they were policemen. My father’s eyes shifted and met with mine when he saw me, panting from all the running. I could not comprehend what was happening in front of me. I love my mother so much that I did not even bother to ask about what happened; instead, I screamed in pain asking where she is.

“Where is my mother?! Where is she?! I want to see her now...” My vision became blurry, tears filled my eyes. I was trembling, my body felt pain in the numbness; I was paralyzed. I could hardly stand properly when the policeman holding the folder turned to me. He looked disappointed.

“I am sorry for what happened, Attorney Fuentes. Three men have been suspected of the incident; it was an ambush. Dra. Fuentes was shot multiple times, hitting her neck and chest. I am sorry Atty., but Doctor Fuentes died at the scene due to excessive blood loss...”

They handed over a clear plastic bag. It was a set of jewelry with shining red rubies.

My mother’s signature set.

She believed that rubies are stones that can bring happiness and passion into the life of the wearer. Thus, her signature stone being ruby. I remember clearly how she would get ready in her vanity, with a smile on her face as she puts on her earring of shining red rubies. Ruby is a stone believed to protect the wearer from negative entities that leach positive energy, promoting spiritual vitality and wellness overall. My mother is an optimistic spirit. Her words are gentle and comforting; yet what am I now that those words of comfort could never be heard in the same voice ever again?

I collapsed, closing my eyes as a flood of tears gushed down my ashen cheeks.

My mother...is gone. I could never hear her voice, see her smile, and feel her warmth again. All was so sudden that I did not have the chance to say what I wanted to say to her. I felt a pang of guilt in me, it was like she died without knowing how much I loved her. Just like a nightmare, this is the horror that never wanted to happen in my life, yet it did. So many questions came to mind; my thoughts are distorted.

I felt a sharp sting in my chest, a puncture in my stomach, and a bullet through my head. I was in suffering.

“Ally be careful with your dosage! Are you even aware of the amount you intake?!” Hearing the voice of my father, I gradually opened my eyes. I look over to see my psychiatrist checking the bottle of pills. Was it all a vivid flashback?

I then realized how my thoughts took over my body. Driving home and seeing flashing city lights triggered the memories of my mother to flood my mind with thoughts of her tragic death. I felt tightness in my throat, rapid palpitations in my chest. I reached for my medication, unaware of the amount I am taking, hoping that it could relieve the choking sensation that silently suffocated me. With the sound of aggressive honking, I drove drained of strength and energy. Arriving home, my body began to respond to the side effects that came with my medication; It led to my slumber.

After being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Dr. Torres prescribed me pills to cope with my sudden anxiety attacks. The death of my mother scarred me. My mother died in an ambush when I was 15 years old, almost 20 years ago. I am now 35 years old, a lawyer, a CEO, and a woman determined to grow my mother’s legacy. I know how sentimental the company is to my mother, so I continue to work hard to make what she started to flourish into a company she sacrificed for.

‘A goal without a plan is not a goal, it is only a dream.

- Dra. Amelia Fuentes.’

When she died, I saw how she still looked glowing. Although she died blood-soaked in a silk dress, her beauty was radiant. My mother is the woman that ensured to raise me with passion in all my works. She has left me with the knowledge that made me grow into the woman I am today. Her wisdom will forever remain with me; the most valuable gift she has ever given.

Even after 20 years, it still haunts me, yet I decide to focus on the path ahead of me, instead of longing for the past that I could never bring back. I may not be able to go back to the days we spent as a complete family, but I gradually accepted that my mother is now home in the heavens. Her presence is something I have been longing for ever since she left. I would even hallucinate seeing her in events, imagining her voice of greetings, her smile of an angel, and her gentle touch.

She is now an angel that continues to protect my father and me from this selfish world. I may not feel her warmth anymore, but I feel her presence.

"My mother will forever be the source of my tranquility.

She will forever be my angel."

-----

[Porcelaine Whispers]

[purplesurveys]

1115

survey by vintagekid

Name:  Robyn.

Happy with it? I am now, but I certainly wasn’t as a kid. Other kids were cruel and would tease me solely for my name, which made it hard for me to socialize. I got the same bad Batman jokes too many times and I also got called a boy. These seem petty now, but as a kindergartener adjusting to life in school, it had been traumatizing and made me wonder if my classmates were going to remain the way they were for the long run which no 4-year-old should be mulling about, really.

Do you wear stilettos? When I get the chance, which isn’t very often at all. But I do love stilettos.

How important are looks to you? I find this question very vague, but generally looks matter to me to a certain extent, like how I’d want to look nice and proper for a job interview or for formal occasions such as weddings. Relationship-wise, I also think I have to feel a level of physical attraction towards someone for me to consider seeing them.

How often do you download music? I don’t anymore. I stream all my music.

Can you name a philosopher? Socrates.

What would you do if two unicorns tried to whisk you off to candy mountain? I just looked this up and this is apparently in reference to an ancient viral video, like it was around before viral videos were even a universally-acknowledged concept. That said, I don’t have a clue how to respond to this lmao.

You became the deciding vote in an election, which party would you go for? I don’t base my voting decisions on parties because the party system in my country is a tragically broken shitstorm in which every single party rallies the same values and principles, just executed in their own – and usually poor and unsustainable – ways. I do my research on each candidate, see how they answer in debates, look at laws they’ve authored, see which marginalized groups they proactively support (if they do), and decide from there.

Do you have a bzoink account? I don’t but I’ve been a semi-regular visitor since like 2009.

How many phone calls do you typically make in a day? Zero. People usually call me.

What song are you listening to? Tell Me It’s Okay by, surprise surprise, Paramore.

Do you understand things others your age do not? I don’t know. Maybe. Everyone’s bound to understand some things better than others.

Do you hate people that label themselves? Why would I hate that? And why would their chosen label be my business?

How many windows do you have open? None. There’s plenty of mosquitoes at night, so even though the cold evening air would been pleasant to have we have to keep the windows closed by nighttime.

How superstitious are you? Not at all.

If you were in Harry Potter, which house would you be in? I’ve been told either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Which comedian can always crack you up? It’s not a habit of mine to watch comedians.

Are you nagged about being on the computer too much? Not since I was a teenager. Since college I’ve been doing most of my work, if not all of it, through my laptop, and I think my parents understand that I have to use it all the time.

Do you feel bad about anything you've done lately? Nothing comes to mind, no.

What's your texting bill typically like? My SIM is prepaid, so it works the other way around. I put load credits in it only if I know I’ll have to call/text/surf regularly.

What song did you/do you want played at your wedding? Turning Page by Sleeping At Last.

Do you have a lot or hardly any lines on your palms? Idk, a decent amount I guess? I don’t think it hits either extreme.

What's your favourite word? Poignant.

Are you allowed to swear in front of your parents? Yeah. They’ll shoot me a glare sometimes, but I’m in my 20s and...they know they can’t really do anything about it anymore lol.

Do you eat apples? No.

What are your addictions? Coffee, I suppose.

What are some words you use in daily life? I use intensifiers often, like very, really, super, absolutely, etc. I’m also big on expressions hahaha like oh my god, seriously, for real, and ugh.

Do you look things up on Google constantly? Yes.

Where do you get your music from? Spotify. Sometimes YouTube if I wanna look for a leak.

What do you think of people with afros? That they are people with afros...? I don’t really know what you’re looking for me to say, lmfao.

--

survey by charey-chas

Do you like getting your picture taken? Not for the most part. My body instantly gets all frozen and awkward when a camera’s placed in front of me, which I hate because I do wish I could have more photos of myself around. Is your phone anywhere near you? It is not, actually. It feels great and I really should start making it a habit to keep it away from me entirely on weekends. Do you ever enjoy going to school? In my first school, I enjoyed going mainly (and probably only) for my friends; but Catholic school was predominantly a torturous experience. The rigidity isn’t something I look back fondly on, and it felt like being kept on a tight leash for 14 years. College was a lot more enjoyable in every way possible. I liked going to (most of) my classes and learning as much as I loved the vibrant org culture and the general freedom that comes with university life. Have you ever gone on a road trip? Lots. The Philippines is a relatively small country and unless you want to jump to a different island altogether, there are many provinces you can readily travel to by car.  Who do you get along with best in your family?  Nina, my sister. Then my dad. I clash a lot with my mom and I don’t talk to my brother. Based on your personality, what animal do you think you'd be? Cats and I don’t get along very well hahaha but I think I’m similar to them. Would you ever buy anything from an infomercial? Maybe once, just to be able to say that I have. Have you ever made a snow angel? No, because I’ve never seen snow before. Have you stayed in a hotel in the last month? No. We had a brief getaway in Tagaytay but we switched things up and went to rent a condo, instead of book a hotel room, for a weekend. What's your most comfortable outfit? If I want to go for comfortable, I usually go for my rompers or jumpsuits. Do you text or IM more? IM these days. Would you rather listen to music or play it? Listen. I have no music-playing skills whatsoever. Have you ever been in a hot tub? Sure. Do you like pizza? LOVE IT Are you sleeping in your own bed tonight? Yes. If not here, the couch. But most likely it will my bed tonight. Are any of your friends having a sleepover right now? I doubt it. Angela and Hans had an overnight stay in Batangas a few days ago for their Valentine’s shenanigans though, which I guess kinda counts as a sleepover. Have you ever been to a house party? I don’t think so. That’s something I missed out on in my college days, but I don’t mind. Do you listen to your iPod or the radio when you're in the car? I think I keep a good balance. If my phone’s battery is not very high I’ll rely on the radio; and sometimes I’ll sync my phone’s Spotify to the car as well.

--

survey by charey-chas

What song is stuck in your head at the moment? RAVI’s BUM. What's your fathers' middle name? He doesn’t have a second name, but I’m not sharing his legal middle name on here either. How many hours a day do you spend on the computer? On work days, I’d say 8-10 hours. On weekends, maybe a little slightly less than that since I do like getting off the laptop sometimes to rest my eyes. Could you live without the internet? People from the past managed to live without it, so I know I can. It would just be extremely inconvenient; and having been dependent on it for such a long time now, I would likely be clueless on how to navigate most activities. What's something you're really into? Learning about cultural differences!! That’s why reading survey answers has always been fascinating to me. I would love a website that dives into the various everyday behavior people observe in other countries, but the ones that do exist use like 20- or 30-year-old sources, so they aren’t even relevant at all anymore. What's the last movie you saw in theaters? Knives Out. Have you ever seen a movie in 3D or in an IMAX theater? Just once. It was Denise and Leigh’s 18th birthday treat and they brought us to watch Doctor Strange in 3D. Do you prefer skirts, shorts, or skorts? Shorts. Have you ever vandalized? Just a few school chairs in grade school, but otherwise I’m too paranoid for vandalism lol. What's the longest you've stayed up? Maybe a little longer than 24 hours. Who'd you have a sleepover with last? Gabie. When's the last time you baked something? Nearly a decade ago. Our oven was new at the time and I wanted to try baking cookies. Do you like to dance? When I’m alone. Do you scratch mosquito bites, even though you're not supposed to? Yup. Are you afaid of spiders or do you like them? I mean I’m not fond of them, but I also don’t scream and run away when I see them. I just don’t care for them for the most part. What's a pet you've always wanted? I’ve only ever wanted dogs, and now I’ve got two of them. Do you like mice? Not really. Would you ever get a tattoo? Sure. I’ve been considering it for a while now; it’s just a matter of being able to save up for one. Do you prefer to walk in the street or on the sidewalk? Street, if it’s bare and safe enough. Otherwise if I’m in a busy city with regulations and all I’d obviously rather be on the sidewalk. What's your favorite t-shirt? My CM Punk Best in the World merch. Who did you last think about? I remembered Deina when I was thinking about the tattoo question. She got a pawprint tattoo on her wrist shortly before her senior dog passed away and ever since learning about it I’ve also been thinking about getting the same tattoo. Do you like giving hugs? I love giving hugs and it’s an automatic response for me whenever I see someone I love, which is why Covid is such a torture for me. Do you prefer hardwood flooring or carpeting? Hardwood. Did you/will you get a car for your 16th birthday? No. I got a car when I was 17, around six months before I started college. Have you ever eaten a worm? No but I’d be willing to try.

[walruspush87-blog]

New York still global elite’s favorite place to buy real estate: report

New York still global elite’s favorite place to buy real estate: report

But London beat NYC for overall number of high-wealth individuals, a new Knight Frank-Douglas Elliman report shows

The Ascent of Billionaire Money (Chart via Knight Frank’s The Wealth Report)

The New York market may have cooled in 2018, but the city is still appears to be the most popular place in the world for prime property investment.

New York is the world’s leading city for both residential and commercial investment, cementing its position as a global wealth hub, according to Knight Frank and Douglas Elliman’s 2019 wealth report. The study, which surveys global trends among the highest-wealth individuals, looked at property investments of $10 million or more.

It wasn’t all good news for New York, however. The city fell to second place on the overall wealth ranking, beaten by London because of two metrics: the number of high net-worth individuals and lifestyle, which refers a city’s security and affordability.

New York’s relegation to second place may have been due to “stock market volatility and a strong U.S. dollar, which led some foreign buyers to sit on their hands during 2018,” the report said, and could have been compounded by “the underlying structural issue of oversupply.”

While London beat New York for most resident high net-worth individuals, defined as those with over $30 million, New York still has the most billionaires, with 94 resident in the city. New York also saw the highest rate of new high-net worth individuals, adding 55,434 in 2018 alone.

At a launch for the new report held at JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group’s new luxury condo tower 111 57th Street, Howard Lorber, CEO of Douglas Elliman, acknowledged that 2018 had been a tough year for the firm in New York City.

“Our business was probably down about 15 percent,” Lorber said. “About half of that was velocity, meaning sales. And about half of that was pricing.”

But he said he didn’t the market bottomed out yet, at least not “until the prices come down, and the inventory is bought up.”

Prices will stay static in New York over the next year, the report predicted.

But Susan De Franca, president of Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, said that the wealthy demographic surveyed in the report were less affected by market fluctuations than other buyers. She pointed to high-profile sales like Ken Griffin’s $238 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South, and big deals at 432 Park Avenue.

“The real high-profile properties that have very limited inventory — those super ultra high wealth individuals are still looking at them at a very significant asset class,” De Franca said.

While New York’s results were mixed, there was good news for Los Angeles and Miami, where the report predicted investment by high net-worth individuals would grow by 2 percent and 5 percent respectively in the coming year.

“Florida’s low tax status may spur some U.S. residents to move to the sunshine state in the wake of the new State and Local tax (SALT) deductions,” the report said.

Globally, however, wealth growth is slowing, especially in the U.S. where it is now at 3 percent, down from 10 percent in 2017. Despite an overall cooling, Asia is leading wealth growth, with the report predicting India will see 39 percent growth in the next five years, followed by the Philippines with 38 percent and China with 35 percent.

Source: https://therealdeal.com/la/2019/03/07/new-york-still-global-elites-favorite-place-to-buy-real-estate-report/

[gunnerpalace]

(Art by @gabecebro, used with permission and originally posted here; if you like it, please go show your appreciation!)

GROUNDED! - A Bleach AU Idea Revised

You might’ve seen the original idea for Grounded! before. Long story short, it’s evolved significantly since that post was made. Namely, I (among others) fell for YoruIchiRuki as an AU OT3, so it’s now the start of a much longer series of adventures for the three. So, I’ve decided to publicly expand upon the idea as originally presented.

INTRODUCTION

Ichigo is fascinated with a jet-haired flight attendant he weirdly keeps running into. Okay, well, that was true the first half-a-dozen times. Then he pulled some favors and found out who she was and what her route was. What? They just wind up flying together a lot and staying in the same layover cities pretty often. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just a coincidence. He’s never even talked to her really, except to occasionally ask for a Coke. She probably doesn’t even know he exists.

Or perhaps Rukia does, but thinks much the same.

But for every awkward problem in the world, there’s an equally awkward solution! Enter Yoruichi—that’s Captain Shihōin to you, buddy—who’s never met someone she wanted to bed that didn’t wind up there the next morning.

When all three of them wind up stuck during a layover because of the worst blizzard in a century, Yoruichi happily plies her wiles on Rukia, only to soon discover she’s stepped into a thorny situation. Feeling more than a little guilty, because she really likes Rukia, she decides to adopt a new pet project: she’s going to get the two of them together, hell or high water.

There's just one problem: nothing ever works out that cleanly or easily.

SETTING

Grounded! takes place in an alternate universe (AU) from Bleach. While Bleach is essentially a "secret history” of our world, Grounded! occurs in a familiar but historically divergent reality.

The short version is that it takes place in a North America that resembles the setting of the film Big Hero 6, with a fusion of Japanese and American sensibilities and cultures.

The long version is a little more complicated. Our divergence begins in late 1580s Japan. Toyotomi Hideyoshi ultimately does not adopt Oda Nobunaga's vision of invading Ming China through Joseon Korea, determining it to be infeasible. Instead, after unifying Japan, he decides to deal with Japan's excess of military strength through seafaring raids and invasions (much like the Vikings and Normans in outcome), rather than an extended ground campaign.

Drawing from the experiences of the wokou pirates of the Sengoku period, samurai are dispatched to other nearby targets instead: against the Ainu in Hokkaido (which is occupied much earlier than historically), Taiwan (which becomes "Japanese Formosa," with both the Dutch and Spanish being held off some decades later), the Philippines, parts of Indonesia, the Bruneian Empire, the Jurchens in the Ussuri region, Sakhalin, the Kurils, and Kamchatka... It isn’t long until some of these spearheads arrive in Hawaii and Alaska, and soon the North American West Coast. Word eventually gets back about the bounty of these areas, along with raiding opportunities on Spanish galleons, and the center of focus shifts dramatically.

Thus, the Japanese are the ones to colonize the West Coast of the continent, pushing inward as far as the Rocky Mountains. The fertile terrain and easy access from the Pacific draws settlers much faster than historical settlement from the east. Discoveries of gold occur much earlier, and the region as a whole develops much more rapidly. It’s at this time that the great families such as the Shihōin, Kuchiki, and Shiba gain their wealth and stature. Eventually, they develop ideas of their own, and much like their equivalents in the British colonies on the East Coast later will, they guide the colony to independence.

This West Coast nation later comes into contact with those same British colonies, and there is much trade and cross-pollination between them, with heavy infusions of Mexican, Anglo, and later continental European settlers into the region, creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Eventually, the great families conspire to assist the British colonies in achieving their own independence. Faced with hostile colonizing powers across each ocean (namely, Japan and Britain), the two ally, and eventually federate together into a single country occupying what in our world is Canada and the United States. (For the sake of convenience, this will still be addressed as “the United States,” but it is rather different internally.) Much of the rest of history goes roughly the same, with the West and North crushing the South in the Civil War, participation in WW1 and WW2, and engagement in a Cold War with the Soviet Union that ends in the early 2000s. (I can’t be bothered making too elaborate of a timeline; things are different, but similar enough.)

It’s February of 2017. By this point in time, the Shihōin, Kuchiki, and their peers have a reputation akin to the Rockefellers and Rothschilds of the East Coast, although their wealth is older and significantly more substantial: they regard their East Coast Anglo counterparts as petty nouveau riche in comparison. The Shiba seem to have retreated from the public eye.

Grounded! proper takes place in Calgary, in what we’d call Canada, although it’s somewhat different. All of the main characters reside in what we’d know as the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area, although in this setting it’s known as Murakumo (叢雲, "cloudbank") and is a much, much larger city.

(For the record, San Diego is Heisui [平水, "calm water"], Los Angeles is Aozora [青空, "blue sky"], San Francisco-Oakland is Miyako [都, "capital"], Portland is Fūsawa [豊川, "rich river"], and Vancouver is Shiroyama [白山, "white mountain"]; the relationship between Murakumo and Shiroyama, and their degree of urbanization, is like Tokyo and Yokohama, or Osaka and Kobe.)

The great families maintain their primary compounds in Miyako, although they have presences pretty much everywhere, and can often be found in places such as the equivalents of Malibu, Palm Springs, and Las Vegas, as well as in New York and Martha’s Vineyard. (They love sticking it to their East Coast counterparts and the new suits who think they run things.)

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

Yoruichi Shihōin - 32 years old (January 1, 1985). Wealthy scion. Ex-fighter jock. Consummate hedonist. Born to privilege, she was never one for the boardroom and bucked tradition, joining the Navy straight out of college and gaining acclaim both as their first female fighter pilot and first female ace. But the military life was never for her either, and a lucrative offer from an airline stole her away from them—not that she ever needed the money. It’s more that it was a fun and free way to see the world... and more besides. Yoruichi fought in something like the equivalent of the Gulf War for the Navy, flying an F-14D, although it took place much later (circa 2008; she joined at 22 and left at 28). She met Kisuke shortly after leaving. She lives alone in a condo, although she visits him often before the events of the story. She still has all her resources as a Shihōin, but avoids going home at all costs.

Ichigo Kurosaki - 24 years old (July 15, 1992). Young buck. Newbie lawyer. Angsty type. Coming from a middle-class background and having fought his way to the top through grit and determination, he’s hungry to prove... something. He just doesn’t know what yet. The latest hire to a vast and prestigious law firm (”Prism”), and specializing in corporate law, he’s really the newest gofer on the jet-set lifestyle, delivering documents and briefs all over the world. It doesn’t often leave him a lot of time for other pursuits. Ichigo lost his mother Masaki at the age of 9 to a freak accident that would later influence his decision to pursue a career in law. He has his own small apartment, but visits his family’s home often. His sisters still live there while attending the local (yet prestigious) Murakumo University, same as he did.

Rukia Kuchiki - 26 years old (January 14, 1991). Youthful sprite. Veteran Stewardess. Feisty upstart. Rukia’s past is known to very few, and she was adopted into the Kuchiki family under still mysterious circumstances in her early teens, after which she mostly grew up in elite educational institutions. She only entered the family business a few years ago. Her connection to the top of the food-chain doesn’t mean a cushy job though—she’s expected to work her way up. She’s been around the world more times than she’s been around the sun, but there are certain things she’s still yet to find. Kaien Shiba died saving her after she fell into a pond through thin spring ice when she was 16. She lives with her brother in the family’s compound in Murakumo.

Byakuya Kuchiki - 34 years old (January 31, 1983). Lonely widower. Tireless industrialist. Overprotective brother. The latest heir to the Kuchiki family and CEO of the massive Kuchiki International, he tirelessly seeks to expand his company's rule over the friendly skies, and further the fortunes of his extended family. Unfortunately however, sometimes even a CEO with a controlling interest has to bow to the stockholders. Byakuya set out to chart his own course, away from the prying eyes of the Kuchiki elders, wanting to make a name and a fortune for himself as independently as he could. His selection of Murakumo was no accident. He was briefly married to Hisana, who died of a rare genetic condition; he fulfilled her last wish of adopting Rukia and developed an enduring interest in biotech research as a result. He has his own vast estate, on what in our world is Mercer Island.

Kūkaku Shiba - 31 years old (October 1, 1985) Reclusive heiress. Aspiring artist. Restless soul. The daughter of old-money that fell off the grid, she’s interested in applying her family’s wealth toward some noble end. Ironically, the social circles she runs in are small and she’s wound up in the orbit of her departed brother’s nemesis, while her eccentric uncle keeps refusing to return her calls. That is, whenever she can make one, when Yoruichi’s not on the line about this or that conquest or stop... Kūkaku allowed the prominence of the Shiba to decline markedly after Kaien’s death and the departure of her uncle, Isshin; the Shiba were never as prominent as the other families, and most of their assets are now shuttered. Still, she holds a vast amount of wealth at her fingertips. She lives in a stately penthouse condo with her brother Ganju and their two butlers, and spends most of her time there.

There will be some additional minor characters popping up who will be familiar to everyone.

Kisuke Urahara - (37 years old, December 31, 1980) owns a bar (”Free Radical”) in Murakumo. In his early 20s he ditched working on his doctoral thesis at MIT to join both CIAs (the Culinary Institute of America and the Central Intelligence Agency) for a number of years, before moving across the continent and dabbling in mixology, molecular gastronomy, and brewing. He’s Yoruichi’s closest friend after Kūkaku, as well as her on-again, off-again lover, although their relationship is rather loose and fluid.

Rangiku Matsumoto - (30 years old, September 29, 1986) another flight attendant (albeit a senior one; a Chief Purser) for Kuchiki International, she’s more than a little familiar with Yoruichi, having flown with her before and having had an extended adventure with her on at least one occasion. They’re quite friendly and tend to hang out some during their journeys when teamed up, but aren’t really close friends off the job. She views it as not just her job to watch over the younger flight crew, but her duty.

Izuru Kira - (26 years old, March 27, 1991) Yoruichi’s long-time co-pilot, they’ve been working together for two years, with her serving as his mentor. Very staid and by-the-book, he’s the professional counterpart to her wily and by-the-seat-of-her-pants style, and often the focal point of her and Rangiku’s shenanigans. He’s the proud owner of an out-of-style painter’s brush mustache and has managed to keep it despite several attempts by them to shave it off.

Yoruichi, Kūkaku, Byakuya, Kisuke, and Rangiku grew up in an environment more like that of our 1980s, while Ichigo, Rukia, and Kira grew up in a climate that was more like the 1990s.

In addition, there are others who’ll pop up as background characters, such as: Isshin, Karin, and Yuzu Kurosaki (as, of course, Ichigo’s family); Shunsui Kyōraku, Jūshirō Ukitake, Retsu Unohana, Nanao Ise, Isane Kotetsu, Kiyone Kotetsu, Sentarō Kotsubaki, and Hanatarō Yamada (as staff at Prism, Ichigo’s law firm; Shunsui,  Jūshirō, and Retsu are the senior partners); Renji Abarai (alluded to only; Rukia’s college boyfriend and one-time first lover); Suì Fēng and Marechiyo Ōmaeda (possibly alluded to only for now; Yoruichi’s former junior wingman, and her Radar Intercept Officer, respectively); and probably more (including Tatsuki Arisawa, Uryū Ishida, and Yasutora “Chad” Sado). Even more characters will appear in cameos, such as Gin Ichimaru (a national network weatherman) and Sōsuke Aizen (an anchor for the same).

SYNOPSIS

Day 1: On their first night stuck in Calgary, Yoruichi decides she’s going to take the opportunity to unwind, and goes to find and approach Rukia. At this same time, Ichigo finds himself unable to do the same, and drowns his sorrows for the evening, having already informed his firm of his situation. Rukia is initially wary and uncertain for various reasons, but Yoruichi makes it clear she’s not trying to abuse her position or pressure her, and that Rukia can stop or leave at any time if she feels uncomfortable.

Rukia eventually decides to go with Yoruichi to her suite out of curiosity more than anything else. They shower and spend time relaxing in the tub together, with Yoruichi endeavoring to put Rukia at ease. When she finally tries kissing Rukia, the latter is surprised to find she enjoys it. They spend some more time talking, and eventually dry off by a fireplace, slowly beginning to become more intimate. Ultimately, they make love, with Yoruichi leading at first, and fall asleep together.

Day 2: They wake up pleasantly the next morning, and have a room service breakfast, getting ready together. Rukia isn’t quite sure what to do, but knows she doesn’t want to just leave. Yoruichi finds she doesn’t want that either, and offers to spend the day together. Rukia enthusiastically agrees, and they explore what the airport has to offer, going to a spa and salon together, having lunch, doing some shopping, seeing a movie, and having something of a date night.

They’re settling in for a second evening together when Rukia gets a call from Rangiku saying that the stewardesses have been looking for her, and want her to come hang out the next day. Rukia reluctantly agrees, before turning her attention back to Yoruichi. Ichigo spends the day dealing with his work and helping Prism compensate for the fact he can’t get to where he needs to be, but still finds time to mope in the evening.

Day 3: The morning goes much the same, with Rukia reluctant to leave. Yoruichi gently shoos her, telling her they can always meet up again if she wants. She cheekily lends Rukia a toy and sends her off with a kiss. Afterwards, Yoruichi calls Kūkaku—whom she knows has been associating with Byakuya lately—to gossip a bit. Kūkaku is nonplussed at hearing the news, but knows it’s hopeless to try and stop Yoruichi. Soon after the call, she meets with Byakuya to discuss a corporate art installation he wants to commission.

It isn’t long after lunch when Rangiku shows up to interrogate Yoruichi, having deduced what’s happened from Yoruichi and Rukia’s absences and the change in Rukia’s mood. She informs Yoruichi about the situation between Rukia and Ichigo, which she and the other flight attendants have been aware of, and leaves Yoruichi to stew in what she’s inadvertently stepped into, thinking it to be karmic comeuppance for once.

After a brief period of self-loathing and reflection, Yoruichi decides to try and fix it by approaching Ichigo, and calls Kūkaku for moral support. Kūkaku is a bit snippy because she’s in the middle of a casual lunch with Byakuya, but something about the guy Yoruichi is talking about also sounds vaguely familiar. Yoruichi quickly finds her nerve despite Kūkaku’s warnings, and goes to find Ichigo. Byakuya invites Kūkaku to dinner the next evening.

Yoruichi discovers she has a lot of work to do if she’s going to get Ichigo and Rukia to meet smoothly, and tells Rangiku to keep Rukia distracted, telling Rukia herself that she thinks she’s coming down with a cold. She spends the evening putting the moves on Ichigo, gradually convincing him to go along with her for dinner and a movie, before doing much the same as she did with Rukia. She eventually gets him to relax and open up, and beds him too.

Day 4: Ichigo’s morning with Yoruichi is rather less serene than Rukia’s two were. Still, Yoruichi manages to once more put him at ease. She elects to spend the day in with him, as she has quite a lot to teach him if she’s going to trust someone special like Rukia to him. While he naps in the afternoon, she once more calls Rukia to put on a show of being sick, and calls Kūkaku again. Kūkaku soon figures out Ichigo is, in fact, her cousin Ichigo, and rapidly puts together what a problem this is becoming, as Yoruichi has somehow involved herself with both a Kuchiki and a Shiba at the same time as she, a Shiba, is also dealing with a Kuchiki—that very evening, in fact.

She warns Yoruichi in no uncertain terms, but Yoruichi assures her it’ll all work out before hanging up as Ichigo wakes. Kūkaku can’t reach her again. Rukia becomes a bit morose that evening as she begins to wonder if Yoruichi is intentionally avoiding her, and finds she really misses Yoruichi’s company in every way. Yoruichi puts Ichigo through his paces into the night. Kūkaku and Byakuya have a surprisingly fun dinner, that then becomes having drinks and drawing closer together, until going home is the furthest thing from Kūkaku‘s mind.

Day 5: Yoruichi wakes up as usual and has breakfast by herself, letting Ichigo sleep in. She texts Rukia to try and arrange meeting up for lunch, and soon gets an affirmative reply back. She ruminates on her plan as she gets ready, deciding it’s best to be blunt and direct. Kūkaku and Byakuya have a pleasant and lazy morning together that she teases him relentlessly about. Ichigo wakes up late in the morning, having been exhausted the previous day, and Yoruichi encourages him to get dressed to join her for lunch. Starving, he agrees.

Rukia and Ichigo are shocked to see each other at lunch. Yoruichi sincerely apologizes to Rukia, but chastises Ichigo somewhat, before introducing them, telling them how she learned about them and making the case that they belong together—after all, she’d know better than anyone! The meeting goes less well than Yoruichi had hoped, and both Ichigo and Rukia excuse themselves, heading off alone. Yoruichi is left at the table wondering if she really has messed everything up.

Another call to Kūkaku has Yoruichi learning about her situation with Byakuya, to her infinite amusement and Kūkaku’s chagrin. Byakuya deduces something is going on despite affording Kūkaku privacy for her call, given how she’s yelling, but he doesn’t pry—yet. Their example gives Yoruichi hope in persevering, but Rukia and Ichigo don’t return her texts or calls. The two spend the afternoon and evening thinking about her and each other.

That night, there’s a knock on Yoruichi’s door, and she finds Rukia outside. Rukia asks if she can come in, and after Yoruichi apologizes much more profusely, they wind up cuddling and comforting one another, before they fall asleep together. Ichigo also has a visitor: Rangiku. She invites herself into his room and makes herself comfortable in a chair, having figured out what’s going on, and begins to tell him what she knows about Rukia. Kūkaku spends another evening with Byakuya, although this time she’s a bit distracted by what’s going on, which he notices. They spend the night together again.

Day 6: Yoruichi and Rukia go to breakfast, only to be surprised when Ichigo joins them and takes a seat. They sit in silence for awhile before Yoruichi speaks up and reiterates her case. She offers to help them out if they need her to, to the horror of both. Sensing a change in their attitudes, she holds up her hands in wry surrender, leaving the two alone.

Ichigo and Rukia watch her leave before turning their attention to one another, and have a moment of awkward silence, then look away. Rukia tries to break the ice when Ichigo suddenly dismisses what Yoruichi said, yet asks her out to lunch. Surprised, she agrees. They wind up idling together and chatting until then, and after lunch, she asks him out to dinner and a movie. He also agrees.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, is communicating with Rangiku to sorta kinda spy on them as best they’re able, and in the afternoon she decides that her plan is a success. She phones Kūkaku in triumph, only for Kūkaku snap and hang up on her. Byakuya finally approaches Kūkaku, carefully noting her agitation and offering to listen. Not wanting to lie to him, and also discerning the importance of acting if it turns out Yoruichi has succeeded, Kūkaku begins to explain what happened to the Shiba, who her nearest relatives are, and what exactly has been occurring during the blizzard. Byakuya isn’t happy, but also knows he can’t do anything about it, and appreciates her honesty. He decides to wait and see what happens, and make whatever moves he has to later.

Yoruichi goes out to party with her flight crew. Despite her alcohol intolerance, she winds up having more than a few drinks.

Ichigo and Rukia have a lovely—if animated—evening, and they’re at Rukia’s hotel room, ready to part, when she invites him inside. He goes along with her, and they mutually decide to repeat how Yoruichi started out things with them. They soon discover they’re great and mind-blowing, and stay up until the early hours of the morning before collapsing in a heap together.

Day 7: Ichigo and Rukia wake up late and laze with one another, continuing to explore and get to know one another in various ways: talking, cuddling, and making love. Rukia eventually circles around to the fact that Yoruichi was right, which Ichigo grudingly admits.

Yoruichi, meanwhile, spends her seventh day resting, having thoroughly worn herself out physically and emotionally over the past week. She’s also nursing a hangover from the night before. For the 84th time, she swears off ever drinking again, and deliberately distracts herself from thinking of the two lovebirds, for reasons she doesn’t want to think about either.

Kūkaku spends the day away from Byakuya, working on her art and mulling over whether she really wants to get involved with him. He’s charming, and respectful, and the sex is amazing, but... it’s complicated. And Yoruichi hasn’t done much to help. She needs a little time to process it. She tries reaching Isshin yet again (as she periodically does) and when she can’t, she finally decides to do something about it, heading to the Kurosaki residence personally.

After dinner in Rukia’s room, ichigo and Rukia fall back into one another before another spell of conversation. The subject turns to Yoruichi and how utterly ridiculous everything has been. They swap stories about her, realizing how much fun they had with her. They gradually decide they “owe” her, and they plot about their "revenge,” with Rukia calling Rangiku to try and enlist her help.

Day 8: The blizzard is finally on track to lift enough for flight operations to resume in the afternoon. However, Yoruichi’s flight crew has no intention of leaving just yet. Rangiku has already reported up the chain of command that Yoruichi and Izuru are too ill to fly, and their passengers have already been reassigned to other flights—not that either knows. She goes to personally “distract” Izuru—she’s never found him unattractive, and it’s a perfect opportunity to once more try and get rid of that damn mustache of his.

Ichigo and Rukia, meanwhile, turn up at Yoruichi’s suite, surprising her just as she’s about to leave in her flight uniform. They guide her back inside, with just a bit of gentle manhandling, while Ichigo explains they’re not going anywhere. Yoruichi quickly figures out what’s going on and doesn’t put up too much of a struggle. Ichigo and Rukia really intend to show off and treat her, rather than teach her a lesson, but they also want to lead and have it to be something she’ll never forget. Having remembered her initial offer, they make her watch them before freeing her to play with them too. They spend the whole day together, celebrating each other.

Kūkaku, meanwhile, has dragooned Isshin into admitting to Karin and Yuzu that the Kurosaki are really a branch of the Shiba. Having stayed overnight with them at their request, she begins formally reengaging the Shiba’s assets as the leader of the family. One of her first decisions is to shift management of some of the family’s assets to a different law firm: Prism. In so doing, she requests they be handled by her cousin: Ichigo. She then sets about wiping out Karin and Yuzu’s student loan debt, assigning aside resources to do the same for Ichigo, and beginning to create reasonable endowments for them, before scheduling another date with Byakuya.

News quickly reaches the senior partners of the sudden addition of several billions of dollars of assets to Prism’s portfolio, and the attendant discovery that one of their newer employees is in fact a Shiba. Although Ichigo has essentially been excused from work due to the blizzard, they’re all surprised that no one can reach him. Regardless, they immediately set about arranging a promotion for him to fulfill Kūkaku’s request. The opportunity simply can’t be passed up.

Day 9: Ichigo and Rukia wake with Yoruichi and have breakfast. Ichigo is already scheduled to return to Murakumo since there’s no point in continuing on to his original destination (someone else was dispatched in his place), as are Yoruichi’s air crew for the same reason. They’re all taking the same flight back.

Ichigo finally turns his cell phone back on to discover a deluge of text messages and voice-mails regarding his heritage and promotion from his family and work. Yoruichi and Rukia look on with different degrees of surprise, before calling Kūkaku and Byakuya, respectively. Yoruichi gossips some, though she doesn’t reveal what happened the prior day; Byakuya asks Rukia about her involvement with Ichigo, which Rukia affirms. Neither set of parties knows the other are in the same room.

After the call ends, Byakuya and Kūkaku have a brief conversation regarding the events, during which Byakuya produces and approves a promotion request that Rukia had submitted to human resources, leaving it with one of his secretaries. They go out to lunch together.

Rukia and Ichigo eventually go their separate ways to get their things, meeting back up with Yoruichi at their gate. The flight home is routine and uneventful. They all part amicably at Murakumo’s terminal, with Ichigo and Rukia knowing they’ll see each other again soon. Yoruichi goes home to sleep for another age, only to find she can’t. She’s missing... something... and doesn’t want to admit to herself that it’s them. Lonely, she goes to Free Radical to seek Kisuke’s company, ultimately asking if she can sleep in his bed. His answer is always “Mi casa es su casa.”

Epilogue: A little over two weeks later, Ichigo and Rukia show up outside Yoruichi’s apartment together. She’s surprised to see them at first, as she’s been trying her best to move on (to no avail), only for her mood to darken once they reveal they feel differently and want her to join them on a proper vacation. They move as one on the issue, having had plenty of opportunity to discuss it.

For the first time in quite a long time, Yoruichi finds herself emotionally compromised, only to in turn be stunned by the sincerity of their offer. Ichigo and Rukia calm her through touch and offer to stay the night, and Yoruichi happily agrees.

PROMOTIONAL SNIPPET (The Beginning)

Airports exist as liminal spaces—the constant transience of their occupants leaves echoes in the fabric of their reality. That held especially true in the quiet gloom of a mid-February twilight at Calgary International Airport, with a blizzard howling down from the north and cancelling all flights in and out. The floor to ceiling windows that normally offered a view of the mountains and the international gates only showed featureless gray.

Yoruichi had already clocked out. They’d received their final forecast for the evening—the low pressure system was nearly stationary, projections estimated several feet of snow by morning, and wind chill was going to go well below zero—and the front was expected to pound the area for several days. It was only going to disperse when a Chinook wind swept in from the west to knock it out. She, her crew, their passengers, and many others besides, were all grounded, and would be for the foreseeable future.

They were fortunate that the airport had recently finished a massive upgrade program. The terminal had been radically expanded to accommodate international traffic and more besides, which was the entire reason her flight was there. But the airport had also gained several in-terminal hotels and other amenities, which was good, because based on the reports, even travel as far as the city proper would be impossible. Everyone stuck had been billeted rooms—she'd gotten a suite.

Yoruichi sighed and turned away from the gray-out. It wouldn't be long until sundown.

Being stuck on the ground for so long was going to make her tetchy—she’d never liked being tethered. She mused over joining the rest of her crew for a drink in one of the lounges, but decided to instead act on a thought she'd been harboring. She was going to seek out one crewmember in particular—one she knew wouldn’t have joined the others in their giddy celebration.

Rukia would have found somewhere to be alone.

Yoruichi had captained flights for Kuchiki International—so big it didn't have to advertise it was an airline, because everyone already knew—for three years, ever since leaving the Navy. Despite that, her current crew was relatively new to her other than her co-pilot, Kira, and one of the stewardesses, Rangiku—they'd only been together for six flights.

She'd become acquainted with them as usual, but Rukia had always stuck out to her—not least because Yoruichi knew who she was. Rukia tried to keep quiet about the fact she was a Kuchiki, often claiming she simply happened to share the last name, but Yoruichi knew better.

She hadn't hung out with Byakuya during her last trip home, a decade ago—he'd already set off on his agenda of world conquest—and hadn't really talked to anyone but Kūkaku while she was there, but she'd kept in touch with the same. She'd also gotten letters from Yūshirō annoyingly often. Between the two, she knew Byakuya had adopted a sister under mysterious circumstances, one whom looked like him, and whom Kaien had given his life to save from a frozen lake. It didn't take a genius to piece together that was Rukia.

That fact alone made her intriguing—she was Byakuya's sister, and Yoruichi and Byakuya had always had an interesting relationship. Although he was two years her senior, she'd loved teasing him since their first meeting so long ago. What sort of interactions might she have with his sister?

But it was also nothing so hypothetical.

Put simply, Rukia was stunning in a refined way, and her beauty and elegance were nothing like skin-deep. Yoruichi hadn't had much opportunity to talk with Rukia one-on-one, but she'd seen her in groups and knew how the rest of the crew treated her. Rukia was by turns tough and compassionate, level-headed and whimsical, and always smart, even if she tended to be quiet about it. She had an attitude, but not an attitude problem.

To Yoruichi, Rukia seemed both pretty and lively. She imagined Rukia was fun in other ways too, and she'd had never been one to walk away from fun if she could help it. Since they had at least a few days to kill, she saw no harm in making a pitch, and that was exactly what she intended to do.

She made her way out of the concourse toward the terminal proper.

Rukia would probably be somewhere high up, away from the bustle of the nearest bars and lounges—she seemed to like heights. Yoruichi began considering places to check as she made her way toward the hotel they'd been booked into. Stopping there would give her a chance to change into something more comfortable, and Rukia was likely at its observation lounge too.

-―-

Ichigo was in a different hotel, sitting windowside at its observation lounge. His chin was cupped in one hand, and he idly swirled a cocktail glass around with the other. He considered another building, dim and gray through the snowfall. He knew Rukia was there because he'd started his evening there, only to have spotted her sitting alone at the bar when he'd walked in. He'd seen her far too many times to ever mistake her for anyone else, from any angle, and he'd immediately left.

With a sigh, he shut his eyes and downed the rest of his Blood and Sand. You're pathetic, he thought.

Ichigo had encountered her the very first time he'd boarded a flight for his law firm. He'd instantly been captured by her eyes, but the extent of their interaction had been asking her for a Coke. He'd noted her nametag: Rukia.

They'd kept bumping into one another after that. He didn't run into her on every flight, but it happened often enough that he noticed. She never seemed to remember him, but he wasn't so sure that was the case, given his hair. At any rate, they'd never had a chance to really talk—and he wanted to talk to her for some reason.

His firm wasn't unfamiliar with Kuchiki International—which was why all their flights were chartered through them—so he knew some people who knew some people. He'd pulled a few strings and used a few details to find out some things about her. Her full name was Rukia Kuchiki. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was related to the CEO. Her routes usually brought her back to Murakumo, which was both Kuchiki International's hub city and where he lived too. It wasn't surprising they ran into each other so frequently.

It wasn't that Ichigo hadn't tried putting her out of mind, but he couldn't. He hadn't really wanted to cyberstalk her or something, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He'd poked around a little more and found her Facebook and Instagram rather easily. She was a year older than him. She had a strange love of rabbits, but otherwise seemed pretty normal and down-to-earth. She looked great in winter wear, and... everything really. She was single.

And now he was stuck in an international airport with her for god knows how long, and yet he couldn't even approach her at a bar. This was the perfect opportunity. What was it all for if he didn't have the nerve?

He considered the building across the way again for a long time, then sighed and called a waiter over for another cocktail.

PROMOTIONAL SNIPPET (The Ending)

Yoruichi turned and crossed her arms under her chest. "What's that got to do with me?" Her voice was strained.

Ichigo blinked as he saw the set of her shoulders and how tightly she was squeezing her biceps. Tension radiated off her.

Rukia noticed the same and looked to Ichigo before her expression became sympathetic. She was the one to start forward first.

He followed in her wake.

Rukia walked around in front of Yoruichi and brought her hands up to clasp the back of hers. "Hey..."

Yoruichi only met her gaze for a moment, then looked decisively to one side.

Ichigo lightly grasped her sides at the waist, standing behind her. "We miss you." It was a plain and unornamented truth.

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed and she hunched up her shoulders as if wracked by a chill. "Don't be ridiculous."

Rukia reached up to cup Yoruichi’s cheeks, finding the woman’s skin warmed her hands like the sun. She gently tried to turn her head so they’d face each other again. "Who's being ridiculous?"

Yoruichi frowned and set her expression hard, focusing intently on some point off to the side. When she spoke her voice carried the gravitas of authority: “What the fuck are you doing?”

Rukia blinked and automatically drew her hands back in confusion.

Ichigo likewise released her as he felt her go rigid.

Yoruichi closed her eyes. “I can understand wanting to pay me back, but you did that already! Do you think I was bullshitting you?! You’re perfect for each other! Hell, it’s like you were designed to be together! You’re like yin and yang, black and white! Why are you trying to ruin it, you idiots?!”

Ichigo and Rukia found each other before glancing at Yoruichi and looking to either side.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Yoruichi’s tone was low, but in the quiet that had descended over the room it was more than loud enough.

The attention of the couple was instantly upon her again.

Yoruichi clamped her hands around her upper arms tighter yet, letting out a brief, harsh laugh. Her voice grew quieter still. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe that there’s any place for me in that kind of thing...?”

A moment passed. Then another.

Rukia bit her lip and looked to Ichigo.

He met her gaze. A decision flickered between them and he turned his attention to Yoruichi, delicately taking hold of her waist again.

She blinked her eyes open in surprise only to freeze as Rukia’s hands returned to her cheeks.

Rukia once more tried to turn Yoruichi’s head—succeeding given her preoccupation—and studied her intently. Yoruichi’s voice had been steady but there was no mistaking the gleam at the outer corners of her eyes. She carefully brought her thumbs up to wipe the tears away.

Yoruichi’s eyes widened in response and she was suddenly aware of her heartbeat hammering in her ears. She looked up, needing to focus on anything but the concern Rukia was radiating for her. "I just wanted you to be happy," she whispered. There was no space for her in that picture. No room.

Ichigo moved closer so he was lightly pressed to her back, and brought his forehead down to rest against the top of her head, burying his nose against the start of her ponytail. The citrus scent of her hair put him at ease and his arms naturally slid around her waist. "Then come with us."

She shivered at the contact but didn't try to pull away.

Rukia released Yoruichi's hands and slid her arms around her neck, hugging her and pushing her back against Ichigo. The sudden rush of the aromas that so defined Yoruichi filled her thoughts and she found herself relaxing at it. "Please?"

Yoruichi shut her eyes. "But..."

"We'd like you to be there," Ichigo insisted.

"And we know you'd like it too," Rukia whispered.

Yoruichi clenched her jaw before dropping her chin so she leaned against Rukia, unfolding her arms. She got one hand around to the back of Rukia's head and brought the other up onto the back of Ichigo's.

They both pressed closer to her and started to brush at her reassuringly.

A faint shudder once again rippled through Yoruichi; she only slowly relaxed.

The three of them stood together for quite a long time before Rukia turned her head to consider the inside of the apartment. There was a couch not too far away. She looked back toward Yoruichi and Ichigo. How distraught their mentor was had come as a surprise—if she'd known, she’d never have let them wait even as little as they had. She took Yoruichi’s wrist and started to gently tug her toward the couch.

Yoruichi blinked her eyes open, looking to Rukia uncertainly.

Ichigo noticed and let her go, taking her other wrist and moving around to stand beside Rukia. They shared a look and he likewise beckoned Yoruichi forward.

After looking between them, Yoruichi followed, letting them guide her to her couch.

Ichigo sat first, Rukia getting next to him, and the two of them drew Yoruichi down onto their shared lap space, taking her into an embrace.

Yoruichi sank into the comfort of them. She… she’d missed them—so much.

Rukia turned and lowered her head, softly kissing at Yoruichi’s neck to comfort her.

Ichigo did the same, getting his face below her ponytail to plant little smooches along the back of her neck.

Yoruichi clenched her jaw again, this time to keep from vocalizing. She knew the difference between reassurance and sensuality well enough—especially with them—but being with them in such a close and intimate fashion again stirred her soul. Sharing space and touch with them felt like… like finally coming home.

Ichigo gave her the lightest nip and his eyes flickered open to find Rukia’s.

She glanced at him and one of her hands brushed across his in the course of slowly roving over Yoruichi’s sides. She soon shut her eyes and busied herself at where the woman’s neck met her jawline.

He brought his lips to Yoruichi’s ear. “We can stay the night.”

Yoruichi pushed her chin down against Rukia’s hair and didn’t hesitate to say “Yes.”

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

The sky’s the limit. I envisioned they’d go on a tropical vacation next, and eventually get a place and all move in together. There are some things already set afterwards, but there’s another post about that.

[theeasdaleblr-blog]

Manila, 7 May 2019 – Thanks to a booming economy, the real estate sector of several progressive cities outside of the metro are on a roll, growing remarkably well over the last few years and expected to continue soaring to new heights in the next decade or so.

More and more property developers are answering the growing demand for residential and commercial properties in Cebu, Cavite, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Pampanga as their property landscapes evolve and are expected to be at the forefront of a property development boom in the country.

Mr. Charles Ong, Chief Operating Officer of Innoland Development Corporation

A pronounced surge in demand and supply

The growing interest from local and foreign investors, as bolstered by the national government’s robust infrastructure projects in these provincial cities, attracted a surge in interest among property buyers from here and abroad.

From 2017 to 2018, Pampanga registered a whopping 873-percent increase in leads on the Lamudi platform. During the same time frame, Cavite witnessed a 298-percent increase in leads, Davao raked in 69 percent, while Cebu and Iloilo also increased by 274 and 214 percent, respectively. Page views among properties in Bacolod likewise spiked by 38 percent.

These numbers go to show that these cities are currently enjoying a shining moment in their real estate sector. In conjunction with this impressive upward trend in demand, the property supply in these cities followed suit.

Based on Lamudi listings from 2017 to 2018, Davao enjoyed a 102-percent increase in listings while Pampanga saw a 202-percent spike. Likewise, Cavite’s listings spiked by 188 percent. Cebu-based listings increased by 27 percent while Iloilo grew by 29 percent. Bacolod, however, had more property searches than the available supply during the time period, where apartment and land searches were seven (7) percent and 12 percent higher than the supply, respectively. This could mean that there is a well of opportunity for property developers in the city to answer to the growing demand that is yet to be addressed.

Average prices and a notable increase in page visits

Page visits, which likewise signify interest among property buyers, in these provincial cities also increased. From 2017 to 2018, Pampanga, Cebu, and Bacolod grew by 65 percent, 23 percent, and 38 percent respectively.

Iloilo, on the other hand, rose by 22 percent from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2019.

Davao, despite being one of the country’s most competitive cities and investment hubs, remains affordable for prospective investors and home seekers. The average price of a condo property in the city is Php4,622,195, where the average price per square meter is tagged at Php 100,377.

Meanwhile, Cavite’s residential sector also maintains its relative affordability, with an average price of Php 6,372,632 for houses. The average price per square meter is Php 50,576.

Bhavna Suresh, CEO of Lamudi, moderated the media roundtable discussion. The panelists of the media roundtable were Joey Bondoc, Senior Research Manager of Colliers International Philippines; Charles Ong, Chief Operating Officer of Innoland Development Corporation; Fernando Camus, Senior Consultant of Berthaphil, Inc.; Emmanuel Rapadas, Chief Financial Officer of Torre Lorenzo Development Corporation; and Richard Tay, Business Unit Head of the Commercial Business Group of Property Company of Friends, Inc.

Most Searched Areas

The most searched for areas in Davao that property seekers searched for are Buhangin and Sasa. These were followed by Barangay 19-B, Ma-A, Talomo, Barangay 20-B, Bucana, Barangay 34-D, Matina Crossing, and Matina Aplaya.  

In Cebu, the most searched for properties were those in Cebu City, followed by those in Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Talisay, Consolacion, Minglanilla, and Liloan.

Bacoor, Dasmariñas, Tagaytay, General Trias, and Imus were the most searched cities in Cavite.

On the other hand, the towns of Pavia, Jaro, Oton, Guimbal, and Mandurriao generated the most interest in Iloilo.

In Pampanga, Angeles, San Fernando, Mabalacat, Arayat, Mexico, Bacolor, and Magalang.

For Bacolod, the towns of Alijis, Estefania, Mansilingan, and Tangub drew in the most interest.

House and lots dominate property types

Majority of these property seekers are interested in house and lots, although there’s also a growing interest for residential condo units. The majority also prefer to buy these types of properties compared to those who want to rent them. In Iloilo, for instance, the page views for houses were close to 62 percent among property seekers, about 52 percent when it comes to sessions, and 59 percent for leads generated, based on Lamudi’s data. The same is true for Cavite, where about 64 percent of the leads came from house searches.

The preference for house and lots, as well as lands, in these provincial cities, show that the prices of these property types in Cavite, Pampanga, Cebu, Bohol, Davao, and Iloilo are still relatively more affordable compared to those in Metro Manila. Many of those who were also searching for properties in most of these progressive provincial cities are from Metro Manila, according to Lamudi data. In Pampanga, for instance, although the number one city that searched for a property there came from Angeles City, the next three came from Quezon City, Makati, and Manila, data from the property portal shows. Pampanga’s proximity to Metro Manila has attracted quite a number of property seekers from Quezon City, Makati, and Manila who are planning to relocate in the province, live a more relaxed lifestyle and escape from the urban chaos of the metropolis while also pursuing great careers with the growing number of companies opening their offices there.

With the property sector of these thriving provincial cities on the upswing, expect their economic landscape to evolve and benefit nearby towns and municipalities as well.

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Precious Hearts Romances held its media and authors gathering in its headquarters in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on March 30, 2019. Hosted by JP Bertiz, the event introduced authors Sofia, Rose Tan, Luna King, Princess Cordova, Jian, XavierJohnFord, MsButterfly,C.D. de Guzman and Lush Ericson to invited publications including Conan Daily.

After the press conference, more authors including Sonia Francesca, Dawn Igloria, Maricar Dizon, Spring Mendez, Cady Lorenzana, Cranberry Laurel, Jessa Audrey participated in the Grand Fans Day ceremony with the theme “Dito ka masaya!” (This is where you are happy!) During the event, 32 new pocketbooks were released PHR, which include the following:

  Title: “BHO CAMP 2: The Rockstar’s Personal Assistant”

Author: MsButterfly

Plot:

Dahil sa isang pustahan, nagulo ang dating tahimik na buhay ni Freezale. As an agent of a secret organization, wala siyang choice kundi ang maging personal assistant ng ultimate playboy na si Lucas Darryl King para malaman kung sino ang taong nagtatangka sa buhay nito.

She was the “coldest” person on Earth, according to her friends and cousins kaya hindi uubra sa kanya ang mga banat ni King.

Pero isang araw, may narinig ni Freezale na isang bagay na bago sa kanya– thebeating sound of her frozen heart. At tumitibok iyon nang malakas kapag nandiyan si King.

Title: “The Last Warrior Batch 2: City of Blinds Book 2, Crossroads”

Author: Spring Mendez

Plot:

Napadpad si Haji sa kaharian ng Galeridus para sa dalawang misyon: una, ang wakasan ang sabwatan ng mga ganid na opisyal; pangalawa, patayin ang taong may badya ng panganib sa lahat ng kaharian. Hindi pa nagmintis sa mga hinawakan niyang misyon si Haji.

Pero noon iyon, bago niya nakilala si Alethea, ang misteryosang babaeng may mga di-kilalang kaaway. Unang beses pa lang nakita ni Haji si Alethea na nakikipaglaban sa royal match ay nakuha na agad nito ang atensiyon niya. Sunod-sunod ang mga naging pagbabago sa mga plano niya. Bago pa namalayan ni Haji, nakikipaglaban na siya sa bawat laban ni Alethea, maprotektahan lang ito. He was the happiest man alive when he won not just the war, but also Alethea’s heart. Pero hindi nagtagal iyon nang matuklasan niyang si Alethea ang kaaway… And killing her is his only option.

Title: “The Legendary Devils Trilogy 1: The Accidental Hero”

Author: Cranberry Laurel

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Nakaranas si Kaye ng mga patong-patong na kamalasan sa buhay, kaya ang naging solusyon niya, mag-summon ng anghel o demon. She believed in immortality, fountain of youth, demons, angels, vampires, and anything superstitious. Pero noong nagsa-summon na si Kaye, nanganib bigla ang buhay niya at aksidenteng iniligtas siya ng natawag na demon—si Demetineirre, ang demon leader ng 66th legion sa underworld!

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Title: “The Queen Series 1 – The Queen of Heralds”

Author: Ashlene Javier

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  If you believe that you can be part of something bigger, or aspire to be the next best-selling Filipino romance author in the country, you can send your manuscript through email at ed2rialstaff@gmail.com. From here on, PHR guarantees that readers can only look forward to more good stories from their homegrown writers and online writers.

Meanwhile, here is a clip featuring MsButterfly:

Precious Hearts Romances pocketbooks by MsButterfly, Spring Mendez, Cranberry Laurel, Ashlene Javier Precious Hearts Romances held its media and authors gathering in its headquarters in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on March 30, 2019.

[realtyhubph-blog]

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[tripstations]

20 of the World’s Most Beautiful Remote Beaches

Let’s start off with the assumption that we are all travelers, we all enjoy a nice escape from reality every once in a while and we all love some peace and relaxation.

This is why we’ve come up with a list of the world’s top 20 most beautiful remote beaches.

  1. Anse Source d’Argent, Seychelles

Where your main source of transportation on the island is by bicycle and there is more untouched nature than civilization, there’s no doubting why Anse Source d’Argent is on our list for the world’s most beautiful hidden beaches.

Socca | Flickr Profile

  2. Ruutia, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia

There are literally islands within the French Polynesia so remote that we weren’t able to locate any photographs open for public sharing. Ruutia is just one magical place, but the French Polynesia is home to many remote beaches such as Motu Tane and Vahine Islands. Many of these islands are open for rent; yes the entire island for rent.

Matt Kowalczyk | Flickr Profile

  3. Secret Beach, Kauai, Hawaii

Though large enough to make an online presence, the Secret Beach of Kauai is still a hidden gem running half a mile long and perfect for sunset getaways. Hawaii is the place for beach paradise so finding your way to this secret destination is a dream come true.

Jessica Merz | Flickr Profile

  4. Soliman Bay Beach, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Protected from being promoted wide and far on your typical tourist pamphlets, this is a beach in the Riviera Maya that has still kept the serenity even after being found online. Without large condos and beach resorts, there’s nothing stopping those few adventurers from taking a trek to Soliman Bay and relaxing to the sounds of the waves crashing in.

Ranchita Vida | Flickr Profile

  5. Delray Beach, Florida

Florida is a well-known sun destination for people all over the world. You would figure with the influx in tourism there wouldn’t be any secret beaches left to explore, but you’re wrong. Delray Beach is in between the heat of Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach however, since there is a lot more option for food and accommodations near these big city beaches that’s where all the tourists will head.

VISIT FLORIDA Editor | Flickr Profile

  6. Pfeiffer Beach, California

It wasn’t hard to find a photo of this beautiful beach online, but apparently the location of the destination is a lot harder to find. Though one of the most beautiful beaches in the USA, many people have a difficult time locating the beach before getting there.

Matthew Hansen | Flickr Profile

  7. Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil

You’ll only find the most adventurous souls hanging out on this beach, as it requires a beautiful trek through a rainforest to get to. If there are roads leading to a beach, it’s bound to be discovered. If a trek is what it takes to explore Brazil’s paradise, it might just stay kept a secret. There is almost 7,500 kilometers of beautiful tropical coastline, we wouldn’t be surprised if you found your own best-kept secret.

Ben K | Flickr Profile

  8. No Names Mentioned, Lizard Island, Australia

We have decided not to mention a specific beach here but rather let you take the reins. Lizard Island is quite an exclusive destination for travellers so you’ll already only have a few neighbours on the island. Go out and find your own secret beach on this beautiful paradise.

Philip Morton | Flickr Profile

  9. El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

The dream of many travelers is a perfect paradise getaway along the coastline of Palawan, Philippines. So why isn’t it a reality? Well for some it may just be, but for many it has always been just a dream. This year the Philippines have an increased number of tourists, though they are often second to other major destinations like Bangkok and Bali.

Riza R. Ramos | Flickr Profile

  10. Limnionas, Zakynthos, Greece

Though Zakynthos is still a popular place for beach travellers, the west coast of the island is a little more rugged with a lot less of a tourism population. Your only option around here will be to stay in some of the village inns, but certainly worth this serene view.

Sean Perry | Flickr Profile

  11. The Islands of Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

There is not just one hidden gem on the beaches of Cayos Cochinos, there are many. Take a look at this photograph featuring a secluded island off the coastline. Dig a little deeper and unleash the adventurous soul you have to go out and explore these secret spots.

But For The Sky | Flickr Profile

  12. Juara Beach, Tioman Island, Malaysia

Though the picture isn’t of the exact location, you can only imagine how much more beautiful the beaches of Tioman Island can get. Juara is a beautiful and serene beach where very little tourists spend their time. There’s also notes online about secret trails leading to other various beaches on the island, but be warned about the pesky mosquitos that might get in your way.

Austronesian Expeditions | Flickr Profile

  13. Nature’s Valley Beach, Rocktail Bay, South Africa

There are many stunning beaches on Rocktail Bay, but one that captures many hearts is Nature’s Valley Beach. It seems by the stories that not one traveler has crossed paths with another while adventuring to see this beautiful paradise. It is truly a South African secret.

Michael Clarke | Flickr Profile

  14. Ko Lipe Island, Thailand

It isn’t so much of a secret as it is simply just not visited nearly as much as the other popular islands. Thailand’s Kho Phi Phi and Kho Phangan have been number one destinations for partygoers. If you’re looking for a beautiful, serene, peaceful paradise Ko Lipe Island is the perfect destination.

Vyacheslav Argenberg | Flickr Profile

  15. St. Barth’s South Shore

Though well known, St. Barth’s is one of the smallest islands in the French West Indies and still isn’t an extremely popular destination for your average travelers. Though time and time again St. Barth’s has won awards for having some of the world’s best beaches, we’ll let you in on a little secret – the south shore is where the people haven’t taken over.

Charles Van den Broek | Flickr Profile

  16. Media Luna, Vieques, Puerto Rico

Media Luna is remote simply because it is not an easy place to get to. Unlike places like Sun Bay, Media Luna isn’t equipped with benches, chairs or recliners. It will be you and Mother Nature while you’re here relaxing.

Angel Xavier Viera-Vargas | Flickr Profile

  17. Levera Beach, Grenada

Off the typical track of the tourists is Levera Beach. You have to take some time to travel further north of Bathway Beach in order to get acquainted with this slice of heaven. Be forewarned, this beach is so secluded it takes a four-wheeler to get along the road.

Llyod Morgen | Flickr Profile

  18. Grenen Beach, Denmark

Hey, we might not be the only ones featuring Denmark’s incredible hidden beach, but it’s worth mentioning. Perhaps it is such a popular ‘hidden gem’ to feature because Denmark having a beach isn’t the first thing tourists’ think of while visiting. Many travelers probably haven’t even packed their swimsuits!

Tomas | Flickr Profile

  19. Port Isaac, United Kingdom

There are so many travelers who head to England for one reason – London. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of road tripping it to the southern coast, it is one of the world’s most spectacular drives! Port Isaac is located in Cornwall, England and is home to a small village, with a beautiful beach.

John Kroll | Flickr Profile

  20. Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Vietnam is quickly becoming a very popular destination for travelers. We would suggest checking out this stunning island before it is too late. Phu Quoc Island is home to some of the world’s most beautiful waterfalls, hidden lakes and forests. What the island is really known for is the most romantic and breathtaking sunsets.

David Meenagh | Flickr Profile

  Have you explored a secret beach that we haven’t included on our list?

Let us know, tell us your stories!

The post 20 of the World’s Most Beautiful Remote Beaches appeared first on Tripstations.

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Angeles City Condos - Condo For Sale Angeles City

What To Think About When Getting Apartments Available For Sale

 When you plan to relocate a low-maintenance house, you may wish to consider checking out apartments available. Singles or little families can find the comfort when they stay in a condominium. As compared to box-styled colonial homes or multilevel residences, a condo is affordable and sensible. There is no requirement for you to mow a huge yard, and also you do not need to clean up the backyard pool. The majority of apartment systems up for sale featured attractive facilities such as a club, kid and grownup swimming pools, health club, as well as tennis courts. The rate array for each apartment unit might differ, and also you can find the right amount that fits your budget. Before you begin seeking condominium devices offer for sale, think about these ideas when buying this sort of house.

 Establish The Amount Of Space You Required

 Do you have lots of devices and pieces of furniture that you might need to transfer to your brand-new house? See to it that you examine condos to buy with the suitable floor location for you and also the various other owners. Normally, a 50-square meter condo device would certainly be adequate for singles or a family members with one youngster. You can also locate a loft type system, which is a prominent choice of several customers. It includes a stairs that causes the room. If you desire a large area, you ought to a condo unit that has over 100 square meters for the floor location. You will appreciate the comfort of having plenty of spaces for your devices, and also an area to delight your visitors.

 Check The Parking Lot and Protection

 In a lot of condo systems, you need to acquire a vehicle parking port or ports for your vehicles. The vehicle parking cost is aside from settlement for your apartment unit. Various other apartments enable home owners to rent out a garage for a sensible rate, so you may intend to think about renting as an option. Additionally, ensure that you examine the overall look of the parking space. Inquire about the safety and security of the whole area, so you can be certain that your lorries remain in a secure place. You must additionally think about inspecting condominiums available for sale with security steps for all home owners. Safety and security staffs ought to have strict plans prior to they allow non-homeowners to enter and see family members or good friends who stay in the condo devices.

 Compare Rates and also Amenities In Numerous Condos Available

 You must have numerous alternatives when you seek condos available for sale. Speak with real estate representatives, as well as inquire about various other condos that they can offer. Look for a condominium with a good area that is near your office. After that, get a calculation of the complete unit rate consisting of the month-to-month costs, garage rental price, as well as a number of others. If you opt to visit the fitness center or swim regularly, check out condominium units with amenities that you need.

 Ask about Several, Intricate Details

 You can inspect the history of evaluations provided for the condo units. When you have learned that there are couple of assessments, it might indicate that the buildings are well-managed. In addition, inquire about other policies that entail having animals in the systems, procedure for repair service demands, as well as other worries. Prior to you buy condos offer for sale, make certain that you have actually resolved all your questions as well as uncertainties. This way, you can make a prudent decision when you relocate to your new apartment system.

 For More Information About Contact Us

 Contact Us:

 Address: 2422 Josefa St, Angeles, 2009 Pampanga, Philippines

 5H7J+8M Angeles, Pampanga, Philippines

 Ph: +63 917 126 3039

[shelleyrobbinsus]

Roch Dental Clinic/Dental Today 2

I usually have good luck with dentists abroad. Starting with when I lived in Costa Rica back in 2011, I found a fantastic dentist in the little beach town of Playa Coco. I had a filling fall out (probably biting down on a beer bottle!), so desperately needed to get my tooth fixed.

I wasn’t expecting much in this sleepy coastal hamlet, and the outside of the dentists office was similarly spartan. But once I went inside, I was amazed that the office was spotless, modern, and extremely well-kept, with a young, highly educated and bilingual dentist (she also happened to be very pretty) who did a bang-up job fixing my tooth.

My run of favorable fortune with dentists continued when I moved to Asia in 2013. In fact, even in poor and repressed societies like Cambodia, it seemed like there was a dentists office on every block. I can’t speak to the quality of a lot of them, but the one or two I visited did a sparking job and were similarly shockingly modern and professional. Even the Philippines, where the national slogan should be “We make easy, hard” treated me great in the dentist’s department, as my go-to tooth doc is the wonderful Mildred Rosales, DDS in Angeles City.

But, I’m here to tell you that my run of winning the dentist lottery ended today, and in cosmopolitan Thailand, of all places.

With another big filling falling out a couple of months ago in my adopted hometown of Dumaguete, I got a temporary filling, as I don’t entirely trust anything that happens in Dumaguete, and I knew I’d be coming to Thailand soon enough, where there is world-class medical care that’s very accessible and affordable. Alas, I should have gotten it done in the Philippines.

I walked into a Thai-run dental clinic called Roch Dental Clinic (also called Dental Today 2) yesterday since it was right near my condo, Park Lane.

The lady working looked at me in horror when I entered the lobby, so awkwardly that I thought I violated their rule by wearing my shoes indoors (Thais never wear shoes in the house, but this was supposed to be a place of business.)

We got past that, and I told her what I was there for – a cleaning and to have the dentist look at my tooth because I thought I needed a temporary filling replaced with a crown. She opened up her (totally empty) appointment book and penciled me in for 1:30 m the next day – today. I just chalked her unfriendliness and sour puss face up to her having a bad day or something.

But she was the same today when I went in for my appointment and didn’t even remember me or what I was there for (or pretended not to). I was quickly led back to the exam room, where I met the dentist, a middle-aged woman with a hawkish face and the personality to match.

I explained what I needed to her and her two assistants, and that went well enough. But, when she started looking at my teeth, she INSISTED that it wasn’t a temporary filling I had in place, to the point that she almost alluded to me calling her a liar when I politely informed her that it was a temp they’d put in. (Maybe she needs to check the definition of ‘temporary.’)

We moved on from that and settled on just a teeth cleaning, as I already resigned myself to get the real dental work done back in the Philippines with Dr. Roasales.

But this was no ordinary cleaning. She took out some rubberized ring like a giant calamari ring and started shoving it not in my mouth, but against my lips and gums, parting them for her to gain access. I protested as I choked and gagged, as it was actually pretty painful – and quite unnecessary. “Can’t I just open my mouth wide?” I asked, but she insisted on the weird mouth spreader ring.

I felt eerily like Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction…bring out the gimp!

Anywho, she stuck and scraped and even banged my teeth with her instruments with all the care of an invading Marine, and finally dismissed me to the lobby, where her assistant, Rude McRudeness, took my money and told me to kick rocks.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite that bad at the very end, but I didn’t appreciate their unfriendliness, coldness, and horrible bedside manner throughout.

No more dental work in Thailand for me!

The post Roch Dental Clinic/Dental Today 2 appeared first on AllWorld.com.

Via https://www.allworld.com/roch-dental-clinic-dental-today-2/

source http://allworldus.weebly.com/blog/roch-dental-clinicdental-today-2

[allworldus]

Roch Dental Clinic/Dental Today 2

I usually have good luck with dentists abroad. Starting with when I lived in Costa Rica back in 2011, I found a fantastic dentist in the little beach town of Playa Coco. I had a filling fall out (probably biting down on a beer bottle!), so desperately needed to get my tooth fixed.

I wasn’t expecting much in this sleepy coastal hamlet, and the outside of the dentists office was similarly spartan. But once I went inside, I was amazed that the office was spotless, modern, and extremely well-kept, with a young, highly educated and bilingual dentist (she also happened to be very pretty) who did a bang-up job fixing my tooth.

My run of favorable fortune with dentists continued when I moved to Asia in 2013. In fact, even in poor and repressed societies like Cambodia, it seemed like there was a dentists office on every block. I can’t speak to the quality of a lot of them, but the one or two I visited did a sparking job and were similarly shockingly modern and professional. Even the Philippines, where the national slogan should be “We make easy, hard” treated me great in the dentist’s department, as my go-to tooth doc is the wonderful Mildred Rosales, DDS in Angeles City.

But, I’m here to tell you that my run of winning the dentist lottery ended today, and in cosmopolitan Thailand, of all places.

With another big filling falling out a couple of months ago in my adopted hometown of Dumaguete, I got a temporary filling, as I don’t entirely trust anything that happens in Dumaguete, and I knew I’d be coming to Thailand soon enough, where there is world-class medical care that’s very accessible and affordable. Alas, I should have gotten it done in the Philippines.

I walked into a Thai-run dental clinic called Roch Dental Clinic (also called Dental Today 2) yesterday since it was right near my condo, Park Lane.

The lady working looked at me in horror when I entered the lobby, so awkwardly that I thought I violated their rule by wearing my shoes indoors (Thais never wear shoes in the house, but this was supposed to be a place of business.)

We got past that, and I told her what I was there for – a cleaning and to have the dentist look at my tooth because I thought I needed a temporary filling replaced with a crown. She opened up her (totally empty) appointment book and penciled me in for 1:30 m the next day – today. I just chalked her unfriendliness and sour puss face up to her having a bad day or something.

But she was the same today when I went in for my appointment and didn’t even remember me or what I was there for (or pretended not to). I was quickly led back to the exam room, where I met the dentist, a middle-aged woman with a hawkish face and the personality to match.

I explained what I needed to her and her two assistants, and that went well enough. But, when she started looking at my teeth, she INSISTED that it wasn’t a temporary filling I had in place, to the point that she almost alluded to me calling her a liar when I politely informed her that it was a temp they’d put in. (Maybe she needs to check the definition of ‘temporary.’)

We moved on from that and settled on just a teeth cleaning, as I already resigned myself to get the real dental work done back in the Philippines with Dr. Roasales.

But this was no ordinary cleaning. She took out some rubberized ring like a giant calamari ring and started shoving it not in my mouth, but against my lips and gums, parting them for her to gain access. I protested as I choked and gagged, as it was actually pretty painful – and quite unnecessary. “Can’t I just open my mouth wide?” I asked, but she insisted on the weird mouth spreader ring.

I felt eerily like Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction…bring out the gimp!

Anywho, she stuck and scraped and even banged my teeth with her instruments with all the care of an invading Marine, and finally dismissed me to the lobby, where her assistant, Rude McRudeness, took my money and told me to kick rocks.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t quite that bad at the very end, but I didn’t appreciate their unfriendliness, coldness, and horrible bedside manner throughout.

No more dental work in Thailand for me!

The post Roch Dental Clinic/Dental Today 2 appeared first on AllWorld.com.

source https://www.allworld.com/roch-dental-clinic-dental-today-2/

[26tatchou]

Angeles City condos

Several a large number of foreigners in the Philippines have made the decision to make the country their vacation home. The quantity of Chinese, Japanese, Americans, British, Spanish people, Australians, Koreans, Indians, and other nationalities in the Philippines is staggering and continuously growing. For more information on buy real estate in philippines, visit our website today!

Immigration Alien Registration division assistant chief Ferdinand Arbas mentioned that the quantity of Chinese residing in the country increased from 30,809 in '09 to 61,372 this year. The Korean's presence has elevated from 24,876 in '09 to 28,090 this year. In 2007, the U.S. Condition Department believed there were over 250,000 U.S. citizens residing in the Philippines. The dual citizenship factor causes it to be a little difficult to come with an exact quantity of U.S. citizens surviving in the Philippines. I don't believe that anybody comes with an exact number to report yet. Possibly, the dpi may have elevated by a minimum of 25,000 within the last 3 years, which may provide a rough estimate of 275,000 (or even more) U.S. citizens residing in the Philippines.

You'll find three primary groups: individuals who go to school and other people who are business proprietors finally, the retirees. A large number of Korean nationals attend British schools and all students from Iran and other nations study medicine. A large number of Americans and numerous German Nationals, Australians, amongst others retire in the country. Retirees are fortunate to do island hopping beyond their wildest dreams, due to the realization they can also enjoy the breath-taking and breathtaking sites of nearly 7,000 islands. Furthermore, they are able to afford the luxury of the great quality lifestyle at reasonable costs.

There has been many speculations going swimming, stating that people from other countries cannot buy any property in the Philippines. Eventually, it's incorrect. Let's explore this problem together. The Philippines Law prohibits foreigners from owning land in the Philippines, except like a minority partner with an intention of 40% or fewer. You will find those who suggest that it's a good idea to generate a fake or dummy corporation to bypass the law. I caution you that establishing a "dummy corporation" for purchasing land, that is illegal in the Philippines.

Here's what to prepare for by trying to circumvent the property laws and regulations of the Philippines, the authority can confiscate 100 % (100%) of the investment and you may also go to jail. Certainly one of the explanations why the laws and regulations are extremely stringent is the fact that the Philippines government is extremely worried about foreign exploitation.

The condominium marketplace is the only legal method for an overseas national (foreigner) to purchase Philippine property market. For example, an overseas national might have 100 % (100%) ownership of the condominium unit in almost any building, getting a general foreign ownership of 40 % (40%). Additionally, a foreigner, who's married to a Filipino lady, can purchase a home under the name of his wife, and therefore his wife's name is the only name that seems on the deed. That stated, the husband's name is excluded from the deed. The deed may point out that "name of the wife adopted by the words 'married to...'" For individuals single men that are planning on marrying Filipino women and not confident with such real estate plans so far as the deed is worried, next consider purchasing a condominium rather.

This really is the only real estate property that the Real Estate Philippine Laws and regulations permit you to buy without getting to have the deed beneath your name's wife. Furthermore, the Philippines Property Laws and regulations allow people from other countries to buy or own structures and or houses legally as lengthy they do not own the find which the houses or structures are made. Foreigners, corporations and legally created associations may lease land for 25-half a century, that is renewable for an additional 25-half a century. Want to know more about buy condo in philippines? Visit our website for more information.

[lisa77us-blog]

Angeles City condos

The Philippines is really a prosperous country that continues to evolve and advance. With a decent standard of existence, good healthcare system, and a lengthy existence expectancy, the Philippines offer possibilities to both residents and investors. If you're a property investor and you're taking into consideration the reward of purchasing qualities overseas, consider the benefits of purchasing Manila property. Having a growing economy, the requirement of Manila property is continuing to grow substantially. This growing demand and the limited supply create the chance for rental yields and capital growth for the near future. How Expanding Demand From Customers Has Affected Rental Yields and Capital Growth Possibilities In the Philippines, worldwide investors can own condominium property however they cannot own land outright, they are able to only own 40% of the plot unless of course their business partner or partners spouse is really a Filipino national. For this reason Manila condos are the most engaging for overseas investors. Most Manila qualities are generally condos or apartments. Which means that worldwide investors can legally get these qualities and take advantage of good rental earnings and capital growth as the Philippines economy continues to grow and particularly in Manila. For more information on buy a condo in angeles city, visit our website today! A number of goods are exported from the Manila every single day. These goods include textiles, electronics, plywood, sugar, and beverages. The money produced from conveying ensures a continuing flow of cash and has elevated the quantity of wealthy and affluent residences in main areas like Manila. When investing in an extravagance condo or apartment, you may expect rental earnings around 14 %. Most those who are new to the Philippines will rent a Manila property before they're buying. Which means that the interest in rental units will remain strong as lengthy as the economy is flourishing. An excellent Quality lifestyle When some investors consider purchasing qualities overseas they may imagine buying a property that's very fundamental especially if they're the initial investor and have a restricted budget. However most new residential builds targeted at the overseas investor market in Manila property is elegant, modern, and full of facilities. A number of the most searched for after districts in Manila include Eton Bay Park, Kalaw Street, Rockwell, Manila Bay, Rockwell, Manila Bay Rizal Park, Aqua Private Residence, Ayala land, and Trump Tower Manila. Unfurnished qualities start at £28,000 and according to Liam Bailey Mind of Worldwide Research qualities are "set to double in value in the next 2 to four years." With the much growth options, some lenders in the Philippines are extremely happy to lend money for investing, to the right people or companies obviously. Want to know more about buy real estate in angeles city? Visit our website for more information. Not every overseas investment possibilities are wise. If you select to purchase property overseas you have to explore market trends, average rental yields, the economy, and reported capital growth. Evaluate the advantages of purchasing Manila property and benefit as the economy continues to emerge.

[newstfionline]

I Am a Survivor of Human Trafficking: Nena’s Story

By Nena Ruiz, The Atlantic, Mar. 12, 2018

I come from a family of teachers: father, husband, sisters, and daughter. I taught for 32 years at an elementary school in the Philippines. Somehow, that added to the shame I felt for being a survivor of trafficking. I not only worried about what my family would think, but my hundreds of students as well. I thought that everyone would lose respect for us.

When I retired from teaching at 55, I went into business with a neighbor, and they disappeared with my savings. I was devastated, but a cousin through a marriage came to my rescue--or so I thought--when she told me her boss was looking for someone to accompany her elderly mother to the United States and take care of her there.

I met with the woman, and she offered me $400 per month, nearly three times what I could make as a teacher. She added that she would petition for a specific kind of visa so my family could come to the U.S. too. I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude. I thought this was the answer to my prayers.

The first sign that something was wrong was at the airport. The Philippines Airlines personnel withheld my ticket because the woman I was supposed to be caring for was not with me. I wondered why the mother had traveled to the U.S. ahead of me, so I called my boss to let her know I couldn’t pick up my ticket alone. She sent her mother back to Manila, and we flew to the U.S. together. In all of my excitement, I didn’t ask any questions about the strangeness of the situation. I trusted my new boss.

In San Francisco, my boss’s younger sister met us at the airport, and we happily ate dinner at her house. Before going to bed, the sister told me, “My mom stays with me. My sister used my mom so that she could get you to come here to be her domestic helper. Tomorrow, I will arrange your flight to Culver City.”

I was so shocked that I couldn’t say a thing. My head was spinning from the confusion.

I arrived in Los Angeles, and my boss took me to her condo in a gated community. She was a very prominent, influential Filipina woman, and her American husband was the vice president of legal affairs of Sony Pictures in Los Angeles. Before we went inside, she asked for my passport. She said she was going to extend my visa and petition for my family to come to America to be with me. Again, my happiness overwhelmed me, and I believed her.

Within a week, I had a “daily work schedule,” taped to the wall in the kitchen. It ran from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., which was incorrect, since I also had to bring the dogs outside in the middle of the night. I had to take care of the dogs in addition to cooking, cleaning, washing, vacuuming, ironing, dusting, hemming clothes, and maintaining the plants. Every month, I cooked a large pot of a special Filipino dish of ground beef, rice, tomato, carrots, and broccoli for the dogs, but was fed leftover food that had been in the refrigerator for days. I had to brush the dogs’ teeth, clean their ears, and give them vitamins each day, but I had to sleep on a dog bed in the living room, even though the house was large, with a guest room and music room. I kept my belongings in the laundry room.

I felt that my boss disliked everything I did, no matter how hard I tried. She told me I was ignorant and brainless, and, as I later alleged in civil court, she hit me and pulled my hair, and left me with bruises and cuts.

I was scared of her, but also ashamed that this was happening to me, an elderly woman who deserved respect. I wanted to escape, but had no idea where to turn. And all kinds of fears kept me paralyzed. My visa expired, and after that, I was afraid of being arrested. My boss also told me I was responsible for paying back my airfare and that of her mother, since I couldn’t have come to America without her. She also deducted my everyday items from my salary, like shampoo and lotion. As I claimed in my lawsuit, I was paid a total of about $300 for my entire time with the family. Even if I made it back to the Philippines, I didn’t know how I could pay back my loans there.

I tried to tell people about my situation. I wrote notes to my boss’s husband. He seemed concerned about the physical abuse. But when the wife found out we were speaking about it, things only seemed to get worse. When the boss’s mother and brother came to visit, I told them too, but they gave me a prayer book and told me to pray. I think they were afraid of her too. I called a friend in Chicago, but she herself was undocumented and afraid to get involved.

In the end, the neighbors were the ones to help. From when I took the dogs out, I made friends with the 13-year-old girl next door. I couldn’t keep from crying when we were together, and eventually told her what was wrong. She told her mother. Plus, her parents sometimes sat at the swimming pool close to our condo, and heard the yelling and hitting through the walls. Her mother asked my boss if I could come help when their cleaning person didn’t show up, and my boss, trying to be a respectable neighbor, let me go. We were able to talk, and the mother encouraged me to escape. But I wasn’t ready. I was still too scared.

This went on for a year. I rarely spoke with my family on the phone, and I didn’t tell them how bad it was, because it felt useless. What could they do from so far away, given all of the debts we had? Because I didn’t have an outlet for expression, I would write things down on paper. At the end of each day, I would write the exact date and list the things my boss said and did to me. I also kept good track of the deductions made from my paycheck. This meticulous recordkeeping was a way to relieve my emotions for the day. But it was also the thing that built my case against the family.

Finally one day, we got a knock on the door. It was the police. One of the neighbors had called and said I was being hit. He asked if I wanted to talk with him alone outside, but I was silent and only looked at my boss. Even though my boss treated me cruelly, she was still my boss, and because of my culture, I felt I should obey her. Also, I had no papers, and didn’t want to be put in immigrant detention. Finally I said, “Sir, maybe some other time. Please give me your business card.”

He left, and I was in trouble after that. I remember the husband and wife berating me. It felt like an interrogation. The next day, my boss took the business card away, and told me they had arranged my flight back to the Philippines. I felt pressured to sign a piece of paper saying I wouldn’t say anything about what had happened. I refused. I went to the neighbors for help, and they called the police. The officers accompanied me back to my boss’s so I could get my things. It seemed like my boss wanted to keep my passport, but they told her to give it to me. I slept at the neighbors’ house that night. The whole experience was a blur.

The next day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which now falls under the Department of Homeland Security, showed up. My boss had called immigration enforcement, trying to get me deported before I revealed the truth. I was scared when I opened the door. They took me to a government building for several hours. I waited and waited, as exhaustion swept over me. Finally, a woman from SIPA, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, took me to the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), a local Filipino organizing group. My life then changed.

PWC helped me with housing, and securing food stamps and access to a doctor. They gave me a bus pass so I could learn how to navigate the city. Another organization called CAST (Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking) helped me find a lawyer, access to education, and transition to independent living. I became a certified nursing assistant.

My civil case was filed one year after I left my employers, and went to trial another year later. The trial experience was scary and stressful, and difficult to juggle with my job. My employers denied all the charges, but in the end, I won and was awarded monetary compensation. I remember one of the jurors hugged me outside the courtroom afterwards and said, “I believed you 100 percent.” I realized I had been given justice.

One year later, there was also a criminal case. My boss pleaded guilty to a charge of forced labor and had to serve three years in prison. Her husband pleaded guilty to alien harboring, and had to do community service and pay a fine. At last, I could work without fear.

Fighting my trafficking case made me a stronger person. Even when my rights were violated, on the job I had the tools and the community to fight for them--and for those of the countless undocumented domestic workers who can’t speak out.

At 74 years old, I am back in the Philippines, and finally retired. I have remained active with PWC, to help raise awareness of workers’ rights in California and issues of human trafficking. With the compensation money, I have been able to help my community here at home, especially in supporting several family members. Many of them, and my former students, know my story as a survivor of trafficking. Sharing it makes me feel proud. Many of my former students have encouraged me to keep speaking out.

All of this gives me joy and fulfillment. But, it still doesn’t compare to the happiest moment of my life. In 2013, years after I left the Philippines, I was finally reunited with my husband, my children, and my grandchildren.