It's quite the convenience to have a Bayad Center at the Cherry Foodarama supermarket. Besides…read morebeing just walking distance from where I currently reside, this center (as most branches of the franchise, if I'm not mistaken) accepts almost all relevant bill payments: electricity, water, cable, and even major credit cards. The added value of this Bayad Center is how it's open until the early evening. For someone who resides in Quezon City yet goes to office in Pasay, as well as for someone like me who has to go around Metro Manila quite often, being open until the early evening means a whole world of a difference. I can go on with my workday without worrying about the center closing on me after office hours. I believe that most branches close in the afternoon. What sets the Bayad Center franchise apart from mall service centers is that they willingly accept overdue bills. It happens to everyone; we forget a due date or simply don't have time to head to the center and pay. This setup of accepting overdue bills saves me a whole lot of time and trouble, and makes it more convenient for me because I don't have to head to the nearest utility company office just to avoid a disconnection notice.

I remember as a kid I would sometimes be left in a Netopia while my parents ran some errands. I…read morewould look forward to those afternoons, because having fast internet at home wasn't available yet for most households, and internet shops (not cafes) were very "in" then. I would even get excited because Netopia was probably one of the most popular internet shops then. They had fast internet, a wide variety of video games to play, and you could even play with friends over the local area network. Nowadays though, Netopia has stayed pretty much the same, which is tantamount to saying they've gone down in quality. The PC's are still the same, but at those prices, you're better off finding a regular computer shop, which is sure to cost only a fraction of the price and have better seats, but also at the cost of some privacy. I'd go to Netopia again, but only for an emergency I guess.

It's not very often that one comes across bayad centers where the owner is present, but that's how…read morethings are at JEB Payment Services and that's also how I got the inkling that I would receive good service here. One can come through here to pay bills to their network providers, utility bills, cable service providers, and everything in between. It's a typical bayad center in that regard but what I'd like to highlight here is the exceptional service. The tellers here do their jobs with a smile and you won't feel uncomfortable waiting your turn as the place is air-conditioned, plus there's hardly ever more than two people in there at a time anyhow.

Look at the store's name. Ikaw @ Aqua. Did you get the pun? That's okay, neither did I. Let me…read moreexplain: ikaw at ako...ikaw @ aqua...geddit? I know, I know. That was a horrible pun, but the horribleness of that pun is inversely proportional to just how great their service is. Like most purified water providers, they do pickups and deliveries, because you cannot honestly expect me to lug a full-sized water container up eight flights of stairs to my apartment. What's great though is that because their shop is in my apartment building, they offer us free water refills every time we pay our rent, which is totally awesome.

This is one of the few accessible Internet shops along, or very near, Alabang-Zapote Road, that…read morecharge only P1 per page of black-ink printing. This is where I always have my documents printed as much as possible. Its street is the street leading to the University of Perpetual Help, which may explain the student-friendly price for printing. But then, there are photocopying shops on the same street that charge P1 per page - and, the photocopying is not even that clear, unlike the actual printing. I had to find another photocopying shop that produces clear copies of documents. But, the charge per page is also P1, and the shop is a farther walk down the street, unlike K-Boys, which is just near and can already be seen from Alabang-Zapote Road. Also, other shops that offer printing usually charge P2 per page. So K-Boys is really the shop that is both cheap and accessible. I would really recommend it for printing if you live near here.

I still remember the day clearly. I was in front of my laptop at home talking to my printer to…read morestart printing my thesis. A hundred pages in, my printer decides that it is out of ink and can't print. That was when I remembered that my friend told me there was a computer shop somewhere in the village. See, this computer shop does have a name, yet everyone here conveniently forgets about it but remembers where it is and has gone to it at some point in their life. The friendly guard gave me directions to the computer shop. I was able to print the rest of my thesis. They can photocopy, print, scan and fax things for you. While waiting for your documents to be printed or scanned, you can also opt to book a flight with Cebu Pacific. Yes, it's also a mini travel agency. Well Virtual Vision Internet Cafe, thank you for helping me eventually pass my thesis subject.

I find it very convenient that I can book trips on Cebu Pacific without having to use a credit…read morecard. I don't like accumulating debt, so I always pay cash whenever I need to book tickets. For my birthday trip, I booked very cheap return airline tickets through the Cebu Pacific website, and I am glad that they thought of the option of paying through payment centers like Cebuana Lhuillier. My previous option was to pay via BDO's payments function, but I was afraid my booking would be cancelled if I didn't pay within 24 hours of reserving the booking. Good thing Cebuana Lhuiller's branch over at Philcoa was very helpful and accommodating. They were patient enough in handling my transaction though I messed up the booking numbers on the form twice. The service was prompt because they knew I was in a hurry to get to class. If you ever need to book tickets, know that there is this option that you can go for instead of going for credit. Thanks, Cebuana Lhuillier!

I always pass by the Coastal Mall Terminal on my way home and I notice the buses going to Cavite…read moreand Batangas - yes, this terminal is meant for provincial routes. It would really be convenient if there were also buses bound for Las Piñas (and also Sucat, for those living there), so that those of us who rode a bus from Edsa need not walk through the terminal and cross the overpass to get to the other side of the road where we could ride the bus going home. In any case, though, this one-stop terminal for those going to Cavite or Batangas is definitely convenient. They have some food stalls, though, and even a tiangge. I noted many stalls selling nice clothes. Some even sell household items and decorations. The terminal is at least well-lighted enough so that even when I go home late and pass by this terminal to walk up the overpass, I feel safe enough.

Consider the Coastal Mall Terminal your gateway to all that the south has to offer. Home to a…read morenumber of bus lines like Jam And San Agustin, its an easy jump off point if you want to head out to say Mt. Pico de Loro or Mt. Batulao, both of which are in Batangas. Unlike other bus stations, the buses here run or regular schedules (hourly schedules) so most of the trips these buses take aren't express. The terminals are labeled properly so it's easy enough to find the bus you need to get on. If you're unsure, simply ask one of yhe conductors and they will graciously point you to the right terminal and bus. While waiting, there's an ample waiting shed and the terminal is equipped with wifi if you can believe that! It's a pretty busy station so food concessionaires are not in short supply. Have a go at experiencing the south side and drop by this terminal for your next adventure.