Testimonial: A Real Home With Community To Share My Gifts

While the Marasigans, as with most of the young and upwardly mobile families at Raya Garden, go about their daily routine in practical anonymity, the Lims are of a different mold.  To say that they are into the "community thing" would be understating it.

Just recently, Margauxh Nalus-Lim, 28, a pre-school teacher cum part-time events organizer, model and emcee, went door-to-door to hand out invites for his son's third birthday party which was held at the Raya clubhouse.  About a hundred previously unknown neighbors came and now, she counts them as friends.

Such is the demeanor of someone, who upon setting foot on Raya, saw not only a home, not only a community, but a chance to further a passion.

"My husband, my son, and I moved in here November 17, 2007," Margauxh says.  "We previously stayed at my parents' house in Vito Cruz because that was very near the place where I work."

But they knew that the set up was only temporary.  Husband and wife both shared the zeal to pursue their own dreams and create their own destiny.

"About two years ago, we noticed that the property market was becoming highly competitive and the economy was slightly improving," she says.  "Those two factors sort of prompted us to actively search for a place of our own.

Margauxh and 27-year-old husband Fritz  immediately sprang to action and surveyed the area for the perfect property investment. It did not take much deliberation before the couple decided on Raya Garden. 

"We used to pass by South Super Highway whenever we'd go to his parents' place in Laguna, and we'd see Raya being constructed," she says.  "The gate alone seemed enticing enough."

The attraction, though, was not limited to the property's aesthetics and its absolutely prime location.

"When I entered the gates, I knew we were in here for the long haul," Margauxh shares.  "I saw a real home, not just boxes atop one another, and I also saw a community where I can share my gifts and further my profession."

Margauxh has always wanted to set up her own school and she sees that Raya may very well be the community that will set her dreams in motion.

"I love kids, and I love teaching kids.  Hopefully, I will be able to put up my own school here," she says expectantly, at the same time pointing out how she has seen the blossoming of Raya into a cohesive community.

She credits the Property Management Office (PMO) as a primary catalyst to this phenomenon.  She lauds the dedication and efficiency of the office, observing that unlike property managers of other developments, Raya's personnel are practically available round-the-clock.  "Once, my son and I were locked out at eleven in the evening.  They immediately sent someone to open the door and replace our door knob," she says.  "There even was an instance when they sent an electrician at eleven in the evening to check on our kitchen exhaust."

And so while Margauxh, with the support of Fritz wait for her grand plans to pan out, she is occupied doing her share in enlivening the community.  "I help organize private parties and volunteer to help in other events here at Raya.  In fact, I will be holding a two-day Christmas Bazaar so residents won't have to go far to do their holiday shopping."

And while not involved in some community endeavor, Margauxh and family find utmost pleasure from the development's other attractions.

"We are amenities creatures," she laughs.  "My kid swims a lot; my hubby uses the KTV room with his officemates often, and now is beginning to visit the gym; we use the function rooms for small get-togethers; my brother even has friends come over for basketball games; and we take relaxing evening walks around the entire property."

She concludes, "This place does not just represent the fulfillment of our dreams, it likewise signifies the birth of more good things to come."