Living the Good Life in Ways That Matter Most:
How SMDC Residents Define Comfort, Security, and The Life They’ve Worked For

The “good life” has always meant different things to different people. To some, it’s the stability of raising children in a place that feels safe. But for others, it’s the joy of coming home to something earned through years of hard work. Some long for quiet after decades of movement; others dream of building a legacy that extends beyond themselves.

Across SMDC communities, these everyday definitions take shape not through buildings or amenities, but through the lives unfolding inside them. Families, retirees, OFWs, and long-time investors are finding their own versions of what it means to live well— a life grounded in comfort, dignity, and the quiet assurance that they are exactly where they need to be.

Finding space to grow into life

For Jester and Diana Cruz, parents of four and proud owners of three units at Shine Residences, the good life begins with one thing: knowing their children are growing in a place that keeps them supported and safe.

Their eldest daughter walks to St. Paul College Pasig everyday, and their younger children roam hallways and shared spaces where neighbors watch out for one another. With Jester working in Singapore, the home becomes their anchor—the constant that holds the family steady even when distance becomes part of their story.

“As parents of four, what we really want is a place where our children can thrive—a home that keeps us close, even when life takes us far,” they share. “For us, what makes life good is simple: hearing our kids’ laughter echo through the halls, seeing them walk safely to school, and knowing they’re growing up in a community that cares for them. Shine isn’t just a residence for us but also a space where our family feels whole, grounded, and truly at home.”

For many families like theirs, the good life is not a grand idea—it is lived in school mornings, weekend routines, and the comfort of a place that grows with their changing needs.

Coming home to living a dream

For more than 30 years, Evelyn Castelo worked in Hong Kong as a game and sport attendant. She’s a single mother providing for three children while carrying a childhood dream she never let go of: to one day have a home with a proper toilet, something she never had growing up in Leyte.

That dream became real at Charm Residences. Its location near transport links, malls, and the Antipolo community she knew as a child made the choice clear. But more than convenience, it was the sense of dignity, of finally owning something hers that shaped her definition of the good life.

“I really feel proud of myself,” she says. “I get the achievement not only of the toilet na pangarap ko since I was a child, but the comfort I didn’t have growing up. Malapit sa LRT, malapit sa mga shopping malls, maganda yung place, at malapit sa kinalakihan kong Antipolo. Dati patingin-tingin lang ako, ngayon meron na rin pala ako.”

A home is not just property for Evelyn and countless OFWs like her. It is also proof of how far they have come, and a reminder that their sacrifices built something lasting. “Evelyn, you did it,” she proudly tells herself.

Embracing a gentler chapter of ease and comfort

After decades spent working in Baguio and raising their children, Lito and Dex Peña decided to go back to Manila and look for a home that offered calm, familiarity, and ease, not luxury but a place that felt peaceful.

They found it at Trees Residences, where mornings are unhurried and essentials are within reach. It is where they finally have the routine they hoped for, like quiet days, nearby conveniences, and a community that makes retirement feel warm and secure.

“At this stage in our lives, we no longer look for anything grand,” they reflect. “What makes life good is the quiet and slow mornings with coffee, the comfort of familiar routines, and the peace of living in a place that feels safe and warm. After decades of working and raising our family, it feels good to finally slow down. Each day brings a gentle kind of happiness. This is the calm we waited for, and with Trees Residences, we’re truly home.”

For retirees like the Peñas, the good life is steadiness and a place where life softens and settles without losing connection.

Building life one smart choice at a time

Living well is also about ensuring the future is secure for investor Jennifer Chuason. What began as a single unit at Shell Residences has grown into a 26-unit portfolio. Some for her family and some as investments, all chosen with intention.

But over time, her understanding of value changed.

“When I invest, I choose long-term value—something solid, something with room to grow,” she explains. “But over the years, I’ve discovered that life’s value isn’t just in financial returns. It’s more about knowing I made a decision that brings comfort, security, and a chance for something meaningful to be passed on. This isn’t just property to me. It’s part of a legacy I’m building—one key at a time, one door after another, for my children’s tomorrow.”

The good life for her is continuity and the assurance that what she builds today will matter long after.

The Good Life lives in many forms

Across SMDC communities, people define the good life in deeply personal ways. While one finds it in safety, another sees it in pride, serenity, or a future they can hand down.

Homes become meaningful not because of what they look like, but because of the lives being lived inside them—families growing, OFWs returning, retirees resting, and investors building something that lasts.

The good life is not one path. It is the freedom to choose your own, supported by surroundings that make you feel grounded, secure, and certain that you’ve found a place where life can unfold in the way you hoped.

By ZINNIA OLINARES

Philippine Star