[modern take on stairs]

i was browsing freshome.com and found this modern stair design-natural wood on top of a bare concrete landing. notice how the red door, white paint, wood flooring & modern furnitures blend well & create the minimalist look i have come to love incorporating in my house design.   got to have this on my next design project!

[sticky wall accent]

finally, i did it! i decided to put up the wall sticker i bought almost a year ago at japan home store at market! market!. i've seen it in various interior design mags & i came to love it! but back then, i wasn't sure if it would fit in our home. my initial predicament was where i would stick it on. i had 2 places to choose from : the main stairs wall or the hallway wall in between the fam area & the girls' bedrooms. i finally decided it would create more impact if it would be at the 2nd floor hallway wall because one could see it at once upon ascending the stairs. here's how it looks now :

the product name is POINT sticker & it costs only 200 bucks. i have 2 more stickers to put up in my girls' bedrooms. so excited on how it would turn out... ;)

[iconic chairs]

if money were no object, i would love to own these iconic chairs (the real mccoys, not the knock-offs) :

Eero Aarnio's  Bubble Chair

Arne Jacobsen's Egg Chair

Verner Panton's Panton Chair

Eero Saarinen's Tulip Chair

Eero Aarnio's Ball Chair

Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair

they would all go well with modern minimalist homes.

[my best friend's wedding - a year after]

My best friend & her hubby are celebrating their 1st wedding anniversary on the 19th of this month. Being the matron of honor, I was tasked, nay, "forced" to give a speech, as what was expected of members of the entourage, especially those close to the couple. Speaking before an audience is not one of my "most-loved-things-to-do" but because she was like a sister to me, I gave in to her request.

So on your anniversary, Fleur & Alvin, I am posting, verbatim, what I said that night in Bellevue Hotel almost a year ago...

Just a few hours ago, Fleur, my soul sister & best friend of 6 years officially became Mrs Alvin Sombrero. as she was saying her vows to the man standing before her, I felt happy for she has finally found her match, her ‘hit’ after years of many ‘misses’.

I met fleur at the workplace in 2003. Fresh out of college & after passing the board exams, she applied at MDC & became my technical assistant. At first, she came on to me as “ maarte, sosyal & mukhang di tatagal sa trabaho. But looks proved to be deceiving. As the days passed, she turned out to be the opposite. Although di naman nabawasan ang kaartehan nya, she became a lot more than that. She was a valuable employee-efficient, hardworking & reliable. Our relationship went beyond work. We became each other’s rah-rah girl, shopping buddy & sometimes, salon or spa companion. And being her best friend for the last 6 years, I was witness to her chaotic, crazy lovelife. Her 2 previous relationships, of which I was privy to, were, to put it mildly, ‘unpredictable’. Although, she had her happy moments with them, there would be days that she would come to me crying because she just had a spat with her boyfriend. It became an ‘on-&-off’ thing that I got used to it. Knowing her to be emo & impulsive kapag in love, I considered it normal. But when the fights became serious and fits of depression set in, I was forced to tell her to just drop the relationship and find someone better. Stubborn and oblivious to my advice, she just stayed on. Until Alvin S came along. Fleur introduced him to me twice. Call it ‘best friend instinct’, but the second time I met him, I knew he was worth the chance for Fleur. After dilly-dallying and a major fight with an immediate ex, she finally budged and let Alvin S back to her life. Since then, life became a breeze for her, the smiles became constant & the tears came few and far between.I saw her become giddy like a schoolgirl again. And when she became engaged, there was no stopping her at happiness.

Who would have thought that after being separated by time & distance, she would end up with her first boyfriend? Its like “a bestfriend’s wedding”, with the happy twist. The bida girl ends up with the bida boy. I remember telling fleur back then that despite the pain of a failed relationship, she has no choice but to embrace it and allow GOD to let the right person come into her life. And much to my relief, she listened. And today, as they say it, the rest is history.

As I end this, I want to tell you, Alvin & Fleur that Julius & I hope & pray nothing but happiness for you. Remember though that marriage, like life, is not a mere destination nor a simple walk in the park. You have to constantly work on it. Love each other unconditionally, warts & all, but never fail to support & nurture each other. Because if you become better persons, you also become better partners & parents to your kids. And tomorrow, when you start your life as husband & wife, enjoy the journey together. Congratulations & best wishes.

[miss my yoga]

it's been 8 months since my last yoga session. you see, i cancelled my gym membership because i got sick last christmas and i felt it would only be a waste of money if i cannot hit the gym while i am sick but still pay for the monthly dues. now that i'm well again, i've been looking for venues that offer yoga sessions at a much lower, easy-on-the-pocket price. actually, i've seen one mini-gym near our home & they offer yoga on saturdays. but i have yet to try it. i've tried out their cardio-dance sessions & it's okay. what's good about this gym is that you only pay for the session you get to attend (@ php70/session), so at least you're free from anything that will tie you up but use less often.

a co-parent in school is now hatching the idea of getting a yoga instructor & hold classes at pinto gallery. looking forward to this one because the place is so conducive to yoga. i heard that pinto gallery is a nice place for dining, art-appreciation & meditation activities. for the meantime that the idea is merely that, an idea, i will just have to make do with storing my newly-bought yoga mat that i got from SM.

but i hope i can roll it out soon & kiss these darn excess pounds away...

[when you wanna be stress-free, eat these]

being a stay-at-home mom doesn't necessarily mean you have less stress since you are not out there in the corporate world. in fact, attending to your family & home can sometimes trigger those stress hormones & get you all wired up. so when i came upon this article in the female network website, i just had to share this to all moms out there. read on...

15 Healthy Foods That Help Reduce Stress | Food & Home | FemaleNetwork.com

[driving with mama mary]

praying the rosary while driving can now be easy.

i chanced upon this audio cd by the aquino sisters' "PRAY THE MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY ROSARY" while i was in SM taytay.  i thought this would help me in praying while in transit. you see, much as i want to pray the rosary while inside the car, i cannot do it properly. the music coming from the radio (when i'm with my hubby) or little distractions, like thinking of my to-do list while driving, somehow get in the way.  so, i end up not finishing it at all. kaya, when i saw this cd, i thought it was "heaven-sent" and immediately bought it.

the pack contains 2 cd's with 2 mysteries/cd. the mysteries are recited by the aquino sisters themselves:  joyful mysteries (by viel aquino-dee), sorrowful mysteries (by ballsy aquino-cruz), glorious mysteries (by pinky aquino-abelleda) & luminous mysteries (by kris aquino-yap). each mystery is even accompanied by a theme song that helps in your reflection. plus if you buy it, part of the proceeds goes to the SAN  CARLOS SEMINARY.  retail price is PHP 250.00 & available at record bars.

[shutterbug]

last sunday, after hearing mass at megamall & before having lunch, we passed by photoline at the 5/f.  my hubby was eyeing some DSLR cams. since i've been sweet-talking him for some time now to buy me one, he finally decided on getting one for me. the purchase? a NIKON D3000 18-55 VR kit! binilhan nya ako but not without saying na sya ang birthday celebrant na nagbibigay ng gift... ;)

my college buddies, RAL & LAMBERT & another family friend, MIMI are into photography. i never fail to browse thru their fotos posted on FB kse ang gaganda ng shots! talk about innate talent... =) so yung "inggit" ko ang nag-push sa akin to try photography. thanks to my loving hubby, i might venture soon  into a whole new career!

for the moment, i'm still tinkering with the cam. but definitely, i will post pics!

[blogging again]

i had a previous blog in my friendster account. but since fb came to be & grew in huge proportions, i never got to update it. what made me do it again? reading "the family girl" by no less than my bestfriend, fleur! we  have always been similar in some ways but the common thing about us is our gift of gab (& ranting, whenever we're "inis" about someone or something!). i guess, blogging is one way of releasing feelings & at the same time, channelling our creative thoughts into paper, a more positive medium of expression.

anyways, this blog will touch more on subjects regarding architecture, green architecture, interior design & photography (a new thing for me, actually) interspersed with anecdotes from a stay-at-home slash architect mom on raising a tweener & a teener, living with a civil engineer husband & "what-have-you's" on family life.

hopefully, for the days ahead, this blog will become a regular reading fare for people who hold similar interests with me. ciao! =)