[no bragging rights here]

arki_mom came to be because i wanted to do the following:

• let out my love for writing 
• channel my inner thoughts into words
• share my keen interests on architecture/interior design by recommending websites i get design inspirations from
• share first-hand experiences on places i've gone to & products i've tried (these i have yet to tackle)
• share family anecdotes especially about my girls

although there's so much to enjoy in blog-writing, i only realized now that there are also downsides, like these:

• your blog posts, especially if it's on a personal note like "mommy" views, will be subject to negative reactions/contradicting opinions or sometimes misconstrued as imposing on the reader 
• writing about family achievements, material acquisitions, out-of-town/out-of-country trips will come out to some as "flaunting"

it's sad when i think of the cons of blogging but definitely it will never take away the love that comes with writing.

with that, i'm thinking of changing my account name because first & foremost, i'm no mommy-blogger nor a parenting expert. when i thought of that moniker, i just wanted to be identified as a mom who is also an architect by profession. probably the blog name, "ALSO.AN.ARCHITECT" will be a better alternative...

[amazon KINDLE]

someone in our family got this from the nepacenas of concord as gift...

the graphite-latest generation KINDLE 

kirsten, my bookworm of a daughter, had always wanted an e-book reader. so when our generous relatives from the states asked for what she wanted to have, she chose the amazonkindle. her gadget has the following features:

• advanced paper-like display - easy to read, even in bright sunlight; no glare
• built-in Wi-Fi
• gets e-books fast - downloads & gets you reading in less than 60 seconds
• thin & lightweight - as thin as most magazines, lighter than  a typical paperback-only 8.5 oz
• carries your library - holds up to 3,500 books
• special offers & sponsored screen savers that display when you're not reading

the last time she was here on a weekend, she was busy poring over her downloaded book. gently reminded her though, that her studies come first & that she reads only on her spare time. typical mom, huh?  

click here for more info on this & other KINDLE versions you might like.

[JUAN MARKET - the online store of PINOY ORGANICS]

shopping  for organic products is now a click away. PINOY ORGANICS made it possible thru their on-line store called JUAN MARKET, which they recently launched. 

photo source: www.pinoyorganics.com

their product lines include:  personal care (HUMAN NATURE products), grocery (organic fruits & vegetables, grass-fed beef, organic pork, naturally-grown poultry), home care (MESSY BESSY, PLANTEX products) &  fresh herbs/florals. you can even order gifts & baskets & attend events/workshops by paying online.

go now to JUAN MARKET & fill those virtual shopping bags with everything organic!

[composting made easy]

found this article on BETTER HOMES & GARDEN magazine regarding the basics of composting. reading through it, i learned about this: brown + green = blackgold. now what does this equation mean?

composting is defined as "nature's way of  recycling". composting "biodegrades organic wastes i.e. food waste, manure, leaves, grass trimmings, paper, wood, feathers, crop residue, etc. and turns it into valuable organic fertilizer". so, if you have a yard, you can make full use of the garden debris & food scraps you accumulate everyday. here's where the equation mentioned above comes in:

mix the GOOD BROWNS* that are carbon-rich:

dry leaves

plant stalks

small twigs

wood shavings

shredded newspaper

*CARBON is the spark that starts the composting process

with the GOOD GREENS* that are nitrogen-loaded:

fresh leaves

cut grass

fruit & vegetable scraps

egg shells

coffee grounds

tea bags

*NITROGEN fuels the microorganisms that decompose materials

layer, slightly water, mix everything up & you get BLACK GOLD or a compost/fertilizer that's relatively free to use on your garden.

if you're living in condos, you can use container/flower pots.

remember:

• try to add about 3x as many browns as the greens 
• aerating the compost by turning should ensure an adequate supply of oxygen to the microbes
• never compost meat, bones, animal waste, dairy products, diseased plants, seeded weeds, plants treated with herbicides or pesticides & any inorganic material
• moisten materials as you add them to make the contents damp, not soggy

for more details & how-to's, go to the BHG website.


*photo source: GOOGLE images

[lance, scott, leif, shaun & parker]

if you're a certified GEN-X'r like me, then you will remember the teen heartthrobs of the 80's

like

LANCE KERWIN of JAMES AT 15 - my ultimate crush!

LEIF GARRETT

PARKER STEVENSON of HARDY BOYS

SCOTT BAIO of HAPPY DAYS & CHARLES IN CHARGE - my ate went crazy over him!

SHAUN CASSIDY of HARDY BOYS

i remember back then that i would be asking my relatives from the states to send me copies of TIGER BEAT. these guys  made a lot of teeners swoon & go gaga over them, including ME! 

anyway, i googled them & found out how they look & where they are now.

lance is now a pastor working in a christian-based rehab camp U-TURN for CHRIST in perris, california; arrested once for cocaine possession but the charges were later dropped; once divorced but now has remarried  & has 3 children; not keen on acting again despite offers; last seen in the movie "outbreak" - 1995

leif is still into singing & has  a band, LEIF GARRETT & the CRUSH-UPS; had a difficult time staying sober all his life as he was into drugs & alcohol at an early age; dated nicolette sheridan of desperate housewives for 6 years; was arrested in 2006 for heroin possession & riding the train without a ticket.

shaun is now a tv producer, his latest work is the tv series, "invasion"; was into singing, with his song, "da doo ron ron" hitting #17 on the german charts in 1977; his mother is shirley jones & his half brother is david cassidy, also an actor-singer.

parker is still an actor, his recent appearances include "trapped", "legend of the seeker" & "terror peak" with "wonder woman", lynda carter; once married to actress, kirstie alley with whom he has 2 adopted children; studied architecture in princeton; starred in "hardy boys", "baywatch" & "probe"

scott is still into acting, his last movies were "baby geniuses 2" & "cursed"; had a long string of actress-girlfriends, among them nicolette sheridan, brooke shields, heather locklear & pamela anderson of "baywatch" fame, to whom he was once engaged to; now happily settled to renee sloan, also an actress & has a daughter.  

among the 5 actors, only lance & leif  were into drugs & almost ruined their lives. this just mirrors real life, that fame can really be a source of destruction if one does not know how to handle it and stay grounded.

how about you, who were the heartthrobs of your teen years? 

[GOT TO HAVE THIS! series: DINING ROOMS]

remember my post on living rooms? this time, it's all about dining rooms...

create your own dining spaces by way of these design ideas which i found in design sponge.com.

if you're into the mixing & matching of furniture and accent pieces to get that different but put-together look then, design sponge is the place to browse ideas. look at how the chairs & tables plus the accessories blend together without really trying.

BERTOIA wire chairs + natural wood table + built-in bench seating +  stainless steel pendant lamp

white pressure-laminated chairs + dark-wood table + pink glass pendant lamp

upholstered wood chairs + IKEA-type  paper pendant lamp

upholstered wood chairs in prints + globe pendant lamp

long upholstered bench + high-back seats in  covers +  pendant lamp in natural fabric

black & white upholstered chairs + modern round table + Le Klint pendant lamp

EIFFEL wire base chair + dark wood table +candelabra-type pendant lamp  

design sponge.com is a design blog run by brooklyn-based writer, grace bonney. running 7 years since it was launched, it was declared the martha-stewart living for the millenials.

in the website, you are given many options, like the  DIY tab which you can click if you're martha stewart-ish;  the BEFORE & AFTER tab where you can learn about "re-inventing" your flea market finds like furniture, home accessories or just simple home renovations; the SPACES tab or the famous SNEAK PEEKS to get ideas for each room in your home & the PLACES tab to search for global trends in interior design. 


go here now to explore design sponge. happy design idea hunting...

[wall stickers galore!]

i can never get enough of wall stickers! i saw this website miraentuinterior.com & just got excited over their wide range of designs. it even gives you options on how to decorate & install them.


get a load of these...

a 'hello' graphics for the wall phone

light switch cat

red cherries

origami cranes

wind-blown leaves

framed mirror

noodle strainer

cute cat with the water can

red flowers behind the couch

names mobile

i love wine

red circles

closet butterflies

birds & cages

alphabet

geometrics

fridge decals

'feathered' wc