I was able to drop by what is now one of my favorite organic farms to date. We were given a tour before (during my first trip there) around the entire perimeter and the ins and outs of the farm (as well as it’s operations) were explained to us. I loved the meals (sort of like a buffet) that I was able to try out there immensely because all of them were delicious, had no preservatives (even the dessert!) and everything was quite fresh and organic (all picked from the farm itself). I also love going over the different produce that they were growing there, as well as the herbs which the owner handpicked himself and asked us to taste right off the bat. Don’t worry, it was quite safe to do so actually because they don’t use chemical fertilizers and sprays, which means that we can simply pick some arugula or even some mint, wipe them off a bit (even the side of your shirt will do for the wiping, just make sure it’s clean! Haha.) and stuff them in our mouths. The taste and the flavors of produce are simply amazing when they are grown the right way and are quite fresh. Big difference there. Gazillion pictures below. 
Another thing that I dearly love – old houses/heritage/ancestral houses. I did part of my design thesis on one, how to conserve the existing structure itself and how to renovate a more recent addition structure to make it part of the existing. It was actually more complicated than that of course, with the space undergoing various transitions over the years. But I loved every minute of it actually, even crawling under old and dusty framing to take measurements. Haha.
So it certainly was a treat for me to be able to visit another awesome ancestral house, the Balay Negrense. At present, it is now a museum of sorts that represents the lifestyle of Negrense Sugar Baron during the late 19th century. Ancestral houses here in the Philippines are classified according to certain periods and foreign influences (ex. American Colonial Era, Japanese Era, etc.).
Though I can go on and on with this the whole day (I really find it interesting!), I’ll leave you with a brief account of it Architecture-wise and then class dismissed for now. Haha. So, here we go.
This house is an example of a bahay na bato (which literally means “House of Stone”, I can explain further on the history of the bahay na bato another time if anyone is curious about it). It’s lower storey which is typically the stone part of the bahay na bato is actually made of concrete. As typical of old houses, it’s floors and foundation posts are made of a sturdy local hardwood. It has a good high ceiling for the second storey and wide open windows.
Pictures below. Class dismissed.
P.S. A couple of moi pictures too. I had a lot of fun, had to control looking giddy being in the house. Haha.
Definitely one of my favorite places here in the Philippines. It’s simply beautiful and it definitely took my breath away. ♥
To quote Luci Lizares-Yunque, “Like a lady wooed by her man, the Ruins play with your emotions especially at sunset with its orange pinks and purples hues. He charms, tickles and romances you. But at sundown, the Ruins take a different persona. With blue and golden sights emanating from nooks and crannies, it is now a lady, teasing, flirting, a temptress confident of her beauty as well as her majesty.”
A couple of cool facts about it – 1. This was built in the early 1900′s by a Filipino sugar baron for his wife (their initials M and M were molded onto the mansion’s posts). Only their unmarried children were allowed to live there as well, 2. This was intentionally burned down during World War II, 3. It is of Italianate Architecture with neo-Romanesque columns, 4. The walls were incorporated with egg whites mixed with cement which gives it a certain sheen/gloss.
P.S. I definitely had a lot of fun taking pictures under the heat of the sun. I had no idea pictures (one of them below) where taken. Paparazzi, stop it. Haha. I kid
This is sort of the continuation of my post from last Sunday with regards to my Bacolod trip and bombarding you with my pictures (Haha. Sorry about that.).
The cool thing about going on a trip is that you not only get to know more about a certain place, you also get to know more about the people you are traveling with. What made up for an even more awesome adventure such as this is the good company. Here is to more trips in the future. Cheers.
Yup, no “brief narrative” for this post. Haha.
P.S. I might do a quick add if inspiration and more words suddenly hit me. I might but don’t hold me to it. Oh, I hope you all had an amazing weekend (Sundays are for laidback posts ). Though we don’t celebrate thanksgiving here, I am thankful for all of you and this design journal. ♥
P.P.S. Credits to the group pictures (basically the pictures with people in them) goes to Khe2x. Thanks Khe!
I was able to finish working on the pictures for this particular trip (Finally, Pau. Haha.). But before moving on to set below, I would just like to include a couple of details first. (A short personal narrative hopefully. Haha.)
Known as the “City of Smiles” here in the Philippines, Bacolod is also the capital city of Negros Occidental. It is said to be the cleanest and greenest urbanized city here. For the most part, I love Bacolod. I love that they are focusing on organic and healthier ventures (i.e. vegetables, produce, their well-known Muscovado sugar). The hotel we stayed at was amazing, they are going green advocates. They even have an extensive vegetable and herb garden at the back where fresh produce used for some of our meals were harvested (Hello freshly-picked tarragon for my tea). On a related note, a cool structure there was their mud house and the bunch of interior designers that we are, we pretty much examined every nook and cranny. I for one was quite fascinated by the technicalities of the building aspect. It has been said that the mud house is quite a strong structure and will last for many, many years. It is also quite cool (temperature-wise as well) once you are inside, if I may add.
We had a very long itinerary (Aside from immersing in the arts, food and sampling the cuisine was also a main priority for us. Shameless. Haha.) and that definitely included stopping by highly-recommended Pasalubong (Translation: the Filipino tradition of a homecoming gift) stores, they had a cool selection of jams which are grown and made in Bacolod (I got some all natural passion fruit and sweet kamote jam for my mom. They also had some watermelon varieties!). I was able to get some organic black rice (which is really good actually) there as well. Since we are on the topic of food, they also have the most amazing and the best-tasting cheesecakes (hands down) I’ve tried to date (Hello Calea!). I also love the Napoloeones at Pendy’s! ♥
For those who know me, I love heritage houses and antiques and awesome artifacts. We dropped by some of Bacolod’s awesome heritage houses and sites. It has been said that Bacolod is comprised of prominent families (from a tour guide’s brief at one of the sites, haciendas and hacienderos are common words there), thus the antique collections in most of the said houses are extensive. Though I got quite dusty and sweaty, I definitely had a ball during the tour!
I had fun taking pictures immensely. That also meant lugging my things about all throughout the trip. I was sore and worn out every night. (Haha.) But it was definitely worth it.
I can go on and on with this narrative (I told you we had a long itinerary) but I think I should just stop to here for now. I will definitely do a couple more posts about this trip (which includes my favorite site there, The Ruins) throughout this week hopefully. Do stay tuned for “City of Smiles (Part 2)” over the weekend!
P.S. I’ll try to look for a picture of us with the whole group. Yup, just a random thought after checking out the rest of the pictures.
I believe this is sort of out of the blue. We are going on a trip/holiday/brief get-away. I don’t know what to call it really since – 1.It’s not our usual “protocol”, it’s a trip that was made totally out of the blue, 2. We won’t be going out of the country, 3. I’ll be away but it’ll be brief because I’ll be back before Sunday. Do I sound confusing?
I’ll be lugging (haha) my camera along so I’ll be taking pictures. My camera and I are excited. I know I have quite a backlog with regards to pictures that I need to work on but I will be doing something about that.
By the way, I love the lovely, lovely, lovely illustrations above by amazing Gabriella Barouch. I love them a great deal, they exude a romantic and vintage feel about them.
See you all when I get back from my wachamacallit. It’ll be awesome. ♥
A really great day actually with all sorts of good things – penguins!, cupcakes, chips, manatees, turtles, jellyfish, funky music, mermaids (I love The Little Mermaid!), touching shark eggs, among other things.
I clicked away and thus the bajillion pictures below. Art and design inspiration everywhere. All these beautiful colors. Awesome sauce ♥
Have a great weekend everyone!
How’s the weekend so far for everyone?
It’s quite warm here and we went for a road trip (I simply love going on said trips). I had a fabulous time visiting some of our properties (I’m not trying to be a snob but I can’t seem to come up with a better term at the moment.)
Yep, I brought my camera along and a sun hat – you know the rest (haha). Here are a couple of pictures. Enjoy!
There you go (for now). I especially love this particular set – the colors are quite lovely and I am quite grateful to be able to capture them in some form. Nature never ceases to amaze me with it’s profoundness and settle beauty.
I’ll continue on taking pictures – I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I did while taking them
P.S. I went for a more laid back/casual look. This drive was a last minute one. (Haha. I love jump shots. )
P.P.S. I also love good company, salsa music and taking more pictures. (I love the colors in this post! ♥)
I thank God for an amazing day and for creating amazing places like the one above so that I can take pictures of them.
I also love going on trips, eating lechon manok (roast chicken with minced garlic, lemon grass, onions, soy sauce, lemon juice), eating strawberry-flavored fresh milk ice cream, dancing to funky music and being with family.
How was your weekend? ♥
Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Yup, I am indeed destined to do a post related to this 1961 romantic comedy film starring Audrey Hepburn. I enjoy watching the movie, I love her, I love Tiffany blue (the color) and I love her classy outfits in the film. This post is simply inevitable.
I am not doing a movie review actually but am talking about a particular space/interior inspired by the film. It is awesome and I’d love to stay there myself
This gem is at the fourteenth floor of the St. Regis Hotel in New York which they aptly named as their “Tiffany Suite”. It has just been revamped recently – the old suite in 1991 then described to be corporate and “imperial”. A couple of specifics include the sizes being 1, 700 square feet (for the one bedroom) and 2, 300 square feet (for the two bedroom), a dining area that sits ten, a view that faces Central Park. A sample floor plan below.
Design-wise, the interior lends a whimsical yet opulent feel to it (with it’s crystal decanters, silver, streaming pearls) and utilizes a timeless color palette of neutrals (such as charcoal, whites, creams, silver) with Tiffany and Co.’s signature Tiffany color as the accent color. A couple of pictures of the beautiful suite below.
I definitely fell in love with this space and I love the lovely mounted wall ornaments (they look so delicate and feminine). I love the Barbara Barry Fretwork Lounge Chairs (with mirror finishes and lacquer)by Barbara Berry for Mcguire.
The person responsible for this is John Loring (Design Director Emeritus of Tiffany and Co.). He wanted to redesign the suite for a young and fashion conscious audience. As quoted, “The style of New York (in the late 80′s and early 90′s) was anything but young, and fresh, and hip. It was rather ponderous and the suite was aimed at a very different audience than today”.
Definitely taking the Tiffany experience to another level!
P.S. With regards to the movie, I definitely love this iconic dress, especially the back detail ♥
Before I begin talking more about certain things for this post, I want to share something really important. My dad hasn’t been feeling well (he doesn’t show it) and this greatly concerns me (it makes me teary actually 
) – I hope that it’s nothing serious. I would really appreciate it if you can include him in your prayers. Thank you very much! *Hug*
Faith is indeed an amazing thing – it makes us go beyond what is mundane, it makes us go on believing. I have faith that my dad will be alright. I am juggling things at the moment and I am working on something for my future (it’s something big actually), I have no control over how it will turn out but I do have faith that it will be alright.
This thing called faith presents itself to anyone and everyone (whatever age, size, race), at any given time (tomorrow or even today) and in different forms (may it be while your on your way to lunch or while you are munching on your cereal). It is (also) indeed overwhelming (in a very good way) when I see it in other people or when I experience it with other people.
A few weeks ago, we celebrated Sinulog here in Cebu. For those who aren’t familiar with this event, it is a yearly mardi gras (usually the second sunday of January) in Cebu (it is one of the grandest festivals in the Philippines) greatly celebrated to honor Señor Sto. Niño, the child Jesus. People from all over the Philippines and a great deal of tourists make it a point to come here for this celebration (flights and accommodations are fully booked by december more or less). The streets are usually packed and people forego using their cars and basically just walk on the streets – dancing to the beat, watching the floats and various participants in brightly colored costumes dancing in the parade or simply enjoying some munchies being sold by vendors lined up on the street. I’ll stop explaining for now and show you some pictures instead.
If you think this is amazing (because it really is!), I just want you to know that this isn’t even the main Sinulog event yet. People go to mass as early as 4;30 in the morning for nine days leading up to the Sinulog proper.
Face Painting
We at PIID Cebu (the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers – Cebu) are starting to make it a yearly thing to hold a face painting booth during Sinulog as a fundraiser. I am still getting used to painting stuff on people (especially on their faces! haha) but it is indeed fun and it doesn’t hurt to get a hug from cute little kiddies who get their faces painted with pandas.
Here I am! (By the way, the butterfly Polaris’ painted above was super pretty.)
Sinulog Participants
More than 20 contingents (and their participants) from all over the Philippines (Lanao del Sur, Cagayan de Oro, etc.) join in this yearly celebration of devotion – rain or shine (it was raining a great deal this year and everyone got soaked), they continue on dancing and we continue on cheering for them and joining in. (Little trivia – I’ve been going to this since I was a kid.)
With regards to the third and fourth picture in this set, the Cebu Contingent (being the host) was paying tribute to how the Chinese have greatly influenced our culture (when they came to live here many years ago, prior to the colonization of countries such as Spain and the United States). The fireworks was amazing this year!
In general, I took a gazillion (gazillion pictures) during the Sinulog but limited the pictures to be displayed in this post. I look forward to many more Sinulog celebrations to come (this celebration never fails to overwhelm me)! Pit Señor!
Have faith everyone – may it be in the smallest things and more importantly in yourself (and all your endeavours – I have faith in mine, more specifically the academic one at present. Please pray for me on this as well. Thanks!).
“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” – Gail Devers
P.S. On a side note (since I was craving the night before and it was really late already), I made some mashed potatoes earlier today – I mashed away because I usually like this done smooth and a bit creamy. I added a couple of herbs, a hint of garlic and some beef broth in mine. Yummmm! I love black pepper too! I sprinkle in on most of the stuff I eat. Haha.
P.P.S. Here are a couple of links. If I have, by some way, made you more curious about Sinulog, you may get more information about it here. If you wish to experience Sinulog with us, do drop by! The website above contains details on how to go about it. If you wish to check out my very first post for this year, click here. If you wish to know about the color of the year for 2011, click here.
Hello Everyone!
I am very happy to be able to write a post once again – and this time from another location too! Yey! I have some catching up to do (blog-wise). I got here (new location) last sunday and things have been moving in a fast pace. I had some settling in to do as well (catching up on sleep because jet lag wore me out in a sense). More importantly, I miss Georgia a great, great deal
Although I have things to attend to here (serious stuff), I am also here to have fun so I have to come up with a way to concoct a good balance which will allow me to be able to see the sights and at the same time get some work done as well.
One of the things I love (I have a lot!) is going places and being able to travel. I hope that I’ll be able to travel the world (it’s a big big world out there) in the future. I love learning new things and learning about different cultures and different ways of life. Traveling allows you to see and experience more of what life has to offer. Being able to soak in a particular place’s design and art is something I hope to be able to do throughout my entire existence. I love going to museums, visiting art galleries, stuffing myself with all sorts of cuisine (except the really really exotic ones though), visiting furniture stores – I can go on and on
I’ll post more pictures (I have a lot and I’ll be taking more) really soon. In the mean time, have fun looking over the ones I posted below.
Can anyone guess where I am? On a side note, the cupcakes above look absolutely scrumptious! I am also happy (in a sense) because I am able to write posts once again. Till next time.
P.S. Happy Birthday, Danii!
I am currently working on something. By the way, this post is about something really cool that I wanted to share (on the side).
Innovation (dasparkhotel)
Dubbed as the Pipe Hotel, standard sewer pipes/concrete cylinders (2 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters long) fitted with the basic essentials (fitted with a bed, storage space and electricity) serve as the “suites” of the said hotel. It is situated in Ottensheim, Austria.
The tubes have “almost perfect pre-settings” actually. Being 20 cm thick, they provide a lot of safety to occupants against the elements, they are surprisingly bright and have good thermal properties.
Utilities-wise, the units do not feature toilets but they are situated in a precise location which makes showers, toilets, restaurants and even a swimming pool within reach. A really cool thing about the hotel (aside from the concept and all that goodness), is their system of operation – 1. Guests book their stay exclusively over the internet and they are then emailed a code number (for the number-code locks) which helps them access their “suite” upon their arrival, 2. Their “pay as you wish” system (which I hope no one will abuse) mainly covers any repairs and the servicing.
This provides an easy option for travelers and adventurers with smaller budgets – without having to sacrifice a lot (safety, comfort, etc.) or style. They are also said to be available from spring to summer. By the way, the man behind the mobile and self-sufficient concept is Andreas Strauss. This is definitely something I want to see for myself. :)
The weekend is almost over and we have a new week ahead of us. The last few days were great and I was quite busy so I was not able to post this sooner. Here is part two of The Island Travelogue.
Snippets on some of the pictures. Enjoy!
The weather was incredibly hot but the water was simply gorgeous.
This trip made me crave for mango pancakes. I even had some for dinner a few hours ago. (Haha)
I couldn’t resist putting more museum pictures in this post. I love museums!
This was a long walk (but super fun) and the sun was definitely shining away – we had cold mango shakes at a cafe nearby after this.
A beautiful holy water font.
I love old church floor tiles and their designs.
I remembered attending mass at this church during my first trip to Bantayan (I was still ten). We fell asleep during mass because we were worn out from swimming the whole day (haha). Great memories and a beautiful church, I had to take a picture. By the way, this is the San Pedro y San Pablo Church – it considered to be the oldest church in Bantayan.
I love lighting candles (We bought a handful from each vendor at the church).
Definitely Gorgeous (Dreamy Sigh)
Yup, a couple of shots featuring the author – the sea breeze was amazing.
This rounds up The Island Travelogue (I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with the gazillion pictures in this post and the one before this). I also hope that you had fun looking over this post and going over the trip with me. Bantayan is definitely gorgeous and I highly encourage you to check it out.
On a side note, my Mum’s birthday was great – she is a year older (I don’t like it when my parents get older every year – I love you Mum and Dad!)
Have a great week ahead everyone!
P.S. Pau Updates – 1. Our Exhibit for Philconstruct is next week (I’m very excited)! I love exhibits and doing mock-ups. I’ll post details about it soon (do drop by the exhibit if you can). To those who can’t (sad face) – don’t worry, I’ll write about it next week.
2. I woke up feeling sick this morning and it wasn’t pleasant. I hope I’ll better soon because it’s another busy week ahead.
P.P.S. Georgia Updates – 1. I was supposed to bring Georgia to the vet place yesterday for her monthly shot/s but I had to go a meeting and I didn’t want to wear her out by making the trip longer. I’ll do the vet visit in a few days and get her checked as well.
2. During Mum’s birthday, I placed Georgia near Shaki’s tummy so that she can get acquainted with the little one inside – Georgia placed her paw on Shaki’s tummy (as though touching/stroking it) and she gave it a lick/kiss (as though she was saying hello/showing affection to the little one inside). Awwww! Georgia, you are one sweet little girl and Mummy loves you very much.
It’s already Thursday. How was your day?
Like what I mentioned yesterday, I will show some of my pictures from the long weekend trip in today’s post (I decided to divide them into two parts since I have a lot of pictures to share – taking note that I even narrowed them down already).
Off to Bantayan I went. (Abrupt sentence construction, Pau.)
A few specifics in case someone needs the information (and for those who aren’t from the Philippines). Bantayan is one of the municipalities in the province of Cebu, Philippines. Located in the Northern Tip of Cebu, it is well-known for its crystal clear waters and its fine white sandy beaches.
There are several methods of getting there (People mostly go by land and take a ferry or a roro once they reach Hagnaya). Transportation options include buses, rented vans and your very own private vehicle. We basically rode our own car and hopped on the ferry going to the island (you can bring your car with you on the ferry, with additional fees of course).
Planning things such as accommodations and other arrangements way ahead of time (may it be your food options, itinerary, etc) – highly recommended especially during the busy months and events (i.e. April and May, Holy Week). A mixture of cuisines are available on the island – there are quaint restaurants (both in the resort you are staying at and a couple scattered around) and the market (small stores, the essentials, small bakeries, etc). Seafood lovers are in for a treat (the seafood on the plate before you, in most cases, were caught just minutes before you ordered – definitely fresh).
Simply Gorgeous!
The weather is definitely hot there (I am quite sensitive to hot weather). Lots of sunscreen and water – these are your best friends. In spite of the scorching heat, Bantayan is absolutely divine. It is one of my favorite places in the Cebu Province.
Gazillion pictures starts here (haha). I will post snippets on some of them as well. Have fun!
A gazillion sea urchins – freshly caught (A delicacy – I have no plans of trying it though. They did say it tastes great.)
Mango Pancakes with Honey for Breakfast
Tapasilog (We had breakfast brought to our room.)
Yup, I wear sweaterish tops to the beach – I’m cool like that. (Haha)
The Old Kota Fort – I was fascinated with this and its composition (Trivia – I love museums and historic sites). It was constructed in the 1790′s in order to protect young women and children from being abducted by the Moro Pirates and sold for slavery. In terms of architecture, the structure was made from coral stone, red sugar, egg white (common for old structures), lime and sand. It is almost a perfect square.
Little eerie tidbit – There were thirty-four Japanese soldiers executed inside the old structure. It was also used as a cemetery from the 1890′s to the 1950′s.
Huge Bags containing chips for sale at the market (definitely brings back childhood memories).
I always take pictures of cupcakes (it’s basically a given for me).
I will post the rest of the pictures tomorrow hopefully. Please stay tuned to part two of The Island Travelogue.
P.S. It’s Mum’s birthday tomorrow. Yey!
P.P.S. Please follow The Sea Green Journal by clicking on the button below. Thanks!
(Photo Credits – Paula Cañete)
Definitely on my “to go to and experience someday” checklist (fingers crossed), Tree Pod Dining is “Lé Cucumber” (Definition no. 1 in Paula Vocabulary). Which to me basically means Cool as a Cucumber and is either one of two things – 1. Cool. Period. , 2. Unruffled and Calm.
Where were we? (haha)
Yes, Tree Pod Dining. It is considered to be “the most innovative dining aloft since in-flight service was introduced at 35,000 feet, half a century ago”. The Dining Pod (what it is really called), is structured by using a rigid frame. Looking like a cocoon (only with open panorama window), it is wrapped in woven rattan.
The Dining Pod
It can accommodate up to four people – they are elevated to the lofty height by a system of safety winches. The Dining Pod is one of the diverse dining choices at the Soneva Kiri by Six Senses in Thailand.
The Bamboo Bridge Welcome
Considered to be an exclusive dining experience, it is also under the direction of Executive Chef, Jaume Esperalba.
Breakfast
( They use locally-grown organic produce in slow food tradition and the menu changes daily)
Chef at Work
The food courses and beverages are served by a “flying waiter” who is harnessed to a zip line (interesting job).
Food Service
The Dining Pod sits high up a birch, next to a magnificent view of the beach and its crystal waters. Perhaps not for those who have low tolerance for heights but nevertheless a must-try.
“This experience enjoys the ultimate exclusivity, and very little turbulance”
P.S. On a side note, a quick question for all of you. What do you call a group of friends who dine at the Tree Top Pod? Tadah! Happy Tree Friends. (Wow Pau. Good for you. Just let us roll over and rest in peace now). Haha.
