Where Did January Go? The 2015 Monthly Round Up

The month of new beginnings, fresh starts and resolutions is about to end in a few days and this got me thinking on what I’ve accomplished so far in terms of my goals. I’ve been listening to this audio book called “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown and it’s been a great help as I try to identify the different aspects in my life that I need to focus on this year. Events in January are indeed aligned with my goals, so here’s a round up of what took place this month.

1.   Day Hike at Mount Talamitam

During the Holiday break, I did not get the chance to go on a major out of town or out of the country trip like most people. In hopes of satisfying my wanderlust, Jim and I initiated a hike at Mount Talamitam together with a few friends. We just planned for a day hike on a Saturday because a.) according to PinoyMountaineer.com, Mount Talamitam is a minor climb and b.) we wanted to rest on Sunday before the dreaded first day funk at the office. A few google searches and a handful of Facebook messages later, final head count was confirmed and all 6 of us—Neps, Prijm, Leslie, Ronnie, Jim and I went off to have an adventure.

The hike was so short but it was surprisingly eventful! For 144 pesos, we hopped on a bus from Pasay bus terminal to Nasugbu, Batangas. We hired a tour guide and although it was optional, I’m glad we made that decision because the guide gave us a lot of options to explore the mountain. He took us to the normal route going up then asked us if we wanted to pass by the river. The initial plan was really just to have a change of scenery, but while crossing the river, some of us got wet so we decided to make the most of it and jumped right in.

It was a tiring yet fulfilling hike. Soil under my feet, trees all around me and a blue blue sky up in the heavens like a cool canopy embracing mother earth. Hopefully we make the monthly easy to medium hiking schedule!

2.  New Project at Work

After almost 9 years of working as a Systems Analyst with Siebel CRM, I took on a different role and pursued learning a different technology for work. It was a bittersweet feeling to be rolled off from my previous project (hallo DB peeps!) because the folks there are awesome, but I figured retooling is a good opportunity for me to explore the capabilities of Cloud computing. One would think that I am taking a risk by changing course in my specialization, but It’s a career move that I decided on my own. 3 weeks into the project I’ve been learning a lot! I’m looking forward to more growth in my career as I take on new challenges, so hopefully my hard work pays off soon!

3.  4 Years with Jim

Jim and I celebrated our 4th Year Anniversary as a couple! We both filed for time off at work and spent the day together and celebrated by watching Beauty and The Beast musical at CCP because he knows it’s my favorite Disney animated film (as in memorize ko yung songs, I’m not kidding).

Hate to cheese up and get all doe-eyed about this, but 4 years is a milestone that I’ve never had in any of my past relationships. I’m happy that we have made it this far and that he has really helped me grow as an individual because he supports me in all of my endeavors. We share the same values and I guess that’s also one of the reasons why it’s easy to extend our relationship with our family and friends. It helps too, that we share the same love for music and travel, at the same time, we both understand each other’s exclusive passions--art for me, mountain biking for him. We’re definitely not the perfect couple because we also have our struggles, but we’re in a level of commitment wherein we make sure misunderstandings never lead to big fights. Our relationship has that balance that allows us to have a deep connection with each other and at the same time provide space for solitude, independence and personal growth. And also, I just really really really like the guy.

4.      Real Living feature

Last January 24, I had a pleasant surprise on Instagram when Real Living tagged me in one of its posts. I checked out their website and voila! My bedroom is part of this article:

http://www.realliving.com.ph/tips-and-guides/6-interesting-small-homes-of-rl-readers

As you may find in my Project Condo series, I’ve been taking the DIY route in home decoration. When I upload photos of my apartment on Instagram, I include #instalivingph in my caption. I was definitely not expecting anything when I do this except perhaps get a few likes from friends, but to be published on the website of one of the top home decoration and interior design magazines in the country was definitely a kilig moment! I’ve used the I’m-not-an-expert disclaimer in my Project Condo posts before because I didn’t want to come off as feeling marunong, but I have to admit, the feature also gave me some sort of validation about the choices that I made in my home.

5.  First Frisbee game in 2 years

There was a time in my life when ultimate was my favorite superlative. I played my first ultimate Frisbee game in 2009 Monday Beginner’s night in Meralco and got hooked ever since. It was the only sport that I played competitively. Between 2009 and 2012, I sprinted to my heart’s content on the field, always with the goal to catch and properly throw that ever elusive disc. I played out of the country, at the beach, in the mud, under the scorching heat and in the midst of the monsoon season. I never reached the elite level of playing, but I’d like to think I was decent and had my fair share of contributions as a mid-fielder. My teammates and I were regulars at Meralco, Ultra & UP Sunken Garden for trainings and hat tournaments and Manila Polo Club, Nuvali, Aguirre, Daang Hari or Alabang Country Club during the leagues. On the last few months of 2012, I completely stopped due a dissolved team, relocation at work and shifts in priorities.

              

Fast forward to Monday last week, I had a chance to put on my cleats and set foot on the field again. As one might expect, I did not play the same way back when I practiced 2-3 times a week. At yesterday’s training, I was out of breath during plyometrics and was about to faint during the drills. Sprinting again for the first time in a long time felt good, but it also scared me because I know I am in the worst shape of my life. The good thing is that my office is now conveniently a few minutes away from Emperador Stadium, so I can regularly rebuild the skills, endurance and competitive spirit that I once had. Frisbee was not part of the plan for 2015, but exercise definitely is. While right now I’m still not committed to playing at the leagues, I know that last Monday’s game was a good first step to achieving my health goals for the year. I plan on attending trainings and pick ups every Monday and Friday so that I can have that much needed physical activity.

6.      Graphika Manila 2015 – January 31 to February 1

12 artists on a 2 day conference on creativity?! Count me in! I bought my tickets last November and I’ve been stalking the speakers for quite a while now. While I am not professionally in the creative field, I don’t think I’ll ever stop being a creative. This weekend was perfect ending for this month and you can just imagine me fan girling like a fool. My favorite presenters were Pomme Chan, Chris Lee of The Asylum and Joshua Davis! The experience was indeed an awesome one, but I will be creating a different post on Graphika 2015.

Check out the Graphika Manila 2015 website

This month set the bar for what 2015 should be like: an adventure, a leap of faith, an important milestone, a recognition of hard work, a rekindled passion and a learning experience. February, you have big shoes to fill.

Read more

Project Condo: A Newbie Homeowner's Tips To DIY Decoration

Happy New Year everyone! First post for 2015, and it's long overdue!

2014 has been such a fantastic year and one of the biggest milestones I had in the past 12 months is finally buying and moving into my own place. As some of you may have read in my Project Condo series, it's a long and sometimes grueling process to select, edit and curate pieces for an apartment so small. The whole journey taught me that independence does not come cheap, buying furniture and keeping a well maintained home is a big big challenge. I have frequented a handful of interior decoration blogs to help me with my DIY journey, and even though my place is far from being fully finished, I can say that I've made some progress. 

Recently, I received an email from a blog reader asking for some tips on decorating (Hello Lanell!) and I'm happy that a.) someone other than my family actually reads my blog and b.) that I can use the blog as a platform to help fellow first time condo owners in DIY decorating. Now here's a disclaimer: I am not armed with a degree or even work experience in interior decoration and my home is a product of trial and error. I'm definitely not an expert, but here are some things that I've learned from the DIY home improvement journey.

Current apartment set up and a bit of an inevitable mess

1. Try living with what you have for the meantime.

This decision was really brought about by the fact that I have no budget for a major renovation, plus, I still don't have guts to take risks when it comes to buying colorful furniture and completely commit to it.  Considering my fickle mindedness, I took the safer route, kept the furniture and walls neutral so that there are more options for me when I decide to change the look of my place. So far, the color scheme that I ended up with is the following: 

60% white - since the condo came with white walls and white tiles, I kept it as it is to minimize costs

30% black and gray - I chose either grey or black for my big pieces namely the sofa and the bed. I chose dark wood for my other furniture to match the doors and cabinets.

10% pops of yellow, pink and blue. Apart from the fact that it can be changed easily and it's cheap, my pops of color came from throw pillow covers, flowers and curtains.

Also, before going on a buying spree, try to live in your newly turned over unit for a while and see the flow of your day to day activities. For me, I knew I didn't really watch TV that often so I didn't go on buying a TV console yet. I needed additional shelving in the bathroom so I bought a stainless steel towel rack (2,500 Php) and glass shelves (900 Php) where I can store my bathroom essentials. I bought a shoe rack that served as a drop off area of not only my shoes but also my bags. Getting a good idea of your daily routine allows you to prioritize the important things to buy for your home. 

What my place looked like around November. I did not make any renovations but only added furniture an decorations.

2. Flowers and plants make a huge difference

Since my place was mostly in monochrome, I needed a few living things to deviate from the coldness of black, gray and white. I made sure each area (living, dining, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom) had at least one plant in it. Apart from the fact that plants make cheap and beautiful decorations, they also clean the air and get rid of toxic elements brought about by using cleaning agents and disinfectants. 

A couple of baskets and a water plant in a vase can be found in my bathroom as well. Baskets were brought from Make Room & More for around 375 Php each. The glass shelving and the towel rack were installed by Ring Rob, Robinson's in house concierge

The live plants that I have in my condo were taken from my mom's garden. She gave me snake plants, a cactus and some plant that can survive just by putting it in a vase with water. 

From L-R:

The Snake plant which is the tallest one is holding up well. I water it every other day and according to some blogs that I've read, it's low maintenance and impossible to kill. 

The second one (I don't know what it's called) is almost dead! I really don't know the cause but I think it's from lack of direct sunlight.

The third one is also doing good because it's just a smaller version of the snake plant.

The fourth one is a pineapple plant and is still surprisingly alive

In the morning, I put them under direct sunlight. My unit faces the morning sun so  between 8-10, a bit of sunshine peeks through my window. Hence the long board so that I can just roll them to where the sunlight is! 

3. Pay attention to lighting

Upon turnover of your unit, only the basics are provided including overhead lighting and it's up to you to veer away from it and create an additional ambiance to your place. In the morning, I leave my curtains open so that the living and dining areas are more exposed to natural light. In my bedroom, I installed yellow lighting to invoke a bit of warmth which makes rest more inviting, then kept the white light in the living and dining areas because those are the areas where I work and eat.

An IKEA floor lamp in my living room! Gifted by my good friend Rina!

My apartment currently only has overhead lighting and the bulbs are totally exposed. Aaaah I'm really ashamed of that and I know I should install some fixture at some point but I haven't been able to decide on something that I really really loved. I compensate for putting candles and lamps so that the attention is brought to eye level instead of the ceiling. In my bedroom, I even used LED Christmas lights in lieu of a normal lamp. I loved the effect and it also does a good job of providing enough light when I read at night. 

Created a vignette using my dried flowers in a vase, candles, a kalesa decor I brought from Vigan (150 bucks!) and a small cactus given by my mom. She bought a small container at Daiso  for 88 Php. Candles are from Alice Blue (495 Php).

4. Make it personal

Because travel is such a big part of what inspires me, I framed a few photos that I took from my local travels as well visits to Melbourne, New York, Paris and Mechelen. These remind me to keep my wanderlust alive and find myself another adventure.

Bought photo paper and  had these printed at home. Frames were bought from Robinson's Mall for 199.75 Php each.

Travel-inspired typographic decorations can also be found in my place. This one is from Robinson's Mall and it spoke to me the moment I saw it. Each of these go for about 400 Php each from Robinson's mall. I also framed a geometric watercolor artwork that I did myself. 

Drapes, geometric shapes and a bit of color

My bed where I put some books that I read before bedtime. Check out my Bed time Story post here.

I don't follow any rules in decorating. The important thing that you should remember is that your place should be a reflection of who you are and the things you love. While some people are aiming for picture perfect homes, I like me a bit of quirk and irregularity. Keep in mind to discern when buying decor and make a mental reminder of what look you're trying to achieve. Be mindful of your routine in your space and how the furniture in your home is arranged to support it. Finally, just have fun with experimenting!

Read more