it's not everyday that i find design that blows me away... and so i'm so happy to indulge in this discovery of mine...
yesterday, i headed to the old sulo hotel for a UNICEF presentation... only to find out that the hotel has been refurbished and is TOTALLY beautiful.
without exaggerating -- for me, it's the BEST designed hotel that i've seen in the city. it beats all the other boutique hotels that have been sprouting up around the metro.
this is one of the first things i noticed -- VERY cute chandeliers that have been fused with a big twig.
too bad i didn't get to take a photo of the ballroom... but here's the hall outside it.
even the fresh arrangements are so tasteful!!!
this is pretty much what you see when you enter the hotel...
the styled bookshelves and seating area...
old books, animal figurines, purple sequined pillows... who put this all together???
the beautiful chandeliers & lighting...
the very cleverly chosen and placed tiles...
the reception area with the glass that matches the tiles...
the cafe (even the buffet table and floral arrangements are spot on) that overlooks the pool...
the pool area...
the bar... where no detail was overlooked...
everything is so tastefully done... and i feel like this look is a look that SO MANY are trying to achieve -- but i've only seen it really successfully done here.
i didn't get to see any of the rooms -- so i looked up their website and i was NOT disappointed! look at this! wow!
it's awful but my first thought was that this was not done by a Filipino. i was pleasantly surprised to find out that it WAS in fact done by one -- although she did spend 20 years in Spain -- so that might explain the success of the design too.
start knitting myself that capelet! that gives me 9 months.... enough time to finish it, make a mistake and repeat or make a new one, make 2 to choose from or look for one to buy. haha. exciting! :)
no, i don't have a church or a reception venue yet, but....
i do know i want to use vintage teacups for my tablescape - haha :D not the most practical thing to start with, but its a start! and there just happened to be a flea market at 10a Alabama today where i bought a few more pieces to add to my collection...
now i want to buy those blue and white ones! bangkal next week? :D
and speaking of a BIG year, i started the year with the BIGGEST GIG of all...... as the assistant costume designer for The Bourne Legacy filming in Manila!!!
4 weeks of filming, in different locations in Manila, working with BIG stars and BIG hollywood designers and artists is an experience i will never forget.
unfortunately, i can't post any photos from the filming yet, but here's a souvenir photo with the costume crew i worked with - taken in our wardrobe truck :) WOOT!
because i've been (very) delinquent about posting the past year, here's a fastforward post to this year: 2012. it looks like its going to be a really BIG year for me (just like the movies say but not in exactly the same way :))
BIG as in I'm getting married in 2012! WOOT! as you know, I got engaged late last year during my month-long trip to Borneo with twinpopbaguio (haha! is that what we called him?! hahaha). luckily, he is a great photographer and we were able to capture that auspicious day!
the ring: handcrafted in layers of rosewood, golden koa and turquoise. its been in his pocket the whole time we were travelling but waited for the right moment to give it. and that moment could not have been better!
as we were camped out on Pulau Mamutik on the last few days (and last few bucks) of our trip, we hiked to the other side of the island to catch what was looking like a glorious sunset. and indeed it was! while perched on the rocks of the cliff next to the island, we watched the sunset side by side, he asked and i said yes. (awww!)
and that night, we witnessed the most amazing moonrise i have ever seen in my entire life. i took that as a good omen :)
if that wasn't enough, the morning woke us with a spectacular sunrise, with mt. kinabalu showing herself in the distance (a mountain we had climbed just weeks before at the start of our trip).
a sunset, a moonrise, a sunrise and a ring - all in a span of 12 hours. auspicious! :) its only the beginning of the year and i'm excited already!
On Sepember 29, 2003, you and 5 of your siblings were born in the corner of my apartment. You were, to your breeder, and to me, the cutest of the bunch. You looked like a teddy bear – with perfectly puffy golden brown hair, and a big black nose. So I guess it was apt that we called you Bellucci, after one of the most beautiful actresses.
As soon as I decided you were the one we were going to keep, I would pick you up from your litter everyday to hold you while I watched TV. You, however, didn’t enjoy the cuddling as much as I did – Doctor Leo even called you a Squeeze-Me Elmo, since you would automatically make this low grunt every time I would hold you close to me. I wish I had recorded that.
Your pretty and always prim hair though seemed like a disguise for someone who was really rougher around the edges. You always had a knack for the “damak” as Mariel would call you. You loved to scratch your smelly ear, and take a whiff off your paw after doing so. You loved to sniff and ingest all things yucky. And you loved to sleep behind the toilet bowl, a habit that Doctor Leo later on blamed for your perennial body odor.
Typically just like anyone who came second, you were always the sillier, more rebellious and charming of the two. Toilet training, keeping you nearby, and following our orders were never as easy as it was with Flower. What you lacked there though, you made up for your irresistible charm. Everyone who knew you well – Troy, Candy, Ats, Mariel – loved you to pieces. How could anyone resist your excitement and tears of joy every time one of them walked in the door?
I was worried about taking you up to Baguio, as I knew how much you hated car rides. You were so calm and happy going up though – makes me think that perhaps you weren’t feeling well then already. You seemed so happy when we got there. So when you showed signs of weakness, none of us thought that something terminal was looming, although I still contacted Doctor Leo immediately when your hind leg started shaking on Wednesday. Doc and I were in constant contact since then.
It was on our last night in Baguio on Friday when you got alarmingly weaker. It was the first time I ever (in my life) told Doc Leo that I was worried, and that worried him too. On our way down, you seemed like you were in good spirits so all anxiety went away. But when I saw you last night, trembling and breathing difficultly, I knew that things had turned for the absolute worst.
I stayed by your side for 20 minutes, waiting for Doc to come. I still remember the last time you looked at me with your big pretty brown eyes – your eyes were so full of pain, almost apologetic for it. I told you to hang in there, as I didn’t have to strength to tell you that it was okay to let go. I hope that my strokes and kisses eased the pain a little. I’m happy I was able to hug, kiss and say goodbye to you one last time before I handed you over to Doctor Leo.
Noey, Mae, Flower and I are overcome with so much sadness and grief. Since Stella was born, I know things have been different, but I hope that you know that you’ll always have a place in our hearts that can never be replaced by anyone else.
All of us – Noey, Mae, Flower, Candy, Ats, Troy, Mariel – miss you terribly, and look forward to your tears of joy when we see each other again.
