sulo riviera hotel

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.

read more about her here.

go and visit the hotel!

step #2

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! :)

the bella wedding capelet :)

 baby alpaca fine lace yarn :)

and so the planning begins...

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

BIG

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!

i think i'll be on a high from this all year! :) 

fastforward to 2012

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!