My Top 10

Nesting. They say that women are on this state when they're approaching motherhood. In my case, am getting ahead of my future situation. 

You see, the barrio girl is marrying a city boy in five weeks! When we begin our life together as a married couple, I have a few things that I'd like to bargain for. 
  
1. New Condo
If I were back in the province, I would have insisted on a house. But city living is way different. Commuting, especially, in Manila is horrendous. So, I'd make a home out of a small abode. 

2. A new queen-size bed
Again, if I had my way I will definitely go for a California king. However, there is no way that this can be turned into a reality. Just not practical, if you only have a pea-sized apartment. 

Cynthia Upholstered Storage Bed by Potter Barn.

3. A contemporary bedside table and lamp. 
It would be nice to have a place for your mobiles and bedside reading materials.

Stratton bedside table from Pottery Barn.

4. A set of Daphne Linens
I have my eyes on them for a long time now. I've kept on telling myself that I need a new place to justify its purchase as well as to give the brand proper respect.

Daphne linens.

5. A walk-in closet and built-in modular cabinets. 
I hope to properly store clothes, towels, linens, lingerie and other knickknacks. Everything stowed nice and easy. 

Ah, the ultimate in organizing wardrobes, etc.

6. A front-load washing machine and dryer and a vacuum cleaner. 

Washing shouldn't be a chore anymore.

 7. A red Smeg refrigerator. 

I've been smitten.

8. A reading couch and floor lamp.
My favorite past time is reading. And I want to cultivate an environment where my family could also discover the joys and wonders of the written word.

Pottery Barn.

 9. A chic working table/cum vanity. 
Wouldn't it be less stressful if work is confined to a working table? I am an advocate for not bringing work at home. Sometimes, it's unavoidable and inevitable.

A Pottery Barn item.

Confession: I have an obsession with Pottery Barn. It's my favorite home store in the world.   
 
10.  A pocket garden.
 I really dream of living in a home with plants surrounding it. If I can't have the lawn of my dreams, might as well make do with what I have by growing potted plants. 

Taken from Pinterest.

One of these days, I shall take a photo of my potted friends. 

XX

Revisiting a barrio girl's life goals

I've been told that life is what you make it. And that you should take time to smell the roses. Life is a journey, not a destination. 

It has never occurred to me that I would one day ponder on the things that really truly matters to me. Once, a friend told me to accumulate on experiences and not material things in response to my query on why he keeps on climbing mountains. How many summits does he need to quell his fascination of heights. Is Mount Everest not enough? 

It was one of those casual conversations that were never supposed to be serious in nature. And yet it hit me. And so, one day I took the time to take stock of where I was headed and how prepared am I to get there.

I have listed a few things to pick up along the way:

1. Have a purposeful life.

2. Build a house with a loft.

3. Save my first million at 35.

4. Buy my first car in 2010. Cash.

5. Travel. Get lost in the texture of other countries' culture.

* see Hong Kong in June 2008.

* visit some friends in the US

* explore Athens, London, Scotland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Germany

* honeymoon in Paris and Venice

6. bask in the sun of Boracay

7. Get involved in social causes. Be part of the Habitat for Humanity.

8. Give my family, more love, more time.

This was written on my multiply blog in 2007. Four years down the road and am still not quite there. I am nowhere near getting my first million. Not even a layout for a house with a loft. I don't have enough moolah to buy a spanking brand new car. No involvement in social causes beyond my commentaries on the injustice of the world, the disparity of the rich and poor in this country. 

Here are some of the things that had happened since then. 

1. Am still trying to figure out how to live a purpose-driven life. 

2. Started saving my loose change in a coca-cola canister/coin bank. I have to start somewhere, right? 

3. I scaled Mt. Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Boy, it was hard!

Not quite to the summit yet. Didn't reach it, by the way.

4. I traveled. I soaked up in shopping, not too much in the culture, though. 

5. I vacationed in some of the beautiful places/resorts in the country -- Bellarocca Island Resort & Spa, Thunderbird Resort in Poro Point, among others. 

Santorini-like architecture of the villas in Bellarocca.

6. I enjoyed a 3-day carefree stay in Boracay. 

those were the days.

7. I haven't gotten past the Asian gateway; no Europe travel diaries to write yet. 

8. But I've seen a little of Vietnam, strolled the squares of Macau, dashed in Hong Kong and had a lovely, lovely time in Singapore. 

Beautiful Vietnam.

Ruins of St. Paul, Macau.

Hong Kong.

I am SAM. Culture, eh?  

 




9. I got engaged this year. By God's grace, I'll be married next year. No guarantee though that I'll honeymoon in Paris and Venice. 

10. I think I've made inroads with spending quality time and loving more my family, in spite of. 

11. I got promoted this year, yay! One of the perks of a promotion is to avail of a company lease car. Am still thinking about it. 

Hopefully, it won't take another four years for me to figure out what has become of my life goals.

Room with a View

I grew up in the province where banana trees grow aplenty. My world was colored green; filled with earth tones. Everything was just naturally pleasing to the eyes.

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

But the dreamer in me can't wait to escape the natural beauty of my birth place. I had to go to the big city. The thought of living a commuter's life thrilled me. And the prospect of being urbane exhilarated me.

Now, I live in the metropolis. My taste gets a little more gourmet, day by day. My stance becomes a little more defined, everyday. My demeanor changes a little, everyday. My horizon has broadened, a little bit each day. 

Yet, some things couldn't just be traded for the skyscrapers of the urban jungle. I catch myself longing for the days where I get a view of a garden or some pretty plants across my window. I want a room with a view. 

So, I bought myself a plant. In a small pot. Just like this one.

i speak to my plant, everyday. just a simple hello. (photo from Google)

I have this almost obsessive fear of the health hazards of the smog in the metro. I try to compensate my carbon footprint by planting or taking care of small plants in my house and in the office. 

My plant in my office. 

However, I still go home to this nagging feeling that someday I need to be in a better place. It's not so much the aesthetics but the ambiance of a home. I want to recreate my childhood room with a picture window. 

Almost like this. Thanks, Pottery Barn.

If money were no object, I want a loft. 

Just like this one. Thanks, Google.

I wish that one day, I'd enjoy that luxury of building my own library. And I get to have that really cozy corner furnished with this beautiful couch. 

My future reading nook. Thanks, Pottery Barn for the inspiration.

There's no question about it, I want to build a life and family here. And a little semblance of life, as I knew it in the province, with an abundance of greenery.

Growing up in the Banana Republic

I grew up in the barrio, right smack in the middle of a banana plantation. Who I am today is largely influenced by my upbringing in the banana republic.

My home town is hours away from the big city. Back then, my concept of the big city is the seemingly endless plains of Davao. But because of my love for the written word, my world expanded beyond the rural confines of my small barrio.

I dreamt of one day stepping, living and breathing the air and life of my city. I aspired the nonchalance of downtown dwelling. I craved for a niche in my laidback city.

One day, another opportunity knocked on my door. Off I flew to the queen city of the south. I was thrilled! That was my first of countless plane rides.

A few years later, I took a chance to be lost in metropolitan Manila. The sights, sounds and smog are the soundtrack and backdrop of my existence. I discovered the joy and sadness of being, on my own… in the big city.

It is a life full of promise, opportunities and friendships. It widened my horizon and added dimension to my being. It has afforded me a view to the other side of the world. Here, I discovered culture, travel, and nature. And how it intersperse with my roots, in the barrio.

And so I write about my thoughts as a barrio girl living in the city.