Architecture, My Ex-Boyfriend

A few days ago, my one-year 8 month old baby had a fever and I was worried whether we'd be able to make it to Boracay with my mom.  It would be a pity if we couldn't make it because it was not just Boracay that we're going to, we were staying at the Shangri-La!  I texted the pediatrician my apprehension and she said if I didn't feel comfortable about it then I could decide not to go but she said she wouldn't worry about it.  So getting the courage to go with the original plan, we went and it turned out magnificently well with my baby enjoying frolicking in the sand and sea with his cousins with nary a trace of discomfort.

Now, what has this got to do with this blog?  Since I started renovating work, feelings of love for design and architecture have been resurfacing like connecting with an ex-boyfriend or ex-lover.  I remember when I was studying architecture, almost all the pictures I took were of buildings and interiors, leaving out the people so that was how obsessed I was.  Anywhere I travelled, taking pictures of inspiring structures was number one and I amassed a lot of design and architecture books.  But things didn't work out between the two of us and I broke off the relationship as my jumbled career path led me elsewhere.   Now back from China and rediscovering it again through the renovation work, it feels like reuniting with a lost love. 

The trip to Shangri-La is especially meaningful because before embarking on the next renovation project which is bigger and more complicated than the first one, I talked to five friends including former schoolmates who have been practicing designers and architects for years.  They gave me a lot of ideas, suggestions and tips.  Talking to them was like pouring ice cold water over my head because it just reinforced how out of the loop I was about developments in the industry.  Understandably so, so on with the relearning!

The last person I consulted, my Tito Rene Simbulan, happens to be the contractor who did the lobby and bedrooms at the Shangri-La Boracay so imagine my double-triple excitement being able to see and study his work up close.  I was touched that Tito Rene spent time going over my unprofessional drawings and estimates for my project and offered me a lot of sage advice.

Following are pictures I took yesterday at the Shangri-La.  I should be posting instead my husband's photos because they're way better than mine and taken with a high-tech camera I can't even begin to figure out how to operate, but I'll do that tomorrow.