Martha Moments – Page 3 – Chasing Dreams

Blue has always been my color

August 6, 2010May 14, 2018 Rhiza15 Comments

I’m moving back to Caloocan in about *counting the days in my head* two weeks (wow, time flies!), and with the construction of my new room happening this week, I had to pick a color to paint my walls with. Why thank you, Carrie Bradshaw, for having such a fabulous (fictional) apartment for inspiration. Yesterday, I finally chose my color swatches, deciding on a color that’s familiar and comfortable, not to mention I love: Blue.

Check out these photos of Carrie’s renovated apartment in Sex and the City 2. (Segue: do writers in New York City really earn so much that they’re capable of keeping a pad as snazzy as this one?)

My love affair with blue

Growing up with two brothers, my juvenile interests leaned towards boy stuff — watching PBA, collecting basketball cards, playing roller blades, engaging at pusoy dos marathons with my brothers, wearing lose shirts and baggy pants, and preferring non-feminine colors like black and blue. I was 16 years old when, taking over my Lola’s room in the second floor of our house in Caloocan, I decided that I wanted to paint the room blue. To be overly redundant, I asked my Mom to buy me blue curtains and blue bed sheets and pillow cases. Turning 18 years old, my parents threw a debut party for me, and it didn’t take me a minute to decide my color motif. Perhaps the only blue thing that I wasn’t crazy about in college were UP’s blue books, lol, can I just say that those little exam booklets were the bane of my college existence??!

Blue books aside, it came to a point when blue, to me, became a safe zone, hence, when I started moving out of life’s little comfort zones, I started exploring a bit on my color preference too. Pink, brown, red, green, purple — my color dateline, in that order, representing eras of my life. Invite me for coffee and I’ll share my color story with you. ;)

And now it’s blue again.

You know how it feels like when you’re back with an old love affair after exploring and testing other options, realizing that he is still the love of your life, maybe you didn’t even stop loving him after all? Forgive me for the tacky illustration, but that’s how blue is like to me. Home, puppy love turned love-of-my-life, the color that I want to wake up to in the morning, surround me the whole day, the last thing I see before I close my eyes. I’ve seen all the other colors, but it all comes back to blue. I can’t wait to see how my blue room is going to look (and feel) like.

I’m getting to know a whole new version of myself lately.

That version of me who welcomes the idea of settling down, who chooses the warmth of the familiar over the thrill of taking risks, who prefers being surrounded by family rather than party-loving friends, who labels things according to whether they’re temporary or eternal and chooses only those which will last.

Choosing blue, somehow, feels like a representation of all that.

And and and.. I’m doing that thing again where I over-analyze on trivial things like color preferences and being all melancholy again about getting old(er) and wondering again about things like, if they say quarter-life ends at 27, does this mean I’m, at this point in time, having mid-life crisis?

What’s my point again?

I forgot.

Oh, and thanks, Carrie Bradshaw.

I didn’t know it was possible to experience this much love in one week

February 20, 2010May 13, 2019 Rhiza14 Comments

7 things I love about this week:

1) Welcoming my beautiful nephew Robert Isaac to the family.

2) That he gets to inherit our Dad‘s name, Robert, and even if he didn’t get to meet him anymore, a part of his Lolo lives in him.

3) How “Tita Riz” seems to just roll off the tongue, I can imagine little Isaac soon saying my name and tugging on my skirt. “Tita Riz, I want ice cream.” “Tita Riz, let’s go to the zoo.” “Tita Riz, I wanna play plants and zombiess!” (Just you wait, kid, your Tita Riz will spoil you like crazy. And well, I’ll leave the disciplining to your Mom, Dad and Lola, haha.)

4) That he’s got all of us wrapped around his cute little finger without knowing it. He cries and everyone in the room panics, figuring out what he needs. He sleeps and we all silently stare at him like lovestruck puppies. He blinks and we all go “awww” with tiny hearts in our eyes. It’s kuh-rayy-zee what babies can do, when they’re not even doing anything at all!

5) That I got to take their first family picture, and that I was able to preserve love in a photograph. Definitely one for keeps. <3

6) That I’ve witnessed (over again) with my own eyes this beautiful thing called motherly love, something we often fail to appreciate because mothers are always there anyway. I can still picture in my head the look on Ate Imy’s face as she admires her son, and the twinkle in my Mom’s eyes everytime she speaks of her grandson. Priceless.

7) Finally, I love days when, not expecting anything, something beautiful happens (or someone comes along) and your life is never the same. Such is this week in the Sanchez home. <3

And so I pray for a life that’s full of days like these. Dear Lord, that’s all I ask today.

Inspired by Purples and Blues

August 13, 2009December 29, 2019 Rhiza2 Comments

TWENTYTWO. Why hello there. I was away from the internet almost the whole day, hence, managed to accumulate piles of work up to my neck. Who cares. My day was well-spent, I wouldn’t want it any other way — a trip to the mall, a dip in a freezing-cold pool (note to high-rise hotel establishments, rooftop pools need to have heater at all times, especially if you pride yourself of having a jacuzzi), delicious food, some rounds of poker, and a lot of fun and laughter among friends.

Now, my nose is about to dive into my trackpad — I’m so tired and sleepy — so I’m making this short, sweet, and visual.

Here’s a photo I took in Tagaytay sometime in June, treated with blue and purple hues. I just love how it turned out. :)

Suddenly, my addiction to purple and blue has become undeniable. Exhibit A: This blog’s template; Exhibit B: My multiply account’s layout; Exhibit C: My twitter design; Exhibit D: A few weeks back, being inspired by Bella’s Room. I just can’t get enough of purple and blue!

Creative Mint has perfected the color schemes in my head:

Pretty, eh? :) How can one not be inspired by these beauties? Check out Creative Mint‘s lovely inspiration boards! If her work did not inspire you to do something creative yourself, I don’t know what will. :)

Btw, watch out for my 30-day challenge giveaway tomorrow! I promise I won’t disappoint. For now, I sleep. Zzzzz.

30 Days of Awesome, 22/30.

Happy is now a Couch, thanks to Heima

August 4, 2009December 29, 2019 Rhiza4 Comments

DAY THIRTEEN. I was really planning to blog earlier, but akdfaldsfj!! There are just too many distractions around here, and before I know it, I spent the past 2 hours blog-hopping and window-shopping (yes you can do that online) and eventually ended up buying stuff I don’t need. (Inthefishbowl is sooo addicting, and that’s not only because Sheila is my friend, no, I’m really just a sucker for pretty things, is all.)

Anyway. I’m thinking of coming up with a “Store of the Week” or “Wish List” kinda thing here. Since I’ve been spending a lot of money and time online shopping anyway, I thought perhaps I could point you guys to these awesome online shopping sites I frequent lately so you too can, uh, splurge with me. (What a lame. I’m sleepy.) No commissions involved, don’t worry.

Today, I shall point you to the direction of.. ta-da, the Heima Store.

Hi, I was at Heima last week, and I bought two rolls of film. And a pillow.
(Btw, that’s Heima featured at Real Living Magazine’s July Issue)

I first heard of them from a friend who happens to be college-friends with Heima’s store owner, Rossy Anne Yabut (graduate of UST, BA Interior Design, one year my junior — impressive indeed). I loved what I saw in the online store, hence, when I had the chance to drop by Cubao Expo, I made it a point to check out their showroom as well.

And oh-my-golly-wow, their showroom is awesome, I love everything I saw — from the furniture, to the home decors, to the lomographic cameras. Their collection ranges from vintage classic to modern glam, just about everything that makes me drool these days.

And the Happy House Collection is probably the most awesome thing there. Check. This. Out.

Now if only the heavens would pour out 35,000 PhP my way right this instant so I can buy this Happy Couch, then I’d start rain-dancing now. And then I’d rain-dance some more for another 12,000 PhP so I can get the Happy Bench. Or that Ms Cupcake Secretary Desk, which will really look pretty in my bedroom, the turquoise one please. *wipes drool*

Seriously though, I think this is the type of furniture I’d want in my home, when I have one. I can imagine the colors I can mix and match with this happy set already, the possibilities are endless, and I like what I see in my head! Someday, maybe.

Meanwhile, you can always just buy a roll of film from Heima, or a pillow, and leave the store happy just the same. ;)

Happy = awesome.

P.S. I know I sound like a sappy TV commercial, you don’t have to point that one out okay. It’s 5AM, cut me some slack here!! Zzzzzzz.. zzz.

30 Days of Awesome, 13/30.

Collecting Guitars and Displaying Them

July 25, 2009December 29, 2019 RhizaLeave a comment

DAY THREE. I think guitars are not only photogenic, they’re also awesome decorative elements wherever you place them. Truckloads of photos, coming up! :)

3/30 | Guitars are Awesome

3/30. Collecting Guitars and Displaying Them

[The guitars in this photo: Acoustic guitar — the only one that is actually making any sound; the red toy guitar made in Cebu, from Ivy; and the two guitar magnets — the bigger one I got from the Detroit Metro Airport during a stopover from last year’s US trip, and the smaller one from my brother who got it also from Cebu.]

I have not played my guitar in a long time (and have stopped being guitarchic, too, if you haven’t noticed, lol) but I’m still fond of anything guitar, mostly because I like taking photos of them and seeing them displayed. And okay, playing them once in a while.

Collect and display, there goes a rule to live by. If you have guitars in your house, whether you’re using them or not, take them out of your closets and display them.

Let’s try visual now, shall we? Here are two ways to use guitars as decorative elements.

Continue reading “Collecting Guitars and Displaying Them” →

Taking Vintage into my Living Room

July 10, 2009December 29, 2019 Rhiza6 Comments

Last Thursday, I went to the mall to look for an extra rack for my clothes because my stuff won’t fit in my closet anymore. The intention was pure, I needed to de-clutter before snakes start nesting on clothes that were scattered in every corner of my room. Clothes rack, check.

What I failed to do, however, was resist looking around and buying a few more things that I don’t really need.

And it all started with this wall clock. (Isn’t it the prettiest thing?)

I don’t know how it started, but this crazy obsession with typewriters and anything vintage (-looking) came to me with this sudden fondness for wall clocks. (Not too long, I also took home an old Coca Cola Wall Clock from Vintage Pop’s clearance sale.) So yep, this vintage-inspired clock found its way to my shopping cart in no time, as if I needed more reminders that time is ticking away.

This was shortly followed by these floral printed curtains, which were on sale. The huge floral pattern looks like something my grandmother will appreciate, which is exactly what I love about it. And I like how I didn’t have to take down my old red curtains because as it seems, the printed pattern looks perfect against the two-toned red curtains anyway.

Surely, red and olive green look lovely together, Christmas or no Christmas.

And then there were just a few more things: fake flowers on a porcelain pot, scented candle in a jadeite metal pail, and a cheapo table cloth with orange and red stitches. Voila, instant living room overhaul.

I got home from the mall yesterday feeling a bit guilty for splurging (again) on things that were not in my budget to begin with. Tonight, however, as I spend time in this little corner, I know that I could justify my impulse buying again and win in court.

I needed this change.

For freelancers like me, who spend most of our days confined in such a small space, little changes like this spell a lot of difference. Workplaces affect productivity, after all.

Old items: (1) Love seat/two-seater couch from SM Departmen Store; (2) Red throw pillows from Our Home; (3) Red two-toned curtains from some supermarket, I can’t remember which one; (4) Lamp from Ikea; (5) Red adjustable round table from Dimensione; (6) Vintage make-up kit and coffeeholics mug from Vintage Pop.

Recent additions, all from SM Department Store: (1) Floral printed curtains (P375 each x2); (2) Vintage-inspired wall clock (P299); (3) Red table cloth (P35); (4) Scented candle on a pail (P239); (5) Fake flowers in a porcelain pot (P149).

P.S. Daily doses of Decor8, plus the habitual bloghopping through her blogroll, did this to me. Thanks, Holly. :)