Home means different things to each of us. For most, it is a place of comfort and safety. Such is the pull of home that two weeks ago, 18 men—with just a week’s pay in their pockets and an uncertain future—started walking towards home because mass transportation was suspended. They…
Fortune cookies have an interesting origin. One history claims that David Jung, a Chinese immigrant living in Los Angeles, invented the cookie to give it away for free to poor people wandering near his shop. Each cookie carries a strip of paper with an inspirational message on it. What a…
One of the things psychotherapists say about how to handle this crisis is to limit your time in social media while in quarantine. But I have not been successful. There are times when I get really emotional about what I read online, so I force myself to take a step…
We, the extroverts and people whose love language is physical touch, are not thriving in the face of social-distancing measures, but that’s the least of our concern now. Every day, we’re reminded of the fragility of our lives. Everyone needs a break from the heaviness of the long quarantine days.…
In the first post about Working from Home, I requested readers for photos of their home offices or workplaces. I got some pictures. What amazes me is how clean all of them look (glancing at my own messy table). It’s either all of them are very tidy people, or they…
The moments leading to this lockdown felt like a blur. It all happened so fast. One minute I was in front of my laptop, proofreading. The next thing I knew I was breaking down. At the nearest grocery store, it was chaos. Everyone was hoarding. Well, at least those who…
I don’t know about you but I normally have some germophobic tendencies. With this virus flying around, coupled with my fertile imagination, this has bloomed to a healthy mysophobia. The fear of contamination is real. I am happy though that compulsive washing or cleaning is now considered normal. We now…
I got the condo unit in 2014 as my first adulting investment and also ‘cos my Dad asked me, “When are you moving out?”. Welllllll! That certainly was a wake up call. I needed to grow up. Background story: I was 29 and just came from a two-month long backpacking…
Bluprint came out with several articles on designs of architects for COVID-19 quarantine spaces. Under DOH Memorandum 2020-0108, “persons under investigation (PUIs) and positive COVID-19 patients who exhibit mild symptoms with no co-morbidities and non-elderly are advised to be sent home for strict self-isolation and close monitoring by local health…
A week into the Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine, I have managed to lessen my anxiety. Or maybe, I’m just in denial. I don’t know yet, the next few days will reveal what’s up. I’ve been reading Jessica Zafra’s Journal of a Lockdown to keep my sanity. After all this, I…
This post is a temporary escape mechanism for me as a relief to the dread that this coronavirus crisis brings. What gets me are not so much the statistics but the stories of people who are in the frontline fighting this “war” for us. Our health care workers and other…
I went out to buy groceries yesterday, the air smelled of disinfectant and collective anxiety. I haven’t been this anxious in my life. I worry a lot on a regular day but now even more so. That’s why I’m writing this to keep my sanity. Humans are social beings. When…
A dictionary defines homebound as: 1 (adj.) moving or traveling homeward, 2 (adj) restricted or confined to home. For me, homebound can also have a positive connotation—being blessed by having a home where we have the luxury of being able to stay in its safe embrace while riding out this crisis.…
Electric bills are skyrocketing. The kids start to have itchy skin rashes. Your body overheats and drips in sweat. This is the typical uncomfortable scenario every summer, and it is why we all wish we could make our homes cooler without having the air conditioners working overtime, or us having…
For those of us who have shoebox condos so tiny that we’re bound to stub our toes when we walk from bed to bathroom, any space-saving hack is certainly welcome. Read on to find how Kriz made a hanging corner shelf, to maximize that vertical space that usually is considered…
Colors from nature will never go out of style. With many glued to their phones and more time spent indoors, people are now looking for ways to bring the outdoors in, especially urban dwellers who live in high-rise condos. While plants are great natural accessories to add to your home,…
What are the tools you need to scrape paint? Wire Brush Manual Paint Scraper Heat Gun Oscillating Paint Scraper Paint scraping tools are essential for removing old paint. Each one plays a valuable role in your DIY home renovation endeavor. Painting over loose, peeling, and crumbling paint will result in…
One of the four palettes of Boysen Color Trend 2020 is KINSHIP. It embodies HUMAN CONNECTION. ROOTS. INCLUSIVITY. The Artwork for KINSHIP The inspiration for this artwork comes from several sources. The artist said, I remembered that scene from ‘Stepmom’ where Susan Sarandon’s character made a quilt for her daughter.…
People have been asking us in social media when we were going to come out with the Boysen Color Trend 2020 palettes. Unlike other companies, our tradition is to launch Boysen Color Trend in March. Visit us at the Interior & Design Manila from March 12 to 14 at the…