IN THE MORNING OF THE TIGER
» 2010 January-February • Welcoming 2010•

Malipayong Bag-ong Tu-ig! After the fireworks and the festivities, after the fitful sleep that follows an evening of wonderful food in wonderful company sharing sublime wine, after kissing (or slapping) 2009 as it leaves on cloven feet, there is the inevitable morning after. 2010 stretches on on clawed feet and yawns, opening sleepy feline eyes to the new year.


Graphic Art by M. Arnado

Greetings to a new year from friends visiting town and family from far away always warms the engine for another 365 days on the go. The first day of work is always the hardest! Nobody can quite pull themselves out of the Christmas languor to hack away at the dredges of last year's assignments. I prefer to accuse the wonderful food that comes with end-of-year celebrations instead.


I'm on my way to perfecting the Palao Family lemon meringue pie. On my way!(via FoodNetwork)

What did I say...I got there!

Plump Californian seedless grapes, queseo goat cheese, and red wine!

• • • • • • •

On the calendar of Very Important Events, up this March is the Cebu Next [»] furniture show. We have been participating in the Cebu show for as long as we have been active in the industry, in whatever name and incarnation it was christened in. I remember how it used to be PIFS Cebu; a younger sister, fledgling exhibition that took off from the older PIFS (Philippine International Furniture Show) Manila. To give it a distinct name of its own, at some point in the 90's we all came together and decided that "Cebu-X" would be more fitting––an exhibition place, a factor to consider in the macroscopic outlook of furniture design, a playful enigma, a dynamic, chemical reaction.

It has been so far the most important show for us, which is why apart from the Salone show in Milano, we always hustle and bustle for the March deadline. The crisis has not been kind to anyone in any industry, and it's not surprising to find even major fairs missing some prime exhibitors in the area. Exhibitors, and visitors too; technology has allowed negotiations between buyer and manufacturer to commence online, saving the latter time and money in flying back and forth.

Tutt glows patiently while the backdrop and other props are prepared for shooting.

A far cry from how I remember we did it, when Gus and I began this business in the really early 90's. In fact, there was a lot of rifling to do to produce a product shot, and a lot of fuss for a photoshoot! These days it's as simple as getting the perfect light, pointing, and clicking. That's not to say that shooting days pass by in a humdrum thrum of inactivity! Where the negatives and developing have gone, Photoshop has taken over. While old-school photographers and film affectionados have something to say about this, I am quite happy with how it has allowed a greater majority access to techniques, and a taste of artistry that has been, until then, unreachable.

Staff adjusting the makeshift reflectors as Gus tries for the shot

Well, with everything hurtling into the final days before the show, there is hardly any breathing space left in the office! Not just for myself, but for everybody. We will be releasing the first wave of our 2010 campaign shortly, so watch out for that!

•

»»All photos (except Meringue Pie lifted from Foodnetwork) taken by K. Batiquin.

Labels: 2010, cebu-x, events-new year

---

THE SHOW GOES ON
» 2009 April • Reflections on Cebu X part 1

CONSUMMATUM EST. It's finally over! I say this with a huge sigh of relief, and immediately imagine myself kicking off the killer heels, falling into a soft, warm bed on a cool, pleasantly windy evening (with the smells of gastronomic temptations wafting in from the kitchen––maybe intense spice-flavoured dishes?). Gus will have slipped in a warm bossanova beat that will carry on from the living room, and I will be faced with a momentous decision (like all decisions those who have entered Cebu X faced): to get up and eat, or to succumb to a few sweet hours of rest?



Sweet rest is definitely what I've missed the weeks prior to the show. While it's to be expected that the attendance both of the exhibitors and the visitors would definitely not equal to the numbers of prior years, that certainly doesn't mean decreasing one's standards in terms of designs or performing halfheartedly just because there's only one seat taken in the opera house, as they say.

On the contrary; the more the wheels need to turn, the more the song needs to play on! This year's show was peaceful; that is to say at least we didn't have to worry about unwanted stragglers hovering around the booths being difficult! As with most shows, however, Gus and my sister, Marian, are the ones who man the booth at the forefront. I am at the homebase, where the bigger collections, an afternoon of business and slightly-not-so-business related chats are waiting with me (and coffee, freshly brewed!) I can only ever go around during the last day, visit my friends in the industry (some of whom come all the way from somewhere else in the Visayas to show).

This year, the sentinels of the stand have been joined by Carmen, my sister, and K, my niece. The latter, in particular, has been helping me with many of the preparations, appropriations, and concoctions related to the show. Baby steps for now, but that is what we all start with; I can still remember my own crude inventions before properly assessing them with a technical perspective. Last year's show had her helping out with the Hako [»] concepts; this year an unprecedented surprise in the form of the MUGNA Nomination for Contemporary Furniture marked another year of progress. Like me, she is learning the ropes in furniture design on-the-job; her background as an English major and her exposure to other fields of communication and art is also an interesting addition to the fold.

• • • • • •

What other better way to welcome the end of another show's run (and the Japanese say 'お疲れ様でした!' to congratulate and encourage each other), than to hear from friends from around the world? I am very glad to know that despite the struggling currencies "of a rapidly bankrupt world" as they say, still many have positive and proactive approaches in abundance.

Recently our friends from Abaca, India, paid us a visit, and this time it was our turn to give back to them what was a wonderful experience last year. 'Karma' is also another word for wonderful recapitulations, and almost immediately coinciding with this was the publication of InsideOutside India [»] which my friend Devyani Jaykar edits. I met her during my visit to Mumbai, and besides talking about furniture and all things interior-design, she asked if her journal could feature my house in one of its spreads. There is a trend amongst designers to evoke balanced atmosphere in the space evoking tropical, down-to-earth yet homely and sharp interiors.

When it comes to my own house I simply want to create for myself a space where I can be myself. As unextraordinary as this response may be, it is truest and the sole reason why my house looks the way it does. You could say I've prepared it for Debbie, after she's home tired from playing the boss or tired of her heels and just wants to listen to music whilst relaxing in the lounge area.


• • • • • •

Two things to keep in mind in what my friend calls "survival mode". On the one hand, careful strategy must be applied to the managing of the books, the work systems...the "dirty job". All hands on deck; not a minute should be spent idle. On the other hand, after work hours, what to do with all the time? Open space after a tight squeeze; suddenly evenings are free from after-hour appointments, and hours stretch in a surprisingly languid manner after being cramped for so long. So what to do? Far fro distressing, I prefer to 'de-stress'; that is, to carefully analyse and recapitulate back to these "dirty jobs", and fix loose ends.

Of course, with a calming cup of tea on the side, or for that matter, a nice, slim glass of Chardonnay. And while one is at it, why not pick up a copy of the wonderful ESPACIOS book on interior design that my friend from Panama has graciously forwarded? Besides the refreshing view of South American furnishings, there is much one can learn with regards to achieving a balance between a homely space, and a lavish entertaining area.


from Espacios [»]



• • • • • •

Labels: cebu-x, effervescent-effusions, places-cebu

---

SETTING THE STAGE, PSYCHING THE START
» 2009 February~March
With previews of Cebu-X 2009 Stand

This is it: Cebu-X 2009. It will be the 19th year for me to join this international event (to be held in the Waterfront Hotel Cebu [»] from 5th~8th March), but this year is crucial in many ways. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as Cebu's struggle to continue doing what it is known for doing, despite the widening global problem: designing good furniture. Designing in a time of recession puts to light many important aspects of the process. Never before has it been vitally important to focus on every single detail, from the production to the costings, to the overall theme and presentation.



Of course such meticulousness must always be applied in any and all events, but given the more apparent and startling changes over the global economy in the past months, export has moved up to a different level. On our end, we've decided to treat it differently. It will definitely be a slightly sombre furniture féte compared to the years before, but that will hardly keep a crowd from collecting.


We've decided to focus primarily on a central theme this year, which holds both universal and yet very intimate meaning to each one of us: the human figure and its various interpretations.



Furniture has come a long way from being simply a chair thrown in to the side of a room, or a table to be piled high with miscellany. Furniture has come to interpret lifestyles; life-style in turn illustrates the personalities of persons from all cultures and mind-sets, seaming them together or putting them in stark but lovely contrast.





I hope to see you there!

Labels: cebu-x, gearing-up, places-cebu

---

NEW YEAR, NEW STAGES, NEW CHALLENGES
» 2009 January

And before anyone else knew it, 2009 rolled along. While 2008 was undoubtedly a year that kept the world on its toes––what with world events both pleasant and shocking changing things radically––there was much to learn from it. Some pressing challenges for everyone this time: the economy and the environment. This is probably one of the few times that virtually everyone in every sector of society has something both at stake, and something to contribute to solving the problem. I'd like to think of this in a positive way; that it's something to put people together.



I'd like to think of it in terms of rearranging a big, hard-to-manage house; there are pieces one needs to take out to make room for the new, there are pieces which simply need repair, there's an entire wall that has to be broken down––to expand space. There'll be a lot of noise, and there'll be people who will not be comfortable with it, but everyone needs to pitch in. And at the end of the day, something shall have changed, and something shall have been accomplished. New links shall have been made; new connections, stronger ones out of old relations.



This year, I think it's time we become truer to ourselves. This year I think it's time to start clean; a white slate, a pristine space to fill, a clear, uninhibited perspective. A year to keep moving; fresh ideas flowing, a pace that never hurries, never rests. That is what I will keep in mind as I prepare for this year's opening show.



On that end, there have been plenty of preparations for the next big show: Cebu-X [»], which will be from the 5th~8th of March. I've been preparing several things for this event.

Labels: cebu-x, gearing-up, places-cebu

---