After one and a half years, I’m finally leaving Manila and moving back home (I make it sound like I’m traveling far haha but really I’m just moving an hour slash two cities away). Moving to this place was an exciting venture for me – before moving here, I stayed in the smallest room ever (sixteen square meters, you guys…) for six months, and before that, I stayed in basically a college dorm with my brother, surrounded by college kids (it was not fun being cramped into an elevator clad in my flight attendant uniform and standard red lips, surrounded by youth. My red lips definitely did not make me feel one of them).
This place was the one I really settled into, the one that felt like home. So much so that a year and a half later, it’s filled with stuff that I had bought myself. A part of me was hesitant on even spending for this place, but if I was gonna stay in it for more than a year, I may as well make it homey, right?
I often get asked why I’m even renting when I don’t live too far from our office. I guess when I was new I wanted to make sure I would always be on time for work and wouldn’t have to stress over EDSA traffic; and I wouldn’t have to compromise a few minutes of sleep (those few minutes you get to snooze are life, you know). Going into my third year, I’ve established a proper routine, and have a concrete sense of how fast I can get ready and how long it takes to get to the office, so I guess it makes sense to finally go home. I will miss those crucial extra minutes in bed, though…
I’ve always been into interior design too, but I never really had an outlet to exercise my love for it. This room was kinda that for me. Of course, I knew this wasn’t my own place; so I made sure I didn’t spend too much and stuck within a budget. Most of all the furniture I bought were from Ikea, H&M Home or just the department store. You can say it’s on the cheaper spectrum, but I don’t feel like the room turned out looking cheap at all. I quite love it, actually. So… a mini tour before I say goodbye, shall we? (Not saying this room is Pinterest-worthy… this is mostly just for my memories. xx)
Left: what greets you when you enter the room – my shoe storage, some frames (which I did not bother to fix for this photo apparently, oops), and Heartleaf, my heartleaf philodendron (creative name, huh). Growing this one has not been the easiest, but I suspect it’ll thrive more in the new place I’m moving to, which will hopefully have more light and less dust.
The first half of the studio: the dining/kitchen area + my clothes rack. The thing with living in a studio is everything pretty much mixes with each other. But that kinda makes it interesting, I feel. On the left I’ve got a clothes rack so I can easily access my work uniform; Lilly, my Peace Lilly plant (another round of applause for my impeccable naming), and my ukulele (which I admit is quietly gathering dust sitting there – but it’s lovely to know I can just grab it when I want to chill). On the right, my dining set and kitchen. In the one and a half years I stayed here, I probably cooked less than ten times. My boyfriend has come over and cooked for me more, definitely, bless him. But 90% of the time, it’s food delivery that’s served on my table. (God, I miss lutong bahay so much…)
I loooove how Lilly along with my other plants just give life to the place. Lilly is from a local online plant shop called Nest Plant Studio, while Heartleaf (and a cactus you’ll spot in a photo of my balcony below) is from Tierra Plants. Momo, my monstera, I sourced from a plant shop along White Plains. I used to have a Fiddle Leaf Fig, but it unfortunately died (and what an expensive death…). Also: absolutely adore these rose gold hangers I got from London. Another sidenote: I am devoted to candles (on my table currently: P. F. Candle Co.’s Coconut Grove Soy Candle, which I got from Urban Outfitters in California.)
My vanity + work area. I still find it important to have a space where I can work, despite me no longer really working in the creative industry anymore. I do plan on getting back to freelancing and practicing graphic and web design again, but saving that for later, when I’ve taken enough of a breather from my previous toxic projects (freelancing in the Philippines is incredibly frustrating, you guys, but that’s a story for another day). For now, this space is where I work on a little business, write on this online journal that you’re currently reading, edit my photos and videos, and finance management. I like to be organized, if you can’t already tell (I am a little ashamed of how untidy this looks at the moment, actually; but I couldn’t really be bothered to make it look perfect. The reality is homes do not always look Pinterest-clean.)
Then we have the second half of the room. My sleeping slash Netflix-binging area. I cannot stress enough how important proper sleep is in a flight attendant’s life. I am so very appreciative of having my own space. I can just imagine resting after a flight and being interrupted by people’s noises (at our family home, this is usual – getting woken up by alarms here and there, loud music, vacuum cleaning, etc) and boy, as a light sleeper, my reactions would not be pretty. People associate this job with glamour and travel, but have no idea of the physical (and emotional) demands at work. (For example: my mom, accompanying me on a doctor’s appointment yesterday because I am back with my infamous cough, told my doctor I was not planning on staying in my job long. I said, “I’m tired,” and she replied with a chuckle, “After two years.” Flight attendants will understand, but people just have absolutely no idea.) Call me spoiled for wanting my own cocoon. I. need. my. uninterrupted. rest.
Anyway – back to the tour. My piano’s here too, but I admit it’s suffering the same fate as my ukulele (one day I will reconnect with these babies again, I promise…). I’ve relocated my mirror here as well, which doubles as my bag holder.
On top of my bed: a letterboard from a local shop, with a nice little reminder to be patient, kind, loving, and gentle. My bed is a single oak bed from Ikea (the side table too). The comfiest linen sheets are from my happy place, H&M Home.
Next to the bed is a balcony, where I’m luckily always treated to a nice sunset view.
I’m going to miss this place for sure, but I’m excited to move home and decorate the new place. It’s mostly going to be the same furniture because I don’t really wanna spend too much again, but I can’t wait to switch things around and play. 🙂 x
Amazing shots and very nice composition. it really takes you in as if you were there walking with the author. Hope your next would be even more homey.