Samar House

9.11.2009

9.05.2009

Barely two weeks and the lotus didn't show any sign of trauma from the Manila to Catarman travel. In fact, it showed its love for its new home by blooming huge lotus flower to Mama's delight and the residents of the Cubes.

Lotuses love the sun. It needs at least six hours of full sun a day, and Catarman certainly gave it much more than it expected. This shot was taken very early in the morning after my plane touched down in Samar. Notice another bud growing in the background.

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More details...

Detail of the glass lamp and ornate mirror in Mama's living room.

Mama's dining are with heliconias from Mana Mila's garden.

Mana Mila, Mama's ever faithful sidekick taking a break in the undeveloped part of the garden.

Detail of the Mommy's sidetable now in my room.

Buddha's belly, a rarity in the province, we finally found in Nene Doctor's garden. She readily gave me a young offshoot.

Potted stargazers Mama bought locally. Behind them are details of her home.

More stargazers...

Butterfly plant on Mama's dining table.

Full grown lotuses that I personally brought from Manila. These lotuses were imported from Bangkok by growers in Paranaque. They're just waiting to bloom. Beside it are horse tails that I brought year ago, thriving like anything in the Samar sun.

Cicad, don't know if I spelled it right. Looks like prehistoric plants to me.

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Details of the Garden

Variegated 'badjang' or elephant ears, which are considered common in the province. But I still insisted on them. Leni, who owns the local garden shop gave this to me, among other plants, after we purchased so much from her!

A variegated tea plant, which I find very elegant.

Close up of another badjang.

Full shot of the badjang that grew wild in Daddy's property and survived the construction. i had it replanted near the house.

A growing tree fern that I had transplanted from interiors of the forests to Mama's garden.

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Landscaping the Cubes: September 4, 2009

Fortunately, a few of Mama's orchids were in bloom when we were creating the gardens.

A full grown Traveler's palm greets you as you enter the main driveway.

A view of the Half Cube, with the pond water-proofed.

Greens abound outside the utility area.

The pocket garden on the West wall more lush than before.

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Update September 5, 2009

It's been some time since I've updated this site. I've been busy transporting stuff from Manila to the province. The details are more laborious, but equally exciting. I've been transporting lotuses, lilies, orchids, for Mama's garden. I've also been bringing accessories, tables and chairs (new and old), table tops, stone, lamps, appliances, paintings, linens - practically anything that would make the house comfortable for relatives, guests and me!

So here are the latest pictures of what's happening in the Cube and Half Cube:

The wall outside being finished with local stone. We took pains in looking for stone from the province. Not only is it practical, but it gives the structure more meaning when local materials are used.

The interior wall of the main driveway is done. What Fabian has to do is pour muriatic acid to take out the cement on the stones, then finish with an emulsion.

A view of the the Cube, with the pond, a work in progress, as foreground.

A view of the Half Cube and a worker planting more foliage.

I bought fully grown palm trees to frame the courtyard and give immediate shade to the very stark space. More plants are seen on the far end and below the palms, all of them tropical so it's easy to maintain while keeping a sense of place.

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4.13.2009

HALF CUBE UPDATE: April 4, 2009

So here are the other details of the almost finished Half Cube.

The sliding doors are now working.

View through the sliding doors of the Cube.

Happy to see the three sisters together, exploring the new house; Auntie Edith visiting from the States, Mama in red and Auntie Thelma hidden by mother.

Sliding windows have been installed in all rooms.

Glass doors to the pocket garden and a lavatory waiting to be hanged!

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CUBE UPDATE: April 06, 2009

We're almost there!
The windows have been installed. The bathrooms are almost done. The wooden flooring and ceramic tiles are complete. The sinks are taking shape. The doors have been primed and installed. The concrete tiles are to be set on the courtyard. I've finally agreed on the grills for security reasons. Fabian is currently fabricating them and will install them.

The facade.

View of the very open dining and living area.

A detail of the staircase to the roofdeck from Mama's room.

A shot from the landing of the stairs right above the dining area.

Railing under construction.

What a dirty kitchen. For now.

A glimpse of the powder room.

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4.03.2009

RESTORATION

My mother is a hoarder. She will accept anything from s children. She will bring home from Manila anything we think is useless or broken. Most of the time, somehow the most of the junk has always a nook and a space in her old house. It's difficult for Mama to part from things that have grown old with her, even if it's a 10-year old Vaseline moisturizer, its contents turned into a murky grey substance or a Planter Cheez Curls Can, probably older than her first great grandson Keith, displayed along with her hundreds of wedding giveaways in her old tocador.

So can you imagine if we even suggest that we provide new furniture for her new home?

We never thought of that. In fact right from the very beginning, we imagined a modern house filled with old furniture, heirloom pieces or not, would emphasize the modern country concept.

We then started taking an inventory of Mama's furniture and contracted Eddie, the best carpenter in town to help us restore and enhance most of the existing furniture.