Hyper Holiday

I have been in an extremely hypnagogic state for the last couple of weeks. A week of jetlag, the onslaught of work, chores, and errands are beating me down. My dear father, who I'm missing terribly, thinks it's due to the following reasons: I'm better fed at home, pampered with massages and acupuncture, didn't have to do any sort of physical labor (his term for basic household chores), and lived like a lady of leisure. Shades of a perfectly marbled cow's life seem so distant now as I type away from the kitchen counter listening to the dishwasher hum.

I remarked to Melanie, one of my best friends from college, that I am so unlike this. To which she replied, lamentably, "it's our age, dearie." Having recently turned 35, I shuddered at the thought while lying in bed. Vanity immediately got me back on my feet as I reached out for La Mer's Eye Balm Intense on my night stand ready to regain my footing.

Just emptied my postal box the other day and still opening a few holiday surprises. Christmas in March is still ok in my book as long as the weather is below 50F, though we've been having some spring flings at 70F the past days. Just as well, it suits  flashbacks of my charmed hyper holiday which started last mid December in New York....

 Irwin Feld Design's It's A Snow Day

 material development research at a glitzy showroom

 slipped into BG to pick up resort Louboutins

 and stepped out in time to marvel at the 
Unicef Baccarat snowflake

photo credit
Arrived Cebu in time for my birthday surprise

cleverly crafted by best friend Joanna Lhuillier

with the help of other besties

 then along came Christmas

 New Year crept up soon after

 

watching the fireworks

 with my family

from the garden 

 was magical

It was the end of a very interesting decade, 

to say the least.

so much to be thankful for

more to look forward to

 

everyday is a reason to celebrate 

no matter what...

goals. resolutions. plans

are recorded

in the hopes that they will spring 

to life from these pages

make time for family and friends

nurture oneself

unlock a few mysteries along the way

make dreams happen

create. sing. dance

 

days and nights are passing too quickly

2011 has been off to an amazing start

but there are days when I feel I'm not doing enough.

i'm happy to realize that i've been living my sage friend's advice

on his annual holiday card:

"find and fill in the blanks to your taste"

My dear friend, Jean Moraros, creates a beautiful holiday card every year.  I posted his last card here. He is an artist in many ways with a beautiful soul. His aura and peaceful sensibility radiates.  It is a delight to open his card in March as I'm stressing out about work. A healthy reminder that I have been  doing what I'm supposed to be doing and always at the right time and place even when it doesn't seem to gel on days like this. Click on the photo to enlarge so you can seek your own adventure as well.

p.s. Hyper Holiday not over yet....will be sharing about our Cebu Mardi Gras in January and Lunar New Year

Christmas Hope:It Takes A Village

Georgina and Clayton Tugonon

It all started with Georgina wanting to have a White Christmas in the tropics. With her penchant for collecting, it soon became a Christmas Village with almost lifelike snow. When her husband, Clayton, stepped in, it became a working Christmas Village with motors and water running and lights everywhere. We used to visit their house and see the spectacle every year. If Clayton Tugonon seems familiar to some of you, he is also a SNUG designer and designs the very organic hand inlaid pieces. Last year, they adopted the Kythe Foundation. Kythe is a Scottish word which means healing through simple sharing and togetherness. It provides psychosocial care to sick children in hospitals especially those stricken with cancer. 

Marco Polo Plaza Hotel GM Hans Hauri, Sr. ______, the Tugonons

They partnered with Marco Polo Hotel and staged the scene in one little corner at the lobby. To raise funds for the cause, donations for each house was five thousand pesos (almost a hundred dollars in today's conversion). Donors' names were then printed on each house. It was so well supported that the event raised about a million pesos. Spurred to success, it is bigger and better this year. Georgina and Clayton Tugonon bought more houses for the village and as of last update, they have now raised almost 2 million pesos. If I'm not mistaken, a senator just pledged 5 million pesos. Here are photos from the set up to the final idyllic display. 

some of the volunteers

The kids getting ready to go on stage.

I got a furniture store and naturally, a shoe store :-)

Fun to play a holiday version of Second Life for a cause.

The outreach continues at other times of the year. Sometimes, the kids are treated to their favorite fastfood place, Jollibee. It's the Philippine version of McDonald's and trumps McD's in ratings.

picnics

joyrides with the car club in their beetles or sports cars

kids get to pick their favorite colors

followed by a snack at La Marea, our favorite dessert place

Breakfast with the kids will be the highlight of my day on December 20th.

For more information, please see Christmas Hope 

Another activity by Kythe is the Unity in Diversity Christmas Tree Project 

"An expression of all things unified without uniformity and diversified without division", the theme is Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree! Unity in Diversity. 

The hotel Dusit Thani Manila put together a symbolism of oneness by gathering a distinctive ensemble of Christmas Trees created by

 twelve individuals and companies by providing their very own symbolic Christmas Tree that best evokes their existence in the industry they are in.

Tessa Prieto Valdes's Christmas tree showcases diverse world-class Filipino fashion design through Barbie dolls. Each doll has been embellished with the finest fabrics and jewels representing each of the designer's exquisite fashion design sense including students of Slim's Fashion and Arts School. Tessa's beneficiary is the school of Fr. Gerard in Sorsogon that has over 300 young kids which needs better lights and ventilation. 

Dubbed the "Little Black Tree", Celine Lopez's Christmas tree is inspired by the Little Black Dress of Coco Chanel. Just like the LBD, the tree is intended to be classic, versatile, and accessible. Moreover, the Little Black Tree is similar to the LBD's indispensability and ubiquity, and is designed as simply as possible, adorned with white roses. Her chosen charity is the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women (CATW), which promotes women's human rights.

The Sharing Tree by Lifestyle Asia and joined by designer Junjun Ablaza is made up of wood products, traditional agricultural and garden tools, rakes, hoes, scythes, sickles, baskets and watering cans speaks of the relationship between the gardener and his garden. Lifestyle Asia is a proponent for the best of living which is marked by an elegance of spirit and supports the Make A Wish Foundation.

HSBC Christmas tree is fashioned from bamboo painted white with hand carved niches for candles. Designed by prominent export entrepreneur and artist Al Caronan, the red and white tree is decorated with stars made from plastic water bottles and ornaments hand sewn by the young girls of Tahanan Sta. Luisa. HSBC has been a long-time partner and supporter of Childhope Asia and Tahanan Sta. Luisa and lauds their efforts to provide these girls with a healthy home environment and brighter futures.

The House of Laurel Christmas tree, joint effort between Rajo Laurel and its beneficiary RAGS2RICHES, uses salvaged objects such as wire hangers, scrap metal, scrap fabric, old twine and colored paper. The tree is spiral-shaped with wire hangers designed in to look like wings, carrying the dreams and wishes of the impoverished community of Payatas, whose able hands all contributed in the creation of the tree.

The Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Christmas tree features multi-media materials to represent unity in diversity. Among the materials used are dried Durian rind from Gongoog City, Pili Nuts from Iriga City and the dried mini Formosan Pineapple harvested from Daet, Camarines Norte and many more. LPU believes that the collecting and gathering of materials from nature's unwanted and discarded objects can be productive and economical or a beneficial entrepreneurial endeavor. LPU has chosen LPU Scholarships and Grants as their beneficiary - an organization providing tuition grants and discounts to the brightest and most talented students of the school.

Canon incorporates their technologies in their Christmas tree design, and the bridges that they have helped build and strengthen. Canon also re-imagines the moments where they have induced the most basic, yet considered to be the most beautiful indicator that they have been successful in our business and social mission, a SMILE. Canon further takes inspiration from their beneficiary organization, Kythe, which strengthens children's determination to battle cancer and other chronic illnesses. And in return, help them have a happy and memorable childhood, the moments that Canon is passionate in immortalizing through their products.

School of Fashion and the Arts, SOFA, built and designed their Christmas tree from used water bottles for the leaves, hand cut by the maximum security inmates of the Muntinlupa prison. The Christmas ornaments were made by the fashion students of SoFA which include pin cushions, dolls, stars, hearts, and other jewel-toned and silver accent materials. SoFA's chosen beneficiary is the group of talented and promising young designers, whose passion and skills overshadow their lack of educational funding, are developed to be the designers that they truly are through the SoFA scholarship program.

Thai-inspired Christmas tree by Rachy Cuna as commissioned by Thai Airways International to showcase the "Thainess" of its airline and nation to the Filipinos. It incorporates the corporate colors of purple, pink, and yellow reflects the corporate identity of the airline and the unique culture and traditions of Thailand. Thai Airways supports the GMA Kapuso Foundation which places focus on Health, Disaster Relief, Education and Values Formation.

Teddy Manuel's Christmas tree is a chandelier of blown glass balls, various blooms and lights. Hand blown glass balls are individually hung to form the shape of a Christmas tree. Each glass ball represents one person, unified into one beautiful output to shape the country, no matter what social and economic background he or she may have. The chosen foundation for Teddy Manuel Flowers and Events is Sagip Buhay Foundation which provides free medicine to indigent patients at the medical wards and ICUs of the Philippine General Hospital.

Tesoro's Christmas tree consists of new products such as their table -- top trees made from local nuts and twigs, tree trimso of miniature baskets, Christmas balls and hats and twine of Capiz. Their "Pamaskong Pilipino" theme reflect a Christmas tree that is both traditional and contemporary, the best of Filipino creativity. Tesoro's chosen beneficiary is Carewell The Cancer Resource and Wellness Community which provides free support to those diagnosed with cancer and their families.

The Tim Yap tree is made of 100% recycled materials from the twigs of the tree to the fabric and buttons used for the Red Cross dolls that embellish the sculpture. The charity dolls were made by youth volunteers from fabric and excess materials from factories into creative little toys. Red Cross is Tim Yap's chosen beneficiary.

The hotel invites all its in-house and dining guests as well as Facebook friends to cast their votes for the best Christmas Tree, where a a hundred thousand pesos will be donated to the winning entry’s chosen charity.