Cramming Again!

Work has been awfully busy this days, I have been attending to customers all day long. Since Ramadan started, the sales people who should be attending to the walk-in-customers has almost become non-existent. Understandably because they need to preserve their energy since they don't eat nor drink all day long. So every time a customer comes in I automatically stands up and assist them while choosing their tiles. my job description as an "designer" is to design. So most of the time I am glued to my laptop as I finish a design board for a proposal, but occasionally, I am also expected to become a "sales lady", or even a "kargador" if needed. It has been very busy at the shop and the real sales ladies are always gone. So in the past week, it has been a very busy day for me. The Interior design that I am working on that should have been finished a week ago is still on going. I can barely have a 5 minute rest, or even sit on my chair the whole day. Its as if I am a crew in a fastfood chain, running from one location to the next. So here I am, cramming to finish the proposal for tomorrow 10 am meeting. I don't think I will be able to sleep at all tonight, and I stayed up late all week nights because daddy always wants to chat and see me. Whew! So got to go, and continue my work. I will be leaving you with the Living room Design board, still have to do 10 more rooms.

Choosing your Paint

Color may make or break you room. Most make a mistake of trying to choose their paint color as what they have seen on TV or on the magazine. Yes, this media are a good source of inspiration, but it is extremely tricky to choose exactly the same color as your inspirational room. Most often than not they end up having a room with a color too dull or too bright for what they expected. What most people do not consider is that this rooms as featured in TV's and magazines are designed by professionals such as Architect's and Interior designers, not too mention lighting was enhance further by a very able photographer. First things first, do not expect your room to look as great as those in magazines, especially if you do not have the extremely high budget that they used to come up with that. But, do not lose hope, we can still come up with a beautiful room even if we do not have that much money, all we need is a srpinkle of imagination and a bowl full of resourcefulness.

Lets go back to colors. First, is that you have to come up with a concept, you should know what you like and stick with it. Sure you can come up with electic design, where a lot of inspirations are rolled into one, but this is very hard to pull off. An experienced designer may have difficulty in pulling this off, much more a neophyte. So let's stick to one concept, a good basis for a design concept is your personality. If you are the laid back type, who doesn't like much clutter, it would be best to lean your design towards modern minimalist, or zen asian designs. If you are the artistic, energetic type, then a colorful more vibrant design will suit you. Lastly, if you are not sure yet, I suggest you go to the safe side, not too dull, but not too funky.

My rule of thumb is to use the half tone, this can go either way, its color but not color over all. Just a splash of it. Just a touch. Do not go over bored with the color that you might end up with a bedroom that looks like McDonalds.

If you are relying on a paint swatch, pick the 2nd tone from the darkest. So instead of choosing a vibrant red use the melon pink, just a notch from the darkest. You may still use the vibrant red, but be sure that it is just one wall or else it will be too overwhelming. Another thing is you can choose a favorite dress or bag, and use that as your basis, if you like the coordinates so much ang you have lived with it for a long time chances are it is good coordination of colors that will also look good on your wall.

Lastly have fun, if you chose the wrong color, what the heck you can paint it over.

Modern Nuetral Bedroom Designs

I am working on a new Project right now, Interior Design for a young executive. So far, what he gave me as basis is just the plan and he wanted it bright and clean. More on modern minimalist design. As color theme all he told me is that he want to keep it on the neutral tone. So far here are some of the 3D that I have made. I will have to submit a color swatch and sample pictures of the materials to be used since my software doesn't get the exact color that I wanted. Most of the 3D looks yellowish which I didn't intend to. I need a little more tweaking on this.

Design for International School Brunei - Canteen

A very simple design for International School Brunei- Canteen. The existing facade is very simple, no design at all, just a tarp for the Signage is added. This is a low budget project so the owner just wants to spice it up a little and add something to brighten up the place. So I added a drop ceiling in wood veneer with recessed halogen lights. He originally wants some hanging lights but I think it will just add more obstructions to the existing wild wires above. So I opted to cover it up with the drop ceiling and add more lights. To add more color, I added some menu board at the top and above the window.

Meragang Interior Design Board

Online business

Since I recently figured out that this site actually attracts more readers about home improvement articles. Writing blog about architecture, interior design and decorating can actually help me with my design online business. I have to do a feasibility study on this one first, I have so much more to learn. Which articles are being read which are not generating traffic, so I have been reading a few article about design, decorating and try to check how they composed the articles that will not sound to technical nor to artsy. So this is one of the articles about decorating. It talks about choosing the right color for the bedroom. Brunei has a very laid back culture, so choosing the right color for a bedroom is very important as you can see in my previous post about my recent project. The color scheme is very simple, as well as the interior design itself, but I received a lot of complements from this project. The client and the rest are saying that its the best they have seen so far, even saying that it is the new "standard" for housing in Brunei, the rest of the new housing development should be at par with my design.

I will be scanning some more articles from this site, and I'll be back with to tell you about it.

Successful Interior Design Project

This is my very first project in Brunei, I am very thankful that it was very successful. The client and the rest of the Housing Development Department loved what I've done. I'll share the pictures first and tell you more about it later.

Updating my Blog

So far this is how my header reads

This is all about the sweet.. pretty.. and most of the time naughty 2 yr old girl Jea. Lots of anecdotes about her everyday adventure. All her first.. some are funny.. some are terrifying...but most are cute stuff and treasured memories...

needless to say this is already obsolete. First, my daughter is now 6 years old. Wow! I have to take a deep breath after realizing that, that means this blog has been in existence for at least 4 years already. This definitely not an
SEO blog, heck I only started this blog to get through my depression. Safe to say, I am not depressed anymore, in fact I am so happy with how life is treating me for the past months. There are a lot of reasons to be happy now, and I am so thankful for all the blessings. So now I'm back I have new wonderful stories to tell, I don't know much about blogging anymore so I need some
SEO tips from CqWen.

Blogger Newbie

I've been out of the blogging world for so long, that it feels like I am a newbie. Heck, I dont even know how to go around the new blogger format. I like it, I have to relearn navigating through it though, but I like it. It is user friendly and gives more information about my blogs traffic, visitors, referrers etc.

This way we know more about our own blogs. Its interesting that the post that is most visited on this site http:www.sweetpretynaughty.blogspot.com is the glam nails- design board, and rest house design which means this site actually gets more visit for the design related post and not the parenting, blogging or mommy stuff which this blog is intended for. I also have another blog that talks more about design, but for some reason it doesn't get much attention. So now, I know that I have to write more design stuff here also and hopes to get more attention and ultimately more traffic, therefore higher page rank. 


by the way, can somebody help  me take out the "read more" on my posts? its easy to do it before, but with the new blogger settings.. I'm lost.. please help.....

The Architect in ME

Since my world is now more about Architecture as I try to develop my career I recently updated my forgotten blog. architectespino.blogspot.com. It is a blog where I share my thoughts about, architecture, interior design, construction, project management and everything in between. I will share as much information as I can to explain things about this topics. My first post is about colors, how to choose, what to choose. Where to get your inspirations and all. So I hope you can all visit it from time to time. Do it as a gift for me. It is my birthday today!

Aggregator here I come!!

Have you heard of Aggregator? It is the new thing in blogging, I have read a lot of blog aggregators by FeedCluster.com. If only I had more time for blogging I should have known this for quite sometime. This new thing on the net is very interesting. More and more bloggers are joininng in. I joined already and I am having fun getting to know more about it.

I really wish I have more time to blog again. I miss blogging, I miss my blogger friends, heck I even miss plurk. But I also love what I do, I love my profession, I love being an architect. I love that I can still find people who actually respect architects, what we do, what we are trying to share to them. I am happy to meet such wonderful clients, they are so nice and they even pay almost immediately, that is maybe so because I charge really low. I am not complaining about my really low charge, I am just happy to practice my profession again.

Antipolo Rest House

This is what I've been doing, I thought I'd share it to all of you. This is just in preliminary stage, meaning I still have a lot of work to do on it so bare with me please. I appreciatre your feedback. The concept is a Modern Tropical Design, located on the peak of Antipolo with lots of view. I would like to take advantage of the view that is why there is a lot of windows and view decks.

Rest House Design

My next project is to design a rest house for a retiree. His lot is on a sloping class A subdivision in Antipolo. It is a really nice property on top of the whole subdivision a really nice view. His lot is located on a U-shape road, meaning his house is surrounded by the road and is will be the only one house on that block. A perfect project to showcase my design. Perfect for me, a really nice location with a really good view, a nice client with a good taste and no budget to consider. The client is filthy rich and just wanted to build his dream house befure he dies. The best part is that if he likes my design on this project he still commission me to do the design for the other project, this time a Duplex Residential for his kids. I am thinking of a Modern Oriental feel for his house and just spice it up with a few western furniture.

Type rest of the post here

How's the weather

I know I've been absent for awhile, but as I said I am just too busy. I got 2 new projects, my own. A Residential Renovation in Paranaque and an Interior Design Project in Makati. I still have tons of work in the office, I still have to go to office on all of the Holidays. Even on Maundy Thursday and Black Friday. Surprisingly, I have been adapting well, other than the new pimples on my forehead I think I still feel good healthwise, even if I only get 3 to 4 hours of sleep every night. Heck, I still have the energy to write this post. What irritates me more now is the weather, it is so hot! I can't stand the heat, maybe that is another reason why I still can't fall asleep.I wonder if the weather in Arizona real estate is as hot as ours. I hope I will be doing more New Home Developments in the future so that I can earn a lot of moolah.

Missing Blogging

Hi friends, hope you are still visitng my site. I am so busy, and I can't find time to blog. I only had 3 hours of sleep every night, that started last week. I am dead tired and I am still accepting new projects. Hopefully I'll get to do that too. I haven't talked to them yet, but accourding to my client its a 120sqm space for Planet Sports and Ministop. I am so familiar with retail shops, because I used to be a Mall Architect for Robinsons so I am so familiar with all their guidelines, what height, what material to use, what will be the best layout and look that will be so inviting and charming so that the shoppers go in. Hopefully I'll get to do this project too. I am also waiting for the reply for one of my proposal for residential project, hope I get that too. I know, some of you may think, am I killing myself? Hopefully not, I am just building the foundation, hopefully if I stablished that really well I can get to quit my day job and focus on my own Architectural firm.

A few things about little J, she is stock at home, mainly becuase I am too busy to look for summer school for her. I want to enroll her to Kids Ahoy, buy I still can't find time. I also inquired for ballet class, but the scheduled there is just impossible for me to squeeze in. We will be going to a Resort this weekend to celebrate Mama's birthday. Hopefully I can get to enjoy there and not work.

To be or not to be, that is the Question.

I already shared to you about the situation of our company, because of the recession all over the world our company has endured a tremendous blow. Our main clients are the architectural firms from Dubai, but saddly even them has to either lay off some employees, stop construction or close down the company all together. We are a direct hit of the recession, we have been surfing the net for 3 months already, because we don't have anything else to do. We don't get projects at all for months, because of this my boss has already layed off at least 6 employees. I am one of the lucky ones, he believed so much in me that her recommended me to the other company. This other company is really a good one, its the number one Architectural firm in the country, which most "Archi-grad" dreams of getting into. I should be really happy, I should really be greatful, with the confidence that my boss has in me.

I know its a good opportunity for me, its really good for my career, but career is not my top priority. My first and foremost priority is my daughter little J. If I accepted that offer of transfering to the "firm", I know that I will spend very little time with her, I'll be working day and night, weekends and holidays and I really don't want that.

This is my option, I can go freelance and go into private practice. It was an option before but I tend to side to this option moreso now. Why? because I am so blessed, I just closed a Project last week and I will be able to submit the plans next week, which will give me an instant 20K fund for little J saving. I thought I just got lucky, but I am even more luckier now. I just got a new Project that will not only make me earn 20K instantly, but if this works out I will earn 20K every 2 weeks. That doesn't end there, my previous partner just contacted me this afternoon and told me a really good news, my design for an 8 story building intended for another project years ago will probably be used for a new project. The client liked my design that her wanted it for his project, with this one I can easily earn 500K. Of course, this is not sure unless I got the money already, but I was thinking, can this be a sign that I should go on my own now? Let go of the offer of joining a top notch archi-firm? Take the risk of starting out my own? I will meet with my previous partner on Monday, and if he can give me the assurance of pushing thru with the 8-storey project. I will really take the risk of resigning, but then again, I don't trust him that much anymore.

I hope and pray that God will give me a sign of what should I do. Should I let go of the offer of a life time, the sure shot to a better career? Or should I take the riskier option of putting up my own firm, less stable but a lot more fulfilling, not to mention I can still spend more time with little J for our J and J Adventures.

What do you think guys? If you're in my position, what would you do?

Glam Nail Spa- Design Board

Bare with me guys, this design was done in a cramming, panic manner. Did my best, I know I could have done better. So at 4:30 am, I am signing off, with this. A design board promosal for a Nail Spa/ Derm Clinic. My first ever project after a long hiatus. Wish me luck guys! "Arkitekto na ulet ako! Wala na naman akong tulog!"

This is just half of the proposal, the other half is the Derm Clinic, but I wont post it anymore, need to get some sleep! Night! Night!