"Sort Your Life Out"

that's the copy written at the front page of IKEA Aug 2006-Aug 2007 catalogue. very befitting my current state this month of ramadan. i kinda have more time on hand than usual. more energy, more creative juice, and more willpower to put plans into action. i 've always enjoyed tidying up and decorating my space once in a while though i am not really a 'Monica' persona of the famed Friends sitcom. for me, there's just something therapeutic when i know i've uncluttered my stuff... (and not spend hours finding for something that is just right under your nose! whew!...)


I don't exactly remember when i started having this affair with interior decoration, but in my trip to the Philippines last June, I remembered having this collection of Real Living magazines. plus, i have been frequenting home and department stores than clothes and shoe shops! and it seems i have brought this li'l hobby of mine into the next level by seriously themeing our house... growing up outnumbered with boys (i've 3 older brothers) didn't present good opportunities for home decoration, if you know what i mean! so being able to experiment lately and mix-and-match properly and inexpensively, is sheer thrill to me. and the fact that my mom shares the same passion brings unparalled excitement!


IKEA is an intelligent furniture haven which had its beginnings in Sweden, and can now be found across the globe. My first trip to its store in Dubai about three years ago left in me an impressionable mark. i liked the way they creatively educate the customers on their pricing, on manning, and on the designs, making it very informative and customer friendly. every visit will overflow your minds with ideas that will really tickle your fancy. since then, i would regularly get my 'homey retail fix' and even snatch great ideas which comes free when you get their catalogues or when you see their showrooms. i love their smart ideas on how to unclutter your things, and keep a nice home at a very reasonable price! i hope they will have this in the Philippines too, and i'm sure of a friend who will be very ecstatic with this, right Armi? www.ikeauae.com


last month, i started working on my room here in dubai. my first choice for a theme was 'modern' with bold colors of tangerine, turqouise, teal and red. but another trip to IKEA made me think i want 'country'. but then, i really liked tangerine. and then i saw this very nice black and white ensemble for a room! wow, it did not help me 'sort out', but rather it 'confused' me with hundreds of choices... but the good news is, interior decoration is one area where it's ok to be fickle-minded. i saw in Real Living how you can achieve different themes inexpensively by keeping the big furnitures and just changing the decorative items such as cushion, curtains, bedsheet and decors! oh, pure bliss! so for one year, i will have four seasons: (1) tangerine, (2) country, (3) modern and lastly (4) Zen. just add a floor lamp and varied sized picture frames, i guess i am done... and guys im telling you, this is the closest thing to 'being home'...

Next would be my office corner... maybe it can increase my productivity level... hmmm whaddyatink? with just a few artistic touch to my bare back cabinet, i'd give professional interior decorators a run for their money! in the meantime, let me think what my theme would be... white? no, black? no, floral? no, modern?... oh, i call this a happy problem ;)