Negros sojourn: The Ruins

Earlier this evening, I finally got to see the famed Ruins of Talisay...

I first heard about the Ruins from a Bacolod native-friend who planned to have her wedding reception there. It was unfortunate that the sun had set by the time we reached Talisay from Bacolod (having been fed a wonderful merienda by an ever-gracious resident), so I missed seeing the structure without the lights on. But even at dusk, with night creeping in and the hint of stars in the darkening sky, the Ruins were absolutely breathtaking.

Maybe I'm just biased because I have a thing for ruins in general. But in the short span of time I was there, I was just enthralled. It was love at first sight. I wish I had known its back story before going--I would have sat longer on the steps (or the remaining skeleton) and allowed the house to speak to me, imagining myself in this mansion back in the 1900s. How magnificent it must have been! I marveled at how the walls and columns were ever so smooth, a result of the Grade A concrete used to build the mansion. Even after being burnt to its bones, the mansion still maintained its marble-like texture. I ran my hands across the walls and columns over and over in complete amazement.

I think what I like most about ruins in general is that they seem to have a soul that newer structures don't possess; these in particular had a very powerful spirit that whispered of a storied past. They were absolutely bewitching, so hauntingly beautiful that they made my heart ache and sing and dream.

The shots that didn't make it

I hardly post work-related stuff here, but I just wanted to give these photos some air time...

For Candy Magazine's June 2009 ish, I did their Candy Suite section which was about new ways of doing old things--displaying photos, fixing your bed, etc. This was the old way of fixing your desk...

Very utilitarian, with a desk caddy and a plain mug for pens

And this is the new way...

Oh-so-pretty!

Purty and functional! It's actually a lot like my work desk. I use a pretty jewelry box from Regalong Pambahay to hold all my little desk implements (stapler, staple wire, paper clips, and all that), and I have an inexpensive white vase from SM Homeworld, with two gigantor leaves. (I think it was our art director who once asked me, "Bakit meron kang gubat sa desk mo?") I also have a pretty neo-baroque-ish picture frame, also from Regalong Pambahay, which has been photo-less for months. My wall/magnet board is covered with black-and-white wrapping paper with a damask-like print. (People have asked me where I got it from. Answer: The Wrap Shop, one of my little pieces of heaven.) The first few weeks after I fixed my desk, I was just so in love with it. It made my workdays less dreary. Even now, after months and months, I still think it's lovely! Such a refreshing change from my old blah desk which irritated me so.

That brown mug in the "before" photo is actually still on my desk. I do want that little white urn from SM, but 1) I think there'll be a bit too much white on my desk (my Mac is white, too), and 2) the brown mug was a lovely gift from John Pettyjohn. Got it when we shot his store! People pay a bundle for his stuff, and I feel privileged to own a Pettyjohn anything, so I can't seem to replace it, even if it doesn't quite go with the rest of the look.

I just checked out the layout in the mag and was kinda sad that these photos didn't make it...I took other "befores" and "afters," and the page didn't have space for this set anymore, so the pics ended up on the cutting room floor. At the very least, I shall let 'em shine in cyberspace!

Photos by Patrick Martires; white vase, faux orchids, and white urn from SM Homeworld; jewelry box from Regalong Pambahay