Drawer pull

Smitten

The Delta Lambda Sigma sorority of the University of the Philippines - Diliman is more than 65 years old. The wooden frame of their cork board in one corridor of Palma Hall looks like it's as old as the organization. I like it.

Small but terrible

We call this small and simple bent iron and wood chair a batibot chair. Batibot means small but strong, which is an apt description of the chair. I think they're charming, but they're not very comfortable, especially if you're big or tall. They used to be found in even the humblest homes and streetside eateries, but have mostly been replaced by plastic monobloc chairs (that are equally uncomfortable but far less charming). The chair design has been around for a very long time, but other than that, I don't know anything else about it. Do you have a chair similar in design in your country? What is it called? I know curiosity killed the cat, but I hope not this time.

D.I.Y.

Chairs made out of the corrugated cardboard used in packing boxes! Aren't they fantastic? Quite appropriate for the store of my favorite all-natural products, Human Nature, which advocates environmental sustainability, and also promotes other social enterprises.

Sea and savanna

My two favorite pieces in Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION installation at the Ateneo de Manila University were also the most difficult to photograph.

The bench of the octopi installation is under a large tree with no lights, so I only took a photo of the female octopus. I know it's a "she" because of her curvy, queenly crown; the crown of the male octopus is pointy and kingly.

The giraffes are long, thin, delicate, and spread out on a wide expanse of lawn, so I decided to focus on the gracefully bending neck and delicate legs. Yes, they're wearing sneakers and crochet lace knee supports.

Strength

At Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION: Elephants are sturdy and can easily handle a teenager hanging onto them while carrying the rest of the gang.

Hear me roar

In her notes for imagiNATION, artist Plet Bolipata-Borlongan says that tigers, lions, and other big cats are fierce so she conceptualized the piece with the bathtub bench between their jaws.
  And yes, those benches are very comfortable, as my husband can attest.

Chilling with a kangaroo

At Plet Bolipata-Borlongan's imagiNATION exhibit, the kangaroos wait in expectation for someone to sit on the bathtub bench they are carrying in their arms before hopping off to a fantasy land somewhere.

Extreme crafting

A quirky and wonderfully comfortable loveseat by artist Plet Bolipata-Borlongan made out of an old bathtub covered with a painting, crochet lace and ribbon flowers. I couldn't include it in the photo, but the built-in lamp is shaped like a black top hat.

Lazy day game

Sungka is a Philippine mancala game. The sungkaan (the game board) is usually made of wood, shaped like a canoe, and is portable. However, as in chess and backgammon, there are also dedicated sungka tables. Ordinarily, our game pieces are small cowrie shells, which should not be surprising for a country with the fourth longest coastline in the world despite its relatively tiny land area. This beautiful set is made for children—only one hip of mine would have fit in the tiny chair.

A visual feast

Cafe Juanita in Pasig City has to have the most eclectic decorations I have seen in any restaurant.
  Buddha in many poses, an infant Jesus, various kinds of pottery, and an intricately carved wooden lamp on a mother-of-pearl-inlay sideboard greet guests at the entrance.

Europe and Asia are well-represented, as are all materials one can think of for knickknacks: wood, glass, crystal, clay, porcelain, cloth, metal, plastic. Every inch of wall, floor and ceiling space not used for dining or walking is covered by a bewildering array of objects both precious and chintzy.

For some reason, though, Cafe Juanita's decorations aren't overwhelming or dizzying. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why.

Duo

The wrought iron benches at the Rizal Park are made for two people, but not for lovers.

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My Manila will be on autopilot from November 1 to 5. Be well, be good.

Something else

Number 10 Alabama Street in New Manila, Quezon City (see the previous two posts) is the home of Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery. They sell a few original vintage pieces, like the vanity and ornate mirror, but their strength lies in giving new life to what other people call junk. The chest of drawers—which I absolutely adore—is made of salvaged wooden planks; notice the drawer pulls that come from a variety of pieces so each is unique. The lamp on the floor in the foreground is made of the narrow side of old CPU towers, and the silver flapper lampshade of the piece on the chest is made of soda can tabs. The gallery sometimes has guest artists to exhibit in the house (which really is a house, by the way); the crochet sculpture is by Aze Ong and is part of her "Liwanag" (light) touring exhibit.

Of clay and water, leaves and wood

Follow us


to the home,


garden,


and workshop of master potter Ugu Bigyan,


whose art is inspired by the leaves and roots of plants which abound in his spacious garden,


where one can sit or lounge,


or take a siesta on bamboo, surrounded by bamboo;


and, if you call in advance, the master potter will don a different apron and cook for you.



Ugu Bigyan Potter's Garden is located in the town of Tiaong in the province of Quezon, about 100 kilometers southeast of Manila.

For Anne

Your heart and body were just too weak to sustain your love and joie de vivre. Our offices will miss your cheerful, efficient and caring presence. "Papa" Exie too.

Annafel Roca

June 26, 1982 – July 20, 2010
Beloved Friend and Colleague

Taken at Yo and Mo Farm Resort in the town of Tanay in Rizal province where we had our office outing back in 2008.

Corridor café

Barbara's Café in the old walled city of Intramuros is located in one of the wide passageways that lead from the street to the inner courtyard of the Plaza San Luis complex. Called a zaguan, it was the corridor where carruajes (horse-drawn carriages) would pass through to drop their passengers off by the entrance. The floor is paved with granite, what was and still is called piedra china (Chinese stone) because they were originally used by Chinese traders as ballast in their junks. The chairs and tables at Barbara's Café are what we call batibot chairs and tables. Batibot means 'small but strong and sturdy.' The wooden seats and tabletop are wrapped in sheet iron, and the legs and seat backs are made of bent iron rods; even the studs and rivets are made of solid iron.

Woven light

Kabisera ni Dencio's, a restaurant at Bonifacio High Street, is a showcase not just of Filipino food but also of Filipino furniture and handicrafts. Even the lanterns on the walls, made largely out of textured resin, have a touch of Philippine handicraft with its freeform natural wicker weave.

Plastic, metal, wood

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I'd like to propose another, which I think is more appropriate to this day and age: the lack of financial resources. I spotted this wheelchair at the University of the Philippines Health Service. A monoblock plastic chair with sawed-off legs attached to a custom metal frame and what looks to be bicycle wheels. Cool, isn't it? And if you're wondering about the wooden furniture, join the club. The waiting areas are full of them—chairs, benches, tables and this screen being used to cover the circuit breaker panels.

Find more Odd Shots—or post your own—at Katney's Kaboodle.

Dos mil

Early last month, I mentioned that my husband and I watched the Philippine Educational Theater Association's "Noli at Fili: Dekada 2000 (Dos Mil)" and I just realized that I completely forgot to post a photo about it. I guess I was too distracted by the police cars and the bomb squad. I wasn't able to take a good picture of the stage because it was too dark and I didn't want to use the flash and risk getting thrown out of the theater. But a scale model of the stage designed by Gino Gonzales was in the lobby, and that's what you're seeing now (you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it). The armchair is called a butaka, the design of which dates back from the Spanish colonial era. I doubt very much if this is an antique though. For one thing, no one will allow her butaka antique to be painted like this. For another, the old butaka chairs I've seen recline more and the arms are much longer. In fact, it won't be incorrect to call them legchairs—it's hard to resist putting yours legs up on the arms once you're sitting on it.