TOPAZ HORIZON

I am so sorry for the absolutely-no-update week! I have been beyond deluged with inquiries about the leather bag Vince gave me. I am truly now in the bag business, folks! And if you're interested, go to this post to see the bag.

I'm so happy because our bag is proudly Pinoy made. I feel very good about giving business to a small group of Batangas leather artisans, headed by Uncle Buck, who had lamented to us that their craft is dying and that all their young people are moving to the city to become call center agents. They're happy that their kids are becoming office workers but they're sad that no one is taking up the craft. Soon, no one will know how to work with leather. And if you see my bag, it's really done well, lovingly made, perfectly stitched. If no one wants to be Uncle Buck's apprentice because there's no business, that craft will be lost.

Look at that craftsmanship!

I'm actually thinking of taking lessons from Uncle Buck. I don't know if I'll find the time but I have been looking for a craft ever since Angelina Jolie said she learned how to fly a plane because if world war happened again or some global crisis, who has use for actresses? Same with me. Who has use for entertainment magazine editors?

I was thinking carpentry actually because when I was in college, I installed my own book shelves. Bought plywood and nails, did some measurements, sawed away and put up the whole thing in my bedroom. They're still there today, 15 years later.

But now that I'm in the bag business, learning how to work with leather seems like a better option. How about you? What skill do you know that, in case of a massive global crisis, will be useful? Or if you're like me and don't know anything, what skill do you want to learn?

I fell in love with the Cambridge Satchel a few months ago and was over the moon when I finally received it. But I had a few issues with it: the leather is too stiff, the hardware is made of nickel, and the buckles, the buckles! They are a terrible inconvenience when you're accosted by mall entrance guards asking to inspect your bag.

A lot of people who bought the bag also had the same comments. So I told Vince I wanted to improve the satchel's design. That was a couple of weeks ago. Now you know that the Cambridge Satchel was Vince's Valentine's gift to me so he didn't like it that I was not completely happy with his gift. So Vince (the best husband ever!) found a leather craftsman, told him what I wanted, and had a bag made to my specifications.

On Monday, I shrieked and shrieked when Vince handed me this:

After a beautiful day today, I had a really bad evening. And it's all because of Google and its decision to consolidate all its products under one account. Google has several products--Gmail, Google Apps, Blogger, Picasa, Reader... a lot. Anyway, they decided that all these products should be accessed by a user under one account.

That's a really good idea (no sarcasm here whatsoever) so I did what they told me to do and consolidated my accounts. Here then was the unexpected problem, and I'll let Google explain it:


For at least 30 minutes, I lost access to my Blogger account because I used frances@topazhorizon.com to sign in to Blogger. My Blogger and Google Apps were in conflict. I was surprised at how I reacted when I logged in to Blogger and these words appeared: "The account does not exist." I gasped then panicked then, trembling, tried to recover my account then when those terrible words kept popping up, I wept. Wept!

I lost Topaz Horizon! I lost Topaz Mommy! I was literally shaking for 30 minutes. I felt nauseated and dizzy. I was so upset! Then I signed in again and this time I got through and a temporary email address was set up for me. You cannot imagine the relief that washed over me. I thought I was going to faint from it. I think the last time I felt this bad was when my mother died.

Fuck, it's so melodramatic. But it's true. All of the above hysteria did happen. If you follow me on Twitter, you'd have witnessed my meltdown. This just brought home the fact that I really truly do care about my blogs. I mean, I really do, but it's always just been a happy thing to do. Faced with their loss, I realized that they are far more important than I thought. Like I said, the last time I felt that bad was when my mother died.

Anyway, now I must move data. Or move email addresses. Still plodding through the whole thing. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think my blogs will be fine. Me? I don't know. I kinda feel strange that the supposed death of my blogs affected me like a real death.

I think I need to get a life.

I've been Tweeting about this with utmost excitement yesterday so to all who got infected by my online shrieks of glee, here's a peek at my new bespoke handmade leather satchel!

Tough and sturdy hardware

Tanned and tooled leather--by hand!

Magnetic snaps for easy access

Flexible leather and extra zipped inside pocket

Extra secret pocket at the back

Perfectly hand-sewn

Isn't it so exciting?! It's absolutely gorgeous! I'll talk more about my bespoke leather satchel soon. Must plan an outfit first to go with the bag so you can appreciate it better!

Thanks, Vince! You always make me happy.

Yesterday, Vince and I took Vito house hunting. After all, we really don't need to look for a new home since we already live in a fabulous apartment with west-east-south views and fantastic location. The only problem with our place is it's in a high-rise and a little boy needs big wide spaces to run around in and conquer. So since this is for Vito, it's actually Vito's house we were looking for!

The first place we went to was Kapitolyo, which is our home's backyard. We liked that it has the same conveniences of our place (in the middle of everything!) but we didn't like the security. Or the feeling of lack thereof. So that leaves us with the two other choices:

NEAR BUT FEELS CROWDED
Mahogany Place 3 is a DMCI project about 5 minutes from Bonifacio Global City. The benefit of living there is that it's near BGC, near St. Luke's Global (I'm a bit of a hypochondriac), near Makati CBD, near good schools.

Even though it's near everything, it doesn't feel like it's in the city. DMCI acquired the vast Acacia Estates and turned it into a residential development that has a resort-like feel. And I'm not quoting a press kit here. That's how we really felt! Security is tight. There's even an electric perimeter fence surrounding the entire development! The amenities are superb, the roads are wide and beautifully paved, there are clubhouses, commercial playgrounds, swimming pools and more.

Little boxes on the hillside

Tiny kitchen and dining area

And that's all there is to the living room!

Three bedrooms, one of which is decorated like a boudoir

A walk-in closet makes up for the teensy-weensy bathroom.

So here's the catch: Mahogany Place 3 is lined with townhouses and duplexes, narrow buildings that stretch upwards. The land may be wide open but the houses feel, I dunno, I feel hemmed in. Vince says they remind him of London. He spent a few of his growing up years there and he said it was fine. We'll see.

FAR BUT FEELS SPACIOUS
Ametta is a community development by Ayala Land or Alveo. It's gorgeous there! The townhouses are designed so that they feel open and airy. There's plenty of light pouring in through big windows into spacious rooms. There are parks and pools, pocket gardens and playgrounds, and wide streets perfect for a little boy with a bicycle!

Blessed space!

Construction is done well.

Side view of the house we really liked

Big kitchen with lots of counter space

Spacious master's bedroom with walk-in closet and own bath

Two bedrooms, one for the princess...

... one for the prince!

The problem with Ametta is its location. It almost feels like there's no rhyme and reason for its location. It's like someone built a beautiful village and dropped it in the middle of nowhere. The nearest schools, malls, shopping centers, hospitals are a good half hour away. Plus, it's in Pasig and during Ondoy, that area was flooded for a week. To combat this, Alveo built the community on land raised a full storey high and is currently improving the drainage system of the entire area--the streets around the village are all dug up right now. That's reassuring. And yet... scary still!

Vince and Vito and I had fun!

So we're still thinking about Mahogany Place. If only the houses were built like Ametta and had a location like Mahogany's! That would've been perfect. Oh well! The search continues!