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Ichi Pestano

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In life, you’d sometimes find yourself lost, stuck or trembled.  It’s not always a constant motion.  In one's path, detours and off-tracks are inevitable yet worthwhile.  It’s meant to break you then make you in the process. 

It was 2014 when I started writing a substantial year end post.  Looking back, I realized how much I’ve grown and how much my views shifted.  I did a quick read and the words brought the feelings I had back then.

There I was one, two, three years ago.  Adrift, motionless and beaten up.  At some point, I was in a place where I thought I’d never be out from or at least will took a while to overcome.  In betweens, I have experienced small and big wins and made my way through.  Every piece seemed to have fallen into place and here I am, pushed through life’s highs and lows.



I welcomed 2019 with my game face on.  Goals were written down.  Thoughts became plans.  Modestly speaking, it’s been a pretty good year for me, for us and with that, I couldn’t be more thankful.

So here's how the past 12 months went for me.

Featured...

Big thanks to Althea Korea for keeping me in their Angel list.  I got to try almost all of their exclusive products.  


That unforgettable beach trip...

One of my 2020 wishes is more adventures with my favorite person.


A new hobby...

I found another way to destress and forget about being a person with responsibilities.  Hahahah!  


I turned 30...

Whew!  That's ten years of hustling.  In that span of time, life taught me that working hard for your dreams could pay off.  I realized how important motivation is.  How powerful it is to find what drives you to keep going.  How significant those setbacks and failures in the past are because as life goes on, the reasons behind those moments are revealed to you.


I don't deny the overthinking that created panic.  The excessive questioning if I have achieved enough or if I'm on the right track.  Ultimately, the worry from my pointless what-ifs and from assuming I have very limited time left to do other things I've been desperately wanting to do.

Going through existential crisis is hard but it will only be harder if you dwell on it.  Know that it's just a phase and look at the bigger picture.  At first, I thought 30's would be too short already and it would just be all about catching up.  However, after gaining a new perspective, I've embraced it.  I see it now as an exciting new chapter.  A milestone rather than a frightening stage.  

When you're going through the same, just remember that it's never too late.  It will never be.

To Singapore...


Then Taiwan...


A new home...

Another reason why 2019 became my favorite year.  



Big thanks to the people who made all of these happened.  Thank you for being part of one amazing year! 😊

And to this one who has made everything easier.  It makes so much difference when you know you're not alone when times get cruel.  To know someone always has your back no matter what.  


Of course, the gratitude isn't only for the good side of things.  I'm also thankful for the disappointments, challenges and the mess this year.  2019 taught me resilience, grace under pressure and more.  Despite of it all, my heart is glad.  

No one knows what the next 12 months has in store.  If life decides not to be gentle to me again, that's okay.  If people get to be difficult to me again, I don't mind.  I think I'm in a better mindset now to handle things differently (in a good way). 😉


I'll remain hopeful and focused.  I'll continuously thrive and won't let anything consume me again.  I'll try my best to make progress (even small), realize my dreams and prepare for the next big chapter.

Cheers, good luck and dream on!  Happy new year, world! 


your sweetest drug,






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Here's the reveal!  Finally, I can now share this story and the photos of our transformed space!


Early this year, I spontaneously submitted an entry for a makeover giveaway.  To be honest, I forgot about that email months after.  Then one day, I got a call.  For someone who's not so lucky in raffles and what not, I couldn't emphasize enough how big of a news that was.  Then I realized, maybe I've already ran out of luck this year.  Yun na yun, one time big time!  😝


We are so happy about how it turned out.  It's what we had in mind - the industrial feel, coffee shop vibe and the black accents mixed with earthy elements.  The decors added a nice balance from the greens (hooked on plants now) to the picture frames and neutral colors.  I've been wanting to hang that moon phase thing and of course our travel photos too.


It's warm.  It's inviting.  It's like every corner is Pinterest worthy.  It feels more like a home now, unlike before when all we had were bare walls, a bed, an ugly wardrobe and a dining set.  Not to mention the cold, gritty tile floor!


For the longest time, I did not have a proper working area.  I'll let you imagine where I positioned myself with my laptop.  I mentioned we only had a bed and a dining set, right?  Wala man nga lang akong chair na may sandalan talaga.  Hahaha!


When I moved in, I focused on making the place functional.  Sabe ko dati, basta pwede na kumaen at matulog gorabells na.  Tsaka na yung designing part.  On top of that, we had leak issues too and of course, budget was a main challenge.  After a year, we thought of starting to work on the aesthetics.  The plan was only to change the furniture and making sure they would be positioned better and follow a theme at least.  

Here's my very pro drawing back then.  HAHA!  Galing noh?  😬


Those living in a studio unit probably know how tough it could be to maximize space while also making space for the necessities.  Even with a queen size bed, dresser, wardrobe, console table, sofa, dining set, shoe cabinet, kitchen trolley and a side table, the place still doesn't feel too cramped.  Yung pwede pa din maglakad ng maayos na wala kang mababangga or need usod.  Amazing!  


Storage is also key and now, we have enough (where we can hide our kalat hahaha jk 😜).  We hid the eyesores except for our dear water container.  Kung pwede lang lagay sa CR to eh!


And now, let me say a couple of thanks...


Thank you so much, Summit Media and Matimco team for making this happen.  Especially to Ma'am Nini for being patient with me on the condo permits and schedule.  It's a dream come true for me.  We thought renovation was too far-fetched but here it is, our home / my workplace is looking like a model unit!  


Thank you so much, Desaurum Interiors for transforming our space.  Especially to Ma'am Honey and Ma'am Rosa for the design magic and for accommodating our requests.  It's still hard to believe that everything was done in just 5 days.  We really appreciate how they made sure that there would be enough storage for us and the place would be functional and conducive for work while keeping the aesthetics on point.


Back when this unit was still deprived of style and complete functionality, I would be at a coffee shop to work.  Para naman maiba ung environment ko and minsan mas productive pag talagang nasa desk and may dating yung surroundings.  Now, seems like I would do it rarely.  Well, unless gusto ko lang din talaga makakita ng ibang tao.  Hahaha!  😉


A new home just in time for a new year.  A new look for our happy place.  Beyond grateful that I was able to tick this off my goal list with the help of the people I mentioned above.  


Maybe we'll do a kitchen project next time.  The bathroom is in dire need of a makeover too.  😗


I'll try to make room tour video so I can also give you more deets and talk about each corner.  If you have questions, leave a comment below or on my IG post (@ichipestano).  



What do you think?


Desaurum Interiors - https://www.instagram.com/desauruminteriors/
Matimco House of Wood - https://www.facebook.com/MatimcoOfficial/
Real Living - https://www.realliving.com.ph/


your sweetest drug,

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Two more weeks til Christmas and I know everyone's busy preparing for parties, gifts and everything in between.  That could be draining given the crazy crowd and heavy traffic, so try to manage your time well and don't think of joining the rush in the last weekend! 😛

For tonight's post, here's the current pair of contact lenses I'm currently using.  I only bought one this year because I thought I would only use it when I'm filming or taking photos for le blog or when I'm attending my pole class. 


I got this from EO and as you can see, it's nothing crazy.  I still picked a natural-looking color among a variety of choices.  They actually have a good selection so I recommend the place especially if you need it graded because you could be sure it suits your vision needs perfectly before buying.


This is good for one year and it costs 790 php.  If I'm not mistaken, they have a promo now for contact lenses if you buy 2 pairs or more.


The diameter is 14.0 so it's comfortable to wear and there's no huge difference in terms of size unlike using doll-like lenses. 


If you look closely, there's pattern and a mix of brown shades.  Pretty! 💛



What do you think?



your sweetest drug,






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Hi! I'm ICHI.

Hi! I'm ICHI.
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