helluvaweek!

High season has officially cast its blessed spell in sleepy Siem Reap and hopefully, all of Cambodia. Proof of this is the fact that I haven’t touched my blog in a week or even read any blogs at all! It started late last week with a photoshoot at a new boutique hotel that's opening soon - The Sothea.


Aside from the shoot, we are doing all of their marketing collaterals and promotions. This is a tough one since my client is actually my wife who is Senior Sales Manager of the hotel, so there is definitely no escaping this one! This shoot is for her sales trip to Australia in the next few weeks.


It's also the start of the 4th annual Angkor Photo Festival which brings in the best photographers around the world for a weeklong festival and series of exhibitions around. This year, I was helping out with two galleries - the McDermott Gallery with their marketing collaterals and the Friends Center Gallery of which my team handled a handful of things for - from the interior design to the marketing and even the installation of the new exhibition. The new artist featured here is Steve McCurry, whose portrait of "the Afghan Girl" is the most recognizable photograph in the history of National Geographic.

A team of six young Filipino photographers are also present to represent the country and we are making sure that they feel at home here!



We are also married to our cameras these past few days (and for the next weeks to come!) with a series of more photoshoots along the way. Yesterday, we did a wedding shoot for a Japanese couple at the Orient Express hotel. With shoots on the temples and a full day affair to cover, it was a back-breaking work.

We have two more hotels next week due for a shoot and a couple more weddings and corporate events to cover.


The Spoolworks photography team - Brewster, Kristian and Vincent. I don't think I will ever survive this season without them... and more so keep up with blogging!

It was definitely a tough week and more so in the next weeks to come. I now miss the times when I could linger longer in the office ogling though everyone's blogs or messing with mine. With my hard drive crashing down to oblivion last week, I also have to work double time to redo those lost files. These are definitely the times when you wish that there are 48 hours in a day!

So if I haven't updated my blog in the next three months, I hope blogger doesn't give up on me and delete my blog for good...

saffron memories

Last year, during this time, I opened my exhibition at the McDermott Gallery by the Passage called Saffron Spirit. Though it was my second exhibition in Cambodia, this exhibit paved the way for countless other exhibitions- at the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Raffles Hotel Le royal in Phnom Penh, UP Gallery in Iloilo and iideas Gallery in Manila. And soon in Beijing for the Olympic exhibition. I can't believe it's been a year already!



the exhibition...



with an installation... it was hell removing the threads when the work was bought and shipped to Denmark



another one with an installation. It was a good thing the buyer opted to have the stickers instead of shipping the water bottles to Japan!


My first and most favorite piece. I did the embroidery with my wife, that's why it was hard to part with it. Now in Singapore in the home of a very good friend, Christy.


The first piece bought on the opening night.


Now in Washington DC

Now in Singapore

One of the two pieces bought by a good friend now hanging in her New York loft

The other piece which is now in New York

Now in Malaysia

This work is now in the Hotel Be

Bought by a designer friend - Eric Raisina from Madagascar which now hangs in his office.

This was one which I brought to the Philippines for a show. This is now with my former boss, Susan Salcedo who is now based in Singapore. She flew in last year from Manila with her friend Ellen to see the show in Cambodia!

This one now resides in the office of my Spanish boss and very dear friend Alfredo Roca who is now an honorary Filipino... he has supported me greatly during my struggling years in Manila and he flew in especially for my exhibition opening in Iloilo.

This piece was bought at the Red Gallery exhibition by a US-based Filipino.

Out of 34 works, I only have around a dozen left, and will be saying goodbye to two more tomorrow when I ship them off to China... sigh... it's difficult parting with something you have poured your heart, sweat and soul into. That's why I refuse to put their titles here. I only want to remember the places where they are now...