Residential

We Don't Have Office On Saturdays... Supposedly.

05:05



I was looking forward to spending a quiet Saturday at home for a change.  For the past month since the New Year, I had spent my weekends traveling.  First to Hong Kong, then Manila, then 2 back to back weekends in Davao (with the first Davao trip clocking in a 16-hour work shift!).  I long to sleep in on a Saturday and do nothing.  That didn’t happen.

First, I had an out-of-town client who's only here for the weekend and was unhappy with her custom-made TV cabinet so I had to fix it.  Then there's this penthouse suite for rent (interior design done last year) that just purchased a new dining set in the hope of making the place more marketable to future tenants.  I promised to take a look at it today since I had been so busy all week.

Just as I was saying my morning prayers, my cellphone rang because the curtain installer who forgot to install black out blinds last Thursday couldn’t get in the unit today. Turns out they just really had to ring the doorbell, which isn’t very visible, so that the maid could open the door for them. 
The black out blinds have finally been installed.  The Williams Sonoma Hudson Side Table is just waiting for a lamp to sit on top of it.  The upholstered headboard coordinates well with the blinds.  The Tempur mattress is in place, but oops, it's a few inches longer than the bed frame!  Let's save this stress for next week. 

Then there's this big delivery for a nursery I’m working on which was properly scheduled today but due to the tight security of the village, they couldn’t get in and once again that's another fire I had to put off, all on my supposedly non-working Saturday!  What makes it more challenging is when the homeowners, both husband and wife, don’t pick up their mobile phones, the maid in their home has no authority to let the delivery guys in and the delivery wasn't done by just any regular guy.  The owner/distributor of the high end furnishing brand personally made the delivery.  And they all had to wait for the precious go-signal from the homeowner.  How thrilling!    

And then there's this project in Manila for a high society client that I had already given updates to yesterday but the secretary calls me again in the morning trembling for updates.

The caterer from yesterday asks if they could pick up their carafe and serving plates from the corporate office today.  I doubt the office is open on a Saturday.  Where do they send the bill? 

The new dining set has arrived! 
Mr. Furniture rings.  What is it about the fabric and the never-ending glass boards measurement and configuration again this time?  It’s no longer funny.   

Then SM calls me to negotiate some vendor requirements for a project they want me to do.

An ongoing restaurant project texts asking what to do with their floors even if it’s already specified in our drawings.  

By then, I have resigned to the fact that this has become a working Saturday. 

Before I knew it, it was already 2PM and I had to meet this financial adviser who was referred to me by a good friend. 

Forget lunch.  Forget Zumba Yoga.  Forget taking afternoon naps.  Perhaps I was better off traveling on weekends.  Maybe I should just book a flight for next weekend. 


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