My not-so-holy (but peaceful and quiet) Holy Week

Understated elegance. My room in Astoria Plaza :)

While everyone was rushing to get out of the city for the long weekend this Holy Week, myself (and several friends of mine) decided to instead book our own rooms in a hotel that isn't too far from where we live. I admit, it's not like we didn't try to look for an out-of-town adventure for ourselves. But the stay-cation turned out to be nonetheless as fruitful and fun.

Late lunch at Astoria. Myself (left most) with Chai of Amigo Segurado;
Sheryl of Space Magazine; and Eagle of Sykes

Thanks to our friends at Astoria Plaza in Ortigas (who arranged everything for us), what could have been a lackluster weekend turned out to be a time for much-needed "me time" for us all. God knows we could all use more of this nowadays--a time truly without distraction from work or personal problems.

Since Thursday (when the Christian world turned solemn and slow in observance of Holy Week), my friends and I had used the time to catch up on books we've been meaning to read; meet new friends; and spoil ourselves with good food. The whole point is to relax and shut ourselves off from stress at least for a couple of days. To a delectable degree, I believe we did just this.


I am not the most religious person in the world (and I'm speaking for myself only) so I think the idea of stay-cation (I live and work in Makati; the hotel was a 15-minute drive on a good day) fit perfectly for the Holy Week. I didn't feel like I was disrespecting the solemn occasion by partying in Boracay (no offense to those who actually did); neither did I pretend to be the most Christian person in all the land by joining a Visita Iglesia.

Savoring the sunset. The festive view from my room at Astoria Plaza :)

When you have all the time in the world (and the luxury of a world-class name that is Astoria), you get creative at how you spend your time. Later, I'll make a separate entry on things to do on these kinds of occasions.

After four days and three nights, it was time for my friends and I to go back to our respective homes. But already, I am missing my spacious room (and very comfy bed!) at Astoria Plaza.

We were all joking around at how we'll be very happy if we could own a condominium unit as beautiful and homey as our rooms there. I don't know about them, but I did mean it when I said that. :)

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TWIST would like to give a round of applause (if we could actually do that) to Ms Sheryl Songsong, the editor-in-chief of SPACE Magazine (the latest issue of which just came out several days ago) who set everything up with Astoria Plaza. Her heart is as beautiful as she is on the outside! :)


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- Astoria Plaza's homey and welcoming touch