House Loviele

To rise on a parcel of land in Mandug, Davao City, this two-storey, medium-cost residential building designed by Ar. Rassel Catapang is a product of his and the client's appreciation of contemporary, minimalist architecture. The controlled play of horizontal and vertical lines, plain and textured surfaces, and neutral and earth tones makes this home simple yet elegant. Aside from concrete, aluminum, and glass, stonework and wood planks are incorporated into the design as well to give this "home sweet home" a cozier and warmer look and feel.

For inquiries, contact Ar. Rassel Catapang at rasselcatapang@yahoo.com.

This stolen shot of me was taken by my mother minutes before my board exam on Day 2. Yeah, I never wasted time during my review even until the last minutes of it. I prepared for 10 months and reviewed for 15 hours a day, 7 days a week. I quit my job and deactivated all my social media accounts to completely focus on the review and give it my all. My world for 10 months revolved around the four corners of my bedroom. I was so committed to my goal of getting a spot in the Top 10. Honestly, my wildest goal was to get the 1st place.

I had that big goal because I wanted to make my family proud and happy especially my parents and bring honor and pride to my alma mater.

On the day of the release of the results, I was so excited to find out which place I actually got but life has really its own ways of surprising us. Unfortunately, I ended up drowning in my own tears when I did not see my name in the list of topnotchers, considering that I was so happy and satisfied with my performance because a lot of what I had studied came out in the exams. It did hurt me even more finding out subsequently that I was just a few points away from my goal.

Indeed, our plans for ourselves are not always what God has planned for us. My goal wasn't for me, someone else was destined for it. The most important lesson that I learned from this experience is that no matter how hard you work for something you badly want and need, if it's not meant for you, then it will never be yours. It also taught me how to just surrender everything to God and not expect things as expectations do hurt excruciatingly.

In spite of all these things, I'm still so proud of myself in that all my hard work paid off and now I'm an architect. My heart is still filled with so much joy and gratitude. I will not stop making my God and family proud.

My review and exam journey brought out the best in me, making me a much stronger and better person.

Being unable to achieve my goal did not negatively affect my faith in the Supreme Being. In fact, it made my faith even stronger. Everything happens for a reason. Whatever lies ahead of me, I know I'll always have God within me. Whatever He has in store for me, I will accept wholeheartedly. THERE'S ALWAYS A HIGHER PURPOSE. ☝