About us

Moving from the Philippines to the United States was one of the biggest hurdles in our family life. Life in the Philippines was good, still. Even with the US economic debacle that echoed across the globe, the Philippines, even with the downturn, was a good place to be. We had a design business running, still with major accounts, awards and merits being harvested, and the footing that one enjoyed. It was difficult to leave all that behind. When we confessed to some of our friends that we were finally moving, the expression was one of shock and disbelief. A close friend said what a loss it would be for the country, Olive said: “No, it should be a gain for the Philippines.” Our company, Luna Design, was like a private Design Center, where Olive and I decided to plant our dreams. It was a vehicle to become “effective creatives”, and it was so aligned with our entrepreneurial vision, to design products and experiences that would mirror the Filipino soul. It was a viable goal, too!

When our only son, Joey, came along in 2000, somehow, the plan shifted. Even at two, he was showing signs of amazing intelligence. Would you believe, he was once reading out letters from billboards and plate numbers from passing trucks and buses to amuse himself. That was when he and Olive were once stuck in Manila’s notorious traffic for five hours, one rainy afternoon! Our driver, noticing it, was simply amazed! He was surely a hyperactive kid but he displayed great potential, and this was what convinced us to finally, make the move. We were going to America, we prayed every night, for this to become real. It was the worst of times to migrate, our friends were dissuading us to do it, but all we had to do was trust and believe, like the biblical Moses, to the Promised Land.

And so in 2007, we finally landed in Hawaii. Joey, was seven years old then. We stayed in Kaneohe, with Erlyn and Tony. That period was particularly placid, with Olive, cooking dinner for Tatay and the Delacruzhams. Kaneohe was like paradise, no deadlines, no traffic, no stress. Each day, we would walk around the neighborhood with the view of the Koolau Mountain and the Kaneohe Bay by the side. It was dreamy paradise, too, for Joey, to be chasing away the stray chickens that got lost in Erlyn’s front yard. He loved mixing with his Loloy, at times reading to him, and earning a dollar for impressing the old man. Olive, whose aromatic cooking would cause Tatay to prematurely check out of his room for dinner time, was so attuned to his and Tony’s food likes, so she would make soupy “munggo”, soupy miswa, sinigang, and, tinola. It was a great time for Tatay, myself and Joey to be reunited, the three generations of Enriquez men, recorded in that memorable barber shop photograph. It was to be their last, too

We had to be back in Manila soon after, for Olive to fulfill a United Nations mission for the Carribeans. So in September, of the same year, we did the assignment, but first decided to do a three-day stop to Dallas, Texas, to visit the Wellborns. The visit was a revelation, Lou was such a riot, and Lissa, even-tempered and gracious that she is, display such command over the tall, mischievous Lou, and have the two kids, Cameron and Clare, in tow. Over a sumptuous dinner of Grilled Salmon and Garlicky Pasta, Lou did a spiel on the “Patis”, enough to send us cracking with laughter.

In 2008, we finally settled in hot and dry Las Vegas, stayed for six weeks with a friend from way back Design Center days. Then, we were on apartment living for our one and a half years. Sin City, it is called, but our lives, to this day, still revolve around school, church, library, and our Filipino friends. Ironically, good! I work as Security Officer in one of the poshest casino resort hotels along the Vegas strip, but believe me, Olive and I have never parted with even a decent dollar to play its slots or any games. In Vegas, the word “extravagant” is an operative word, as seen in the stretch limos, the glitzy acts in the marquee boards, the “in your face” billboards luring one to do buffets with the longest, most exquisite, most-est anything on the banquet spread. Olive, being the astute person that she is, can wing her way to enjoying these perks without breaking the bank. Because she is the household chief, she clips coupons, knows every discounter, makes Goodwill shopping a treasure hunt and is truly a creative chef, able to do party food at the instance.

Our life with food is a story of “conversion”. Meaning, we use food as a tool for diplomacy. It has always worked in the way it has built friendships, allies and connections for us, being newbies here. Food is a wonderful emissary, and to our non-Filipino friends here, the Philippines is special because of the food we lavish on them. It is said that food is the most non-threatening way to conquer the most hostile people. We agree, and in fact, it was easy to invite people, even non-allies, to our parties. Non-allies, in the beginning, but who become friends and converts to our kind of lifestyle, decorating tastes, healthful eating and positive relationships.

In March of this year, we moved to our own house. It is a dream house that has a big kitchen, a big wooden table at the center of that space. This is a work in progress, furnished with a lot of heart and goodwill, literally. Imy and Rey, would arduously U-haul refrigerators, beds, furniture, TVs, soft stuff, etc., from their Arizona home to here. And Erlyn’s gift cards always came in handy to buy something extra. There’s the Wellborns from Texas who gifted us with our first vacuum cleaner. Not to mention the Oakleys too! Olive and I share a creative streak to transform comely Goodwill finds into something extraordinary. We could spot an ordinary looking chest of drawers and instantly recognize its “good bones” and with the help of spray paint, careful stencilling and cheap yard-sale hardware finds, transform it into a striking piece of “Orientalia”.

Since we moved here, we must have hosted more than a dozen parties, planned and unplanned. Olive, being the kitchen person that she is, can multi-task with four or five different dishes. I know that she would boil chicken breasts in one stock pot, do lumpia wrappers in a crepe pan, assemble the lumpia ubod filling with her Calphalon and steam her puto-pao in one go. And she has Sinigang na Corned Beef Brisket stewing in her slow cooker. She would always say, “I love you, Erlyn, for this Calphalon pan!”. And, “I love you, Imy, for this slow cooker!” Mind you, the soup, the lumpia, the salad and the hors d’ouevres all just come from the one, same chicken.

My son, Joey, loves to write. In fact, he had his first set of poetry published by his school when he was in Grade Three. He can be a maverick, putting our patience to a test. There are days that he would do his word puns and limericks, but aside from his XBox 360, and his bedtime habit called, “hug me, Daddy”, he is a kid who loves to say: “My Mommy is the world’s greatest cook!” I do agree, except that sometimes, that label sticks too much on her, because she is, too, one of the best graphic designers this side of paradise. Yes, we live in a street called Paradise. And, yes, we journey by faith and go home to Paradise!