Hey to Z!

It has begun!

Hey there, Zalora! Good to see you again!

The Zalora items i’ve ordered, starting with the one’s that I actually purchased pre-ECQ, has begun to arrive.

I think this is just the start of more - quite more - to come.

Game!

Something peculiar came into view during our virtual ManComm meeting last Monday:

It’s a winning Tic-Tac-Toe formation!

Ah yes, the things that catch your eye while you’re on quarantine.

Little joys!

Today's little thrill is courtesy of this little header on the website of Zalora:

Yes, since malls have been closed, Zalora has been my defacto mall. But with the ECQ happening, they couldn't deliver their items since they're not considered as "essential items."

Actually, I ordered something from them during the 1st week of March. But just as they were about to deliver it to the house, the ECQ happened, and the item got stuck in their delivery hub.

Now that they're back to normal, I'll most likely get the orders I made the past few weeks.

Yes, "orders."

Good luck to me!

Milo-and-behold!

If you can’t come to the Milo Dinosaur, let the Milo Dinosaur come to you!

First step, get the biggest pack of Milo you can find at the supermarket.

Now, all I need are big blocks of ice, and we’ll be in business!

Why no Dino?

Why am I having all these strange food and drink cravings?

Today, I just couldn't get this classic SG drink out of my head!

Yup, it's the Milo Dinosaur that we usually get at Hawker Centers in SG! I can imagine all it's cold, sweet and malty-chocolatey deliciousness with every sip!

Gosh! I hope I can visit SG soon to get a taste of this drink again!

(Or I can just go to Food Panda and order the InfiniTea version. That should be enough to tie me over.)

Catnip

While Catnip is supposed to be relaxing and soothing, I think the simple act of watching cats have that same effect.

The past weeks, I've been watching these videos on Youtube entitled "Kittisaurus," and it's a great way to rest and relax after working from home too much.



The cats in these videos are adorable! And so are their reactions to everyday challenges given to them by their hooman. The "invisible wall" videos were a hoot! And this "foil" episode showed how intrepid and smart cats really are.

Maybe I should try and making the cat outside our house walk on foil. It's probably say: "Curses! Foiled again!"

FMM: Hammer it!

Although MC Hammer seems like an odd choice at a time like this, his 1990s hit is an apt Friday Magic Madness song.

Because aside from staying home, always washing our hands, getting enough sleep and eating healthy, one thing that we should do - and do a lot of - during this time is to Pray.



Who would have thought MC Hammer would come in handy these days, eh?

McNormal

Today's lunch made things feel normal for a change.

Was able to get McDelivery from the nearby McDonald's branch. And after a long, long, time, I was able to enjoy a burger and fries for lunch!

Times like these make you appreciate little joys.

Pass the Panettone!

The fam got a very pleasant surprise this weekend.

Very pleasant, very flavourful, and very scrumptious, in fact!

It started with a message from Ate Lissa in the U.S. She said that one of her co-Titas was going to send bread to the house. At first, we were expecting it to be something Pinoy and comforting like ensaymada or pandesal. But when the bread finally arrived, we were all stunned into silence. (And delight.)

The "bread" turned out to be one big box of Loison Panettone!

I've seen this brand before. They sell it at Terry's and I've always admired it for its wonderful packaging. (I'm a sucker for nice packaging, obviously.) The box is covered in this beautiful botanical print wrapper which reflects the panettone's flavour.

While the packaging is appetizing enough, the real star is what's inside!

It's moist, flavourful bread which is packed to the rafters with glazed fruits. I'd say it's a cross between a fruit cake and my all-time favourite Gardenia Fruit and Nut Loaf from SG. We first opened the black cherry one, and it was just divine! We tried our best to keep ourselves from finishing it in one sitting. (We succeeded! We made one cake last for 2 days!)

Thank goodness for the kind hearts of wonderful Tita-friends! This is a sweet respite which is much needed these days.

LFLTAT: See the Zebra, the return

So, last January, I wrote about this zebra-themed Look For Less Than A Thousand which was a result of a random visit to The Surplus Shop.

Today, after scrounging through my closet, I was able to put together another LFTAT, also from Surplus Shop (and Uniqlo), also with a Zebra theme. Also, this was from way back in February, but just unearthed now.

The top is a kimono-style blouse with an accompanying belt, made of this nice, zebra-print fabric.

Then, I paired it with this U by Uniqlo wide fit jeans, which I remember was on sale!

With the funky top and a classic jean, it's a pairing that has attitude, yet still has that air of class.

And together, this pair was roughly around P800!

Gosh! I miss visiting my haunts to put together new LFTATs.

Humor me!

Three things that I'm crazy about, especially when I go to the U.S.

1. Good Humor Ice Cream

2. Strawberries

3. Oreo

While randomly checking the Target website, I see this!!!

It's three of my faves, in one!

Need. This. Oreo. In. My. Life!

Imp-ish

It happens to the best and rest of us.

We're typing on the computer. We type the first 3 letters of the word we're thinking of. And without us knowing it, the computer auto-corrects the word. And that auto-correction - which we didn't notice - turns the sentence into an erroneous one.

Ah yes, the irony of it all. The correction leads to an error.

Methinks this is what happened to this article that I ran across on-line.

I'm sure the author was thinking "important." I'm sure the author wanted to write "important." I'm sure the writer thought he typed "important."

Apparently not. After typing the first three letters, "imp," I think the computer auto-corrected. Or it went on predictive typing mode. And because of that, what you now have is an "importation" rather than an "important" thing.

Proofreader, please!

Konbini Ninja!

Yesterday, my sister and I went on a Ninja-lightning mission at the nearby Japanese convenience store. She went there looking for Mirin for a dish she was cooking, while I was looking for - well, I was just looking for something to buy. Harhar.

After about 15 minutes in the store, I walked away with these!

I proudly showed Mark my loot because these are things we usually buy in the Konbini and Supa when we were in Japan.

These include instant ramen, Bourbon brand snacks, and Japanese candies, too. Wasn’t able to take a photo of the frozen tempura, which we were able to get. That should take care of our Japanese food cravings while at home.

Seeing this and showing it to Mark made us miss Tokyo even more.

When this is over, we’re going there pretty soon!

FMM: Together

One thing this entire experience is teaching me is that we can accomplish more and achieve more if we work together.

Whether it's at home, at work, or in our community, each one of us has a role to play. Each one of us has a responsibility to do. Each one of us has a stake in the outcome.

There's no more concept of "You" and "I," and the only way to get things done and moving is when there's a "We." A "We" that works together for a common goal, for a common good.

And this reminds me of this song from the 1970s film "Lost Horizon." I'm not sure whose it was, but we had a VHS tape of this movie in our house in Morato. That was way back in the late 80s, so the film was more than a decade old by the time is saw it.

The song was "Living Together, Growing Together."



That's what we need now. A sense of togetherness in achieving a common good for our nation.

I have faith that we can do that.

Sketchy Stories: Drawn to it!

When i’m at the office and waiting for emails or work to be cleared, I usually walk around the office to check how people are. This includes people within the department, as well as our other officemates in our 60+ strong company.

Now that I’m working from home, there’s no creative team or other departments to walk to. So, I had to find other ways of spending my time while waiting for emails and work to be cleared.

And one of those things is Pret-a-Template. Yup, that app I wrote about some weeks back.

It’s a good way to spend my spare time. While waiting for emails to come in, i’d often look at the fabrics lying around or packed in recyclable bags, and from there, I would sketch the design on the app.

And since we’re already a month into this work-from-home scenario, i’ve done a lot waiting. Thus, a lot of sketching, too.

Behold:

Gosh, if this continues, I might end up with a full collection by the time the CQ is over.

(Ac)Me Time

For the longest time, the term “Acme” was often seen in Looney Tunes cartoons, particularly Road Runner. This is the brand of equipment that Wil E. Coyote would use to try and trap our beep-beeping hero.

Who would’ve thought that it was a real brand. In the Philippines, to boot!

It turns out, there used to be an Acme Supermarket here in Manila! It’s a factoid I learned while researching for one of the projects that I’m working on.

Oh, the things you learn while on quarantine! Harhar!

Missing Mee

Gosh! I am SO craving for Penang Prawn Mee right now.

When this is over, I think Nanyang Food House in SM Megamall is the first place I'll visit.

LFLTAT: Happy Hues

Or, "Things you find when you're not looking for it, part 2."

As the Marie Kondo tidying up project continues, bags that are hiding in unexplored crevices of my closets are inadvertently found.

Which includes a red eco bag which has been hiding for many months, only to be found today. 

I still remember this red eco bag. It was from my visit to Greenhills, particularly Shoppesville. Initially, my purpose there was to look for Oreos from my favourite PX store. 

Now, beside that PX store is one of my go-to dress places, Apartment 8. They had a rack outside their store with big signs shouting "Sale," "P500," and "P300" which I couldn't refuse. So, after shopping for Oreos, it was off to shopping for sale items.

And that yielded 2 dresses in bright, cheerful and happy colors.

The first is this mustard yellow dress with a ruffled hem and a belt. It's a fun, flirty and flowy dress that's going to be great this summer.

Second, this off the shoulder dress in a colour that's a slightly darker hue of cornflower. It also has an asymmetric hem that keeps it from being boring.

And yes, these dresses were under the P500 and P300 categories. So, together, they're beautifully hued, fashionably designed looks for less than a thousand!

I wonder what other things I'll find the next few weeks.

Hope Rising

It's Easter Sunday!

This is a day of rejoicing and hope. Rejoicing that Christ is Risen and has defeated death, and Hope for all that after sorrow comes joy.

Hope and Joy! Two of the things that I - and I'm certain, the whole world - pray for during this Easter season.

Staying Vigil-ant

For several years, our Easter Vigils were spent in this church - The Franciscan Chapel Center in Roppongi.

I've written about it many times, and I'll write about it again. Spending Easter Vigil in this church is truly a rewarding, enriching and emotional experience.

From walking into the chapel in the dark and getting our candles. To the opening prayers held in the chapel gardens. Then walking to the main chapel where everything is dark and only lit by candle light. The scriptures are then read, along with beautifully sung hymns. (Hello, Go down Moses!)

And when the Alleluia comes, the lights all come on and the chapel is filled with life, joy and music!

After the gospel and homily, we then proceed to the basement for the traditional baptism of the new Catholics - an inspiring mix of young and old Catholics.

These same Catholics are then welcomed upstairs by the congregation though song and greetings. This part always wells my heart and leaves me teary-eyed.

The mass then concludes, and Mark and I walk off to Roppongi to have dinner.

It's been years since we spent Easter Vigils this way. We were hoping to do it this year. But this will have to wait when all this is over. For tonight, Easter Vigil was spent hearing mass on-line at The Manila Cathedral.

Until then, I have these memories to bring a smile on Easter night.

FMM: This is what we need

Let me take a break from "Healing" songs and pick up from the Maundy Thursday learnings that I gathered.

Jackie DeShannon had this hit song from 1965 which I think rings truer now than ever.



Love is definitely what we all need.

And this Friday Magic Madness song is a good reminder of that.

Love and Compassion

Today is Maundy Thursday, and this very apt and timely image appeared on my google search page:

This rings truer now while in the midst of all this uncertainty. One of the best things you can share is Love. Love for family. Love for friends. Love for strangers. Love for Him.

I'm praying that when this is over, we become - as a people in general - more compassionate and loving people.

The Fabulous Baker Boy - I mean, Baby

Baking runs in the family.

As kids, we'd watch our Mom work her baking wonders in the kitchen. She'd make chocolate cake from scratch. She'd also make chicken and pork empanada. And of course, one of our all-time favourites - her apple pie.

Growing up, Ate Lissa would also bake, too. She has this signature baked goody - Macaroons! I still remember how we'd go to the grocery to buy desiccated coconut, and she'd whip out those yummy macaroons in batches.

Then, I got into baking, too. Thanks to Mom's old Nora Daza cookbook, and followed by the Maya Kitchen cookbook that I bought with my savings, I started dabbling in it, too. I remember making my first apple pie, my first caramel tarts, my first cake, and my first batch of chocolate chip cookies, too.

While he was in school, our Javi-Davi-Doo got into baking, too. His recipe for S'mores Cookies is still posted on our refrigerator. And I'm going to try and bake that sometime soon.

Now, there's a new baker in our next generation. Our baker baby - Baby Noah!

Ate Lissa posted this shot of him as he was helping make a birthday cake for Javier. And judging by how he's handling those baking tools and that cupcake paper, it looks like he's going to be a great baker, too.

Start them while they're young, that's what I always say.

Our Teen Titan!

And just like that, our little Javi boy is now 14 years old!

The bigger he grows, the more he's starting to look like Dad and me. Harhar.

Happy, Javi Birthday, Javier!

LFLTAT: Seven-tease

Aside from work, coordinating on-going projects, tidying up and Marie Kondo-ing the heck out of my room, another thing that keeps me busy is reviewing my photos on my iPad. Not only does it help me keep track of things that happened the past few months, it also offers the occasional surprise of finding outfits that I've otherwise forgotten.

Among those outfits is this very Ali McGraw 70s ensemble that I remember getting at Surplus Shop sometime in January. For less than a thousand, of course.

Both the blouse and the pants have that strong 70s vibe to it. And together, it just harks back to that decade when things were simple, people were shouting "Free Love," and everything had a laid-back, boho-chic feel.

Just like this chiffon top with a ruched high-neck and exaggerated sleeves. The fabric is this dainty floral print which is very reminiscent of that decade.

The pants are wide and billowy, made of soft denim and has that easy-breezy feel. It's almost as voluminous as the top, but because the 70s were all about ease, it works!

Even though the reference is more than 40 years old, it still looks current and very now. And because summer is upon us, the loose silhouette is very apt, too. Amazing what less than a thousand bucks can do.

Get your Mojo

One of the restaurants in Tokyo that Mark and I tried and liked was the Shakey’s restaurant in Shibuya.

This was a peculiar Shakey’s outlet because it was an eat-All-you-can restaurant. Yup, unlike our Shakey’s here in Manila, all you needed to do there was pay a flat rate, then knock yourself out eating pizza, pasta, salad, rice, dessert, and of course, Mojos!

I remembered this because there was this article on-line that Shakey’s in Tokyo - the same Shakey’s where we ate - released their recipe for Mojos! This is to encourage people who are quarantined at home to try making it themselves.

Darn! We don’t have any more potatoes left in the fridge!

I should’ve seen this post earlier.

When will I G.U. again

Mark and I were talking about our previous Holy Weeks in Tokyo and how much we missed it. From our long walks from the Ropponggi Eki to the church to hear Mass, to our quick stopovers in the nearby convenience stores to grab something to drink. From dinner in Komoro Soba to watching religious films on youtube before going to sleep. From praying the rosary to the joy of the Easter Vigil Mass. There's just so many, so many things to miss.

We were planning to go back to Tokyo this year. Originally, we were thinking that we could do it during the Olympics, or after. But given the current state of the world, and how Japan has barred entry for foreigners from 73 countries - the Philippines included - I'm not sure when will that happen. (I'm sure it will, I'm just not sure when.)

So, until then, I'll just look back at old photos of our trips to the park, museum visits, train rides, meals both Japanese and Western, picnics, Hanamis, and of course, walks to Ginza to see G.U.!

Gosh, I wonder when will I get to visit G.U. again. Checking out their website makes me miss it some more. I'm just fortunate that they have branches in HKG and Seoul. So even if Japan is still closed to foreigners, there are other G.U.s that I can visit.

Hopefully, I can G.U. soon!

FMM: Wish for the World

They say this pandemic is a great equalizer.

Despite distance, despite borders, despite differences, different countries find themselves fighting the same invisible enemy. Whether it's a 1st world or 3rd world country, people find themselves in the same situation, facing the same difficulty.

And despite differences, they find themselves praying for the same thing. For our world to heal. That's why this Friday Magic Madness song from The King of Pop is an anthem of sorts for people today.



We pray that the world heals.

And it heals very, very, very soon.

Five Stars!

While watching videos on youtube, one of the suggested videos was the awarding of the Best Performance by an Actress in the 2009 Oscars.

I had to click it because I remember this is - hands down - one of my favorite Oscar Awards yet. When they assembled all the previous winners of a category to award that year's winner, that was a stroke of genius that left me in awe. And it's unmatched until today.

When the 5 former winners of Best Actress appeared on stage: Halle Berry, Marion Cottiliard, Nicole Kidman, Sofia Loren, and Meryl Streep - I swear, it took my breath away.



And when Sophia Loren said, in her beautiful Italian accent, - Meryl Streep - that just did it for me.

Of course, Kate Winslet winning for "The Reader" was cherry on top of the ice cream. I watched that film several times, and was simply entranced by her performance each time. It was an expected, and much deserved win.

I wonder when the Oscars will be able to do something this stellar again?

Mouret of Light

Or, “Things you find when you’re not looking for it.”

Was rummaging one of my closets looking for one of my old backpacks. While carefully removing some items, a black, folded piece fell out. I didn’t know what it was initially. I just knew it was a folded piece of heavy, stretch wool fabric.

Curious to see what it was, I unfolded the item and was pleasantly surprised what it was!

It was a Roland Mouret x Banana Republic dress that I didn’t even know I had!

This was part of the 2014 capsule collection that he did for the American fast fashion brand. I wrote about it several times on my blog, but I didn’t know I had a piece from that collection. And it’s a piece that I wrote about as one of my favorites!

Surprise, surprise indeed! Now that I found it, I should give it to Ate so she can use it!