Ramenlancholy

That's the first thing that came to mind after seeing this ramen that was served to me.

It looks sad. Melancholic, even. That's because of the position of the tamago and the chashu.

Despite that, this bowl of ramen made me happy.

Toni's Trinoma Takeover

The folks and I went to Trinoma last Sunday to check out Toni's bazaar. As expected, the line was long and the demand was high.

Since the crowd was building up, we decided to help out. Dad became the line marshall, calling people up and directing them to the booth. My job was to decorate the cake slices and make sure that the chiller was always refilled.

Given my experience at McDonald's, it felt fun being behind the counter and serving again.

It would be both great and fun to do this again.

Another Mallow touch

Yup, 7-11 is serious in upping its food game.

Saw this Biscoff  Mallows sandwich and had to try it!

It was more Biscoff and less mallows. But tit was good!

But if they add more mallows, then this would be great.

Shy boy

Unearthed this very old photo of me and my cousin, Maricel.

This was taken during the wedding of Tito Tony and Auntie Eden. To make their wedding different, they asked their young nephews and nieces (including me and Maricel) to be the secondary sponsors. This was novel because boys and girls were usually relegated to flower girls and the bearer boys. But they gave us "adult" responsibilities.

It's easy to see my shyness in this photo. Looking at this made me smile and reminded me of how shy I was as a kid.

Then again, I'm still a shy kid now. Albeit inside.

Misson to Mars (and Ronson)

Since it was mentioned yesterday, might as well play it!

This song is really perfect if you want to get your funk on.

This is (white) gold!

This interview of Graham Norton with Michelle Pfieffer is one of my faves and also one the most watched videos on my youtube.

Her facial reaction while describing the 2 situations that she heard the song was priceless.

It makes Michelle even more endearing than she already is.

FMM: Ala Mode

Yesterday, we had a spirited discussion at the creative department.

The topic, Depeche Mode.

Most of us in the team are 80s kids, so we grew up with their music. We loved the sound. We appreciated the lyrics. They've mastered the art of new wave.

Just like this.

Get it? "Master," "Master & Servant?" Harhar.

TGIF!

Rice above the rest, part deux

It's still about rice, but not about Mango Sticky Rice.

This is about my favourite Japanese tea.

Our neighbour always gives us this whenever her daughter comes home from Japan. It's a rice tea that's best served cold - which, incidentally, is my preference.

I'll take this rice over the conventional one anytime.

Better the Devil you know

Nope, this isn't a Kylie Minogue post.

But it's as exciting!

First images from the new "Devil Wears Prada 2" has dropped!

Mark and I are huge fans of the first instalment, and we're hoping that this doesn't fall into the "sequel trap."

We have a year to wait and find out.

Rice above it

We've been waiting to try Toni's Mango Sticky Rice cake for a few weeks now. But it's very popular and always sold out. 

Yup, it's that good.

And while waiting for us to get a slice, I'm scoping out other Mango Sticky Rice possibilities. Which led me to this.

Zagu has a Mango Sticky Rice cake shake!

Tried it, and it's good. It's strangely satisfying to sip a shake that's somewhat like "suman." (That's an alliteration there.)

Now, I'm even more excited to try Toni's cake.

Pi-stash-cio

Heck, even 7-11 is riding the Pistachio train.

They're now selling Pistachio brownies!

Maybe I'm used to Toni's super-duper-delicious Choco Pistachio Crack Cakes, but this brownie doesn't have too much pistachio flavour and crunch. It seems like they scrimped on the supposed star.

Then again, it's just P99.

Despite feeling underwhelmed, I'll still add this product to my stash.

Picking up my fave

I've been trying Milo drinks from different coffee and tea places lately.

Since Milo is Milo, and I"m a Milo boy, I'm all good with the different iterations of the drink. Basically, they taste the same, and the variations lie in the price and the add ons.

The easiest to reach - mainly because they have SO many stores in Manila - is Pick Up Coffee.

There are actually 2 branches near my office, so whenever the Milo craving attacks, I'm glad that I can pick up something to satisfy my cravings.

Setting the Tones

Despite the heavy rains, we made it to SM Megamall to check out and support Toni's Sweet Tones booth at the United Bloggers bazaar.

It was such a joy to see her small business gain so much support. People were patiently lining up to get a taste of her cakes and chocolates. And having had tasted her products, it's worth the wait.

I'm sure this is just the start of many more successful bazaars for Toni.

FMM: The ilk of Milk

Today is one of the few times that our Friday Magic Madness song comes from my childhood constant - Sesame Street.

It's the truth. Sesame Street produced some of the most memorable songs. What's great about these songs is the fact that there's a lesson tied to it.

Just like this "Milk Song" which Sesame Street released way back in 1975.

It actually came as a surprise that this song was that old. It was in the 80s when they started showing this on TV here in the Philippines. But it might have been playing in the US way before that.

This song taught me where milk came from, and it also made me want to be part of the dairy farmer ilk, and try to milk a cow myself. 

That never happened, of course.

But hey, this song does and always makes me experience it vicariously.

Denim details

Sometimes, it's the little things that make a big difference.

Just like this little detail on a pair of jeans from one of SM's in-house brands - SMYTH.

Wasn't really on the lookout for a pair of jeans, but after seeing this cool illustration and clear description of the pair on display, it became even more attractive. Which resulted in me buying it.

Yup, that's what little things can do.

What's the beef?

It's Cow Label dried beef!

This is an iconic childhood snack that we used to buy in Unimart. They've changed the packaging format, but the label and graphics are still the same.

Gave this to my Gen X officemates and they said that it tastes the same.

Some good things never change.

Loves this hotel

You know a hotel is Le Snazz when their restrooms are fitted with Jo Loves toiletries.

Such is the case at Makati Diamond Residences.

This made me wash my hands around 5 times during a 3-hour event.

Dis(doesn't)count

This has to be - hands down - the most confusing discount I've seen so far.

Makes me wonder if there's someone clueless enough to buy this.

This might be an honest mistake.

Proofreader, perhaps?

En Pointe

One o Ate Bullet's fave pairs of shoes is a pair of ballet-style flats from Zara. 

They're black, made of satin-like material, and has a ribbon that can be tied around the ankle - similar to an actual ballet shoe. She likes it so much that she wears it on repeat.

Tried looking for the same pair at Zara, but it's all out. Wanted to buy her a back-up pair since she's into it that much.

Luckily, during my last SG trip, saw this pair from Charles and Keith.

It had the same colour and ribbon detail as the Zara pair, but this one had a pointed tip and was made of patent vegan leather. It's not exactly like her fave pair, but this one comes very close, and has a slight twist.

It's still on point if you ask me.

D.I.Why

That's the question in my head after 2 hours of trying to assemble this shoe rack.

But heck, was able to finish it and I'm very happy with the results.

It reminds me of my D.I.Y. days in HKG.

FMM: Boo!

Passed by the mall, and this shop suddenly played this super random but super catchy song. 

Back in the 90s - 1990 to be exact - this song was one of the most played in the airwaves and in discos. That's because the rhythm and beat are so danceable and memorable. Especially the rap part, which just registered in my head the moment they played it.

It also helps that the singer's name - Betty Boo - was extremely memorable as well.

And that's how "Doin' the do" became today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Monki see. Monki do. Monki gone.

So that's why the Monki store in Megamall looked emptier and emptier with every visit.

Yup, they're closing down.

Apparently, it's a corporate decision and they're shuttering all the Monki stores worldwide and integrating them with the "Weekend" brand.

Another brand bites the dust.

Xaijian Taipan

One of the time I'd look forward to in HKG was the Mooncake festival. That's the time when the office and our senior colleagues would be handing out this traditional pastry. 

Aside from the usual lotus paste and salted egg variants, the Taipan Snow Mooncake was one of my most anticipated ones. This was usually available at Taipan Bakery, and they're usually very busy around this time because of that particular type of Mooncake.

So, it's sad to read that Taipan has officially closed its doors. 

Mooncake festivals won't be the same without them.

Back to Bac

As much as I'm a big city kind of guy, a smaller, more quaint and quieter city like Tabaco will always be appealing to me.

It's always good to be back.

I Don believe it!

I'm a fan of donuts.

I'm a fan of omigiri.

Will I be a fan if these 2 came together?

Yes, there's a donut onigiri in Dunkin.

Had to try it. And it was okay. 

I'd still prefer to have my donut and onigiri separately, though.

Well Dan

Luckily, my Bicol trip also coincided with the Bicol visit of my cousin, Dan Dan.

When we were kids, the 3 of us were best buds - Dan Dan, Maricel and myself. Since we were almost the same age, we gravitated towards each other. We'd be the ones hanging out, reading comics, playing outside, or just hanging out by the kalachuchi tree in Malinao.

It's been a while since we last saw each other. When we were trying to recall the last time we met, we figured out that it was during the golden wedding anniversary of Uncle Coye and Auntie Mila. So, this reunion was long overdue.

Well, that's a great way to wrap-up my Bicol visit.

(Ma)Yon!

Some people complain that they rarely see Mayon whenever they visit Bicol.

Luckily, during every Bicol trip, Mayon welcomes me in its full glory. Including yesterday.

Hello again, Mayon! Great to see you again.

FMM: Night sounds

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is inspired by Bicol. 

That's because I'm here now.

One of the most famous songs to come out of Bicol is the iconic "Sarung Banggi."

Written in 1910 by Potenciano Gregorio, it's a love song about a chance meeting between a man and a woman in the province. Most likely, the setting is in Bicol, where the author is from.

During our summer visits to Bicol as kids, this is one of the songs that the older people would sing for us, and we'd be fascinated by it. 

Any trip to Bicol won't be complete without listening to this iconic song.

Sing Style: Take it back

Seems like cut-outs are a recurring theme in The Closet Lover's designs.

Here's the other dress that I got from the brand.

It's a khaki shirt dress made of a light, twill fabric. It looks very straightforward from the front.

But the back is open, and it has an extended part that makes the silhouette a bit more visually interesting.

Good thing I discovered this brand. They really have a lot of good stuff.

Sing Style: All the (closet) lovers

Walking through Bugis Junction, there was a store that had a big "Closing Out Sale" sign outside. Inside there were racks and racks of dresses, tops and pants, which immediately caught my eye. 

Then again, they had me at "Closing Out Sale."

The store was called "The Closet Lover," and it's a  homegrown SG brand. Ka Wei did some research, and it turns out that the owners were shuttering their stores due to some health issues experienced by one of the owners.

Inside the store, there were troves of good finds. There were dresses on 70% off, and couldn't resist buying a few. Just like this one.

It's a black, eyelet dress with a cut-out detail on the side. Overall, the silhouette and fabric are very feminine, but the cut-out is what gives it an edge.

Ate will surely love this dress.

Sing Style: Love it!

Love Bonito is a staple brand in SG. They've got a lot of elevated everyday wear, and the fabrics are very easy-to-wear and easy to maintain.

They've opened a store in Greenbelt 3, which I've written about. But of course, checking out an SG brand in SG has its perks.

True enough, they were on sale. And it was the type of sale where you get discounts plus additional discounts. Summed up, the prices of their clothes are very reasonable.

The dress that caught my eye was this beige shift dress with a cut-out below the bust line.

It caught my eye because this was the dress that I was checking out in their Greenbelt store. I came very close to buying it a few times, but wasn't able to. And now, I know why.

Got this at the Vivo City store and there were 3 stacked discounts. That made the dress less than half of the price that I would've paid for here.

Gotta love bargains like this!