Living the dream(er)

I've seen this video quite a few times already. It's an audition from the 2018 edition of "The X-Factor UK." Gosh! It means this video is already 8 years old.

This audition features a 50-year old singer named Jancie Robinson who did a rousing rendition of a very danceable ditty. (Two alliterations in a row!)

While she was being interviewed, there was a backstory about that song that she sang. Apparently, it was a hit song that was part of the soundtrack of both Robbie Williams' and Louis Tomlinson's lives. After doing research, it turns out that the song - "Dreamer" - was a song from an American group called "Living Joy." 

And guess what, Janice Robinson was the lead singer of that group.

The song reached number 1 in the UK charts, which explains why Robbie and Louis are very familiar with it. Looking at both videos now, Janice hasn't lost that beautiful voice and commanding presence on the UK stage. Whether it was "Top of the Pops" in 1995 or "The X-Factor UK" in 2018, she still has that power and presence.

No wonder her dreams - and dreamer - are still going after more than 2 decades.

Meals with Mark: Easy Aussie

In the continuing saga of "Where do we eat in One Ayala." 

 We've passed by Panco a few times, but haven't tried eating there. Panco is an Australian-inspired cafe that serves Australian coffee and Pinoy meals. Tried this at The Podium once, but haven't eaten here with Mark, so we decided to have lunch here last Saturday. 

 My go-to order here is the Salmon Cream Dip with pandesal.

This never disappoints. The creaminess and savoury salmon pairs well with the crunchy and soft pandesal. We also tried their rice meals - Mark having the charred longganiza and me having the fish tartare. They're both really good! 

 Looks like we have another winning discovery!

Send me one line

No, this ins't a Spyro Gyra post. But it feels like I'll have one of their songs as a Friday Magic Madness song soon.

This is about Toni's bazaar at One Ayala today.

Dropped by after school, and got there around 11am. And as early as that time, they already had this long line of folks wanting to try Sweet Tones cakes.

It's actually like this in a lot of the bazaars that she joins. And it's not surprising since the cakes are really good. Especially the Ube Bibingka Cheesecake.

Way to go, Toni!

FMM: Mx it up

While writing the title for yesterday's Mexican story, this song suddenly clicked and played in my head non-stop.

"Mixed-up World" is another catchy ditty from Sophie Ellis Bextor, this time from 2003. While it's not as overly popular like "Murder of the Dance Floor" and "I won't change you," this song is as catchy and danceable as the first 2.

And in true Sophie Ellis Bextor fashion, the music video was eye candy - filled with stunning visuals, great fashion, and signature moves.

Because of all these reasons, this song will suddenly be in the mix the next few days.

Mex it up

Since yesterday was a WFH day, thought of using my in-between-work-time doing something meaningful and memorable.

That activity is making Ham and Cheese Quesadillas for the usual Senior's afternoon merienda get-togehter.

It's memorable because quesadillas remind me of Tokyo and Mark. We would usually make quesadillas for Pinoy parties, like the GRIPS Hanami and birthday celebrations at IH2. It's meaningful because it's for the my folks and their friends.

Decided to use 2 types of ham - chicken ham and farmers ham. Also used 2 types of cheese - mozarella and quick melt cheddar.

The tortilla was brushed with a bit of butter, for that extra flavour and crunch.

And here it is!

Estoy ogrullosa de mi creacion!

Everything's coming up Rosie

It's one of those days when you wish there was a Target store here in MNL.

If they were here, I'd be there now, grabbing pieces from the Rosie Assoulin x Target collab.

Rosie Assoulin is known for her very feminine and fun aesthetic. She plays with colours, patterns, and executes them in sharply tailored pieces. And that DNA is easily seen in her Target collection.

The piece that caught my eye is this off-shoulder, button down denim dress.

It has a casual and classy silhouette, and the denim makes it easy-to-wear for every day.

Gotta find a way to get this.

Musinsa's scene

The Korean fashion invasion continues.

If it wasn't enough that we now have Top Ten and 8 seconds, Musinsa will soon be part of the Philippine scene!

The Ayala group is bringing in Musinsa, and understandably, their first store will be in Glorietta. I'm interested to see how big their store will be, and how much product they're carrying. If it's anything like their Seoul stores - filled with clothes, beauty products, and nutritional supplements, then they have the makings of a huge hit.

Question is: when will the bring in SPAO?

Escape plan

Saw this very peculiar sight while passing through DIY in Ali Mall.

I'm not sure if a kid left it there, or if it fell when one of the staff was restocking, but it sure looks like the toy dinosaur is hatching an escape plan.

There's a story in this somewhere.

Cool Cat

Couldn't help but take a photo of this cool cat that I spotted yesterday.

His stance, his look, his vibe - it screams "I'm cool and can't be bothered."

That's an attitude that we should all have.

Meals with Mark: Mucho Gosto

Mark and I are in One Ayala so often, we've tried almost all restaurants in the mall.

We have our go-tos like Tim Ho Wan, Chili's and Friday's. We've tried all the Bistro Group restaurants in the environs. We've had one-off lunches and dinners at Fat Seed, Khao Khai, Ebi Ten, Stuffd - and the list goes on.

But one place that we always pass by but haven't tried yet is Bom Gosto.

It's the European Concept of The Vikings Group, and it's an ala carte place. Yup, while most concepts of The Vikings Group are buffet places, this one goes against the grain. 

Since we're going against the grain anyway, we decided to try it for lunch today.

Like most Bistro restaurants, they also have an all-day set menu, which is what caught Mark's eye when we first passed by. After browsing the menu, the already knew what he wanted. So did I.

For starters, we had the croquettas and tomato salad with parmesan texture. (It was the "parmesan texture" that got us.)

For the mains, we had the chicken cordon bleu and shrimp alfredo pasta. It was so appetizing, we forgot to take a photo of it. 

Because there's always room for dessert, we had the Classic Torrija.

Overall, the food, ambience and service was well worth its price. Not bad for our first experience here.

And looks like it won't be our last.