An SG icon where I'd usually buy pasalubongs is now in MNL. It opened quietly, and without much fanfare. But the shop, the promise and the prices speaks volumes.
Valu$ is a grocery store in SG that sells items for much less compared to regular supermarkets. This is my go-to place if I'm buying chocolates, cookies and other pasalubongs.
It's a very no-frills place. Wooden shelves. Cardboard signs highlighting the offers. Red and yellow signs everywhere. And the great thing is, they brought all that here, so going inside the Valu$ store in Starmall feels like being in the Valu$ store in Bugis all over again.
From now on, this is going to be my destination for value buys.
After writing about fables, the word "imagination" suddenly came to mind. After all, you need a rich and vivid imagination to be able to come up with stories. Much more if you think up of fables.
And since today is Friday Magic Madness day, I'm digging up a song that I've written about more than a year ago. But it's such a nice song, it deserves a repeat.
"Pure Imagination" is a 1976 song from Lou Rawls. As kids, this song would be played a lot on cassette, whether it was at home or in the car.
True to its title, there's something very imaginative and fantastical about this song. It sounds so soothing, thanks to Lou Rawls' voice, and the lyrics were beautifully written.
So, as the song says: Come with me, and let's listen to this song again.
But as a kid, Aesop's Fables was one of the books that I'd devour.
What this post is about is this recent discovery.
After smelling Aesop HWYL, it was definitely a must-buy. It has this very green and earthy scent that's easy on the nose and not too overpowering. It also has good longevity and lasted more than 6 hours on my skin.
I'm not a big fan of perfumes, so this is a big deal.
File under: "The things you find when you're not looking."
Was walking along the concrete pavements of 13th Avenue, and chanced upon this beauty:
It's so refreshing to see so many flowers and so much vibrant colours in least expected places. It's a nice breather from all the hustle and bustle of city life.
Unprompted, this feature suddenly popped up on my FB reel.
What makes this reel special is that it features my cousin and their family restaurant in BCN.
Cristy is part of the 3rd generation of Bofarruls who are running Los Caracoles. And it's great to see how much they've embraced on-line marketing and advertising, but in a very authentic and organic way.
Looks like Chinoiserie is having another moment in fast fashion.
From Zara to H&M to Stradivarius, Chinese themed blouses, particularly those with frog closures, are popping up. Some are made of Chinese-looking silk, while some are made with more modern fabrics like linen and denim.
Gosh, this reminds me of that whole stash of Chinoiserie that was in my closet during my stay in HKG and SHG. Should've kept those for a time like today.
This is the reason why teaching is something I'm passionate about. It's always great to see how young creative minds work, and how they approach creative challenges.
Today was my Copywriting class' final presentation, and they did campaigns for the school's hotel.
Seeing how creative their work is - both in strategic thinking and creative execution - it's easy to see that the future of creativity is in capable hands.
Call this a double play or double feature, but today's Friday Magic Madness song is inspired by yesterday's movie trailer.
The trailer had a catchy music bed, and the song is a remake of this 1978 hit by Billy Joel:
"My Life" is one of his iconic songs, and it's been a while since I've last heard it play. But thanks to this trailer, it's now back in my playlist and I'm listening to it on repeat.
Safe to say, this song has been given a second life.
