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.

FMM: Living in a bubble

In my mind's playlist, there's a long list of songs that are inextricably attached to films. Whether the song was part of the film itself, or the song was incidentally played somewhere in the theater, these songs suddenly have a different and deeper meaning.

Most of these songs are old ones, so it's time to feature them as Friday Magic Madness songs.

In 1976, there was a film that would often be shown in RPN-9 entitled "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble." It starred John Travolta as a teen who was born without an immune system, so he had to live inside a plastic bubble his entire life.

There was a scene - not sure if it was the ending scene - where he finally steps out of the plastic bubble and rides off on a horse with the love of his life. And the song that was playing in that scene was this 1976 hit from Paul Williams.

"What would they say" was written for the film, and it was a perfect match for the scene where it was played. There was a feeling of freedom and joy that captured that final scene.

Now that I've played this song again, it's time to scrounge youtube for the film itself.

City view

Look who had a glow-up.

The Medical City lobby just had a makeover. 

The area which used to be open and had a fountain is now enclosed, air conditioned, and laid out with more couches and waiting areas.The area leading to the garden now has floor to ceiling windows, which highlights the nice view outside.

While the old lobby has a sense of nostalgia for me, this new one looks pretty fine.

Rice above

Amazing how local chefs are continuously finding ways of elevating local dishes.

Biboy and Liz brought this box of rice cakes from a famous shop in Laguna.

It's the traditional bibingka, but elevated through its flavours. Aside from the classic bibingka, they also have choc-nut, almond yema, and ube. As an 80s kid, the choc-nut one was the best for me.

Alas, their only store is in Laguna, so it might take some time before we get to enjoy these rice cakes again.

What sorcery is this?

This is the legitimization of the Pinoy habit of dipping their fries in sundae.

Frankly, I'm so tempted to try this out.

Scared. But tempted.

You say potato, and I say...

Baked!

Speaking of comebacks, one of my fave Wendy's products is finally back!

Back in college, Wendy's Baked Potato at their Quezon Avenue branch was my go-to meal. Paired with their iconic iced tea - it was bliss!

As their old tagline goes: It's the best time for Wendy's!

Color Story: Taupe tier

This is one of my most watched scenes from "Desperate Housewives."

It's less than 4 minutes, but it's bursting with quotable quotes that's been living in my head rent free for years now. 

One of the standouts for me is: 

GABY: "I said taupe, this is clearly beige."

MANAGER: "We don't have it in taupe."

GABY: "Second floor, third mannequin to the left. Look alive!"

Watching this again inspired this post about an outfit from 2 of my go-to shopping places.

The taupe top is from Bocu. It's a classic, boatneck shell that goes well with everything. And because of the simplicity of the top, the pants should make a statement. And that's what this pair from The Landmark can boast of.

It's a wide legged pant with asymmetric panels that sway when you walk. Together, it's an outfit that's simple in terms of colour, but generous in fashionable details.

And that's today's top taupe look.