Commercial break

But not just any commercial. It's a commercial that has my sister and nephew in it!



Ate Lissa found this on the internet and I found it on Ate Lissa's facebook page.

I think they were eating at McDonald's Greenhills that time, and the agency's concept was to get real life scenes from the branch. The camera was hidden and people didn't know they were being shot.

Ate and Miggy are in the 30th second in this commercial. Ate still had short hair and Miggy was still a baby then.

Indeed, we are a family of commercial models. Harhar.

Make mine margherita

Yesterday, we tried Shakey's Margherita pizza as an accompaniment to your basket of mojos. At first glance, it looked like a "sad" pizza because it was just cheese and tomatoes.

But it turned out to be much better than it looked. The flavors of the herbs and cheese melded perfectly, and the juicy texture of the tomato proved to be the perfect foil to all the flavors.

I'm going to have this again soon.

I want you, Friday

Another 80s tune in honor of Friday. This time, it's Gary Low's "I want you."



Listening to this song now gives me the warm fuzzies. I was actually wee young when this song went on air, but maybe it was played in the background somewhere because I do have memories of the song. Or maybe those memories were already from the 90s when they played this song on Friday Magic Madness.

In any case, I want to keep on listening to it. (Watching the cheesy video, though, isn't something I'd want to do over and over again.)

Quick change artists

On my way to school around 6:30am, the MRT passed by Guadalupe and the Plains and Prints sale billboard was up. It's this billboard:



On my back, around 3:30pm, there was an entirely new billboard on that exact same spot. And it was a teaser for Plains and Prints new collection that will launch on March 3. It's such a cryptic billboard.

Now I can't decide what I find more intriguing. The new collection, or how they can bring down and put up the billboards so quickly.

Craving for a cruller

Once upon a time, when Dunkin Donuts was just new in the Philippines, they had this donut called "cruller." It was a new concept for Filipinos who got used to seeing donuts as smooth and sugar coated. Suddenly, this curly, funny-looking, shiny donut came into our consciousness.

And I got hooked on crullers from thereon in.

I'm not sure when they discontinued crullers at Dunkin Donuts. I reckon it was in the 90s. Even though I've "outgrown" my craving for crullers, there are days when I just wish they still had them so I can snack on them.

Days like today.

Britney's big billboard blitz

Britney's new single "Hold it against me" just dropped, and it immediately went to number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100s. Plus, she sold around 500,000 digital tracks on the same day! Way to go, Brit-brit!

Hearing the first single makes me anticipate what her new album will be like. From what I've read, it's going to be something like a "best of the best" album. Her best collaborators from all her albums are back to write, arrange and produce tracks - so expectations are high. And a lot of people - including myself - can't wait until March when the new album is launched.

Crisis in McKinley

This weekend, we were able to witness a Crisis right at the heart of McKinley Hill. But it's a good kind of Crisis - the China Crisis type.

Yes, the icons of the 80s are back with a vengeance. This duo from England was such a hit 2 decades ago, and I remember my siblings and friends dancing to their songs. Their sound was a bit new-wave-ish and easy to listen to.

Among their big hits in the Philippines were "John the Boxer," "Black Man Rain," and the classic 80s ditty, "Wishful Thinking."



Even though the duo aged physically, their voice stayed the same. When they sang "Wishful Thinking", the crowd immediately stood up and did the "dance" associated with the song.

It's during moments like these that I realize how cool the 80s were.

Fock-in Funny

We originally intended to go "Green." But we ended up just Focking things up.



We expected a slapstick, he-haw-in, mindless good time, and that's what we got from this film. As usual, the De Niro and Stiller tandem brought together a lot of physical and cringe-worthy comedy that was a hit with the movie goers. Including us, of course.

While it isn't as good as the first 2, it's still worth watching.

And if I'm to gauge by the ending, it looks like a 4th installment is in the offing.

Ritzy Ritz

Growing up, Fridays only meant one thing.

FRIDAY MAGIC MADNESS!!!

It was awesome listening to all that old music on the radio. And when I say "old", it meant 80s music. Think A-HA, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, REO Speedwagon and their ilk.

And since it's Friday, let me pay homage to Magic Madness by posting this song which I'm listening a lot to. Thanks to Mil's Christmas gift.



"Putting on the Ritz" is so 80s, it hurts!

Simply yummy

Slowly but surely, I'm getting hooked on cereal bars. After Quaker, Nature's Valley and even the local surprise called Nova, I'm not getting hooked on something simpler.



It's a bar called "Simply Cereal." And it's just divine! It has multi-grains and fruits, and it's got yogurt on top. What could be yummier than that?

Donut do it, Mister...

Just when I thought I've weaned myself from Mister Donut's charms (due largely to Duets and the Chocolate Crinkle sakto) a new donut comes along.

They have a new product called "inipit", which is basically their chocolate donut sliced in the middle and filled with cream, then dusted with confectioners sugar on top. They're bite sized, so it's easy to get addicted to it.

Plus, it comes in several flavors. And my flavor of choice is strawberry, of course.

Must. Resist. It.

Losing my sting

Ok. So some astrologer says that there should be 12 star signs and not 12. The same astrologer (or group of astrologers) inserts a new sign between the months at the end of the quarter.

And just like that, I have ceased to become a Scorpion and I'm now a Libra.



Does this mean my attitude is supposed to change, too? I'm still very much a Scorpion.

Good Memories...

As Father Allen said, the best way to keep a marriage strong is to fill it with good memories. And the first day of Grace and Rick's wedding was full of that.

Good memories consisting of...


A great priest who gave a relevant and touching homily.


Adorable flower girls (and god daughters) walking down the aisle for the first time. (Great job, Becca and Audrey!)


A solemn and touching ceremony, made more beautiful by Rona's voice singing in the background. (Her "Panalangin ng pagiging bukas palad" left me teary eyed.)


Frendz in the entourage. Particularly Maricar, rocking her new bangs.


Little details.


Sharing a hearty lunch and even heartier laughs with friends. (Thanks to Mr. Max.)


A sweet gift from Frendz.


And of course, a friend who has found true happiness. Truly, the best thing a bride can wear during her wedding is a radiant smile. That's way better than any wedding gown or make-up.

Congratulations, Gracie Lou and Rick! Here's to more good memories ahead.

(I was so busy running around to take pictures, so I'd like to thank Francis and some other facebook friends for the photos.)

Father figured

There's so much to write about Grace and Rick's wedding this morning. So much happiness, so much genuineness, and of course, so much love.

There's so much to write about Grace and Rick's wedding, that it'll probably be impossible to write everything in just one go.

So I'll start with this.

Father Allen rocks! \m/_

His homily has got to be the best wedding homily I've heard to date. And believe me, I've heard so, so, SO many wedding homilies.

The best thing about Father Allen is the fact that he really figured out who Grace and Rick were, and he built his homily around them, and how marriage, Christ and love figured in their new life together.

After the mass, I could hear some people saying how teary eyed they were during the homily. And part of this homily is that the best way to have a successful marriage is to have a lot of good memories.

Thanks to Father Allen, Grace and Rick's first hour together is already a very, very, VERY good memory.

Is this really is it!

Tomorrow morning, my sorta-twin-and-partner-in-crime, Gracie Lou will become Mrs. Quizon.

As always, I'm surprised at how fast we got to this date. It was around 8 months ago when Grace told me she was getting married and that the wheels of wedding planning should start turning. And turn it did. Really fast.

Tomorrow morning, the wheel will finally reach its destination.

And the real journey for Gracie Lou and Rick will begin.

(Mid)terms of Endearment

And just like that, we've reached the middle of the semester once more.

C'mon, Father Time! Will you please slow down!

I have a love/hate relationship with midterm exams.

Love in the sense that it's always encouraging to see how my students have progressed the first 8 weeks of class.

Hate, well, it's mostly because of checking papers. Hahaha.

Wuz up!

All of a sudden and out of the blue, I found myself missing "The Wuzzles."



Maybe it's because this show was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. Maybe it was because I always found the concept very novel. (And no one did a similar show after.) Maybe it's because the characters names made me laugh: like Eleroo and Bumblelion. Maybe it's because it was all about "marry the two" which is commonplace in advertising.

Or maybe it's because the show is "two times the fun, wrapped up and rolled into one."

A gran-ola time

Thanks to the folks, I've got a big stash of granola bars both at home and at the office. Just like yogurt, I'm a big fan of granola bars. It can probably be considered a "healthy indulgence" since granola bars are usually low fat.

Among my favorite granola bar brands are these two which they brought:


Quaker Chewy has a great texture - similar to those rice crispies squares that Auntie Eden makes. But unlike the rice crispies squares, this one won't give you that much of a sugar rush.


Then, there's Nature Valley. I've been snacking on this brand since HKG, and while they have it in supermarkets in Manila, they don't have all the variants. The trail mix variety is one of my all-time favorites. And they got me a box! Woohoo!

Healthy snacking, here we come!

Stars on 45

It's been 45 years since my parents got married. That's 45 years! Woohoo!

And now that they're both in Manila this January, it was a good time to celebrate the 45th year of the stars in our family.






Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

It's gonna fly!

I've heard so many good reviews about Black Swan. They say it's dark, disturbing but delicious. And they say that Natalie Portman was flawless in her portrayal of a ballerina gone bonkers. This could just be her year at the Oscars.

Can't wait until February when they show this film in the Philippines.

Sneaky Sale

Plains and Prints is definitely the new Kamiseta. Whenever it puts out its sale sign, you can expect a gaggle of women jostling for clothes, lining up going to the fitting room and paying major moolah for their stash. Which is what happened today on its first day.

But I noticed something in this recent sale that I've noticed in Bayo's recent sales as well.

There are items being sold that are "sale period items" only. This means that the items were never sold at regular price, and were probably just designed and produced for "sale period" purposes.

Among the items that fall under this category was a dress which is a knock-off from a People are People dress. (Which is probably a knock-off from another dress.) There was also a nice white dress with graphic prints and a belt. It's a dress that I would've remembered if it were sold earlier. But I don't. So it wasn't.

I wonder if more local brands will follow this sneaky tact. My guess that they will - only if people aren't on to their shenanigans.

And yes, I'm on to it.

Quote of the day!

While browsing at Banana Republic, this girl came in and engaged in this hilarious conversation with the sales clerk:

Customer: Miss, meron ba kayong thermal underwear.

(Sales clerk looks perplexed and thinks for a few minutes before replying.)

Sales clerk: Ma'am, wala po kasi kaming formal underwear.

I had to hold my laughter in or else I would have been laughing like a crazy hyena inside the store.

Oh no, not again!

The clothes are now crammed on the shelves.
The shoes are now displayed in all available sizes.
Boxes marked "invierno" are stacked beside the cash register.

Yup, the Zara sale is starting tomorrow.

Here we go...

Back to regular programming

Back to Makati.
Back to viewing episodes.
Back to writing scripts.
Back to supervising editors.
Back to promo feeds.
Back to thinking up of new promotions.
Back to work.

Yup, we're definitely back.

Party, Party, Party

If the last 3 days of 2010 seemed like a blur, it's because of the adage "Time flies when you're having fun." With 3 parties crammed in between the 29th to the 31st, it was one wonderful get together after another.

Party 1: Christmas get together with the San Miguel folks. December 29 at The Borough located at The Podium.





Party 2: Grace's bridal shower + Mona and Maricar's Party + Christmas Dinner with D' Frends. December 30, Mona's house.



Party 3: Our family dinner to celebrate the coming of 2011! December 31, on the road in between our house and Ate Bullet's house.




Here's the 2010 and Welcome 2011. I see a whole lot more parties coming this year!

Starting the new year with a bang!

It's 01-01-11, and what better way to start the year than with fireworks.

The Katy Perry version, that is.



I like this song. It's inspirational without being sappy. It's a call to action song without being too obvious. It's empowering without being too preachy. No wonder a lot of kids like this song. Admittedly, I do, too.

The video, though, leaves much to be desired. I feel it's too contrived and too literal. But hey, this video is just a case of "you can't have everything."