Gone to the birds

If you want your look to fly, it helps to have a statement piece in your wardrobe. Something that has a classic cut, but has a contemporary detail that has a strong wow factor.

Enter this jacket from SM Department Store!

It's a jacket with a classic cut that will go well with a shift dress or a plain shirt and jeans. It's the type of jacket that you can dress up or dress down, and can go from office to party in a snap.

What makes it interesting is the beautiful bird print in front. It really ups the ante when it comes to style.

The back is also very on-trend with its digital mirror print. There's a lot of good to be said about products that pay attention to the back as much as the front. And I have a lot of good things to say about this find. (Among them, the fact that it was 50% off when I bought it.)

If you're looking for away to make your look take flight, this is definitely it.

FMM: Freedom of Expression

In the midst of the entire Miley-VMA brouhaha, certain people were comparing Miley to the younger Madonna.

During her younger years, Madonna did then what Miley is doing now. She like to be provocative, bold and fun.

This was who Madonna was, and she was just trying to express herself.

(Cue in our Friday Magic Madness song for today: Madonna's "Express Yourself.")



(Speaking of brouhahas, this Jean Paul Gaultier conical bustier was already the stuff of scandals back then. And of course, there was the on-stage pumping scene that makes Miley's grind look tame.)

My, my, Miley

Currently, cyberspace is all ablaze because of Miley Cyrus' twerktastic, foam-hand abusing, bump and grinding performance at the VMAs. Like any issue, there are people who are all for what she did, while most of them are up in arms crying: "What happened to Hanna Montana?"

Well folks, she's not Hanna Montana, she's Miley Cyrus. Oh, and she's not 13 years old anymore. The young lady you saw on the VMA stage is Miley Cyrus just being Miley Cyrus. Yes, it might not be the most wholesome incarnation of her, but it's her being her.

So keep on singing and keep on partying, Miley!

(Although personally, I prefer her when she was partying like this.)

Joyful Janet

I've recently found myself hooked on "surprise videos" on youtube. Of course, The Ellen Show and Oprah are two shows where you see a lot of life-changing, eye-misting surprises, so watching them is a given.

But as I continued to trawl the web, I found this wonderful surprise that Janet Jackson and Anderson Cooper threw for some of her mega fans!



Everything about this video is heartwarming. The honest reactions of the dancers, the fact that Janet radiates with love and pride, and just seeing the interaction of two people who's lives touch one another.

It's enough to make you tear up in joy.

We will Roksanda you!

When I found out that Roksanda Ilincic's capsule collection for Debenhams was available in the Philippines, I knew that I had to snag a piece or two. After all, I'm a big fan of her work. Her aesthetic is very feminine, but it always has a hardness to it that makes each piece of clothing very interesting.

If the information from the web is correct, this collection in-store is her last collection for Debenhams. Luckily, I was able to get 2 pieces before they were taken off the shelves.

The first piece is a LBD with a twist. Make that twists.

It's a sheath silhouette made of heavy wool crepe, but the frilled hem is in white, adding a swish of texture to the dress. Plus, it has a neon green grossgrain belt that's sure to catch the eye and make the waist look slimmer.

The second piece is another stunning sheath, but this time in a checkered pattern.

Two details that make this dress a WOW dress. First is the flutter sleeve that drapes down to the bodice. I can imagine how flattering this detail will look when worn.

Second is the back zipper. It runs the entire length of the dress, and it can be adjusted to lower the back or raise the slit. Or both!

There were other dresses on the rack that caught my attention. Unfortunately, they didn't have the right size anymore.

Despite that, I'm glad that I was able to get these 2 Roksanda Ilincic dresses. And I'm sure Ate will rock them both.

Release the Cracker!

Nope, not the Kraken. The Cracker! Particularly these two crackers that I've been recently addicted to.

The first time I tried Ritz Toasted Chips was when Tito Tony brought some from the U.S. Previous to that, I wasn't even aware that they had this product. And after polishing off the bag, I realized that it's available in local supermarkets as well!

Which led me to another Nabisco winner, Wheat Thins toasted chips!

I bought a pack along with Ritz Toasted Chips, and these crackers are AWESOME! I had to stop myself from finishing the bag in one sitting.

There are a couple more flavors in the supermarket that I haven't tried, and it looks like I'm going to try all of them very soon.

Two ways: The blue shirt

The true test whether an item is worth purchasing is how much "wear" you'll get from that item. If it's a piece that you can wear in different ways, then by all means, buy it. 

One such piece is this cotton button down shirt with a knotted bottom that I scored at Forever 21. The fact that it's cheap (after all, it's from a fast fashion haven,) it's also quite versatile. It's one of those pieces you can wear on a weekday or a weekend, to work or to a party, to a meeting or to a picnic.

To illustrate, here are two ways how you can wear this seemingly plain shirt.

First, you can wear it over a dress as a cover up, or simply as a means of warming you up in this chilly, stormy weather. Here, the dress is paired with a pleated LC Lauren Conrad dress with a sheer panel on top.

Since both colors are very subtle, and the polka dot print of the dress is subdued, this combination has that feeling of ease that makes it perfect for a Sunday picnic or a simple stroll in the park.

Another way of wearing a crisp shirt is pairing it with trousers. That might sound blase to some, but not if you choose vibrantly colored and vividly printed trousers. Such as this pair which is from The Landmark department store. (Don't we all just love The Landmark!)

If the first outfit plays with subtleties, this one strikes a balance between a strong print and a subtle color. The combination is a perfect balance that you can wear on a casual Friday at the office, or an evening out.

That's already two ways to wear this plain, blue shirt. And there's actually quite a lot more - from shorts, to a pencil skirt, even a maxi-dress. But no matter what you wear it with, the fact is that you get so much wear from this item that it's definitely worth purchasing.

That's good enough for me!

Mark knows that I'm a huge fan of KitKat, especially the ones that we don't get in the Philippines. 

Thanks to him, I've tried KitKat Green Tea, Wasabi, Sakura, Orange, and a host of other new flavors. And now, he's added this to the roster:

KitKat Cookies & Cream!

After trying one piece, it's mind-blowingly good. It's true to the ice cream flavor it was named after. The creaminess is so pronounced, and the cookie bits provide the right texture.

Even Cookie Monster would agree!

Psychedelic Pink

On my way to work today, the bus was playing a selection of MTVs from the 80s. Among those they were showing was this classic ditty from the Psychedelic Furs.



Of course, this song is inextricably attached to the Molly Ringwald film of the same name. I think that's the reason why this song became so popular.

I'm not sure if it's intentional or not, but it seems like buses are getting into the Friday Magic Madness mood, too.

Oats taking

As I've written in many, many entries, I'm a big fan of Chocolate Milk. Aside from that, I'm also a huge fan of oatmeal.

So, imagine my surprise when I went to the supermarket and found this:

It's Chocolate Milk with Oats! It's a new product from Oishi called Choco Chug, and I immediately had to buy a pack and try it!

I'm so glad I did! The chocolate milk flavor is rich, and there are little bits of oat that add texture to every sip. This combination makes it both unusual and special, and it's worth a return purchase.

While I'm not replacing Magnolia Chocolait and Knick Knacks X-Blast anytime soon (they're the gold standard in chocolate milk drinks in my book,) the product will definitely be in rotation.

The perfect storm

With Typhoon Maring (which in Bicol means a crazy person) immobilizing most of Metro Manila, I  found myself doing something that I haven't done in a while. Stay at home for 2 days straight.

Yup, since some of the roads are impassable and most of the establishments are closed, I was just at home being lazy. All I did was sleep, eat, read, play with Javier, eat, sleep, sleep and eat. It's been ages since I last slept until 10am, only to sleep again at 1pm. Yes, the day was very lazy.

In fact, it was perfectly lazy.

It couldn't have come any Suno

Aside from bringing yummy snacks and chocolates, Mark also brought home something deliciously fashionable from Tokyo. In particular, he brought home some dresses from the Suno x Uniqlo collaboration!

As expected, the prints were fantastic and the fabrics were beautiful. Trust Uniqlo to use only the best cotton in making their garments, and it's so easy to feel the difference.

I gave these to my sisters yesterday, and I'm sure they'll be using Suno very soon.

Pocky Talkie

Snacking is one of the things that Mark and I enjoy doing a lot whenever we're in Japan. We'd often find ourselves in a supermarket or konbini, stacking up on chips, chocolates and other food stuff.

Among our favorite snacks are Toppo and Pocky. These little sticks of goodness have accompanies us everywhere - from Will and Grace marathons at the dorm to Shinkansen trips to different points of Japan.

That's why I was thrilled when Mark brought me some Pocky when he arrived last Friday. And these aren't just any Pocky but rare ones!

These are flavors I won't get in Manila easily, so I'll eat these snacks very, very sparingly.

And baby makes 21!

(Almost complete! We're only missing Gary.)

Today, we threw a baby shower to welcome the upcoming 21st member of D' Frendz - Bonique's to-be-born-son, Aidan Elijah!

D' Frendz is a growing family indeed.

Xtremely enjoyable

Despite the foul weather, my journalism class and I enjoyed our trip to Subic. Not only was it a good time to learn new things, it was also an opportunity to unwind and have fun with the class.

And no trip to Subic is complete without a visit to Xtremely Xpresso!

The class marveled at their gigantic pizza - the one I asked them to order. And the pizza is still as big and yummy as ever.

I should bring my family back to eat there again soon.

FMM: Do you dare?

Well, the Pointer Sisters have an answer for that:



Ah yes. Another nostalgic, feel good song on a Friday.

Can you Phillip?

I can't believe I didn't catch this on my collaboration radar!

Phillip Lim is the next designer collaborator at Target!

Based on the look book, this collection looks more promising than the one by Prabal Gurung. Then again, the photos don't capture the actual fabric, which is usually the deal breaker when you talk about fast fashion collaborations.

Personally, I prefer his collaboration with Uniqlo a few year ago. And besides, my sisters have dresses from that collection already.

Flowers on your feet

In the continuing saga of masculine meets feminine, I present these shoes from The Ramp:

The shape is that of your classic loafers, complete with the penny window. Too bad (or thankfully) penny loafers aren't in fashion anymore. I would've looked for a coin that'll actually fit in that small window.

To balance the masculinity of the shape, the fabric used is silk with a bold floral print. This gives the pair unabashed femininity.

All you need is a pair of jeans, a plain shirt and these floral loafers on your feet, and you have an outfit that's a real treat.

Electra-fying and Dyna-mite!

Oh look! I found the opening credits to Electra Woman and Dyna Girl on youtube!



The credits look amateur when I look at it now. But when I was watching this show as a kid, it was definitely the best series ever!

Color Story: Green day

One of my colleagues is getting married in less than a year. Needless to say, I offered to help out in any way I can. 

Her color palette is interesting, and one that's new to my eye: it's a mix of jade green and amethyst. While this is a color combination I've worked with before for my sisters' daily outfits, it's the first time I'll be working with it on a wedding.

While scouting for jade green fabrics, I came across another green hue that immediately caught my eye. It was no other than Emerald green - the color motif of Rache's wedding which we organized more than a year back.

It's been a while since I last used this color - both for weddings or for my sisters' consumption. And seeing the range of pretty Emerald green fabrics there were, it was simply hard to resist.

So, this pair composed of Emerald green georgette and lace came home with today. The lace fabric reminds me of Valentino's take on the green lace dress,

While adding these fabrics to the stash at home, I chanced upon this green belt on the pile.

Looking at these three items, my mind automatically said: "This looks like another project."

Taking the (pan)cake

This morning, I did something that I haven't done in a long time.

I cooked breakfast!

In particular, it was chocolate chip pancakes. And instead of the usual chocolate chips, I used Goya Chocolate buttons which melted perfectly into the pancake.

I should cook for the family more often.

An Icy reception

Kids can learn a lot from the past, especially when the past is dramatically re-told in full Hollywood fashion.

For my Investigative Journalism class today, I decided to show them the film Frost/Nixon. With the story's origins coming from the Watergate crisis, I thought it would be interesting enough to keep the students' glued on to the screen for 2 hours.

Apparently not.

When I went inside the classroom 1 hour into the film, some students were already dozing off, while one was actually sleeping on the floor.

Wowie is right. Sometimes, these kids have very little sense of history.

FMM: Light and bubbly

There are some songs that never fail in making me feel giddy and peppy. More often than not, these are songs that come from the 70s and 80. And most likely, they're songs that I hear whenever I tune into Friday Magic Madness.

And today's bubbly song is brought to you by a lady with an equally bubbly name.

So, I'm celebrating Friday with one of Evelyn Champagne King's biggest hits.



I really miss music like this.

Damask Us

There's something very elegant and old world about Damask. Which isn't a wonder since its origins really tell a story of old world elegance. A story that goes all the way back to the Middle Ages in Damascus where the weaving technique was perfected.

I've always gravitated towards Damask prints. So much so that 3 of my gift wrapping themes used Damask patterns as base. Whenever I visit museums in Europe, I'm always fascinated by their use of Damask on their walls. Heck, I chose my hotel room in Prague based on the Damask wallpaper I saw on their website.

Lately, there have been a lot of this print on articles of clothing. Needless to say, they're articles that automatically went into my sisters' stash by virtue of the lovely print.

First, these gray jeggings from the Simply Vera Wang collection.

The ornate print pops out as it is, and the fit of the jeggings call for a top that's more loose and relaxed. Such as this black top with sheer shoulders from Terranova.

This creates a look where Damask serves as the base of the outfit.

Then, i saw this loose silk top from Bread and Butter with the print rendered in black and white.

Using the same principle, since the top is loose and ornate, the bottom should be form fitting and plain. That's why these Zara jeans are perfect.

That's another take on the Damask trend, with the highlight being on top of the outfit.

These are two instances when hiding behind Damask is actually a good thing. A very good and fashionable thing.

Yahoo you?

Initially, I thought I landed on a parallel site that was trying to copy yahoo. But after checking out its partner sites, I found out that it was the real yahoo site I was looking at.

It just so happened that they changed their logo.

The logo change actually happened without warning nor fanfare, which added to the surprise. Maybe they're doing a dry run or a test to see how the viewers will take to the logo.

Personally, I like the new yahoo logo. It feels younger and more playful than the first one. It must be the typeface that's giving me this vibe.

Yahoo for change!

No buts for The Butler

There's a lot of Oscar buzz for this film, especially for Forest Whitaker who plays the title role. And after seeing the trailer, I see why:



It feels like The Butler will be serving up some Oscars next year.

Crazy thing called Advertising

Unlike a lot of my friends from Advertising, I'm not a big fan of advertising-themed TV series. I mean, I live in that crazy world everyday, so why would I want to watch it once I get home from work?

The only exception would probably be that reality show entitled "The Pitch." Now that's a lot of fun to watch. Then again, it's a reality show, not a drama nor comedy series. So, maybe it still doesn't count.

But as I was browsing youtube, I found a trailer that might just change my mind:



The craziness of Robin Williams. The charm of Sarah Michelle Gellar. A comedy set in an Advertising Agency.

Sold!

Wonder from down under

In my opinion, one of the most underrated shoe brands in the country is this quiet brand called Australian. No, it's not an Australian brand. In fact, it's very Pinoy.

It's a brand that's been around for decades. In fact, as early as the 90s, I would buy Australian shoes for my sisters at Robinson's Department Store. The shoe section was still on the 2nd floor back then, and Australian was at the left end of the store. Even back then, they had very nice designs and my sisters found their shoes very comfortable.

More than 20 years after, Australian still makes awesome shoes. Their designs are very updated and they're always on-trend. When spikes were in fashion, they came out with a whole slew of spiked shoes. When neon flats were in vogue, they came out with neon shoes in every shade imaginable. They had cork wedges, stacked platforms - you name it, they had it.

On a recent visit to The Landmark, I chanced upon these smoking slippers at Australian. Knowing that the smoking slipper trend isn't slowing down anytime soon, I found myself getting these 2 pairs.

What makes it different is the uncommon range of colors that were available. Their pinks weren't the usual pink but a combination of salmon and coral. The orange was a combination of mandarin and sunset. Then, there's this blue which is a cross between cerulean and spanish blue. The yellow, on the other hand, is like marigold meets maize.

As a final touch, it has an embroidered seal in front. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it looks like a royal crest of some sort. Which is very old school cool.

The best part is that these shoes were uber cheap. To begin with, Australian shoes are so affordable. Then, The Landmark was on sale, so these were sold at 50% off. So, who can resist?

As usual, Ate Bullet loved the shoes so much that she wore them immediately. Once again, she swore by how comfortable they were and how chic they looked.

With so much going for the brand, I wonder how Australian can still be under the radar after all these years. It sometimes feel like only a select few know of the merits of this brand.

Then again, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Looking Gradient

When I saw this striped shirt with gradients of blue from American Eagle, I knew I had to have it!

I liked it so much, I wore it the very next day after I bought it.

FMM: Hey Mr. Inspector

It's that time of the week again.

Everyone at the office goes on "Friday Magic Madness" mode and everyone tries to one-up each other in terms of the oldness and obscureness of the songs they'll play.

And my team mate one-upped everyone with this classic song by America which I haven't heard in decades!



Yes, Inspector Mills. I can't attempt to put you in your direction.

Watch this space

It's been about 4 years since I last visited Fossil's website. The last time was when Biboy asked me what I wanted from the U.S., and I chose an oversized silver watch from Fossil.

After that, I haven't been checking out their website. Mainly because there wasn't any need to since I'm more than happy with my watch stash.

Today, out of curiosity, I visited their website again. And I must say, they've got a lot of beautiful new watch designs on-line.

It's time to look at watches again.

P.S. It's August already? It's August already!!!