Wang nab it! Part deux!

After many a speculation, from Prada to Proenza Schouler to Tom Ford, it's finally confirmed that the next big designer collaboration is between H&M and Alexander Wang!

And it's launching on November 6!

How's that for an advanced birthday gift?

Sister just wants to have fun!

Maybe it's because "Sister Act" is one of my all-time favorite movies, but there's really something magical about Sister Cristina and her singing.

Her audition performance left me misty eyed, and her first knockout battle left me both with misty eyes and a big smile. She has a beautiful voice, and she really embodied the song she was singing.



Since we're in the topic of singers, I'll cheer on Sister Cristina with another song:

"Hey Sister, go Sister, so Sister, go Sister!"

Fathers and sons. Part deux.

I found this photo taken by my sister and couldn't help but break into a smile because it's such a nice photo.

Not only does it represent 3 generations of Morales boys, it also shows 2 generations of fathers and sons. There's Dad and me as generation 1, and Bob and Miguel as generation 2. And we're all in one shot.

Ah, the joys of family.

Little Style: The Becca edition

When I found out that Mona and my god daughter Becca were going to spend their Easter Sunday in Spain, I was thrilled. I spent 2 Holy Weeks in Spain, and remember how nice it was to hear mass on Easter Sunday. 

I suddenly recalled all the well-dressed families inside the church. The Moms in their pastel colored dresses, and the Dads looking dapper in a shirt, tie and blazer. The little boys would also be in jackets, while  the little girls would be in pretty dresses.

So, I decided to give Becca an Easter Sunday ensemble which she can wear when they hear Easter Sunday mass.

The centerpiece of the look is this pretty lace dress. The hue of the lace is purple, but because of the aquamarine lining, it looks more blue than violet. The cut is a classic for little girls - sleeveless, with a voluminous skirt.

Knowing how chilly the Spring weather in Spain can be, I decided to add in some extras to give much needed warmth. I found a black cardigan and black tights - two items that I also see a lot of little Spanish girls wearing.

Add them all up and you have this wonderful Easter ensemble that's going to fit right in alongside the well-dressed little Spanish girls hearing mass.

The dress is what gives it that spring vibe, and the touches of black in the belt, tights and cardigan give it an elegant touch.

And seeing how girly and modelesque Becca is, I think she'll carry this outfit very, very well.

Exciting Exit

While looking at my recent Japan trip photos on my phone, I found this particular shot which I took while waiting for Mark. He was coming from his class in Toranomon, and we decided to meet in Ginza, which is just a few stations away.

This is the A2 exit of the Ginza station, which is my favorite exit from among the plethora of exits at the Ginza station. For good reason.

Exit A2 leads to the main shopping artery of Ginza. The moment you walk up the exit, it leads to G.U. A few steps down the road, you'll have the 12 storey Uniqlo store, and further down the road are Zara and H&M.

Mark and I usually walk further, further down Ginza road until we reach Hanamasa, which is where we do our groceries. Then, when he used to live in Odaiba, our last stop would be the Yurikamome station.

Yup, Ginza station is definitely one of my favorite places in Tokyo. And I can't wait to see this station again soon.

FMM: Feel the Vibe!

This season of American Idol is turning out to be the most forgettable. Ever!

They're down to the top 6, and each one is a mediocre singer. People are touting this season as the worst season, and for good reason. I think the show is on its way out soon. Unless they do something about it.

Like bringing back Paula Abdul!

She's still one of the coolest judges that AI ever had. And she's backed by equally cool tunes. Just like this classic 90s Paula Abdul song.



If they let her bring back this type of vibe to AI, they just might recover all the audiences they lost.

I've been robed!

A few weeks ago, I dropped by one of my haunts and noticed a peculiar pile of clothes.

It was under a sign that said "bathrobes."

From afar, the prints were so vibrant that I had to approach the pile. When I finally reached it, I took the dresses, examined them one by one and thought: "These aren't bathrobes!" And the truth was, I knew what they really were.

So, I sorted through everything, and found out that these "bathrobes" came in 5 different prints.

These "bathrobes" were actually dresses from the DVF x Gap Kids collaboration which dropped a few years ago!

Once again, I'm amazed at the things I find in my haunts.

Hip, hip, Mouret!

I think 2014 is fast becoming the year of the most exciting fast fashion collaborations.

From Peter Pilotto at Target, to Peter Som at Kohl's, and now, another brand is bringing out the big fashion guns!

Just when I thought that they couldn't outdo their Milly, Issa of London, and L' Wren Scott (+) collaborations, they recently announced that they're doing a capsule collection with Roland Mouret.

Yes! Roland Mouret! The man who makes those incredibly sculptural and architectural dresses! And judging by the preview image above, it's going to be a super chic collection.

Let the countdown begin.

Mary laughter

While getting ready to go out, or while winding down from a whole day out, we'd watch "Frasier" on Mark's computer. He showed me one of his favorite episodes entitled "There's something about Dr. Mary," and it was Hilarious!

Gosh, I think we watched it twice and laughed over and over again. The character of Mary, or "oh, call me Dr. Mary, you know Latifah is not a real queen, right?"is so funny with her witty barbs and retorts.



They should've made Mary a recurring character. She's a barrel of laughs.

Meals with Mark: What the Puck? Part deux.

Last November, we had dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express in Harajuku. And on this trip to Tokyo, we decided to try Wolfgang Puck's main restaurant in Roponggi.

We ordered chicken, ribs and pizza - all of which were very flavorful. And surprisingly, this restaurant was also affordable, just like at their Express branch.

I'll add Wolfgang Puck to our list of favorite eating spots in Tokyo.

Mexxed up Easter

(Jenny's food photos)

On Easter Sunday, Mark and I decided to host lunch for the IH gang. (Which is basically composed of 3 other people. Harhar.) Having discovered the joys of quesadilla making a few days ago, we decided that our theme for lunch would be Mexican food.

I prepared quesadillas and beef nachos, while Mark made the seafood paella and salsa. Thankfully, our creations were well received. And it was the fitting centerpiece to hours of fun conversation and endless stories about anything and everything under the sun.

Happy Easter everyone!

Meals with Mark: Ramen Rave 3

After mass last Thursday, we decided to have ramen at a restaurant near Church. And we ended up at Ippudo, which turns out to be a chain of restaurants with branches all over Asia.

I tried the classic ramen and Mark tried the special ramen, both of which was good. The noodles were very firm, the broth was very flavorful, and the toppings gave the ramen a more full bodied flavor.

On the side, we had a large order of gyoza, which was top notch.

I have to check if they have Ippudo in Manila. If they do, I'll definitely be back to eat more of their rave-worthy ramen.

FMM: For the love of Christ

It's Good Friday, and it's business as usual here in Tokyo. Unlike in Manila where all the malls are closed, people here pretty much go around their day like it's any other one.

The only indicator that it's Good Friday is if you go to Church. You'll see that it's quite full, and everyone is intently listening to the scripture, particularly the Passion of Christ.

And this Passion reminds me again of that classic musical "Jesus Christ Superstar," which featured many beautiful songs. Among them is this heartwarming song that was sung by Mary of Magdala:



In yesterday's scripture, it was written that we should love one another. And I think loving one another is one great way of showing our love for Christ.

Meals with Mark: Ramen Rave 2

Mark lives in a quiet side of Tokyo, so there aren't a lot of big chain restaurants in the area. This is actually good because we get to eat at hole-in-the-wall places that might be small in size, but definitely big on tasty offers.

One such place is this quaint ramen place in Suginami-ku called Bia Bia. If you don't keep your eyes peeled, you might not notice it because it's very small. But when you do, you'll be rewarded with good ramen.

Not just good ramen, but the "Best Ramen of 2013." They have the seal to prove it.

Bia Bia is a very small operation. There are only 2 people manning the restaurant, one of whom is the owner/chef. There are only 10 seats in the entire place, and we were lucky enough to get seats. Then again, we went early afternoon, so the lunch crowd isn't there anymore.

The star of the show is their Bia Bia Special.

The ramen has a light and flavorful broth with thin ramen. It has fried chicken breast, boiled eggs, green onions, and dried berries. Yes, dried berries! For a berry person like me, this is a big deal.

As far at the broth goes, I still prefer the one that Mark and I ate in Odaiba. But in terms of the overall flavor, this one is more interesting because of the interplay of the sour berries with the flavors of the chicken, egg and ramen stock.

Because of its unconventional fusion of flavors, I'd say this ramen is definitely worth raving about.

Yo Yokohama!

Although we just spent a day in Japan's port city of Yokohama, it was a day well-spent because we were able to see a lot of the popular sights in the city. Good thing they're just near one another, so going around wasn't too difficult.

First on the agenda was Yokohama's Chinatown where we had lunch.

A Chinese temple in Japan. Something you don't really see that often.

The Red Brick Warehouse used to be Yokohama's port warehouse. But when the port moved out, the local government bought this building and turned it into a mixed-use development.

They kept the structure as is, and it still looks the same as it did 100 years ago.

A late afternoon shot of the Red Brick Warehouse.

Mark standing by the red brick wall. This shot feels like we're in San Francisco.

Next time, we should stay in Yokohama a bit longer.

Rules of Engagement

The Japanese are known to be sticklers for following rules. I've seen that in my different visits to Tokyo and other parts of Japan.

But as always, there are exceptions to the rules. Just like this particular case that Mark and I saw at Showakinen park last Sunday.

Yup, there's a man taking photographs in the area that specifically says "Keep Out."

And to make matters worse, just as we were taking this photo, this happened:

A kid just jumped into the "Keep Out" zone and started running around the restricted area.

Ah yes, we have rebels in our midst.

Show(a) me the sakura!

Since I'm arriving in Tokyo more than a week after the sakura went in full bloom, I thought I wouldn't see any cherry blossoms anymore. That was fine with me since I experienced Hanami last year.

But lo and behold, when we went to Showakinen, there were still a lot of sakura trees in bloom. Luckily, we found one and had our picnic under the tree.

Little surprises like this is make trips worthwhile.

Lovely lunch

This is one of the most laid back and picturesque lunches I've had in Tokyo.

We decided to go to Showakinen Park for the Flower Festival today, and decided to have a picnic lunch there. So, we bought some nice Japanese eats at the eki, found our spot underneath a sakura tree, and enjoyed the day like the locals.

One of the best lunches ever.

More Friends in Tokyo!

Look who we ran into in Tokyo! 

I'd often run into Kuki in Ortigas since we both work in the same area. And this afternoon, we saw each other in Tokyo! Needless to say, we had to show them around some of our favorite spots - like the Meiji Shrine and Shibuya.

I wonder who else I'll run into.

FMM: High Five!

Since I'll be in Tokyo in a few hours, I think today's Friday Magic Madness song should be an homage to Japan.

A song like this:



Yup, Fridays don't get any more magical than this theme song.

Oh Tokyo!

One more day and I'm off to my Holy Week break in Tokyo!

Sugoi!

Sibling Style

When we were kids, our parents made an effort to dress us alike. This was especially true for Ate Lissa and Ate Bullet since it was easier for Mom to dress the girls up in matching outfits.

In keeping with that tradition, I'd like to present another pair of stylish siblings - Miggy Boy and Javi Davi Doo!

(I'm loving Javi's "Mikayla's-not-impressed" look.)

 (Attention: Stylish siblings ahead.)

(Ate Lissa calls this the "Florales boys" shot)

Gosh! I don't know how much of this adorable-ness I can take!

Dessert comes first

Oh look! Skittles Desserts!

I found this new variant in Greenhills - Regina's in particular - and it had blueberry tart, key lime pie, orange creme, among others. Needless to say, it's divine!

After all, that's what desserts are supposed to be.

Happy, Javi Birthday!

Our amazing little boy just turned one year older!

Happy 8th Birthday, Javi boy!

Spot the errors

Reading articles over the net is so distracting, especially when you see how many errors are there in the articles that are posted on-line.

The latest error I spotted was from - peculiarly - spot.ph. It was on their recent article on Uniqlo's Ines dela Fressange collection.

If you listen to the sentence in your head, it's actually right. But if you read it, you immediately know that it's wrong.

I think they wanted to say "Their photo is too small for us..." and not this:

On-line proofreaders should really do their job better. Just saying.

The French are coming!

Look at what I found at Mini Stop!

They have French Toast! Classy! I'm a huge fan of French Toast, so this is a huge thing for me. At first, I was kinda hesitant to buy it. Then again, it was just P27, so I thought, even if it turned out to be a bomb, that's okay.

Luckily, it wasn't a bomb. In fact, it was quite good! The toast was very thick, and it had a nice, golden brown color. The maple syrup was included in the pack, which is plus.

The downside is, since it's so thick, the milky flavor doesn't reach all the way to the middle. You can only taste it on the top and bottom sides, and the rest of the toast is bland.

Despite that, I'll be coming back to Mini Stop for this.

FMM: It's a Blur!

Suddenly, I had an urge to listen to 90s music. And it doesn't get more 90s than Blur.



Instead of just having it on Friday, we should have music like this everyday.

Saving Sbarro

This actually started when Marla announced that Sbarro was filing for bankruptcy in the U.S. 

Sbarro - that awesomely divine Italian fastfood chain - is one of the favorite food haunts of the ex-CAO gang. It's a favorite that goes back to the 90s when we were still colleagues. So, when Marla made us aware that it's in danger, we had to take action.

"Action" - of course - means eating there.

By some twist of fate, Joannah was also in MNL from SG. And she's part of the Sbarro gang. The occasion suddenly became a double celebration: a reunion with Joannah, and the saving of Sbarro.

After our hearty dinner of baked ziti, eggplant parmigiana, spaghetti, among others, we felt that nothing much has changed. Both with Sbarro and with us. We're still the same rowdy, fast-talking, opinionated group, enjoying the consistently delicious dishes at Sbarro.

And we have proof!

For the most part, the "Sbarro closing" news is a false alarm. I'm sure it'll still be around for a long time. But hey, any excuse to meet up with the Sbarro gang is a good enough excuse.

Oh my how they've grown. Part trois.

Look! Even our little boy Javier is all grown up! And moving up! With more than 10 certificates to boot!

Man, I'm old!

I love Lucy!

Nope, I'm not talking about this Lucy. Although I do love Lucille Ball as well. She's just hilarious!

I'm talking about Luc Besson's new film!

I've always been a fan of Luc's films. And it looks like "Lucy" will make me an even bigger fan.