TV Times

So, this is the television appearance people have been telling me about.

In the course of the past few weeks, I've had friends contacting me and asking if I was the guy they say on GMA News TV. At first, I was perplexed. Then, when they told me that it was about me giving an award, I figured out that it must've been for the Hildegardes.

And it was!

Hey, at least I can say that I was on TV this year.

FMM: Getting Whig-gy with it

Back in the 90s, your day wouldn't be complete without hearing Whigfield.

A huge pop-dance star of that decade, her songs were on constant airplay, and almost everyone could sing along to her songs.

Her biggest hit was "Saturday Night," but the song that everyone could sing along to was this classic 90s ditty:



And since it's a Friday, I wanted to be close to this song once more.

Car-a-oke!

Whenever I have downtime - few and far between these days - I go to youtube and watch James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke" series.

It's a novel concept, and it's always a joy to watch these singers bust a song in such an odd location.

One of my favorite episodes is the one with JHud!



When she ordered drive through in a song, it was just genius!

I can watch this over and over again!

Eye see

Way back when I was still with Adformatix, there was this optical illusion poster on the wall of our SP group, just in front of the creative department. Just like the poster above, you have to stare at it for a few minutes, then an image will magically appear.

I remember how I'd stare at it everyday, and couldn't see the image. It was frustrating since most of the people already saw the hidden photo. There was a point when I just gave up on the whole thing.

After a month or so, I decided to just take a gander at it one more time. Lo and behold, I saw the hidden photo! It was such a thrill that I was literally in tears!

Now, I've learned the trick and it's easier for me to see the hidden photos.

It just took me a few seconds to find out what image was lurking behind the poster above.

Seeing silver

Twenty-five years ago on this very day, I attended a wedding ceremony in San Agustin Church. Not only did I attend, I was also one of the secondary sponsors.

I remember the people in the entourage included some of the brides' best friends, and a very pregnant maid of honor.

The bride was wearing a fully-beaded, off shoulder gown with a long, circular train. Even the train was fully beaded. And it looked spectacular.

After the ceremony, we headed next door to Casa Manila for the reception. I remember being awed by the cake - a towering creation made of sugar, complete with sugar doves and shells. And if that wasn't surprising enough, the couple gave out mini-cakes with sugar lamps on top.

That wedding was a lot of fun, and it was also the second wedding in my family.

The bride is my sister, Ate Bullet, and the groom is Raymond.

It's hard to believe that 25 years has passed since that day. It feels just like yesterday!

Happy Silver Anniversary, Ate Bullet and Raymond! Here's to the next milestone!

A hidden Target

One of my favorite fashion haunts is this nondescript department store in Quezon Avenue. It's actually inside the National Book Store complex, tucked away in a quiet corner.

What makes this place different is that it sells off season clothes from Target. Yup, Target from the U.S. So, whenever you're looking for Merona, Xhilaration, Cherokee or other Target brands, this is the place to go.

Aside from the usual brands, they also occasionally carry some items from the designer collaborations. A few years ago, they carried some items from the Target x Alexander McQueen collaboration, which I didn't care for.

But when I passed by that haunt this weekend, look what I found!

It's the "Meet the Parents" dress from the Prabal Gurung x Target collaboration. Yes, this geometric dress with the custom print was there for the taking. And to think this item completely disappeared from the shelves when it was launched.

It's a "NWT" dress, which makes me wonder where it came from. Were they returns? Or were they overstocked.

Who knows? All I know that it's Prabal Gurung!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it just did!

It's the "Sparkle" dress from the 3.1 Phillip Lim x Target collection!

See, even the tag says so!

Imagine these finds just by looking around for a few minutes. I should spend more time there next weekend. Who knows what else I'll find!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

Went to SM North EDSA this weekend and saw this board-up at The Block.

They're opening a Hello Kitty Cafe in Manila!

I know a good number of people who'll make the bee line for this cafe.

The (caramel) apple of my eye

During my last visit to Scout's Honor, I noticed an interesting little pack that was tucked away under one of the glass counters. Despite being surrounded by a gamut of goodies, the pack automatically caught my eye and mesmerized me.

It was a pack of Caramel Apple Oreos!

I wasn't sure if it was for sale, and I was in such a rush that I didn't have time to ask.

Now, I'm going from supermarket to supermarket to try and find these limited edition Oreos. To no avail!!!

Maybe I should go back to Scout's Honor and actually ask them.

FMM: Yes, this is what it sounds like...

As expected, the musical world is mourning the loss of another genius.

From his contemporaries such as Madonna and Sting, to the newer generation of pop stars, they faced the news about Prince's passing with disbelief and extreme sadness.

And I can understand why. Prince was really a one-of-a-kind artist.



He may be gone, but his music will live on.

The end of his (purple) reign

It looks like the year 2016 is really harsh to great musical talents.

When I browsed through the internet, all I could see were tributes pouring out for Prince. Apparently, he passed away tonight due to mysterious circumstances.

Needless to say, the whole music industry is mourning the loss of this great talent. The man behind iconic songs such as "Purple Reign" and "Kiss." Not to mention the mentor of other pop icons such as Sheila E. and Appolonia K.

So, this is what it sounds like when doves cry.

Children of the Corn-y

Since we're working on a popcorn project, it was but natural that corn-themed jokes kept flying around the room.

One of my favorites involved a container of cornic that's found in our department:

CREATIVE 1: Bakit parang hindi nauubos 'yung cornic sa container na 'yan?
CREATIVE 2: Because it's a cornic-copia!

Funny or Corny? You decide. Harhar.

The value of Reed-ing

Not only is the Reed Krakoff x Kohl's collaboration on-line, some of the dresses are already on sale!

Times like these, I really wish I lived in the US. It'll make snagging these collabs so much easier!

Oreo into lemons?

Then this variant is definitely for you!

I chanced upon it while I was buying popcorn for one of our projects. Initially, I thought it was the birthday frosting Oreo since it was in the same, yellow packaging. But upon closer scrutiny, it turned out to be a lemon variant.

I'm going to try this one day.

Another golden milestone

The year 2016 is turning out to be a very golden year. After my parents' 50th wedding anniversary last January, my friend is celebrating her 50th year!

Happy Birthday Irene Mama! Wishing you more golden blessings this coming year!

Smore to enjoy!

Most people know that I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of S'mores. They also know I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of waffles. So, they can imagine how much I flipped when I saw this.

Unfortunately, it wasn't available at the stall at that moment. But I'll be back for it very, very soon.

FMM: Russian radio

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is a Beatles classic.

The twist is, it's not The Beatles who's singing it.

This time, it's one of my favorite actresses singing the song in one of her comedy flicks.



Sigourney is rocking that Russian accent, don't you think?

The right stuff

During today's shoot, we had 2 unlikely attendees!

Yes, they were stuffed toys. But not just any stuff toy. They were the "plus two" of one of our main talents.

And needless to say, our main talent was a 1 year old.

Boy, oh Boy! (George!)

It's the 80s all over again!

Boy George and the Culture Club are coming to Manila!

As I told Tintin, "ang hindi manood, maka-Karma Chameleon!"

Art of the dress

It would be easy to think that this piece of art is a painting. A nice, Chinese themed painting. After all, it has all these oriental looking flowers, and a preening peacock.

But that beautiful print is actually on a dress. A very artfully done dress.

Talk about wearable art.

Doppelsinger

Ever had that feeling when you hear two different songs from two different artists and you feel that you just listened to one?

That's how I feel everytime I hear these two recent songs:

First, Icona Pop's "I love it."



Second, Demi Lovato's "I really don't care."



It didn't help that both songs have "I don't care" as a major highlight.

Looks like there's a dearth of creativity in the pop world these days.

Bollywood has arrived!

The journey of the dress from "the stash" to "Bollywood" is finally complete.

Today, Ate Bullet and Raymond attended their cousin's wedding, and Ate Bullet rocked the Bollywood-inspired dress.

To complete the look, she wore the Indian bracelets that I bought from Little India in SG about a decade ago.

Bollywood never looked this good.

Margarine memories

Whenever I pass by the dairy section and see Blue Bonnet, I can't help but remember Lola Dita.

This was her favorite brand back in the 80s. And that time, you could only buy Blue Bonnet from PX stores, or direct from the U.S. And occasionally in Unimart.

She'd eat this with toasted bread and a side of grapefruit and honey.

Lola Dita always had good taste.

FMM: Velvety Smooth!

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is from the 80s, and is from an artist that wasn't really known in the Philippines. At least by the majority.

But since I was always eclectic when it came to music, I found out about this singer called Alannah Myles, and her popular hit: Black Velvet.



Why did "Black Velvet" suddenly come to mind?

It's because of this:

Red Velvet Cupcakes! Fresh from the U.S., thanks to Fiesta.

Here's to a Velvet-y weekend!

Road to Bollywood

A few months ago, I talked about how these materials scream Bollywood!

So, we just listened to those screams and went modern Bollywood with the design. An asymmetrical neckline, which is quite common in India. And a fully beaded skirt, similar to the Gujarati wedding skirt.

And here's how it's shaping up:

Can't wait until it's finished so we can see the full Bollywood effect.

Going Rogue!

Star Wars fans all over the world are shrieking after this trailer came out:



SHRIEK!!!

Jeanetics

Japan is known for their denim fabrics, with some of the best and trendiest materials coming from different prefectures in the country.

The US - particularly L.A. - is known for their denim construction. That's why a lot of the best bespoke denim places are found in the City of Angels.

So, when the Japanese and the Angelenos come together to create a pair of jeans, you know it's going to be epic!

And after trying them on, I therefore conclude that, yes, it's epic!

Super Six!

Although Lucas celebrated his 6th birthday a few weeks ago, we thought it best to give him another bash - D' Frendz style!

Happy Birthday Lucas!

The Fininish line

Look! Target's summer collaboration is with the iconic print company from Finland - Marimekko!

It's not the brand's first venture into a collaboration. When I was still living in HKG, they had a collaboration with H&M, and I remember snagging a few pieces.
 

Needless to say, their collection is predominantly bright and pretty.

I'm sure this will be as huge as the Lilly Pultizer one.

Leaving a hole

Imagine my shock when I found out that today was the last day of my senior classes!

I'm not ready yet!

But it's still going to happen, ready or not. So, embrace it and make the most of it.

So what did we do? We headed to Hole in the Wall in Century City for one last get together with my Journalism class.

Great food and even greater company - that's the perfect way to end the semester.

FMM: You could've fooled me!

Since it's the first of April - or April Fool's Day - and a Friday at that, here's a trifecta of "foolish" songs for Friday Magic Madness.

Here's a little soul from the 60s, courtesy of Aretha!


From the 70s, a little bit of Doobie Brothers:


And some Steve Perry from the 80s.


It's foolish not to appreciate songs like these today.