Oh-scar!

It looked like a scene that was freshly torn off the Miss Universe 2015 playbook!

In a matter of seconds, the 2017 Oscars became the most talked about, most tweeted, and most face-palmed awards show in history.

I watched and re-watched the scene all over again. It was just so entertaining to see the worry and confusion on Warren Beatty's face, and the earnest cluelessness in Faye Dunaway's.

But I still love Bonnie and Clyde despite that.

Well, at least people will forget about Miss Universe now.

See you at the Studio

Aside from their designer and conscious collections, H&M's Studio collection is another thing I watch out for.

Without fail, they're beautifully designed, and the materials are top notch. And they still are after seeing the new Studio collection which is dropping this week at their stores.

This dress is just perfection! From the high neckline to the soft fabric, and the added oomph of that black ribbon around the neck. This is a pretty dress from all angles.

I can't wait to see it in store.

Missing MX

Whenever I see restaurants in Manila selling roast meat, I can't help but remember one of my favorite restaurants in HKG. It was my go-to place for a good meal, and not a week passes by without me dropping by and grabbing a bite.

That place is MX.

Actually, when I moved to HKG, it was still called Maxim's. Then, a year after I arrived, they rebranded to MX. It's their attempt to make the brand younger and more appealing to yuppies and teens. It's a strategy that succeeded, in my opinion.

My usual order at MX was the Lok Bo Fan, or 6-treasure rice. It was so, so, so good!

Seriously, someone should franchise and open MX in the Philippines. I'd be more than glad to come over every week, just like old times.

Meals with Mark: Early Birds

While we have our "usuals" in terms of restaurants, we always make it a point to try out new places. Mainly to see whether it's good enough to be included in our roster of "usuals."

This morning, we had breakfast at Century City Mall. In particular, we went to this place called "Early Bird Breakfast Club." Three guesses on what this place serves. Harhar.

Their menu consists of classic breakfast fare with a twist.

I had the French Toast plate, and compared to the usual soft, fluffy French Toast, theirs was crunchy with a caramelized exterior. It's almost like French-Toast-meets-Biscocho-meets-argellanas. Strangely, I liked it a lot!

Mark had the lemon butter bangus plate, and he seemed to like it as well.

Since Century City Mall is out of our radius, I'm not sure when we'll be back here. But one thing's for sure, we'll probably go back and eat at Early Bird Breakfast Club again. I still have to sample their sweet-spicy tuyo.

FMM: I miss Hue

One of our art directors, Josef, has this awesome spotify playlist entitled "Tita."

As the name implies, it's a playlist filled with Titas of Manila music. And since that's the music we grew up with, almost everyone in the creative department responded well to the music.

Needless to say, it's very Friday Magic Madness music.

And one of the songs on that playlist was this classic song from Hues Corporation.

Come on, I'm sure you know "Rock the Boat."



Now I'm all set to rock the weekend!

Where in the world?

Last night, our assistant director mentioned that there was a news article on-line that the pilot of the missing MH370 flight was found alive. He wasn't sure if it was true or a hoax, so we decided to check it out on-line.

It looks like it was a hoax because we couldn't find a legitimate news source for the story.

But here's something that's real. Spelling errors!

Where in the world is Kuala Lumpar?

Proofreader please!

Lala Land

Thanks to the nearby Mini-Stop, I discovered the joys of Lala Ube Pastillas.

Actually, I've heard of the brand Lala a few years ago. But it was Lala Chocolate, and usually spoken in hushed tones because it was some sort of guilty pleasure. They said it was chocolate residue, or the "jologs chocolate." Not a good image to attach to a brand.

Despite that, I chose to try their Ube variant, and it was the bomb! It has that right amount of sweetness and creaminess, and even if the ube flavor was quite artificial, I didn't mind at all.

If Lala Ube Pastillas was a film, it would be that very campy film that's so bad, it's good!

And just like a campy film, I'll surely come back to Lala again and again.

Road. Sign.

The things you see while on the road, walking. (And when you have your eyes on the street.)

Looks like someone was having the feels en route to Ortigas Center.

Meals with Mark: Seeing Red

After his initial hesitation, we finally had dinner at Pancake House at Shangrila Mall. I've been meaning to try their 2 for P380 promo, and this was the right time to do it.

We both ordered the Taco and Spaghetti plate, and it didn't disappoint. The quality is as good as the Pancake House of old.

But since we also wanted to try something new, we ended up ordering their Red Velvet Pancakes for dessert.

As expected, it was a huge, huge winner! The pancakes were divine!

It was a sweet ending to a great dinner.

Fun in flight

Just as I'm a huge fan of planes and plane rides, I'm also a huge fan of airline safety videos.

Yup, I'm one of the few people who actually watch and relish the in-flight safety videos. To a point that I critique them and have my personal favorites.

Top of mind favorites are the quirkiness of JAL's in-flight video, the Glee-inspired version of Virgin America, and the simple elegance of Cathay Pacific's video.

Yesterday, I saw the new in-flight safety video of PAL, and I was super duper amazed!



Theirs was a new and inclusive concept that not only showed the safety aspects of the flight, it also showed the beauty of the Philippines and the charm of our people! I can watch this video over and over again. (Which I probably will.)

Well played, PAL. Well played.

& other stories to tell...

While H&M is a megabrand on its own, few people know that there are a number of other brands under the H&M family.

There's COS, which is a favorite of mine. This one is a connection that a lot of people know.

Then, there's Monki. They used to have a store in HKG that I frequent, and their designs are very, very young. Which is why they didn't appeal to me that much.

They have the cult jean brand, Cheap Monday, and Weekend.

And, there's my "other" favorite from this fashion company, a brand called "& Other Stories."

This is their brand that caters to the quirky, eclectic, elegant and feminine market. So, it's chic and stylish, but with a bit of rive gauche sensibility.

The brand is available in Europe, and I don't think they'll open in Asia anytime soon. After all, it's still a new brand.

But lo and behold, while I was in one of my haunts, I found this beautifully embroidered shirt from & other stories. And it turns out that it's from the current collection because I found it on their website!

They had it in black and white, and I couldn't decide which one to get. So, I decided to get both! Hahaha. That's the best way to answer a fashion conundrum.

Thanks to & Other Stories, I have another story to tell about my favorite haunt!

FMM: Party (M) People!

And the 90s streak continues!

Here's another party favorite that was played in almost every soiree, interaction, party and disco in the early 90s.

Admit it, you know this song. And chances are, you danced to it, too.

It's M People's party favorite: Moving on up.



I'll admit it, I'm moving to the song right now!

Oh, and today is my brother's birthday! Happy Birthday Biboy!

Meals with Mark: The Vengo-bus is coming!

I've tried Taco Vengo once in Pioneer Street, near HMR. And I enjoyed their chips and soft tacos.

Somehow, the soft tacos remind me of the gorditas I used to nosh on when I was in Mexico. So, it was a bite down memory lane.

When they opened a branch in Megamall, I said that Mark and I should eat there. Which is what we did today.

He liked it, so we're vengo-ing back here and try more of their menu.

The buzz on the bus

Check out the bus I rode to work this morning. It's so SG and HKG! It looks like the same bus I ride going to work back in HKG, and when I'm visiting SG.

Looks like our transport system is finally getting an upgrade.

Stop! In the name of love!

BGC is getting into the Valentine's Day spirit!

Look, their stoplights have a heart where the red is.

You just gotta love it. Literally!

Jazz so sad

Jazz music is a fixture in our home.

Even as a kid, I grew up listening to Jazz music, thanks to Dad who had so many cassette tapes of Jazz great in his collection.

So, while kids my age were listening to pop and punk rock, I was listening to jazz. And I would keep coming back to 2 tapes: Seawind and Al Jarreau.

Today, while in a production meeting, one of the production folks said that Al Jarreau just passed away. This left everyone in the room a bit sad, because almost all of us are from that generation who loved Al and his music.



Well, Al might have gone to that big concert in the sky, but his music will be with us. After all.

Lace your expectations

Going to Divisoria to find lace is just like going to Disneyland to find happiness. Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, and Divisoria is the happiest place to find lace.

Decades ago, it was so difficult to source lace in Manila. To get really nice lace, you had to import it from Europe - particularly Belgium and France. Also back then, lace was super duper expensive! That's why people would use lace in dresses in sparse amounts.

But with today's technology and inexpensive labor, lace has not only become commonplace, it's now cheaper! And with modern techniques in design and embroidery, the patterns are beautiful, intricate and mind-blowing.

Nowadays, you can expect to find the prettiest lace at a price that won't break the bank!

Today, I went to Divisoria to look for lace for Kris' wedding, particularly for the Mothers. And it was so difficult to choose because there were so many beautiful options around!

Finally, after poring through dozens and dozens, I was able to shortlist it to these two beauties:

Now, the difficult task of choosing "the one" begins.

They are the Universe!

Since I'm handling a creative class, we try to keep things fun and quirky.

Today, our class rep suggested that we have a Miss Universe-themed class. And because I always teach my class that "Yes" is the most creative word, I said "Yes!"

No doubt, this class is a Universe-worth of fun.

FMM: Baby love

Way back in the 90s, a party wasn't a party if they didn't play Madison Avenue's "Don't Call me Baby."

That song could draw even the wallflowers to the center of the dance floor and do their moves. Even if those moves were "wallflower-y" moves. And it's easy to see why. The song is so infectious and happy.



It's a Friday, and it feels like a 90s kind of day. So what the heck, let's play this classic once again. Call me old fashioned. Call me a 90s kid. Heck, you can even call me Tito.

But don't call me baby.

BackYardigans

Our experience at The Yard in Xavierville was a good one. Lots of interesting stalls that serve good food, plus that Cocktails by the Pail at Epicure - such a winner!

So, when we found out that they opened The Yard Underground in Pasig, we thought we'd check it out. Then, there's the fact that there's a Hawaiian food stall owned by our AD's friend. That always helps.

Thankfully, the crowd wasn't as crazy-big as that of Xavierville. And that the food stalls there are different and new. I tried a place called "Saigon Sadie" which serves great Bahn Mi and Vietnamese Spring Rolls! It was definitely worth the trip.

They didn't have Epicure and the Cocktails by the Pail, though. Bummer.

But aside from that, it's definitely a place worth going back to.

Finding a Gem

Not just any gem, but Khong Guan Iced Gems! In chocolate, to boot!

Gosh, this snack was a part of my growing up years, so you can imagine my thrill when I found it.

Apparently, everyone at work felt the same way for it as well. They were all so delighted when I brought out the pack.

So delighted, it's all gone now.

Time to buy another pack then.

Fellowship of food!

There are different things that keep our creative team together: music, movies, TV shows, jokes, and of course, FOOD!

Not only do we have these impromptu eating parties in the creative department, we occasionally go out for a good meal.

And thanks to Josef, we were able to do that this lunchtime, at Mighty Quinn's in SM Megamall!

It was an awesome meal! But the company was even more awesome!

A comfortable pair

Look! We're wearing the same pair of shoes!

We both swear by these Rockport brogues. Not only are they stylish and goes well with everything, they're also super, super, super, super comfy! I can walk in them for hours. Which is what I usually do.

We also got Dad a pair, and he likes it a lot, too.

Talk about a winning pair. Or pairs.

You're so Verveine

One night, while hanging out at Ate Bullet's house, I saw this bottle of Eau de Toilette on her dining table.

I'm not a big fan of perfumes. In fact, I rarely use perfume. Light colognes, like the ones used by babies, yes. But otherwise, no thanks.

But out of curiosity, I brought the bottle out the box and gave it a whiff.

And it was good!

It smelled very light and organic. Similar to the scent of freshly cut grass, with some citrus undertones. Very earthy. Very good.

As a person who's not a big fan of perfumes, I actually liked L 'Occitane's Verveine.

Am I getting one of my own, though. That's the question.

How Sui-eet it is...

Back when I was still living in HKG, there was an Anna Sui store near my flat. There were 2, actually. One was dedicated to apparel, while the other was for her cosmetic line.

One thing I remember about the Anna Sui shop is that it was bursting with joy! The colors, the prints, the designs - they were all so lively and it brought a palpable sense of happiness. But sometimes, I found them too lively and bright, which is the reason why I didn't buy them for my sisters. Her clothes aren't exactly things you can wear everyday.

Recently, I just found out that Anna Sui has a collaboration with Fitflops. They came out with a collection of fun and comfy ballerina flats with Anna Sui's signature happy prints.

I must say, it's a good collaboration since it combines Anna's boldness with the practicality of Fitflops. So, it's something you can really wear everyday.

Now, to check whether the local stores of Fitflops are carrying this collection.

FMM: It's all about the Bass(ey)

Today is one of those days when you just want to indulge in some guilty, cheesy pleasure. Even in music.

And since it's a Friday, I choose to indulge in some guilty, cheesy, musical pleasure. Particularly, one of my parents' favorites - Shirley Bassey!



"Hey Big Spender" as a song is already full of cheese and camp - in a good way. Add Shirley Bassey's animated performance - and that dress! It's a sure formula for fun on a Friday.

So yes, I'll spend a little time with Shirley Bassey today.

M(i)ssed Opportunity

Just when I thought proofreading gaffes were only on print and on-line media channels.

Now, even television is jumping into the fray!

I was watching a show on CNN Philippines, and they were interviewing one of the runners-up of Miss Universe.

And yes, they misspelled "Miss." Such a simple word, but they still got the spelling wrong.

Proofreader please!

Miss U much

While the Miss Universe fever is still raging on, I'm reminded of our own little Miss U experience way back in the 90s.

It was during the Philippine Advertising Congress, and we were in one of the after-parties. My friends and I were all chilling at the 2nd floor, and we noticed a statuesque lady sitting in one area. We all looked at each other, then we rushed to the lady to have our photo taken.

That statuesque lady was 1993 Miss Universe, Dayanara Torres!

She was so nice and gracious. Plus, she asked Fiesta to accompany her to the rest room! Thousand plus points for that!

This moment was definitely one of the best parts of that Ad Congress.

I thank you!