(Sesame) Street Style

It was supposed to be a regular Serenitea run to get my usual Choco Royal Milk Tea.

When they served my drink, this pleasant surprise greeted me!

They have a tie-up with Sesame Street!

All their cups are adorned with Sesame Street characters. And I was tempted to buy one more cup just to get the Ernie and Bert cup. (I didn't.)

But this just means I'll be going to Serenitea a bit more often this time.

So, can you tell me how to get to Serenitea?

Simple S'mores

I'm a huge fan of S'mores, and I usually prepare some at home or for the folks here at the office.

It's fairly simple to make. Just get graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, pop it in the microwave oven, and you're done.

But now, someone made even easier!

Rebisco just came out with ready-made S'mores!

You just take them out of the pack, pop it in the microwave oven, and you're done!

Simple! (But I prefer doing it the old school way.)

Leeked information

Oh, the difference a letter makes.

I wonder who leeked, I mean leaked, this info?

Proofreader, please!

Skirt week: LFLTAT, too!

And here's the big reveal for skirt week.

Each of those skirt ensembles are also Looks For Less Than A Thousand!

Yup! The checkered one was the cheapest, while the green tribal ensemble is closest to a thousand.

Fashion can be fab and frugal, too!

Bolly ball

Mark and I both love Indian food. New Bombay is one of our go-to places here in Manila. Back in Roppongi, we'd often visit this eat-all-you-can Indian place. Then, near Jenny's office in Tokyo, we'd go to a curry place where it was naan-all-you-can.

So yes, that's how much we're into Indian food. You can say we have a Bollywood palette.

And since we're already into Indian food, we thought, aside from enjoying it, why don't we learn making it?

Which led us to the Authentic Indian Home Cooking Class at Maya Kitchen.

The instructor was Chef Kanchan, a wonderful woman with such a vibrant, positive and happy attitude in life. Aside from teaching us Indian cooking, she also taught us a lot of life lessons that she learned from her kitchen growing up. Then, she was assisted by her daughter, Anjali, which made the entire morning feel like a fun, family affair.

And in less than 4 hours, we learned how to make samosas, Baingan Bharta, and Chicken Marsala! Mark and I did the Marsala, our teammates, Bryan and Kai did the Baingan Bharta, and we all did the Samosas!

We also learned how to make Aloo Paratha, Chapati and Naan, but those were wiped out even before we could take photos of it.

This was definitely a morning well spent, because not only did we learn about Indian cooking, we also learned a lot about life, and made a lot of friends along the way. It was definitely a ball!

We're definitely doing this again soon.

FMM: Inspired

It's one of those happy, old songs that just pops in your head.

And I'm making it today's Friday Magic Madness song!

It's a classic 80s ditty from Brenda Holloway. It was a big hit that time, and anyone who does ballroom will definitely know this song.



"Give me a little inspiration" inspired a whole generation of swing dancers, my Mom and Sister included. For that reason alone, it deserves its spot on today's madness.

Skirt week: Ready to flounce

After all that color, time to go a bit muted.

Found this skirt at a Zara clearance sale a few months back. It's a tiered, lace skirt in classic black. It has the right structure and the right flounce.

Then, there's this black top from SM Department Store. It's made of soft jersey, and it also has that flounce on the sleeves.

When put together, the ensemble gives double the flounce, double the flirtiness, and double the fun.

At less than half the price, by the way!

Skirt week: Checked out

Last weekend, there was a sale at SM North EDSA. And, while visiting one of my favorite haunts there - SM Department Store, they had an irresistible promo that caught my eye.

In one section, there were items that were on 50% off, and there was an extra 50% off on top of it. Then, since I was an SM Prestige Card holder, there was an extra 10% off!

Why don't they just give it away?

Anyhoo, one item from that rack that really caught my eye was this checkered skirt with a faux sleeve detail.

The fabric and construction are both super chic. It's a hybrid of something classic (fabric) and something fashion (design.)

Then, I saw this shirt at Penshoppe, and it's reddish hue echoed one of the squares on the skirt.

Together, this checkered ensemble is the epitome of Lazy Sunday Chic.

Cool ensemble from a sale - check!

Skirt week: Mixed-up tribe

Whenever you find an article of clothing that's really nice and chic, you buy it in all available colors!

That's a philosophy I often follow, especially when it comes to t-shirts.

So, that beautiful tribal skirt in green that I wrote about yesterday? They have it in mustard! So I had to buy it!

Now, this color also had a matching shirt, but I decided against buying it. Instead, I decided to mix it up and pair this printed skirt with a plain shirt!

This shirt is from Penshoppe, and it's amazing how the color perfectly blends in with the dominant colors of the skirt. Then, the blue sash is what breaks the monotony, giving it a much needed breather.

See, a plain and printed combination with a tribal theme can be just as chic!

Skirt week: Green Tribes

This week's posts will be about skirts. And it all started with this quote that Mark and I suddenly remembered:



But no, it won't be about hideous skirts. On the contrary, this week's posts will be about some nice skirts that I've found over the course of the weekend, at some of my favorite haunts.

The first one is this green, tribal print skirt from Calliope. I'm really digging the African vibe, the vibrant color, the contrasting belt, and the ease of the design.

Lo and behold, the skirt had a matching shirt! And since I'm super in love with the print, I had to get both.

Together, it looks like a pretty, tribal printed dress. But, as separates, you can wear the skirt with a plain top, or the shirt with jeans.

No skirting the issue. This ensemble is definitely fabulous.

Every letter counts

Oh what a difference an “r” makes!

Proofreader, please!

Missing InStyle

Unlike a few years before when it was super easy to get my InStyle fix here in Manila, it seems that my favorite magazine is getting harder and harder to find.

Before, i’d Buy it at Bufini. Until all their stores closed. Then, i’d Buy it at the magazine shop near SM Supermarket. That closed, too. Then, i’d Buy it at National Book Store, but now, their stocks aren’t updated. They still have the March issue on display.

Because of that, i’ve missed out on 3 amazing months already. So, I missed these 3 amazing cover girls!

InStyle, please come back!

FMM: With bated breath

Everyone's talking about the trailer of the upcoming "Top Gun" movie.

Kids of the 80s, myself included, can't help but hark back to the original film and how groundbreaking and cool it was. That's why this new version is very relevant and interesting for us.

But before we delve into that, and since it's a Friday, let me go back to one of the songs that helped define "Top Gun" as a film.

Presenting, an 80s classic from Berlin.



It's been more than 30 years since this song was launched, and it still takes my breath away.

Cheers!

Here's to another 3 or 4, or 9 commercials to shoot, edit and air!

It's enough to make us spread cheers all around.

We heart this!

It's very rare that you see epic commercials on TV today. When I was starting as a junior copywriter, that was commonplace. But I guess, because of changing tastes and budgets, a mega-commercial is becoming less and less relevant.

So, I feel very fortunate to have been able to work on one. It was a lot of work, negotiations and backbreaking schedules. But after seeing the final material, it's all worth it.



And that's the heart of the matter.

Lion in wait

The live action "Lion King" film is finally opening tomorrow!

There's always a danger in remaking or redoing a film that's so iconic and has been part of your childhood. It can either leave you in awe, or disappointed.

So, to watch or not to watch, that is the question.

Something Nue

Since I've been watching and re-watching Today's "Ambush Makeover," there's one name that keeps on popping up which made me curious.

"Nue by Shani."

Most of the dresses used in the makeover are from this brand. I haven't seen this brand nor heard of it whenever I'm in the U.S., so I decided to do a bit of research on it.

It turns out, it's quite big in the U.S. And it's carried by stores such as Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom and Belk.

And their dresses are nice, too. Very tailored and very classic-looking pieces.

I'll check this out the next time I'm in the U.S.

Intrigued

I've seen the trailer for "Maleficent 2," and I am intrigued.



Michelle Pfeifer looks deviously kind. Which plays well with Angelina Jolie's cold hearted character.

Again, I am intrigued.

Feeding Famous

Having been a former resident of HKG, I have a soft spot for roasts.

This was a staple in every HKG meal, and there's a roast meat restaurant in almost every corner. From big chains like MX and CDC, to small Mom and Pop stores in neighborhoods like Mong Kok and Tin Hau.

In Manila, there are couple of places that sell HKG style roast meats. There's HK Taikoo Roasts, Kam's Roasts, and the more recent entry, Hawker Chan.

But one of my favorite places is this nondescript restaurant in Katipunan and Morato called Famous Kitchen. To me, it's one of the more legit places to get great roasts.

Aside from the food, I also like the simple interiors. It also brings me back to HKG whenever I'm there.

Off hand, this place should be more famous that it is. But I'm glad that it's under the radar, so it won't be too crowded or frenzied the next time I go there.

FMM: The morning comes

In a few minutes, it'll be morning. And we're still at the shoot.

So, what better Friday Magic Madness song to play than an homage to the morning. This one is from Diana Ross, from the 70s.



See you in a few, Morning!

LFLTAT: The ABCs of fashion

Fast fashion conglomerates have always fascinated me. It’s always interesting to see how they were founded, how they evolved, and how they remain relevant in the super cut throat industry that is fashion and retailing.

My first exposure to the was Gap. It was common knowledge that, aside from the all-American Gap Store, they owned Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. InSpain, there’s Inditex which owns Zara, Massimo Dutto, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius and Bershka.  Tokyo’s Uniqlo Group owns Uniqlo, GU, Comptoir des Cottonniers, Helmut Lang and Princesse Tam-Tam.

In the Philippines, my favorite fast fashion conglomerate has to be Golden ABC. Not many people know this, but the company owns some of the go-to brands in local fast fashion. They started out with Penshoppe, and now they have Oxygen, Memo, For Me and Regatta. They also used to own Tyler, which they eventually closed.

What’s nice about the company is that even though their brands are very distinct from each other, you can mix and match them, and they still look seamless. The entire group is on sale now, and I was able to get an LFLTAT from 2 of their brands.

The skirt is from For Me. It’s a soft, flowy skirt with a refreshing print.

Then I found this buttery soft tee from Penshoppe, whose color echoes the hue of the skirt.

Because they were both on sale, this entire look cost just around P600ish!

And that’s howmbeing fashionable for less is as easy as ABC.

Bad for Business

You'd think that "business" is a simple word to spell.

Apparently not.

Proofreader, please!

Going Loco

Watching "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" had a lot of revelations. There were so, so, SO many songs that we didn't know she wrote!

One such revelation: "The Locomotion."

Of course, our generation knows the Kylie Minogue version. But we found out that the original song was written by Carole King! And what's even more shocking was the fact that the original singer - Little Eva - was Carole King's babysitter! We went loco in our seats when we found out!



Mind. Blown!

Mu-la-lah-n!

The first teaser trailer of the live action version of "Mulan" is out:



I'm SO psyched!

Beautiful people

I don't see this group of friends as often as I should (except for Kin, who I often run into in the middle of the street - go figure), but when we do, it's always a riot.

Although this "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" get together was almost instant, what's important is that it happened, and we got together again to enjoy the music and the company.

And of course, when we're together, there's always great food to go with the great conversation. Plus a lot of planning for the next outing.

Let's do this people!

Boys of summer

This is such an adorable summer photo of my 2 favorite boys, my nephew Javi and grandnephew Noah.

Can't wait to see you again, kids!

FMM: I am moved!

In preparation for the musical we'll be watching this Sunday, let me hark back to the 70s for today's Friday Magic Madness.

Carole King was one of the most famous and prolific song writers of her generation. Not only did she write hit songs for various artists, she eventually wrote a series of number 1s for herself.

One of my all-time favorites, "I feel the earth move."



A test of a good song is if someone eventually remakes it. Which is the case in this song since Martika also performed it in the 90s.

Still, there's nothing like the original.

Hotdog!

I’m loving the 4th of July skin of Google for 2019.

It has the very vintage Americana vibe to it, which I love.

Good job, Google.

My, my, it’s July!

And just like that, half of the year is gone.

That was fast.

Wu-Hoo! part 2

Jason Wu is back for another collaboration, this time with Kohl's!

I was able to get a few pieces from his Target collaboration a few years back. And I'll be watching out for pieces from this collaboration, too.

Angels' new angle

You know you're old when you've lived through 3 incarnations of "Charlie's Angels."

As it turns out, there's a 2019 version:



It's interesting to see Bosley as a woman. And to see that Elizabeth Banks is really going "Full Throttle" (Charlie's Angels reference) with her directing career. After seeing her directorial turn in "Pitch Perfect," I'm totally on-board.

Of course, this Charlie's Angels is a far cry from the original one with Kate Jackson, Jacklyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett. Things weren't as modern and new-fangled. Even if you compare it to the 2000s version with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu.

Good thing they kept some things constant. Like Charlie being "invisible" and his speaker looking the same as it did from way back in the 70s.

All that said, I might just watch this to see a different angle of this trio of angels.