Today's Friday Magic Madness song goes back all the way to the 50s! Back to 1956, to be exact.
And it's inspired by two things:
One, my Christmas Wrapping theme that I wrote about yesterday.
Two, our boat of New Year fruits. All 13 of them!
So, without further ado, here's Little Richard's hit, "Tutti Frutti!"
Have a fruitful 2021 everyone!
"Annie Hall" is truly a breakthrough and an unforgettable film.
Aside from sweeping so many awards in 1978, including a Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress award in that year's Oscars, another thing that "Annie Hall" is known for is the film's fashion.
Diane's "masculine-feminine" dressing became a trend after the film came out, and even decades after. Even until now, this film has inspired that kind of androgynous and carefree way of dressing.
Something that I was able to recreate for less than a thousand, thanks to sale pieces from Kashieca!
The key piece is this plaid, high waist pair of pants. The waist is cinched and the legs are wide, which is something that looks very 70s.
Was randomly adding items on my cart, clicking here and there without double checking anything.
Then, as I checked out my shopping cart, this is what I saw:
My bill is composed of 4 consecutive numbers!
For that reason alone, I clicked "complete purchase."
Oh, the fun with numbers while online shopping.
Aside from the Songs of Songs verse that I wrote about a few days ago, another one of my favourite Christmas readings is the one that was read during today's Christmas Day Mass.
This is Isaiah 9:1-6.
The part that really gets me is the verse's description of our Lord Jesus:
"For to us, a child is born,
to uus, a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
No, this isn't a post about Spandau Ballet's "Gold."
It's about that time of the year!
Yes, it's time for me to make my yearly contribution to our Christmas Noche Buena table.
Fruit Salad!
This never grows old.
"Comforter" should be an easy word to spell, right?
Apparently not.
This is the real "F-P deficiency."
Proofreader, please!~
Today is Ate Lissa's birthday!
This year, she's celebrating her birthday with 3 grandkids, after welcoming Adrianna early this year.
And yes, Carl, Jamie and Adriana surprised Ate by flying to TX to celebrate with her.
Her birthday's going to be grand!
One of the readings for tonight's anticipated Misa de Gallo is one of my all time favourites!
The reading from Song of Songs 2: 8-14 has been a personal fave since my high school days. As a writer, there's an instant and lasting appreciation for beautifully written readings and verses. And while the bible has a plethora of those, this one is very visual and elegantly written.
"I hear my lover's voice. He comes running over the mountains, racing across the hills to me.
My lover is like a gazelle, like a young stag. There he stands beside the wall.
He looks through the window and glances through the lattice.
My lover speaks to me. Come then, my love; my darling, come with me.
The winter is over; the rains have stopped; in the countryside the flowers are in bloom.
This is the time for singing; the song of doves is heard in the fields.
Figs are beginning to ripen; the air is fragrant and blossoming vines.
Come then, my love; my darling come with me.
You are like a dove that hides in the crevice of a rock.
Let me see your lovely face and hear your enchanting voice."
Reading through it, every line brings to live vivid images in my head. It's such a romantic story told with such simple eloquence.
No wonder this is one song I'll listen to again and again.
These 4 products - all neatly in a row on Shopee - pretty much defines my childhood.
Yes, they're the sweets that I'd buy in our neighbourhood sari-sari stores - owned by Aling Ensa and Mommy Gallegos. They would have Haw Flakes, Choc-Nut and Tarzan arranged neatly in bottles, which always made me smile.
Stay Fresh, on the other hand, was something I'd buy in our school canteen in Claret. It was my "dessert" after recess or lunch.
Then, when we'd go on a supermarket run at Hi-Top, Tops, Queen's or Unimart, we'd buy them by the pack. Yes, all 4 of them.
Now, because of this sighting, and post, I'm putting these 4 in my cart as well.
My cart is going to look sweet in a bit.
And just like that, tomorrow is the last day of classes. Again.
I've been teaching online for 2 semesters, and as much as I've gotten the hang of it, I'm still looking for the thrill of teaching face-to-face. Seeing my students. Looking at their reactions. Hear them throw around ideas that turn into brilliant concepts.
Hopefully, we'll go back to that mode of teaching soon. But right now, we discover the different ways of teaching and embrace them.
Which is the inspiration for this Friday Magic Madness song. An old song from Sesame Street about the different ways you get to school.
Soon, we'll find our way back to school.
Honestly, I miss hearing anticipated Midnight Masses IRL.
Part of the office tradition is for our group to go down to Ortigas Park to hear the mass there. After that, well, we go back to the office and resume working. Harhar!
Just like last year, this year's masses will be heard online. Beginning today.
Praying and hoping that by next year, we'll be back to doing our tradition.
This prompt from Lazada made me smirk and shake my head at the same time.
I can almost imagine a comic voice saying those lines in a very deadpan way.
Yes, there's definitely something very wrong about it.
Back in the day, I'd buy a lot of baby toys for my nephews and nieces. I'd relish going into toy stores and baby shops and walk away with a stash of fun stuff for them.
Now, my eldest nephew is 31 years old, while my youngest nephew is 14 years old. Needless to say, I don't buy as much baby toys nowadays.
Yes, I do have 3 grandkids - well, grandnephew and grandnieces - but they're in the U.S. So, as much as I'd like to buy them toys, I'll have to wait until our next trip there.
Luckily, a number of my friends gave birth this year, so this Christmas, I got to indulge in one of my favourite shopping chores - baby toy shopping!
While there are a lot of brands out there, my choice are my go-to brands like Vtech and Fisher Price. They worked for Jul, Carl, Kevin, Princess, Miguel, Kurt, Kai, Toni, Noah and Javier, and they work for this new generation of tots.
Oh, they joy of buying a baby toy!
Last year, I wrote about this glaring error on the Lazada site. Apparently, "ruffle" isn't such an easy word to spell.
More than a year after, they still at it!
When I checked their site, the same product was still there, and the same typo is there as well.
Kenny Rankin is one of my go-to singers when it comes to easy listening ditties. We spent many an overtime and overnight work at Adformatix with his classic "On and On" playing in the background.
Aside from his unforgettable melodies, the lyrics of his songs are also beautifully written and almost lyrical.
Just like our Friday Magic Madness song for today. A Kenny Rankin classic from 1974:
"Pussywillows and Cattails."
The title alone is lyrical. And when you get to the whole song, it just gets better and better.
This is what I miss about old songs. They don't make them like they used to.
It's kinda bittersweet looking at the December 2021 Cover of Vogue USA.
The sweet part is because it's SJP on the cover!!!
Sarah Jessica Parker is in the house! (Or cover!)
The bitter part is because I know this issue will be hard to find here in Manila, so I'm trying to figure out how to get it.
And speaking of SJP, if there's one video of her that I watch on repeat, it's this collaboration video of her and Kleinfeld. As a huge fan of surprises, this video is simply a thrill.
Oh, SJP! How will I get thee?
Yes, it's the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
It's been 2 years since my last mass to celebrate this Feast Day. I'm missing hearing masses on December 8, usually at 6pm in Megamall with Mark. Hopefully, this time next year, everything will be back as it should be and we'll be hearing physical masses again soon.
Also, today is the birthday of a few friends of mine. And one thing they have in common? They're all named "Concepcion."
Once again, Happy Feast Day, Mama Mary!
Last year, while looking for a supplier for stickers, it led me to this page called Crafts & Ink. They had a lot of nice sticker designs, so I contacted them to check if they could do the design we had in mind.
It was a pleasant surprise when the owner contacted me because she turned out to be a former student of mine. This was her business, which made me even more confident to pass on our requirements to her.
Since then, I've been getting stickers from her regularly. Then, last week, I asked her if she also made notecards. Particularly, a design that's been in my file for months - a note card with toile du jouy border and a simple script monogram.
After answering to the affirmative, my note cards are here!
This is going to make writing notes a lot more fun!
Because of Mom and Dad's photo from the birthday dinner last night, I suddenly remembered the very cool, fun and groovy group from the 60s - The Mamas and Papas.
They have so many awesome hits - one of which I even wrote about last year.
And since today is a Friday, it's time to bring back the Mamas and Papas. And today's FMM hit is a very danceable ditty from the 60s which is perfect for a party. Just like Mom's birthday yesterday, and Dad's birthday next week.
Listening to this makes me want to just get up and dance.
Which is the entire point of the song.
I'm not one to subscribe to food trends, but when it comes to Chicken Sandwiches, I'll make an exception.
Chicken Filet Sandwiches are my jam! From Chick Fil-A to KFC's Zinger to Popeye's Spicy Cajun Sandwich to Chili's Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich, I'll be content eating any (or all) of these on a daily basis.
So, it was with much interest and curiosity that I finally tried the much written about new entrant to the Chicken Sandwich competition - Jollibee's Crunchy Chick'nwich
Not bad!
The chicken was huge and protruding from the bun. Even the fun was different from the usual Jollibee burger bun - it was firmer, shinier and more packed. The chicken itself had the right amount of crunch and a good skin-to-meat-ratio. The flavour was a bit wanting for me, especially since I like the full-on flavour of both Popeye's and Zinger.
The pickles were a nice touch and it added the occasional sour bite.
So, was it worth the hype?
Well, it's good. But it's not something I'll crave for. Yes, it will be part of the repertoire, but it will be a few notches below my go-to sandwiches.
Gosh! Writing about this made me crave for Howlin' Rays Sando again!
Because of that "Scent of a Woman" post a few days ago, it got me to thinking.
Where is Gabrielle Anwar now?
She was a fixture in many Hollywood films in the 90s, and among her iconic roles is in this Al Pacino film. Who can forget her tango scene?
Now, I'm going to search online to see what she's been doing now, especially her work on TV and films.
And hopefully, I can watch her again soon.
Kristen Wiig is so hilarious!
From her sketches in SNL to her films like "Bridesmaids." "Zoolander," and "Whip it," she always makes me laugh so hard.
Among my Kristen Wiig sketches on repeat is this SNL sketch entitled: "Liza tries to turn off a lamp."
I've seen this so many times and still laugh at all the same places.
That's the hallmark of true comedy.
No, this isn't a post about the 1992 film with Robert de Niro and Gabrielle Anwar. Though admittedly, I l'm a fan of that film.
This post is about one of the dresses that caught my eye in the Holiday 2021 Collection of Plains & Prints. The "Orange" dress from "Bahaghari."
It's such an artsy and dress with a festive colour. Which is why Ate Bullet is wearing it today as she celebrates her birthday!
Happy Birthday, Ate Bullet!
And yes, it's a 2nd "scent" post in a row.
No, this isn't a post about Church's Chicken. (Also known as Texas Chicken.) But yes, that was their tagline at one point.
This is a Friday Magic Madness post, so this has to be about an old song.
And in this case, it's a song from 1981 from Billy Preston and Syreeta.
Presenting, "Love."
I'm not sure why, but this song is embedded in my memory and it would pop up every so often. Particularly the verse that Syreeta sings that goes:
"Alright. When love was within our reach. We were blinded by our dreams of being free."
Whenever this part of the song plays in my head, I immediately have to search for the song and listen to it again.
Like today.
While it isn’t as easy or simple to travel, it doesn’t mean that my tastebuds can’t do it for me!
Today’s afternoon snack is composed of my favourite drink from HKG, and Mark and my favourite Snack from JPN!
Yes! Vita Lemon Tea and Onigiri in the house!
Hopefully we can travel again to those countries and try the legit thing soonest!
No, this isn’t about the 1987 film with Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz.
It’s about the fact that when you get older, you get excited about the most domestic things. And in my case, doing groceries excite me.
Especially whenever I find great deals.
Observe:
Each of these items are just one peso each.
ONE.
PESO.
EACH.
P11 For Limited Edition Listerine and Sparkling Fruit Soda!
And that’s my One-derful story for today.
Kasugai is one our go-to snacks in Japan.
We'd often buy it at Donki or at our favourite snack store in Nakano Broadway.
Suddenly, I'm missing our Kasugai runs and snacking on them at random parks. Was looking for it at the Daiso Japan online store, to no avail.
Even a quick scan at Shopee and Lazada yielded no results.
Gosh! Hopefully it'll be available soon!
