That’s so Fetch!

“Stop making fetch happen. It’s not gonna happen!”

But no, this isn’t a “Mean Girls” post.

It’s about the pretty denim dress from Marc Jacobs. 

Available on Far Fetch! (Wink)

Perking up the office

Call it "adulting" or just being a "Tito," but I'm finding it extremely gratifying to regularly fix up our little coffee corner at the department.

So far, it's effective in making the team a bit perkier than usual.

Pay your way

Looks like Zara is upping its retail game.

Just like stores in the Spain and Japan, the Zara branch at Trinoma now has a self-pay kiosk!

Tried it for myself and its very easy to use. Not to mention efficient.

Now, there's another reason to go to Zara. (As if I need another one.)

Blanket Approval - Part Daux

The saga of the iconic Pinoy blanket continues.

While the design itself is nice on its own, it's also nice to have a play of contrasts and textures, which is what we did for Ate's latest ensemble.

We mixed the orange blanket with dark denim for this top and skirt combo. 

The bright orange blanket was a refreshing breaker from the denim. And it's that contrast that made this ensemble more visually interesting.

Ate approves!

Pardon my French

Today is the big day!

Paris 2024!

Let me get into the French bandwagon. Just for today.

Gosh, this was almost 20 years ago!

Time to back to France. (After the Olympics, of course.)

FMM: French Flashback

In honour of the upcoming opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, it's time for a French-themed Friday Magic Madness song.

And who better to represent the French but the OG French chanteuse, Edith Piaf!

"La Vie En Rose" was released in 1947, which makes the song 76 years old! 

But listening to it today, it's still as beautiful and haunting as she first sang it.

C'est Magnifique!

These Olympians are Stella(r)

Call it the MET Gala of the sporting world.

Aside from the athletes, people look forward to the uniforms of each country participating in the Olympics.

After seeing dozens of uniforms, this has to be one of my faves.

Haiti's uniform is so colourful and vibrant, just like their country. And it turns out that the uniform is designed by one of my equally favourite designers - Stella Jean!

Stellar, indeed!

Putting the "Wed" in "Wednesday."

Further proof that "time flies so fast."

It's been 8 years since we went to GA to attend the wedding of Jul. His wedding was the first of his generation, so we made sure not to miss it.

Happy Anniversary, Jul and Jen! 

Water the odds

We were busy shooting inside the studio.

We could hear the strong rains outside, but it wasn't strong enough to be a concern.

We stepped out during a break, and we saw this:

And to think we just went out to go to 7-11 about an hour ago.

That was quick.

One of Four

It's going to be a "good kind of busy" week .

Today is the 1st day of 4 days of shooting. We have today and tomorrow, then Thursday to Friday.

It's going to be a lot of fun! 

(And the studio for the Thursday and Friday shoots have a Lawson in the same building.)

Oh, Deng!

This is my current cheap thrill.

This Odeng set plus iced tea art Lawson is just P135! It's filling enough to be a meal, but light on the flavour and tummy.

Oh, Lawson. You never fail me.

Feeling peachy

What do you do when you find out that they have a buy 1 take 1 sale on canned peaches at the nearby supermarket?

You make peach-mango-sago! (And when I say "you" it means "me.")

While there was no recipe followed, it turned out to be really good!

If they still have those peaches on sale, this is going to have a part 2. And part 3. And part 4...

FMM: Join the Convention

"Silver Convention" seems to be an odd name for a singing group. But, fun fact, there was a group with that name in the 70s.

The reason why I'm familiar with this group? No surprise, my Dad's cassette tape collection.

This group had a string of hits in the 70s, but one of the most popular, and my personal fave, is "Fly, Robin, Fly."

This 1975 song is great. It managed to extend two lines of lyrics to a full song that runs for more than 5 minutes. Amazing!

And the cheese factor of this music video is even more amazing.

It's a flight of fancy, IMHO.

Capsule collection

Call it "adulting" or "Tito-fying," but since we put up that coffee corner at the creative pantry, I've been into searching for and buying coffee capsules.

It's amazing how many brands and flavours of coffee capsules are out there. They even have hot chocolate capsules, too.

This is one of the perks that the creative folk like about our pantry.

And when we say "perk," it means figuratively and literally.

Blanket approval

Pinoys know this ubiquitous blanket.

It's a part of almost every Pinoy household, especially in the provinces. It's about as common as the wooden spoon and fork , last supper, dogs playing cards, and crocheted table cloths.

The fame that it's enjoying has made this blanket go beyond the bed and bedroom. Now, people are starting to wear this as a fashion piece.

Yup, there are now polos, pants, skirts and dresses made of this blanket. And while it may be odd at first thought, it actually works!

So much so that we got a few packs of the same blanket and had several things made.

First up, this skirt and blouse ensemble.

In the masterful hands of Joy, the pair looks so chic and cheery. That's because she took the time to really find the right parts of the blanket, and place them strategically in key points of the pieces.

For added oomph, the back of the blouse has a bit of a surprise. It has a cut-out detail with a bow.

Ate Bullet was thrilled when she saw this and wore it immediately.

Needless to say, it has her approval.

Come to my Ade

Because our office building is surrounded by Korean stores, I've discovered the joys of their packed drinks.

These drinks are fixtures in convenience stores in Seoul. You buy them, you buy a glass of ice, you pour it and enjoy.

Looks like 7-11 got wind of this because they're now selling ice cups.

So, Korean store + 7-11 =

These drinks - while in tetra packs - taste very natural! This one really tastes like squeezed grapefruit. And this is just one of the many, many, many flavours available.

One down, more to go.

Patch it up!

Speaking of pasalubong...

The limited edition Oreo x Sour Patch Kids collab is now here!

Actually, Ate Lissa sent 3 packs, but there are only 2 in the photo because we already finished one pack.

Yup, it's THAT good!

I’m Fine(ry)

Today is a fine day.

Thanks to these!

My Fine'ry loot has arrived. Thanks to Ate Lissa who bought it at Target, and Kuya Marv who brought it from TX!

The "Without a Trace" smells so good! It's a fine scent that I'm going to be using quite often.

D Squared

No, this isn't about the Canadian fashion brand.

But I'll get to them in a moment.

This is about how fun and fashionable a denim on denim look can be. Especially with the right pieces.

This ensemble is from 2 of my go-tos. The top is from Human, and the cargo jeans are from The SM Store. And let me just say, the jeans are super cool. The multiple pockets elevate it!

I'm amazed how these 2 denim pieces from different brands managed to come together seamlessly, as if it were just from one place.

FMM: Bear it!

Speaking of bears, one of my fave 80s shows suddenly came to mind. 

The show was entitled, "BJ and the Bear," and their theme song is today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Even after more than 3 decades, this song is still embedded in my head and can still sing it. Strange, but true.

Even stranger? The "bear" in "BJ and the Bear" is actually a monkey.

The 80s were sure a lot of fun.

Bear-able

While the main characters of the old Thundercats cartoon show were awesome in their own right, the characters that I'd often wait for to appear aren't the cats.

I'd wait for the bear.

Robear bill and Robear belle, in particular.

They were a touch of cuteness in the usual action-packed cartoon series. 

You can say that they made the show more, uhm, bearable. Harhar.

More Doggone cuteness!

We interrupt the series of cute photos of sleeping cats with...

Sleeping dogs!

This puppy was at our shoot yesterday, and he's so unbelievably cute!

Maybe we can give him a role in the commercial.

WATN: Where's Warren

Seeing posters and trailers of the new "Planet of the Apes" film got me to thinking:

"Where's Estella Warren?"

She was part of the 2001 version of the film, and she was a stand-out there. After that, she came out in a number of Hollywood blockbusters and was one of the most promising actresses of that decade.

But of late, it's hard to find her both on the small and big screens.

We need to see her on-screen again soon.

Bonito Begins

After much anticipation, the first Love Bonito store finally opens in the Philippines this weekend!

To go, or not to go. That is the question.

Meals with Mark: Bok-buster

Since we were already in the South, Mark and I went out to try the Korean Chicken restaurant of my cousin Pichon.

Bok Korean Fried Chicken is conveniently located at the corner of one of ATC's newer buildings. It's easily accessible, it's bright and spacious, and has that very casual, family vibe.

The chicken is good and crispy. The fries are well-seasoned. And overall, the value is great!

Something tells me this won't be the last time we'll be eating here.

One shoe, two ways: You know the (Espa)drille

The CLN branch at Ali Mall is renovating soon. And you know what that means...

Renovation Sale!

Saw this pair of platform espadrilles and it was around 70% off its original price! It was too good to pass off. 

It's a very cool and versatile pair. It gives this very Castillian vibe and is a comfy way to elevate a look. 

LOOK # 1: Utilitarian chic

The main piece here is a cargo skirt made with twill, snagged from Surplus Shop. It has a dark khaki colour that works well with the espadrille. The top is the same hue of the shoe (it rhymes!) and it's from Memo.

LOOK # 2: Dressy & daring

This dress is from Straightforward. The sides have an interesting cut-out, and the back is open, with just a few straps. It might come across as casual, but the details make it dressy.

Given that you can wear it 2 times in an instant, it's proof how this shoe is such a good buy.

FMM: Take Note

Sergio Mendes has been popping up on YouTube of late. Which is good because I'm a fan.

What's nice about it is the fact that I'm rediscovering a lot of their songs. One of the songs that played was a catch ditty that deserves to be today's Friday Magic Madness song.

"One Note Samba" shouldn't be confused with the Basia version. This one is more uplifting, more perky, and is a mood-lifter. Bonus is the fact that there are parts of the song that have been sampled by Sesame Street songs.

This song is def going on repeat!

Feeling Joyful

Been binging on choir videos on YouTube recently. Being a choir boy in grade school and high school, seeing videos like this hit different.

I've featured many a choir video here, and let me add another one to the pile. This one is the finale song from "Sister Act 2: Back in the habit."

Seeing his reminded me of those times when our HS choir would perform with choirs from different Catholic schools. Though they weren't competitions, there was a feeling of pressure to perform better than the other choirs.

This "Joyful, Joyful" number is a good reflection of what we used to do. That's why it brings me so much joy watching it over and over again.

Talk Back

Back in the 2000s, this was a fixture you would see everywhere. It was the most convenient way to call and talk to people when you were out of the house and didn’t have a mobile phone.

Now, these are just relics of the past. Unused. Unnoticed. 

Amazing what technology does.

Let it B

No, this isn't a Beatles post.

It's about this brand that caught my eye.

"Nissin" is the leading brand in wafers. They wanted to go up agains "Nissin." So, they thought of a name that's can confuse people and one that will rub off some of the category leader's equity on to their brand.

You have to be clever to come up with something like that.

Putting the "Pan" in Spanish

One food item that never fails to bring back a flood of memories is the "Pan con Tomate."

This was something that Lolo Iking used to prepare. He'd take a slice of french bread, crush a fresh tomato on top, then drizzle it with olive oil.

This turns out to be a Spanish thing. When I'd go to BCN to visit Tita Evelyn and my cousins, they'd also prepare this for breakfast or a snack.

Imagine my thrill upon seeing this at The Marketplace in Shangrila Mall.

Not only is it a Pan con Tomate derivative, it's also from El Corte Ingles, which is the quintessential Spanish brand.

Time to relive those Spanish pan memories.