FMM: Siempre!

Hoy fue un dia emocionante para mi!

Despues de lo que paracieron anos, 3 de los miembros de la Mafia Mexicana estan juntos!

Yup, Beng, Ginger and I finally had our long overdue reunion! And as expected, it was a wonderful walk down the paved lanes of Mexico.

Although this isn't a Mexican song, it's a Spanish song, so it's close enough.

So, for today's Friday Magic Madness song, here's Los Manolos!

"Amigos para siempre" is such an apt song for us. So, this 1992 hit from this Spanish group is perfect.

Hopefuly, Beth will be with us the next time we get together.

Que alegria verlos amigos mios!

Kate has a point

I'm super hyped to see Kate Hudson back on Netflix.

And she's doing a comedy, which is so up her alley.

"Running Point" will be in my "to-binge-watch-list" now.

A little bit of Sunshine

Today's snack brought me straight back to my grade school years.

Sunshine Green Peas still taste as good now as it did then.

Take a Bao

This new 7-11 product is da bomb!

It's a pillow soft bao with a flavourful Lap Cheong niside.

Right now, it's just a limited edition menu. But hopefully, they'll take it and make it a regular product.

I'm Empressed

It started with a youtube video suggestion.

They showed some excerpts from a Chinese drama entitled "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace."

One video turned to two, and three, and four, and more. Yes, it became a fodder for binge-watching!

The historical drama features the life of Empress Ruyi. I'm not really familiar with her or her character, but this drama piqued my interested.

The actual series had 87 episodes, but youtube only had bits and pieces of different episodes. Despite that, the story was clear, and the ending was heartfelt.

Hope they'll carry this on Netflix soon.

He's the Guy

It's still one of my favourite stories from High School.

Our English teacher was talking about one of his favourite playwrights. He wrote the name on the board and confidently said that no one would be able to pronounce it. The name was:

Guy de Maupassant

Casually, I raised my hand and said:

Gee du Muppasan

Yup, I knew how to pronounce the name of this guy.

Because he didn't know that we had a small library in our Tomas Morato house. We had an encyclopedia. One of them had an article dedicated to this French author who was best known for his short stories. Became curious about him. Asked my Lola Dita about him. And she was the one who taught me how to pronounce his name.

And that's how a random interest made me sound more knowledgeable.

I-1-der

It's always a joy whenever block mates get together.

Can't believe it's been 3 decades since 34 diverse kids got together and formed Block I-1 in UP CMC.

Despite our differences, the block gelled together and was a close-knit group. Of course, there were sub-groups within the block - like the Assumption Girls, the Rizal group, the out-of-towners, etc., but overall, everyone just got along.

Tonight, we had a micro-get-together with 4 of us block mates in attendance.

It was so good to see Dyra again after almost 20 years. And it's always a joy to see Prichy and Wowie.

We've always talked about planning a huge Block reunion.

Makes me wonder if that'll happen soon.

FMM: Dr. Hook-ed

How is it possible that Dr. Hook has not yet made an appearance as a Friday?

Let's correct that.

Today's FMM song is from the wonderfully romantic and laid back voice of Dr. Hook.

"Sharing the night together" is one of his iconic songs.

One, but not the only one. 

He has a lot more songs that have hit the charts and enjoyed massive air play in the 70s.

But let's start with this.

Because this song alone has got me hooked.

I know this much as True

No, this isn't a Spandau Ballet post.

It's about a clothing discovery made way back in December.

While scurrying around for last minute Christmas gifts, found a brand of clothing called "True Clothing."

Design wise, they're like Pink Manila. Their clothes are elevated basics made with easy yet classy fabrics. Just like this top rendered in this year's Pantone color.

The neckline gives it a fashion moment, that's why it looks great with a classic denim jean.

I'm going to buy more from this brand from hereon in.

And that's true.

Seven. Up.

Couldn't help but smile after seeing this post that was upped by FB.

It's Baby Noah's baptism!

Can't believe this was 7 years ago. 

Hopefully, we'll see Noah and the whole TX crew again soon.

Ba(d)llerina

Here's the shoe that inspired the "Ballerina Girl" FMM feature.

It's a ballerina flat from Stradivarius that goes beyond the usual simple and classic flat. This one has a rocker chick and badass attitude.

There's so much going for this pair. The fire engine red colour. The studs. The ankle strap. The criss-cross details. It elevates the ballerina flat to stratospheric heights!

This kind of reaction is rare from me. But with a pair of shoes as phenomenal as this, it can't be helped. 

Fortune-ately

Found this while cleaning my room.

This was a gift to me by the HKG office after joining them back in 2005.

So, yes, this item is 25-years old.

But what is it?

It's a modern-traditional fortune teller.

Modern, because it's made by Shanghai Tang.

Traditional, because it's fashioned after a traditional Chinese way of telling fortune. You shake the container, open it, and get a stick. The stick has a number, and you find that number in the fortune telling book.

Tried it just for kicks and got the number 4. And here's my fortune:

I'm really feeling fortunate to have found this. I'll be randomly telling my fortune from here on in.

Taking the Elevator

This is fast becoming my fave scent.

The overall vibe of "Elevator Music" is clean, quiet and nondescript. It's a skin scent that smells like the quintessential "you, but better."

Should've gotten a back-up bottle of this.

20/20 Vision

It feels just like yesterday when it happened.

Was working at Dentsu, Young & Rubicam - Alcantara, and our office was in Vito Cruz. A few blocks away was St. Scholastia's College. Prichy dropped by the office one time and asked if I'm interested in teaching a subject there.

Because Prichy is one of my closest friends - and at that time, the Chair of the Mass Comm Department - my answer was a resounding "yes!"

Fast forward to 20 years, and I'm still here!

The adage goes: "Love what you do and you'll never have to work a day in your life." With that, I haven't been working for SSC in the past 20 years.

Teaching is definitely one of the best decisions I've made.

FMM: A grain of Salt (and Pepa)

To celebrate Valentine's Day, we gave out Peppero to everyone at the office. It's our little way of spreading the Valentine's cheer around the workplace.

Peppero - of course - reminds me of pepper. And pepper reminds me of "Pepa." 

We all know where this is going.

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is Salt-N-Pepa's "Shoop." This is the dance anthem of 1993, and everyone would listen to and bop to this song. And with the infectious beat, it can't be helped.Salt-N-Pepa

Now this will def add flavour and spice to Valentine's Day.

Reality Slaps

This popped up on my feed today.

So, it's been 11 years since D' Frendz had this pancake get-together at Slappy Cakes in Eastwood.

Back then, their concept was so novel. You get to make your own pancakes, right at you table. Back then, we'd experiment a lot, making different shapes, characters, combining colours and flavours - the works! Of course, the kids loved it, too.

While D' Frendz is still very much around, alas, Slappy Cakes is gone. Maybe it's because people got tired of the concept and they failed to innovate. Or maybe it's just because people don't eat pancakes that much.

Such is the reality of food businesses.

When a cat is also a hog

That's the first thing that came to mind upon seeing this.

This cute, sleeping cat has occupied half of the bench in Ortigas Park!

It's kind of amusing to see the people sitting at the edge of the bench so as not to disturb the cat.

After all, you should let sleeping cats lie.

(Or is that "dogs?")

All the Lovers

Nope, this isn't a post about Kylie Minogue's song.

But you know me, I'm a huge Kylie fan.

What this post is about is XTine's pasalubong.

She brought me this bag of Cherry Lovers jelly beans from Jelly Belly.

They're heart shaped jellies in different cherry flavours like black cherry, cherry cheesecake, cherry cola, bing cherry, sour cherry and wild cherry. And as a cherry fan, this is just divine!

It's so, so, SO good, that I've already finished the bag.

Now, where to find this in MNL.

Deco-room

I've been to St. Cecilia's Hall countless times, but it was only last Friday when I appreciated the beauty of the art deco lobby.

Amazing how time can make you see familiar things in a different way.

Fantastic!

The "Fantastic Four" movie franchise has had several iterations. And I've watched two of them.

The 2005 version wasn't as bad as people said it was. In fact, it was enjoyable for me. Then came the 2015 version, which tried to be more nonchalantly comedic and less heroic. But again, it was okay.

Now, a new film is in the offing. 

By the trailer alone, it seems like this version is a bit more serious. But it also has touches of nostalgia, particularly in their uniform.

Because I've watched the previous versions, there's no reason why I'd miss this one.

FMM: Ballet parking

Today's Friday Magic Madness song is inspired by...

Shoes!

The past months, there have been so many cool and fashionable ballet flats making their way to department stores and fast fashion shops. The SM Store has a lot of these in different designs and colours. H&M has some in animal prints. And the Inditex group has it in a range of price points.

There were 2 pairs from Stradivarius that caught my eye. But that post is for later.

Today's song is from Lionel Richie, launched in 1986.

"Ballerina Girl," is such a heartfelt ballad. They used to play the MTV a lot on TV, and that's why this song is one of Lionel's song that's on the top of my head.

As the song lyrics go, it's so lovely.

Do you CD what I CD?

Look what's on sale at National Book Store?

There was a time when CDs were so expensive and in demand. It was a must have for school and work, and we'd buy and collect these blank CDs, especially the ones with designs.

Now, technology has rendered it useless. Thus, it's now sold at P100 for this bundle.

Yup, that whole stack is just P100.

Amazing how technology can change just like that.

Spice of life

You can't go to Japan without checking out McDonald's for their Japan-only menu.

There were a couple of interesting and promising options, but this is where I started:

Spicy Chicken McNuggets with 4 cheese sauce!

It's. So. Good!

Has Mark try it, and it's Mark-approved as well.

Please bring this to the Philippines!

Arrrr you sure?

They say that the Japanese language uses a lot of letter "r"s, especially when they speak English.

Guess they're taking that too seriously.

Saw this at Shisui and couldn't help but chuckle.

I'd ask for a proofreader, but this isn't their native tongue, so it's okay.

Taste of tradition

Aside from the very convenient location, here's another reason why my stay at Toyoko Inn was worth it:

Traditional Japanese Breakfast!

In lieu of the usual Western Buffets, they served traditional fare. 

This is another good reason to go back.

Eleventh Hour

Of course, no trip to Japan would be complete without the mandatory 7-11 food shot.

While at Shisui Outlets, saw a 7-11 tucked in one of the corridors. After realising that I haven't had a 7-11 meal yet, it was clear that this was the time to do it. Ended up with a sandwich, onigiri and - of course - Fanta Grape!

Convenience really is more delicious in Japan!

Just my Luck

Another cool discovery during this trip to Japan.

We saw this store called "Luck Rack" at the Aeon Mall near Kaihinmakuhari station. It was a big store with racks and racks of different types of clothing. In addition, there are shelves and shelves of shoes, accessories and what-have-yous.

Going through the racks, they sold Japanese brands, including iconic ones like Edwin Jeans. The prices are very low, with most of the items being 70% off the original price.

Upon asking, the staff told me that this is where the Japanese stores send their off-season items to be disposed. So, it's pretty much like the Marshall's or Ross of Japan.

There were so many nice items that it was difficult to choose what to buy. Eventually, the blouses they had were so cool and chic that the bag in the photo ended up being packed with blouses. That included 2 sheer blouses, 2 bomber jackets in tulle, and a two-fer blouse.

Next time I'm in Japan, I'll try my luck here again.