Bahnsen Burner

Was wondering, will Uniqlo be coming up with a new fashion collaborator? 

They have the regular lines with Clare Waight Keller and the U Studio. But there was a time when they had people like Phillip Lim, Costello Tagliapietra, Marni, Jil Sander and Alexander Wang doing capsule collections. And it would be cool to have something like that again.

Lo and behold, a capsule collection with Cecile Bahnsen.

She's a Danish designer known for blending femininity with her Scandinavian roots. So, think minimalism, but with a romantic twist. Something that you can see in her Uniqlo collaboration. It has a lot of ruffles and shirring, details that really elevates her pieces.

I've got my eye on the ruffled dresses, and something tells me that will land in Ate's closet soon.

Printed Matter: Dainty details

My penchant for botanical prints is well documented on this blog. In fact, Ate Bullet has a number of nice, botanical print clothes in her closet.

But there's always room for another one. Especially if the print is this cute.

This is a botanical print, but done in a dainty way. The prints are small and delicate, simple in its execution and colour, and spaced adequately so that you can appreciate it more.

And this dainty print is from an equally dainty dress from The Landmark.

You really can never have too many botanical print dresses. 

Meals with Mark: Aizu the sign

Mark has been talking about and swearing by this Japanese restaurant in San Pedro called Aizu.

It's one of the go-to restos of Mark and his family, and I've always wanted to try it and experience the Japanese food he's been raving about.

And today, that day finally came.

We had lunch at Aizu's 2nd branch. Apparently, the 1st branch, the one he frequents more often, is only open from 5pm onwards. 

Told Mark to handle the ordering since he knows this restaurant more. 

It's a super delicious and super satisfying spread of Tantanmen, gyoza, chicken karaage and chahan.

Everything was good. The ramen was creamy and spicy, and the noodles were firm. The gyoza was flavourful and the skin had the right amount of snap. The chahan was generous in therms of the inclusions and the quality of the rice was top notch. And the chicken karaage was crispy and crunchy without being too oily.

After the hearty meal, I now know why Mark enjoys Aizu a lot. And this is the sign that we should eat at Aizu more. (As well as sample the other restaurants around Pacita.)

FMM: What's the Plann?

Since we're in the subject of j3j3m0hwns, this song from 1993 suddenly came to mind.

"Bring dat booty" is a rap song from the Fil-Am group named Mastaplann. 

While this isn't exactly from the j3j3m0hwn era, (it predated it by more than a decade, actually), this song actually captures the vibe of that era. It campy, cheesy and cringey. But it's so campy, cheesy and cringey that it's fun.

Thus, it's fun to go back and randomly listen to songs like this. 

But yes, I'm still glad this era is over.

The Po3wzh Pose

Last Tuesday, the office had our birthday cocktails. The theme?

Jejemon.

Wait, that didn't come out right.

J3j3m0hwn!

As a sign of sportsmanship and the spirit of gameness, some of us showed up in our j3j3 best, which led the 3 of us to be named top 3 j3j3m0hwns.

I'm the traditional j3j3m0hwn, Mayu is the j3j3pan, and Mikee is the j3j3Lo.

Seeing this makes me even gladder that this era is over.

Sounds of Childhood

When we were kids, we had a talking alarm clock. It was a Raggedy Ann and Andy alarm clock, and if memory serves me right, it was Ate Lissa's and Ate Bullet's alarm clock.

You'd set the alarm, and once it hits the time when it was set, you could hear Raggedy Ann and Andy have this conversation:

Raggedy Ann: Andy, Andy, please wake up, it's time to play our game.

Andy: Okay, Ann, I'm awake, let's do it all again.

Sometimes, I'd get the clock and adjust the alarm to that exact moment I'm there, just to hear this conversation. And was always fun hearing it.

Recently, I saw that exact clock on the net.

It looks like the same one that we had. Now I'm wondering if it sounds the same, too.

Meals with Mark: Visiting Via

Via Mare, that is.

This is one of our go-to places to eat. And the Shangrila Plaza branch has been part of our foodie itinerary ever since it was on the ground floor, near the driveway.

For today's visit, we decided to go full-on Pinoy for merienda.

This combination of sweet (ginataang halo-halo), savoury (quezo de bola pandesal) and cold (shooters) was just what we needed. It's filling, flavourful, and has a summer vibe.

You can never go wrong with Via Mare.

Rugcats

Nope, this isn't a typo nor is it a spin-off of "Rugrats."

It's literally a cat on a rug, still enjoying the weekend feels.

Okay, cat. Time to work.

Master's Degree

Aside from "The Devil Wears Prada 2," here's the other reason I'm going back to the cinema soon.

I'm  a huge He-Man fan. In fact, the original "Masters of the Universe" film with Dolph Lungdren was one of my most watched films. And seeing the trailer of this 2-26 version, and seeing how the characters are closer to the cartoon counterpart, I'm even more psyched to see it.

The kid in me in screaming.

And he's screaming: "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!!!!"

Summer Rokhs!

Seeing this dress from the latest summer collaboration from GU x Rokh makes me want to transport myself to a GU store, stat!

This dress screams summer! From the plaid fabric to the easy silhouette, it's such a cool and refreshing take on summer dressing.

Gee, you're making me want to go to Tokyo!

FMM: In the Nicks of time

What better way to end Double Denim week than this song from Stevie Nicks.

"Blue Denim" is one of my favourite Stevie Nicks songs. While it wasn't as popular or known here in the Philippines, this song has always been on my playlist since its launch in 1994. The sound is quintessential Stevie - a big of country, a bit of rock, but all phenomenal!

Until the next Double Denim week!

Double Denim week: Life is Pleating

This has got to be the fastest and easiest Stella buy in my history of Stella buying.

The moment my eyes locked in and saw this denim ensemble from afar, my fashion instincts kicked in and propelled me to the rack to snag these:

It's a beautifully pleated denim coords. The top is a sleeveless, pleated blouse made of dark denim. And it has cute ribbon details in front. The skirt is made of the same denim and the same pleating style. These 2 pieces complement each other so, so, SO perfectly.

Yes, this double denim look gives me life!

Double Denim week: Turn it up

This blog is a witness to this observation: Stella is such an underrated fashion brand.

I've been buying Stella for more than a decade, and I've been consistently amazed with the type of clothes they churn out. Of course, there are some misses, but mostly they've been hits.

Riding on the denim trend, they have a lot of very nice denim pieces on their racks today. And this double denim ensemble caught my eye instantaneously.

It's a skirt and top combination. The top is cute because it's designed like an inverted denim jean. The skirt is made from the same material, but it has this turned up detail that gives it an edge.

I'm excited to see Ate turn up in this denim ensemble.

Double Denim week: Blowing bubbles

 No, this isn't a post about that popular 90s clothing brand. But that begs the question, "What happened to Blowing Bubbles?"

But that's not what this post is about.

We're on day 2 of Double Denim week, and today, we have this outfit that's centred on a bubble skirt.

The skirt is from Penshoppe, and was on-sale! Then, the top is from SM Woman, and it was also on-sale at 50% off.  

This outfit is another example of "classic with a twist." The top is a classic looking button down, but the bubble skirt is the twist part of the story.

And now that I"m realising that this is also an LFLTAT outfit, I'm blown away!

Double Denim week: Out of the Boxy

There are so many nice denim pieces out there these days, you can actually dedicate a week for double denim pieces.

And that's exactly what I'm doing.

First up is this denim duo that has a very relaxed and boxy fit.

The top is from the RAF x Nicolo collection. It's a tie back top made of medium wash denim. It has a boxy silhouette which gives it a modern edge. The belted, wide-legged pants are from The SM Store, and the shape gives it a super easy-breezy vibe.

If a nonchalant, cool-girl went out in a double denim ensemble, this would be it

What's cooking?

Better yet, who's cooking?

And the answer? 

Me.

Got home from the office quite early last Thursday, so I decided to cook dinner. Mom was already preparing to cook Camaron Rebosado, but I thought of levelling it up and made this Camaron Rebosado x Tempura hybrid.

See? I can be useful in the kitchen, too.

Has it begun?

I'm not sure if this is early or late, but this product is already in 7-11.

It's either this is a product from December that hasn't been removed yet, or it's really a Christmas product that they decided to display as early as May.

Mysteries never cease.

FMM: Cell la vie

My taste in music has always been eclectic.

That's because my parents listened to so many different types and genres of music, and we'd listen to those along with them. We could be listening to Richard Clayderman one day, then Village People the next day. One day, we'd listen to jazz, and the next day, we'd listen to synth-pop.

One of the synth-pop groups that I grew up listening to is a group called Soft Cell. They're an English band who had a number of hits in the 80s, the biggest being this song:

"Tainted Love," has the 80s vibe down pat. It must be the synth aspect of it, but this song was and is a joy to listen to. And each time I'm listening to it, I can't help but be transported back to the 80s. 

Interesting trivia is the fact that this song is actually a remake of a 1964 song by Gloria Jones. It was popular back then, but it never reached the same popularity as the Soft Cell version.

I've listened to both, and admittedly, I'm more sold on this version.

When misspellings are sweet

Yes, the difference a letter makes.

They might not have the spelling correct, but the recipe is on-point. 

I'll try this one of these days.

The recipe. Not the misspelling.

Sweet Devotion

Reading the story behind Ferrero Rocher made me love the brand even more.

The brand's founder - Michele Ferrero - is a devout Catholic and a firm devotee of Our Lady of Lourdes. In fact, the word "Rocher" means "rock," and it refers to the grotto in Lourdes where our Lady appeared.

This makes the story of this chocolate even sweeter.