Cool Cousin

Unprompted, this feature suddenly popped up on my FB reel.

What makes this reel special is that it features my cousin and their family restaurant in BCN.

Cristy is part of the 3rd generation of Bofarruls who are running Los Caracoles. And it's great to see how much they've embraced on-line marketing and advertising, but in a very authentic and organic way.

Proud cousin here.

You know the espadrille

Having family in Spain made us aware of espadrilles at a very young age.

Whenever my Tita and cousins would visit Manila, we'd often see them wearing these fabric shoes with jute soles. Each one wore different styles of these shoes - some were mules, some were sandals, some were flat, some were heeled.

Aside from wearing them, they'd bring us some pairs as pasalubong. But we always had a hard time wearing them. It felt too casual to wear for going out, but it was too nice to treat it like slippers at home. So, we'd often wear them at the beach.

Whenever we'd go to BCN, one store we'd always visit it a local espadrille chain called Toni Pons.

It's been making espadrilles for more than a century, and is one of the more popular Spanish espadrille maker, along with Castaner.

Because the Philippines is heavily influenced by Spain, it's no surprise that Toni Pons will find itself here in Manila. Last month, they opened their first store in SM Megamall.

Maybe it's time for me to look for those pairs of espadrilles that I've hidden for the past years.

Looks like espadrilles will be back in style soon.

To the left(ies), to the left(ies)

In Spain, Inditex is a mega-company that owns some of the biggest fast fashion brands. These are fashion brands that are renowned the world over, including Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, among others.

These brands are well-known in the Philippines as well. Personally, my closet has smattering of pieces from these brands - some bought abroad, some bought here.

But among Inditex's portfolio of brands, there's one that's not as well-known in the Philippines. Among its brands, this is actually their most affordable line, similar to what G.U. is to Uniqlo. That brand is Lefties.

Needless to say, I discovered this brand during one of my trips to Spain. And walking into their store felt like walking into Penshoppe or Bench in the Philippines. Lots of fashionable and trendy basics, and the prices were uber affordable. 

Think shirts for 3 Euros.

Now, why did I suddenly remember this brand? While looking for a pair of chinos in my closet, there was this pair of jeans hidden in the leftmost part, hidden behind my suits and jackets. It was a pair of Lefites jeans from more than a decade ago.

Looking at it, the pair still looked updated and current, and is still very much wearable now. So, even after that long period of time, this Lefties is still right.

Spain is Plain

Plains & Prints, that is.

It's no secret that my sisters are huge Plains & Prints fans. But now, they have a new set of international admirers.

My cousins from Spain!

I gave them Plains & Prints dresses as a going away present, and they loved, loved, LOVED them!

The Plain is now in Spain!

FMM: Yeah Yeah

Since we're on a Spain-streak, today's Friday Magic Madness is still inspired by memories of Spain.

It was in 1986 and Tita Evelyn and Tito Agustin visited Manila, this time with Yoly in tow. Back then, Yoly and I were just kids, and since we were the same age, we naturally hung out together a lot.

While we were at National Book Store in Quezon Avenue, we wandered to the music store where they sold cassette tapes. Yoly quickly turned to me and said she wanted to buy a tape of the "Yeah, Yeah" song.

Not knowing what the "Yeah, Yeah" song was, I had to probe and ask what the song title was. Because of the language barrier, it was a challenge. She just kept on singing "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah."

After a few minutes, I finally got it! This was the "Yeah, Yeah" song she was talking about:

"Edge of Heaven" by Wham! A song that I liked as much as she did. So much that we eventually bought 2 tapes - one for her, one for me.

Yeah, yeah! She was right about this.

Two weeks noticed

For some people, 2 weeks seem like a long time.

But what I've noticed - and something Mark would always say - "Time flies when you're having fun."

And for the past 2 weeks, we really had a lot of fun with my Tita and cousins from Spain.

We had so much fun that we didn't notice that 2 weeks had passed and it was time for them to fly back to Spain. Today.

Fue genial pasar tiempo contigo. Te veo de nuevo pronto!

La familia es amor

The last time we got together with all my cousins from Barcelona was in 2013.

And tonight, fresh from their flight from BCN, we finally got together with Tita Evelyn, Eve, Cristy, Esther and Yoly again!

Es bueno verlos a todos! 

Nos vemos

It's always a joy to spend time with them, and always melancholic when it's time for them to go back to BCN.

As always, it was great spending time with you guys. See you again soon!

FMM: Loving Lindo

With the rest of the BCN crew arriving in Manila today, it was time to practice our little Spanish once again.

While my cousin, Ester, practiced her English on us, we practiced our Spanish on her. She was surprised that I still memorize the "Padre Nuestro," and that I still remember some of the songs in that language.

On that note, today's Friday Magic Madness song is an homage to the Spanish language. It's a song we used to hear a lot of as kids, and still has the same impact now.



"Cielito Lindo" by Trio Los Panchos has a sentimental sound to it. And it's a feeling that stays until now.

Grown-up Girl

The last time I saw Veja, my niece from Barcelona, was in 2013 when they visited us in Manila.

Two weeks ago, my cousin sent me a photo of her wearing the dress that I sent. And my, has she grown!

Sigh! Kids are growing up so fast these days.

FMM: Yo quiero!

My cousins and Tita from Barcelona are in town! We had dinner the other day, and I had a chance to practice a bit of my Spanish again.

In once conversation, we were talking about the Spanish songs we still remember, and that led me to today's Friday Magic Madness song, which is a very, very old song from Carmen Miranda.



But of course, people remember the T. Rio version, which is quite a throwback, too.



Either way, I still can't get enough of this song. Especially now.

A taste of our youth

When our relatives from Barcelona arrived in the Philippines, not only did they bring with them tons of memories from our childhood, they also brought with them a chockfull of Spanish food that we enjoyed as kids!

Among the stash were Jamon Serrano, Chorizo Iberico, and Turron de Jijona! Yummers!

The Jamon Serrano came from their restaurant, which makes it uber special. The Chorizo came from El Corte Ingles - the biggest department store chain in Europe. As kids, we'd always see Tita Evelyn and Tito Agustin lugging around bags from El Corte Ingles whenever they'd visit from Spain. A few years ago, when I went to Barcelona, it was such a thrill to go inside and explore the store. It was as fabulous as I imagined it to be.

Another favorite brand is Antiu Xixona. This brand has been around for ages! I mean, even as an elementary school kid, I'd remember how we'd receive boxes and boxes of Antiu Xixona from Tita Evelyn whenever they'd come to Manila.

Basically, Turron de Jijona is like Marzipan, albeit more oily and more solid. We always described it as "solid peanut butter made of almonds" since that's what it tastes like. It's so rich and so good, it feels like you're gaining weight just by looking at it.

Recently, I brought a box to the office, and some of my colleagues described it as: "Parang sosyal na Choc-nut!" (Welcome to the barrio.)

Seeing my cousins bring us these goodies is like a double-whammy. By spending time with our cousins, we relive our childhood. And by enjoying these goodies that they brought, we also get to taste our childhood.

In the Zone!

Before the second batch flew back to Barcelona, we decided to host dinner for them at Smoking Hot BBQ at Greenbelt 3. After dinner, we asked the kids if they wanted to check out Timezone which was on the same floor. Since they haven't been to an arcade in the Philippines yet, they decided to try it out.

Boy, did they love Timezone! We spent an hour there, and the kids kept jumping around from one arcade game to the next.

They couldn't get enough of Timezone that they had to return today - a few hours before they fly out to Spain.

You can never go wrong with Timezone.

Veja-me mucho!

Among my Barcelona-based relatives who visited Manila is my unbelievably cute, ultimately precocious and undeniably charming niece - Veja.

She's such a cutie-pie! She loves to sing and dance like no one's watching. She kisses everyone. She lets everyone carry her around. And she really loves being around people.

According to her Mom, Veja is such a performer. In fact, she already knows that she wants to become an actress. Like, right now!

And with a beautiful face and an equally beautifully attitude like hers, I'm sure she'll fit that role perfectly.

When Xavi met Javi

Before the first batch of Barcelona-based Morales family members flew back to Spain, Javier was able to have a photo with his Tito Xavier. And I must say that it's such an adorable photo.

All that's missing is the 3rd Javier - Javier Francisco - and the photo is complete. Hopefully, they'll be back in a few years for that photo opportunity.

Cannibalism

My cousins from Barcelona brought along with them a big stash of our favorite Spanish treats. Among them were Turones de Jijona, Jamon Serrano, anchovy stuffed olives, and this:

Yes, my cousins have a sense of humor.

I wonder if eating these Filipinos constitute cannibalism?

Of planned and accidental reunions

The Morales family always loved reunions. Especially since our family is pretty much scattered in different parts of the world. Majority would be in the U.S., and there's a branch of the family that's in Barcelona.

Tonight, after almost a decade, we were reunited with our Catalan cousins here in Manila. What made it even more special is that they brought along with them their kids - all first time visitors to Manila. The last time I saw these kids, they were wee little toddlers. And now, they're in their teens! Time indeed flies so fast.

The kids wanted Western food so we headed off to TGIFriday's in Glorietta. Since they don't have TGIFriday's in Spain, they really enjoyed the experience - from the food, the atmosphere, and even the birthday song. It was great fun for everyone, except maybe for Vito. (See sleeping kid on the lower right hand corner.)

While we were there, another reunion happened. Albeit an accidental one! The GRIPS gang from Japan was there to celebrate Karen's birthday, and I bumped into them on my way to the restroom. Awesomeness!

According to Ivy, the timing couldn't be more perfect. She said that Mark just sent them a comment how he missed everyone, and suddenly, Mark's representative pops up! This moment deserved a photo.

Needless to say, I went home all giddy and smiley because of the reunion. Because in Ate Vi's famous words: "Not just one, but two!"