It's a New Year!

And just like that, we begin another year.

Thanks, 2025, you were great.

Here's to greater things this 2026!

Back at one

Today, we usher in another year.

It's day one of month one.

As we start another new year, we start more opportunities to better ourselves, be more generous, be a blessing to other people, and make 2025 the best year for us.

Happy New Year!

Style Mousse

As it is customary, the fam dresses up and welcomes the New Year with Pantone's Colour of the Year.

So, we all had different style iterations and hues of Mocha Mousse during tonight's New Year's Eve festivities.

Ready for the coming year in 3...2...

Stay foot

Some words of wisdom as we usher in the New Year.

Let's all start 2025 on the right foot, shall we?

Color Story: What’s the fuzz?

Being in Advertising, I’m very familiar with the concept of Pantone. It has long been our guide in creating logos and color stories.

That’s why when Pantone comes up with the “color of the year,” I’m one of the first people to go on board.

For 2024, it’s Peach Fuzz. It’s supposed to be a warmer version of the popular pastel hue.

There are many ways to interpret this color. After all, Pantone is very precise, and it’s difficult to duo,I Ate that precision. 

So, as the family ushered in the new year, we all wore our version and iteration of Peach Fuzz.

It’s our no-fuss way of interpreting the Fuzz.

Happy New Year!

Drink!

As it’s been spreading all over the internet, apparently, the  last day of 2023 is a rarity. 

That’s the numerical equivalent of December 31, 2023.

Time to bring in some Sia and 1-2-3-1-2-3 drink.

We won’t be swinging from chandeliers. But it;s going to be a fun New Year’s Eve!

Wheeee! It's 2023!

Another year is upon us! And we face it with renewed hope that we'll have an even better year than 2022.

As promised, the family celebrated in varying shades of Pantone's colour of the year - Viva Magenta!

May we all have a more blessed and bountiful 2023! Happy New Year!

Make mine Magenta

It's no surprise that fashion brands are suddenly bringing out their best magenta outfits. After all, Viva Magenta is Pantone's Colour of the Year for 2023.

Because the family wants to welcome the new year wearing this coming year's colour, it was off to the mall to find outfits for Mom. Luckily, there were 2 outfits that fit the bill.

Outfit # 1 is from Stella at Robinsons Department Store. 

It's a loose cotton jersey shirt and pants combo that's as comfortable as it is colourful.

Outfit # 2 is a combination from 2 shops.

The Susan Graver top is made of jersey and has a mock turtle neck and extended sleeves. The pair of jeans is from The Landmark.

Okay, Pantone! We're ready for 2023!

Sunday's Soft Skies

On the 1st day of the New Year, the skies looked like it was covered in cotton.

I'm not sure what these clouds are called, but they sure are pretty.

It's such a soft and pretty way to start the year.

But I'm feeling...

Twenty-two!

To be exact, 2022!

And while I've written about this Taylor Swift song before, I think it deserves an encore on the 1st day of the New Year!

Happy New Year and a blessed and bountiful 2022 to all!

ELF-amilia

My Spanish relatives will call me out for this.

So I'll start by saying: "Yes, I know it should be LA Familia" and not "EL".

But our photo showing our New Year's Eve garb should explain it.

From our ELFamily to all yours, here's to a kinder, better and brighter New Year!

Let's start celebrating!

Comer Hither

There's a sense of excitement whenever a new girl graces the cover of InStyle.

Make no mistake, though, that it's also enjoyable to see "reliables" on the cover. These include Julia Roberts (super fave!), Jennifer Aniston (the All-American girl), Julianne Moore (gimme Moore) and Britney Spears (Oops, I want to see her again.)

But since 2021 is a fresh, new year, a fresh, new face is much welcome. 

And that's what's happening for the January 2021 cover!

It's Jodie Comer! Yes, the breakout star of "Killing Eve" is also breaking out on the cover of Instyle.

Now, how to get my hands on this magazine. That's the question.

What a re-leaf!

It's a new decade!

And just like the decade, it's also time to turn over a new leaf.

Plankton did it. I'm sure we all can!

So near, yet so far...

Back in 1972, Hanna-Barbera Productions - an innovator and pioneer in animation - imagined what life would be like in 2020.

In their minds back then, there would be a community of scientists living at the bottom of the ocean, studying the viability of living life underwater. They called it Sealab 2020.

Now, almost 48 years since its inception, we've come to the year 2020. And looking back at the crux of the series, it's amazing to think that they've hit some of the ideas spot on (underwater exploration) but parts of it are far off (creating an underwater city).

Maybe this is the perfect time to do a remake.

Ring in the new

The last day of 2019 was spent celebrating old traditions, like lunch with Mark at North Park, and Media Noche with the family at home.

At the stroke of midnight, we watched fireworks light up the sky, jumped, and was greeted by our family on the other side of the world. Dad was particularly gregarious with his greeting.

It was a rollercoaster year for me in 2019, and i’m looking forward to the ride that is 2020!

American home. Filipino tradition.

At first, I thought someone dropped some dollars on the floor.

As I moved my way up the basement to the ground floor, then the second floor, I realized that the $1 bills were scattered all over the house.

Then it dawned on me.

Just like in our old house in Morato, and our place now in Cubao, it was the "scattered money for good luck." Although in the Philippines, we would scatter coins all over the place. Now, in the US, they're dollar bills! Holla for the dolla!

You can take the Pinoy out of the Philippines, but you can't take the Philippines out of the Pinoy.

Family First

On the first day of the year...

The last time the OG Regalado-Morales family members were ALL together in one house was in 1990. This was the year when Ate Lissa got married. After that, she moved out. Followed by Ate Bullet the year after.

By 1996, the house was almost an empty nest. It was just my parents and me. So, the once super noisy and super frenetic home in Morato was quiet and, well, empty.

Now, 28 years later, we found the OG Regalado-Morales family ALL together in one house again. With the addition of spouses, children and grandchildren.

As expected, the noise, laughter, stories and frenetic activity were back! And amplified much, much more. For the past 2 weeks, the house was filled with catching up, cooking breakfast, lunch, dinner, special dishes, and Javi's cooking show. There was a lot of cleaning, doing laundry until 3am, and watching kids-who-are-no-longer-kids drinking wine while playing board games.

Then, there were the conversations. Much missed and much changed after 2 decades.

Now, we talk about seeing kids enter the workforce, the pride of seeing kids already working and advancing in the journey of life, facing the signs of aging, missing home, and planning ahead. It makes me smile seeing how far we've gone, but how we've remained together despite the distance and time difference.

On the first day of the year, I'm thankful to Him for allowing all of us to start the year with family. Because that's one constant that should be celebrated on the first day of the year, and every day of the  year.

Old faces. New Year.

What better way to spend the last day of the year than with the family that you hold dear.

From the Morales family, Happy New Year! (In a few.0

Eight's starting!

They've always said that years that end with the number 8 are auspicious.

I still remember 10 years ago, in 2008, I was still living in HKG and everyone was pumped up for the year. Aside from it being lucky, it was also the year of the Beijing Olympics.

Now, it's 2018. And I'm looking forward to a lucky, blessed and fruitful year.

Happy New Year!

Never grows Auld

It's probably the most popular New Year song, and it has had so many incarnations the past decades.

But for tonight, let's have the fun, pop and cheesy rendition of Auld Lang Syne from Mariah.



Happy New Year!