Plains or Prints

In the advertising world - the world that I've been a part of since I was a wee little boy - we thrive on the concept of "options."

One is never a good number. Whenever you do something - be it a headline, concept, logo or visual device - you should come in with 5 or more options. It is very rare that you get the right one on the first try, that's why coming up with a list of possibilities has become common place in the industry.

And it's a concept that can be brought out of the advertising world and into the real world. 

For example, in fashion. Once concept can always have options. So, let's say that the pink cuffed trousers are the concept, you can execute it in different ways. In this particular case, the options are:

Plain...

... or Print.

Plain means taking 2 complementing plain colors and combining them into one outfit. Since the trousers  are already in a bright pink color, the top should be a bit more muted and should provide a counterpoint. Thus, this slate colored top with lace trimmings and a faux-dolman sleeve.

To add another point of visual interest, the belt is in another strong and contrasting color - dark green. It's nice how it plays off the pink background.

For the printed option, what's important is the print should borrow a shade from the dominant concept. Since the trousers are pink, the floral patterns have a hint of pink on them. This ties in the two elements together.

And so as not to make it "matchy-matchy" (Nina Garcia will not approve,) the palette of the printed shirt is in a very neutral beige. This works two ways: first, the neutral colors don't clash with the pink hue, and second, the prints pop out more because of the base color.

The thing with options is that usually, the client is just supposed to choose one option. But luckily, for this "concept," there are two "clients." Ergo, they get one option each. And since they're pretty much the same size, they can switch options as well. 

FMM: Sounds of Summer

Needless to say, today's Friday Magic Madness is a tribute to Donna Summer.

Her discography is so rich with beautiful and iconic songs, and I'm sure that everyone who knows her will have a list of favorites. Even though I wasn't alive yet during her career heyday, I'm familiar with a lot of her songs. This is largely because of Dad's cassette tape collection. He had a lot of cassettes of Donna Summer, and I remember listening to them as a young boy.

My appreciation of her songs as a boy and as a young man was different. As I grew older and started listening and understanding the lyrics, I realized that there was more to her songs than a catchy beat. There's a narrative - something a lot of today's songs don't have.

And among her songs with narratives, here are my 3 top favorites:

1. McArthur's Park


I can almost imagine the scenes playing out as I listen to this song. Cake left out in the rain, icing flowing down, the sadness of not being able to make the same cake again... it's such a melancholic tale. Set against disco music to boot.

2. Love to Love you baby


Compared to her other songs, this one seems so serene and otherworldly. Actually, it feels like a song on LSD. Harhar. And while I liked this song before, I loved it more after Beyonce referenced it in "Naughty Girl."

3. This time I know it's for real


This is one of her more "modern" songs as it was released in the 90s. While it's not the usual all-out-dancing kind of ditty, it still has that happy energy and feel good vibe. I remember having a CD of this song and listening it over and over again whenever I reviewed for an exam. (Don't ask me why, I just did.)

Of course, there are a lot more songs that could've made it to the list: "Enough is enough," (insert Aldeguer Sisters here), Hot Stuff, She Works Hard for the Money, and so forth.

Donna Summer might have left this world, but she sure left a lot of songs that will keep her alive in our memories.

One last dance

Everybody knows her as the "Queen of Disco." Everybody acknowledges the fact that she's "THE Queen of Disco."

Her music was danced to by an entire generation - 2 generations actually. Her heyday in the 70s spilled over to the 80s, and I can still remember her songs being played on the radio, in parties and in the disco during my youth in the 80s.

When you listen to her songs right now, it feels as new and relevant as it did 4 decades ago. Her voice is stellar, and her penchant for performing was top notch. It's no wonder that Donna Summer was, is and forever will be the queen.

And now, she'll have to continue her reign in that big disco up in the sky. Maybe she'll meet up with Whitney and Michael - and between the 3 of them, that would be some party. (I can hear a mash up of "Last Dance," "I wanna dance with somebody," and "Dancing Machine.")

And before that happens, here's last once last dance for the queen, Donna Summer.



You will always be remembered.

Everybody Loves Chris

These days, when you pass by the theater area of any mall, it feels like you're looking at a Chris Hemsworth film festival.

There's Chris Hemsworth as "Thor."

There's Chris Hemsworth in a horror flick where he's likely playing the hero who might also be the killer.

And there's Chris Hemsworth as "The Huntsman."

I hope Hollywood gives some other guy a break soon. Gosh. There's only so much of Chris that a person can take.

Life Saks

In between researching and submitting creative work on-line, I find myself gravitating towards a website that inadvertently takes so much of my time.

Lo and behold, the Saks Fifth Avenue website!

There's so much eye candy and beautiful things on this site. I just click and scroll and click and scroll, and before I know it, more than an hour has passed.

Good thing they don't have a physical store here in Manila. Heck, if I can spend hours on the site, what more in the store.

I'm Easy

When I went downstairs to get a drink of water, I saw Miggy watching "Easy A" on HBO. I figured it was still in the front half of the film, and the first few minutes were so engaging, I ended up sitting down and finishing the entire film.

It's such a funny flick! It reminds me of those 80s rom-coms that starred Molly Ringwald, Patrick Dempsey, and all those Brat Packers. The humor, the situations, the characters - they were all very 80s. Also, it helped that there were a lot of references to 80s and 90s rom-coms, such as "Can't buy me love," and "Say Anything."

I'm definitely going to wait for them to show it again on HBO. This movie is so easy to enjoy.

Mom's the word

Today, the world celebrates the woman who gives selflessly and loves unconditionally. The woman who - as the Priest said in his homily today - is so generous that she gave us the most important thing - our lives. 

The woman who we call Mom, Mama, Nanay, Inay, and of course, Mother.

Lunch time found us celebrating with the three Morales mommies: Mom, Ate Lissa and Ate Bullet. 

Our appetites brought us to Napa Restaurant and Bar - an Italian-American restaurant in Scout Borromeo. My friend - a part-owner of the restaurant - has been suggesting that we try out their new menu, and today was the best time to do that.

 They have a nice selection of comfort food - pasta, sandwiches, pizza, appetizers - the works! We ordered their Buffalo Wings as starter, and Mom liked it so much, we ended up ordering 4 plates of it. (And it was so good, no one bothered to take photos of it. Harhar.)

The interiors of the place embody shabby-chic. They had mismatched chairs, light colored walls accented by warm red bricks, and an eclectic mix of artwork on the walls. Overall, the place had a very homey and comfortable feel to it.

In fact, it looks like someone was very, very, very comfortable at the restaurant.

We ordered quite a lot - and I only got a photo of the dish I ordered. Their puttanesca was excellent. The noodles were al dente, the tomatoes were fresh, and the olives and capers added texture to the overall flavor of the dish. Plus, there was a hint of sweetness amidst the sour taste of the sauce.

Since it was Mother's Day, they gave us free dessert! They gave us Choco Lava cake and Vanilla ice cream with ladyfingers. Too bad I wasn't able to take a "before" shot. Here's how our plate looked like "after."

Overall, the food we had was superb. Rich in flavor and full of goodness. Javier - who's a notorious picky eater - liked their Panizza a lot. I think he ate 6 slices, that's from Ate Lissa's count.

The only downside was the service today was a bit slow. It took almost an hour before all our orders arrived, and they even missed one of our orders. But it was no biggie since the food we were served were all worth the wait.

Plus, it gave us time to take more shots around the restaurant.

Like a shot of Miggy and Kurt playing with the iPad.

Kevin with Mom.

And a modern day "Mother and Child" portrait with Ate Lissa and Javier.

By the time lunch ended, we were all stuffed and happy - stuffed with great food, great pictures, and great stories in between dishes.

And with that combination, it's really a perfect way to spend Mother's Day. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom, Ate Lissa and Ate Bullet!

(Postscript: Someone just took the bird-print dress out for a spin.)

Gone to the birds

Fast fashion seems to be taking flight these days.

While walking around the different malls, I noticed an abundance of bird motifs in a lot of the boutiques and department stores.

Take for instance this dress from Robinson's Department Store. I like the contrast between the neutral brown shade and the colorful plumage of our feathered friends.

I'm liking the details of this dress. Aside from its V-back and tie waist, the bird prints are very detailed and adorable.

And from nearby Greenhills, we have this nice and easy shirt. It's perfect for this summer heat we're having.

Look closely and you'll see another bird motif. This looks like a sparrow surrounded by branches and leaves.

These bird motifs are both quirky and feminine, and it's a breath of fresh air from all the florals and animal prints that are flooding the stores.

I wouldn't be surprised if they fly off the shelves in record time.

FMM: Elevator Music

When the words "elevator music" are mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind are those classical orchestra tunes. The ones with just melodies and no words, and sound like canned music.

Apparently, the building administrator of one of the buildings in Ortigas didn't get the memo. Because their elevator music was anything but classical, melodic nor canned. Their elevator music was...

... drumroll please...

Tiffany's "I think we're alone now."


(video courtesy of youtube)

It's actually very apt, today being Friday Magic Madness day and all.

The bad part is, now I've got this song stuck in my head. Heck, while I was walking down Ortigas, I was actually singing:

"I think we're alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around..."

Learning from the past

Scene: It was a fairly regular afternoon at SM Megamall. I went there to check out the travel agency that Grace told me about. After that, I dropped by Plains and Prints to check out their new stocks. (They usually re-stock every Thursday.) While I was there, a nice, perky sales clerk approached me:

SALES CLERK: Good afternoon sir! New arrivals po namin yan!
ME: Okay, thank you.
SALES CLERK: Pang-gift niyo ba sir? May pagbibigyan po ba kayo?
ME: Uh-uh. 
SALES CLERK: Kanino niyo po ibibigay, Sir?
ME: Sa sister ko.
SALES CLERK: Babae po ba siya?

Thank goodness I learned my lesson from the Jeepney Fiasco. (Must. Not. Answer.)

I just looked at her and moved on.

LFLTAT: Nautical and Nice

Aside from the scorching sun and humid weather, another constant during the summer season is the nautical look.

Maybe it's because summer conjures up images of the marina, or of yachts sailing in the wide open sea, but whenever summer comes rolling in, you can be sure that boat neck shirts, blue and white stripes and ropes are bound to appear.

A few weeks ago, during SM Department Store's Labor Day sale, there were items on sale that fell into the nautical category, but in a more subtle way. Nope, I'm not talking about sailor pants since that would be too obvious. It's a look that's nautical, but not cliche. And more importantly, it's a look for less than a thousand.

Here's the first one. It takes the usual nautical stripes, but adds a bit of quirk into the mix.

First, a boat neck shirt in the softest cotton. What's unique about it is that it's two-tone. The front part of the shirt has navy blue stripes, while the back has brown ones. This piece is really an awesome find, and I found it at the Paseo Center bazaar.

The skirt is the fabulous find from the SM Department Store sale. It's a linen-cotton blend skirt with buttons up front and a rope belt. 

When placed together, it captures the cool and carefree nautical spirit, using colors that are both neutral and typical.

Now, anyone from Advertising will tell you that it's always good to have options. Ergo, here's an option of the same outfit, but in a more vibrant color.

The shirt is red and beige, which is still within the nautical spectrum. (Nautical themes are usually blue, red, white and yellow.)

The skirt is this red-chambray-ish hue. Again, very cool on the eyes and captures the spirit of the sea.

And how much does this fashion journey to the open sea cost? Believe it or not, these 4 pieces only added up to P760.00! Yup, that's P380.00 a set! Whowouldathunk?

Now it's time for my sisters to set sail with this look soon.

Passage to India

India has always fascinated me. In fact, there are a lot of Indian things that I like. 

First and foremost, there's Indian food. I'm a huge fan of Naan Bread, Curry, Biryani, Paper Doosa, Samosas, Lassi - you name it. Mark and I would often eat at New Bombay in Glorietta, and later on, at the Podium with Ia and Chrissie. When I was in Hong Kong, I'd often eat at Curry in a Hurry. And whenever I'm in Singapore, any restaurant - even the street stalls in Little India - was a source of gastronomic joy.

Second, there's Indian fashion. Their love for color is astounding. Whenever I'm in Little India, I'd pass through these sari stores (not to be confused with sari-sari stores, harhar) and see all these beautiful, jewel colored and gold embroidered fabrics. There's something very regal about them, especially when you see them worn by women on the streets.

I remember when I was still living in HKG, they had this Gujarat wedding skirt at Zara, and it was more than HK$1,000. Common sense would say that it's too much for a skirt, but the workmanship was just mind boggling, and the design was top notch. I ended up buying it for Ate Bullet.

Finally, there are Indian accessories. Again, I would spend hours in Little India poring through rows and rows of bangles in all shapes, sizes and colors. I'd buy a lot of the stacked bangles in metal, especially the ones encrusted with stones. 

On my way home, I passed through this non-descript shop in Farmer's Plaza called Girl Shoppe. From the window display, I saw two necklaces that had this strong Indian vibe. Naturally, I had to go in and check it out.

And naturally, I came out of the store carrying those 2 necklaces. (Typical.)

The first one was this bronze colored necklace with bells and crystals hanging from the end of the semi-circular patterns.

It jingles and jangles, thanks to the bell. And I can imagine this jingling and jangling when the wearer does that Bollywood neck move. (Which I doubt my sister would do.)

Then, here's another bronze beauty. And it has this lace pattern that's deceptively delicate. It actually looks like fabric from afar.

But it's metal, and it's really, really nice. (Too bad I can't say the same thing about the photograph. Harhar.)

These India-inspired finds made me crave for Indian food. Maybe it's time to eat that dish that Bela gave. Or maybe it's time to swing by New Bombay tomorrow.

How's this for a Universal Truth?

That was one question we were asked a lot during the 2nd week of our seminar. 

As Turan, our wonderful course leader, described it, Universal Truths are truths that apply to all, even if you agree or disagree with it. It will polarize people. Some will accept it while others will resist it. But no matter how people view it, it will always be true.

So how's this for a universal truth: Going back to school is fun!

(And here are some of the people who made my 2-week seminar such a wonderful experience. Dean Charlie, Turan, Ginger and Henk.)

I've learned a lot from our refresher course, and I can't wait to go back to school and teach my students all these gems that I picked up from our course leaders.

I'm sure it'll make going back to school so much fun.

Sunday's sorbet shades

Cool colors are one way to beat this oppressive summer heat. That's why on our summer get together at Mona's house, we all ended up wearing different shades of sorbet. (Or "sakura colors," as Mark observed.)

It might have been hot outside, but hey, at least we're cool inside.

Giving and Receiving

Yesterday, our 2-week seminar finally culminated with the awarding of certificates and a farewell luncheon for our foreign participants. 

I'm glad that I took part in this seminar. Not only did I gain knowledge, I also gained 12 new international friends, and 6 new local ones.

I couldn't let my new international friends leave without something that would remind them of the Philippines. So, I gave them souvenirs that were distinctly Filipino.

For the ladies, embroidered fans were the perfect reminder of the hot weather they experienced in the Philippines.

The embroidery on the fan is very intricate and beautifully done. The material is jusi, and the embroidery echoes the traditional barong design. I'm sure Sanija will love this since she's been looking for a Filipino fan since the start of this week.

For the gentlemen, I bought shot glasses with Manila and Philippine motifs. To make it more local, I bought banig boxes as container.

After giving the gifts, I was surprised to receive some local items from my International classmates as well. They're uber thoughtful.

Sadeesh gave me Green Tea from Sri Lanka. He mentioned that this is their premium brand back home. I'm sure it's great since Ceylon used to be the tea capital of the world. Bela then gave me a hanging ornament which is for good luck.

 Bela also gave me a ready to eat dish from India. She found out from our other classmates that I'm a huge fan of Indian food, so she gave me this authentic meal from her hometown. I hope I find Naan bread to go with this. And finally, the keychain came from Pabu, and she mentioned that it's one of their national symbols in Nepal.

Through this simple act of giving and receiving, we now have more things to remember each other by, aside from all the fun photos and wonderful experiences that were shared the past 2 weeks.

FMM: Always in Vogue

During yesterday's session, our topic was keeping television show formats fresh. This is key to keeping the audiences glued to the program for a long time.

In this day and age, most programs only last 13 weeks and disappear after that. Gone were the days when programs really lasted long, and in the Philippines, I think it's only Eat Bulaga that stood the test of time. 

Aside from mashing together different formats to give programs a fresh look and feel, another way is reinvention. This means taking the original and tweaking things to create a totally new material from an old and existing one. And during the class discussion, the subject turned to our generation's ionqueen of reinvention - Madonna.

The example given was the song "Vogue." It was first released in 1990, and Madonna has been singing it in her concerts ever since. And even if she's been singing the same song for 22 years, people are still excited to hear it because she brings something new to the table each time. It can be new synths, new arrangements, or even a new step. And once she's placed these new elements into the old song, it becomes a new one altogether.

This discussion inspired today's Friday Magic Madness entry. I looked at the original video of "Vogue" and a more current version. Here's the music video that debuted in 1990:



(video courtesy of youtube) 

And a more recent version from her "Sticky and Sweet" tour.
(video courtesy of youtube)

And it is indeed true. It's just like hearing two totally different songs, and that's why it never grows old.

Reinvention really is a powerful thing.

A Class Act

If memory serves me right, the last official class picture that I had was way back (and I do mean WAY back) in my Freshman year. I was part of Block I-1 with a lot of D' Frendz, and we had our photo taken at the steps of Quezon Hall. No other class pictures followed after that, basically because we really didn't have regular sections back in UP.

Today, after a long time, (and I do mean a LONG time) I found myself posing for a class picture again. A class composed of 20 professionals from 8 countries - from as near as Indonesia to as far as Bosnia & Herzegovina.

As it is customary, they asked us to act formal, and act wacky. And as it often happens, they sent us the wacky shot.

It's funny that whenever someone asks people to "act wacky," they just act surprised - hands up and mouths open. Most of my classmates did it, as well as our course leaders.

I guess that's the "agreed reality" of "acting wacky" all over the world.

Conversations and Confusion

I take the jeep going to the MRT station, and most of the time, the jeepney rides are boing and mundane.

Today, I hailed a jeep and seeing that the front seat was empty, I decided to sit there. So, it was just me and the driver in the front seats.

When I paid my fare, this conversation ensued between us:

ME: Bayad ho.
DRIVER: (looks at me) Ilan ka?
ME: Isa lang po.


After that conversation, I thought of what happened and let out a chuckle.

I didn't know what was more amusing. The fact that the driver asked a stupid question, or the fact that I answered it.

Disturbia(rt)

During our visit to the Modern Art exhibit at the National Museum, my classmates and I found ourselves in front of this very haunting and disturbing painting.

It was entitled "Drowning" and shows a family of 8 as they're submerging in floodwaters.

According to the description, it's an antithesis of the usual images of drowning. When people drown, they're usually in a state of panic, disarray, hands flailing and trying to hang on to anything they can put their hands on.

But if you look at the painting, the drowning family is calm and serene, as if trusting and waiting for someone to save them from death. You can even see the mother's hand as she clutches a rosary.

It was so disturbing, we left the gallery all pensive and quiet. And it took us about an hour and a half before we could talk about our feelings about the painting.

Now that's one powerful piece of art.