Throwback Thursday: First job high!

Thanks to our Ex-Adformatix reunion last week, hundreds of old photographs emerged. And among them, this photo of me in my first job as a copywriter, at Adformatix, of course!

This was Optima, my first creative team.

Some of the people in this photo became my closest friends.

Two of them already passed on. (You're missed, Kuya Nips and Manong.)

All of them made my first advertising agency experience worthwhile and worth thousands of good memories.

So yes, it's true, that you'll never forget your first.

The land of the free-standing!

This weekend, I discovered that there was a free standing Uniqlo store in Quezon Avenue, just beside Fisher Mall!

It was so intriguing that I had to check it out. Boy, it felt like I was in Japan when I was there. Heck, there were 3 Japanese staff there, too.

I'm sure I'll be visiting this branch again soon.

Second course: Scallops!

The day after the Marigold dress, Ate decided to wear the scallop dress from the Victoria Beckham x Target collection.

She paired it with ballet flats that are also scalloped, which is clever.

This collection really suits her style.

Mod Marigold Mondays

And the first Victoria Beckham x Target dress out of the gate is...

The Marigold shift dress!

Ate Bullet paired it with white slides which gives it a very 60s, Mod-ish feel.

Now that's a bright way to start the week.

Here's the Tea

This drink was a discovery a few months ago, and it's been a regular ever since.

It's called Essoil's Calamansi Iced Tea. Off hand, the name is a bit weird since it sounds like something you'd put in an oil burner. But weird name notwithstanding, this drink is really, really good. It has the right blend of sweetness, the flavor of calamansi and lemongrass, and the kick of tea. If I could drink this everyday, I would.

The thing is, it's only available in 7-11, and not all branches have it. That's why whenever I come across one, I drop everything and buy it.

This goes up there with Vita Lemon Tea as my favorite bottled tea drink.

From animation to live action!

Remember the three animated kids who appeared in our Gardenia Pocket Sandwich commercial?

They're alive!!!

Things like these make my work so much more fun.

FMM: She did it!

While trying to find out whether Britney is going to have a concert elsewhere in Asia, I came across an interesting piece of trivia.

"Oops I did it again" is already 17 years old!



Gosh! That compounds my feeling old. It feels just like yesterday when I first heard it, and now it's officially an "old" song.

At least it now fits into the Friday Magic Madness mold.

What sorcery is this?

I'm an MRT veteran, so I know how bad things are during rush hour. When I used to work in Makati, I'd try to make it to the train before 5:30pm, because after that, it's just mind-bogglingly mind boggling.

There was a time when the line would literally snake from the MRT gate, to the entrance of SM Makati, then back to the MRT gate, then all the way to the stairs that lead to EDSA North bound. Needless to say, it's a long, long, long, long, loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg line.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw this scene at 6:30pm. On a weekday. At Ayala Station.

Magical!

Can it be like this everyday? Please?

Axcellent!

After many years of hoping, the reunion of the Ex-Ax folks finally happened tonight!

It was so awesome to see people who I haven't seen in decades.

Even though Ax is no more, and even though we've gone our separate ways, tonight proved that the tagline of my first advertising agency still rings true:

"Together we're awesome!"

Victoria at last!

Humongous thanks to Biboy who bought it, and Espie who brought it, the Victoria Beckham x Target pieces have finally arrived in Manila!

Due to the demand, I never thought I'd get any of the pieces from this collaboration. But thankfully, my brother was able to snag some on-line before they went out of stock.

The great thing was, Biboy got about 90% of the stuff I had my eye on! And here they are:

1. The Marigold Tulip dress - Very mod and chic! It's like an updated 60s frock.

2. The Scallop dress - The reviews are true. This dress looks much better in person.

3. The Calla Lily Ruffle dress - Of course, this dress is having a resurgence, thanks to Ivanka.

4. The English Pressed Flowers dress - The print is everything!

Victoria Beckham x Target, baby!'

I'm sure the Ates will feel pretty victorious once I give them these!

Error to the Max's

Mark and I had dinner at Max's tonight, and this automatically caught our eye.

Were you able to spot the difference?

But hey, Max's still has awesome chicken! Too bad they don't have awesome proofreading skills.

I sea me!

Thanks to Jun, we have awesome snaps from our outing this weekend.

Here's one of my favorites so far.

You just gotta love summer!

Sea-ing is believing

What's a trip to Laiya without a boat ride?

So that's what we did when we got to the resort. Take a boat tour!

Needless to say, we were happy sea creatures today.

FMM: Let's Go-Go's!

Finally, our summer outing is happening tomorrow!

You know what that means, right?

Count on the Go-go's to get our vacation spirits up.

Let's go!

Wonder where it all began?

Finally, today is the first day of the Wonder Woman film!

But before we even watch that, I think it's worth looking back to where it began.

Presenting, the opening credits of the original Wonder Woman series in the 70s!



Can we just discuss the lyrics of this song?

"In her satin tights, fighting for her rights."

It's no wonder she's such an icon!

Walking on flowers

Still on the subject of floral prints.

Yes, they look good on ladies' shoes and sneakers, but I've always been wary about it on men's shoes.

Until I saw this pair of New Balance sneakers:

And just like that, I'm on board the floral shoe trend.

Dress distress

While passing through The Landmark, a bright floral dress caught my eye.

Yes, both the color and print are eye-catching, but what I noticed was beyond that.

It was this particular detail:

Printed fabric usually has registration marks because it goes through 4 passes. And normally, that's cut-off after the fabric has been printed. But in the case of this dress, not only did they fail to cut it off, it was also included in the final product.

Quality control, please.

Try saying it several times...

Yes, it does sound like a good name, especially if it's in a native English speaking country.

But say it several times, and with a Tagalog accent, and you'll see.

Harhar.

Of Sagalas and Skateboards

Ortigas Center, particularly Emerald Avenue, is a joy to visit on Sundays.

Today, I passed by and saw two events unfolding on the street.

First, it was a sagala featuring some beauty pageant candidates.

Then, a few steps down, there was a skateboarding competition.

Two competitions from both ends of the spectrum, and from both ends of the street. Where else can you find something like this?

Was there ever a doubt?

Nope, no doubt here.

Julia Roberts really is the most beautiful woman. Trust People Magazine. And People of the world in general.

Nope, Julia Roberts isn't just a Pretty Woman, she's the World's Most Beautiful!

FMM: Join the (Breakfast) Club

During our color grading, the production folks and I talked about our favorite topic, the 80s!

One conversation topic that made us all guffaw was Filipino movies in the 80s, and how it had a penchant for random, left-field and campy dance numbers. Just watch a Regal or Viva comedy film, and you'll see what we mean.

Then, the question popped up: What's your favorite "random, left-field, campy dance number" song. Our choice was unanimous:



It has to be "Rico Mambo" by Breakfast Club.

This song is iconic. So is the dance number, wonderfully done by Maricel Soriano.



My Friday is made!

As Gwen Stefani would say...

This sh** is:

Who would've thought that there was such a thing as a Banana festival! In Eastwood, no less.

You learn something new everyday!

Pin it!

The pinstripe is one of the recurring trends that's appearing in almost all fast fashion brands - both local and foreign.

Just like the embroidered jean, it's actually a trend that took off in the 90s. And now, it's back!

One of my favorite incarnations of this trend is this Zara pinstripe dress with a knot.

But this piece is just one of many, many, many, many, many, many, many pieces that I've seen everywhere - from the swankiest mall to the smallest Divisoria stall.

And truth be told, my sisters have a lot of pinstriped items in their closets already. Thanks to both Zara and Divisoria.

A commercial family

It's always fun to make commercials. But the fun increases exponentially when the commercial you're making involves family.

Case in point, our latest commercial for Orocan features my 2 nephews - Miggy and Kurt!

It feels just like yesterday when they were little boys. Now, they're all grown up and making commercials.

Looks like advertising will really run in the family.

Feeling animated!

The last fully animated commercial I did was way back in 2012. It was a lot of work, but definitely a lot of fun.

It's an experience I got to relive this year with this fun and catchy commercial for Gardenia Pocket Sandwich.



Yup, it was a lot of work, but the end result is so nice and uppity, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm excited, actually!

Mark and I agree that "Love, Actually," is one of the best. films. ever.

That's why we're both psyched about the reunion, even if it's just a short film.



I hope they make this available in the Philippines.

Roar!

It's been a while since I've last browsed the Ann Taylor website.

Time was when I'd look at that site about twice or thrice a month and be surprised that a lot of the nice dresses there are made in the Philippines and can be found at my usual haunts.

This weekend, I found myself browsing through the website again, and found a dress that not just screams style, it roars!

The dress is aptly called "Jungle Cat," and has a mesmerizing print set against a classic flared silhouette.

Now, I'm inspired to drop by my usual haunts. Who knows, I might catch this dress there.

FMM: The shakes

One of the things I do in advertising that's really enjoyable is listening to songs and finding one that we can use for our next ad campaigns. The great part is when you rediscover all these older songs that you've forgotten. That's also when you realize how cool these songs are.

Case in point, Manhattan Transfer and their iconic song:



This group is one of my Dad's favorites. He had a lot of their cassette tapes back then, and that's how I learned about "Shaker Song." It was a constant in our house back in the 80s and 90s, and after listening to it again today, I realized that I still know the words to it.

There are some things you just can't shake off.

Up in the Attico

The great thing about reading In Style is learning about new and upcoming designers.

In the US, there's a designer born every minute - just check out Project Runway! And among the gamut and plethora of designers, a handful actually make it big in the business.

In Style has that knack of finding those promising ones, featuring them, and finally giving them the platform to be known by people who have the penchant for fashion forward clothes.

While leafing through one of the current issues, I saw a photo of a thoughtfully fashionable dress and was interested to see who designed it. After looking at the credits, it was a new label called Attico, and the designers are two beautiful and statuesque women, Giorgia and Gilda.

They say women designers are better at making clothes for women. And in the case of Attico, it's very true. Their aesthetic is very clean, modern and feminine - very women in the now.

And yes, it helps that these women designers look like model themselves. They're in the same rank as my other favorite designing pairs - The Olsen Sisters, and Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman of Marchesa.

Let's see if Attico is available in Japan or HKG. I'm so interested to see their clothes up close.

Wonderfilled!

It must be the iconic pose, or it might be the colors.

Looking at the posters of the Wonder Woman film, I can't help but be transported back to my childhood. It takes me back to a time when superheroes ruled our Saturday mornings.

After watching cartoons, the gang would meet outside and play heroes vs. villains, and I'd always be Hawkman or Firestorm. Then, we'd be running all over Sct. Gandia to defend the world from evil. It was a simple and awe-filled time.

Something tells me I'll get the same feeling when I watch Wonder Woman.

Hey Bae-by!

Early this year, we shot a commercial for NeuBake, one of our long time clients.

For this commercial, we brought in this unbelievably adorable little celebrity - Baeby Baste!



They call him Baeby because he's a little "Bae." Which is one of those newfangled coined terms that escapes me. But if it works for Baste, who am I to argue, right?

I'm an instant fan of this kid. He's funny, smart, respectful and the way he takes directions is amazing! It helps that he's with his real Mom, so the rapport is natural and unstudied.

This kid will go places. And I can't wait to work with him again soon.

A different generation of students

Back when I was in college, student meals meant a complete meal for the cheapest possible price. During that time, and this will definitely date me, student meals were in the vicinity of P30.

Even now, whenever I check out the student meals that they sell in SSC and the surrounding areas, the average cost would be around P50-P60 for a complete meal. Which is just right for a student's budget. So imagine my surprise when I saw this sign in UP Town Center.

Whoa! Their "student meal" costs around P250-P300! And they eat this on a daily basis?

I guess students around those parts are different.

Goodness Will and Grace-ious!

Seeing a real, moving trailer makes everything even more excitingly real!



Let's get this sitcom on the screen, stat!

Because it's Becca's Birthday Bash

Nothing brings D' Frendz together than a birthday, much moreso when it's the birthday of one of D' Kids!

Today is Becca's Birthday, and she was able to bring together 80% of D' Frendz! And that's an achievement given everyone's busy schedules.

Happy Birthday Becca! We had a blast at your bash!

FMM: I love the 80s more than I know

Of course, the title of this entry references the 1988 hit of Martika. A hit that was played and overplayed on radio stations that time.



I love the fact that "More than you know" has 80s written all over it. If you listen to it closely, you can hear the undertones of Tiffany and Debbie Gibson - both her contemporaries. And if you're a kid of the 80s, you know that all 3 of them had hit careers for 2 decades.

And that's more than you need to know.

LFLTAT: Elements of chic

Whenever malls go on sale, it transforms into this treasure trove of finds and it makes it so easy to come up with an LFLTAT. The only trick is, you really need to dive into every store, sift through their stocks, and find gems within the pile.

Aside from the M&M outfit I was able to come up with, there was another uber chic look that I put together for less than a thousand bucks. It was made possible because both items were at 50% off in their respective stores.

First, this white, button down linen shirt from SM Department Store. It was sold at half price, and cost me P350.

Second, this beautiful denim skirt from Maldita. It was made out of dark denim, pleated, had white piping at the hem, and had a belt. So much chicness in one article of clothing! This was also 50% off and came out at P600.

The result, a chic outfit that has that Audrey Hepburn vibe - for P950!

How chic is that?

School spirit!

Last Friday, we had the Hildegarde Awards in SSC. This is the first time I'm attending the event as a professor of Events Management, and I saw how hard the students worked to get this event off the ground.

Despite some setbacks and unnecessary difficulties along the way, I'd say they pulled off the event with the grace. relevance and the spirit of its namesake, St. Hildegarde of Bingen. The event went smoothly, despite some minor hiccups here and there.

As a closing treat, the students sang an original composition by one of their batchmates. And it gave me goosebumps.

Great show, 4th year Mass Comm! It was a perfect representation of our school spirit!

Kloss encounters

It must be because they have a new EIC. I've noticed the past few issues that InStyle is becoming more experimental when it comes to their cover girls.

The past decade or so, they've placed a lot of A-list stars on the cover - whether she's a star in Hollywood, in music or in the fashion world. But since March 2017, their choices have been surprising.

The surprises continue this May, as the magazine is fronted by supermodel and social media star, Karlie Kloss!

It's been a while since a supermodel fronted the magazine, so this is a refreshing change.

And I'm excited to see what's next.

Sketchy Stories: Nice and simple

Last Saturday, Mark's godson - Luigi - was baptized. As Ninong, he decided to give Luigi a cake, and asked me to come up with a design.

If Mark had his way, the cake would have Thor and Unicorns. Harhar. But since it was a easy, quiet celebration, I thought the cake should be nice and simple as well.

Thus, an elegant cake based on the color scheme and invite of the event.

Simple can be really, really nice.

No Wonder!

"Fighting does not make you a hero."

With those words alone, I have no doubt that Wonder Woman will be EPIC!!!



Fast forward to June, please!

LFLTAT: M&M

Yup, it's an acronym-filled "Look For Less Than A Thousand" today.

And this episode is brought to you by the letter M.

First up, this ruffled jersey shell from Maldita.

The color, cut and detail are all so chic. Best part was, I got it for 50% off.

Second, this window pane print trousers from Merona.

I got it at Surplus Shop, so you know it's on the cheap.

Together, this ensemble cost less than P900!

Marvelously Magnificent!

FMM: Cleo Awards

Way back in 1998, (gosh, we now consider '98 as way back) there was this tween group from the UK whose CD (yes, CD) I chanced upon during a trip to HKG.

They were called "Cleopatra," and they had this infectious single entitled "Coming Atcha." I listened to it on HMV, an ended up buying their CD! All because of this song:



I think they turned out to be a one-hit wonder, but boy, they're one hit is so memorable, I find myself singing it today.

Thank God it's Friday Magic Madness.

We can!

Another month, another completed commercial!

I'm particularly excited for this one we did for Orocan. Can't wait to see it on-air!

To see is to beli(e)ve

And... here's another lack of proofreading skills.

Was checking on some pharmacy websites abroad, and saw this:

Really, "believe" isn't such a hard word to spell.

Proofreader, please.

For you I Will (and Grace)

So, the rumors are true!

Can't wait to have this awesome foursome back on TV! (And Mark and I will have something new to binge-watch.)

Holy Cow!

Just when I thought Danone made the best yogurt, this local brand came along and changed my mind!

My recent discovery, 3 Cows, is just so, so, SO good! It's creamy, thick, with the right sweetness, and it has a very Pinoy flavor profile.

This is my new favorite yogurt brand!