Toys for the baby boys

Back in the day, I'd buy a lot of baby toys for my nephews and nieces. I'd relish going into toy stores and baby shops and walk away with a stash of fun stuff for them.

Now, my eldest nephew is 31 years old, while my youngest nephew is 14 years old. Needless to say, I don't buy as much baby toys nowadays.

Yes, I do have 3 grandkids - well, grandnephew and grandnieces - but they're in the U.S. So, as much as I'd like to buy them toys, I'll have to wait until our next trip there.

Luckily, a number of my friends gave birth this year, so this Christmas, I got to indulge in one of my favourite shopping chores - baby toy shopping!

While there are a lot of brands out there, my choice are my go-to brands like Vtech and Fisher Price. They worked for Jul, Carl, Kevin, Princess, Miguel, Kurt, Kai, Toni, Noah and Javier, and they work for this new generation of tots.

Oh, they joy of buying a baby toy!

Oh what a lack of difference a year makes

Last year, I wrote about this glaring error on the Lazada site. Apparently, "ruffle" isn't such an easy word to spell.

More than a year after, they still at it!

When I checked their site, the same product was still there, and the same typo is there as well.

Proofreader, please! (After all, it's been a year!)

Part of a Heritage

Riy Halston is a legend. His designs defined so many decades, including the70s and 80s.

During that time of excess, he went the opposite direction and went for designs that were streamlined, feminine and luxe.

Even though he’s gone, his legacy remains, thanks to the Halston Heritage brand. This Pret-a-Porter brand is true to the vision of its founder, coming out with dresses that are both classy and classic, but with a fashionable twist.

Just like this beautiful column gown with a literal twist on the bodice.

I’ve been eyeing this gown for a while now, and it’s about time that this heritage be part of my sister’s closet.

And speaking of heritage and 80s, today is Dad's 81st birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad! 

FMM: High Rankin

 Kenny Rankin is one of my go-to singers when it comes to easy listening ditties. We spent many an overtime and overnight work at Adformatix with his classic "On and On" playing in the background.

Aside from his unforgettable melodies, the lyrics of his songs are also beautifully written and almost lyrical. 

Just like our Friday Magic Madness song for today. A Kenny Rankin classic from 1974:

"Pussywillows and Cattails." 

The title alone is lyrical. And when you get to the whole song, it just gets better and better.

This is what I miss about old songs. They don't make them like they used to.

A Walk in the Parker

It's kinda bittersweet looking at the December 2021 Cover of Vogue USA.

The sweet part is because it's SJP on the cover!!!

Sarah Jessica Parker is in the house! (Or cover!)

The bitter part is because I know this issue will be hard to find here in Manila, so I'm trying to figure out how to get it.

And speaking of SJP, if there's one video of her that I watch on repeat, it's this collaboration video of her and Kleinfeld. As a huge fan of surprises, this video is simply a thrill.

Oh, SJP! How will I get thee?

This day is Immaculate

Yes, it's the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

It's been 2 years since my last mass to celebrate this Feast Day. I'm missing hearing masses on December 8, usually at 6pm in Megamall with Mark. Hopefully, this time next year, everything will be back as it should be and we'll be hearing physical masses again soon.

Also, today is the birthday of a few friends of mine. And one thing they have in common? They're all named "Concepcion."

Once again, Happy Feast Day, Mama Mary!

Make a note

Last year, while looking for a supplier for stickers, it led me to this page called Crafts & Ink. They had a lot of nice sticker designs, so I contacted them to check if they could do the design we had in mind.

It was a pleasant surprise when the owner contacted me because she turned out to be a former student of mine. This was her business, which made me even more confident to pass on our requirements to her.

Since then, I've been getting stickers from her regularly. Then, last week, I asked her if she also made notecards. Particularly, a design that's been in my file for months - a note card with toile du jouy border and a simple script monogram.

After answering to the affirmative, my note cards are here!

This is going to make writing notes a lot more fun!

Paneer or far

Indian food is a go-to for both Mark and me.

Whether it’s nearby like New Bombay in Podium or Naan in Mandaluyong, or far away like the Naan-all-you-can restaurant in Roppongi or the Indian restaurant near the ADBI Tokyo office, we both enjoy a good Indian meal.

Unfortunately, we haven’t had an Indian meal together in a while. But I got my fix of Naan and Masala a few weeks ago, thanks to Ia who sent New Bombay my way.

But the past few days, i’ve been craving for Indian food again.

Which led me to this:

Instant Palak Paneer!

Mark and I usually order this at New Bombay and it’s great! Now, I’m wondering how the instant variety would taste like.

Let’s see how it goes.

Twice as nice!

The great thing about Mom and Dad celebrating their birthdays just 9 days apart?

A double celebration! That’s twice the fun, in one!

Happy Birthday Party, Parentals! Nice (double) party!

Printed Matters: Tres Chic part deux

Yes, another day, another beautiful fashion illustration of 3 chic ladies:

And yes, on another equally chic Plains & Prints dress!

Needless to say, their Holiday Dress collection is a home run!

FMM: Parental Party

Because of Mom and Dad's photo from the birthday dinner last night, I suddenly remembered the very cool, fun and groovy group from the 60s - The Mamas and Papas.

They have so many awesome hits - one of which I even wrote about last year.

And since today is a Friday, it's time to bring back the Mamas and Papas. And today's FMM hit is a very danceable ditty from the 60s which is perfect for a party. Just like Mom's birthday yesterday, and Dad's birthday next week.

Listening to this makes me want to just get up and dance.

Which is the entire point of the song.

Great at 78!

Yes, My Mom doesn’t look like she’s turning 78 today. But she is!

We had our usual garage dinner to celebrate it. Mark and I had food and cake delivered, and the fam enjoyed it!

And yes, I obviously still don’t know how to take a selfie.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Which is ‘Wich

I'm not one to subscribe to food trends, but when it comes to Chicken Sandwiches, I'll make an exception.

Chicken Filet Sandwiches are my jam! From Chick Fil-A to KFC's Zinger to Popeye's Spicy Cajun Sandwich to Chili's Buffalo Chicken Ranch Sandwich, I'll be content eating any (or all) of these on a daily basis.  

So, it was with much interest and curiosity that I finally tried the much written about new entrant to the Chicken Sandwich competition - Jollibee's Crunchy Chick'nwich

Among local fast food joints, Popeye's is the one to beat. It's the standard when it comes to crunchiness, flavour, additional fillings, mouthfeel, among others.

So, how does Chic'nwich compare?

Not bad!

The chicken was huge and protruding from the bun. Even the fun was different from the usual Jollibee burger bun - it was firmer, shinier and more packed. The chicken itself had the right amount of crunch and a good skin-to-meat-ratio. The flavour was a bit wanting for me, especially since I like the full-on flavour of both Popeye's and Zinger.

The pickles were a nice touch and it added the occasional sour bite.

So, was it worth the hype? 

Well, it's good. But it's not something I'll crave for. Yes, it will be part of the repertoire, but it will be a few notches below my go-to sandwiches.

Gosh! Writing about this made me crave for Howlin' Rays Sando again!

WATN: Going to Anwar

Because of that "Scent of a Woman" post a few days ago, it got me to thinking.

Where is Gabrielle Anwar now?

She was a fixture in many Hollywood films in the 90s, and among her iconic roles is in this Al Pacino film. Who can forget her tango scene?

Now, I'm going to search online to see what she's been doing now, especially her work on TV and films.

And hopefully, I can watch her again soon.

Getting Wiig-gy with it

Kristen Wiig is so hilarious!

From her sketches in SNL to her films like "Bridesmaids." "Zoolander," and "Whip it," she always makes me laugh so hard.

Among my Kristen Wiig sketches on repeat is this SNL sketch entitled: "Liza tries to turn off a lamp."

I've seen this so many times and still laugh at all the same places.

That's the hallmark of true comedy.

Scent of a Woman

No, this isn't a post about the 1992 film with Robert de Niro and Gabrielle Anwar. Though admittedly, I l'm a fan of that film.

This post is about one of the dresses that caught my eye in the Holiday 2021 Collection of Plains & Prints. The "Orange" dress from "Bahaghari." 

The interesting detail of this dress is this flap of a woman smelling a flower on the other end of the dress.

It's such an artsy and dress with a festive colour. Which is why Ate Bullet is wearing it today as she celebrates her birthday!

Happy Birthday, Ate Bullet!

And yes, it's a 2nd "scent" post in a row.

Scent-sational

When Mark and I were talking about Christmas gifts for his colleagues, he came up with this great insight.

Since most people are staying and working from home, we should give something that would make their home and work space a bit more relaxing and soothing.

Which led us to the thought of giving out scented candles!

The Warm Cotton candle smells divine! It reminds me of my favourite scent from Clean.

And speaking of being reminded, it just occurred to me that my Birthday gifts for Mark were items that were designed to make his work space at home more relaxing and soothing.

You know what they say about great minds...

FMM: Gotta Love It!

No, this isn't a post about Church's Chicken. (Also known as Texas Chicken.) But yes, that was their tagline at one point.

This is a Friday Magic Madness post, so this has to be about an old song.

And in this case, it's a song from 1981 from Billy Preston and Syreeta.

Presenting, "Love."

I'm not sure why, but this song is embedded in my memory and it would pop up every so often. Particularly the verse that Syreeta sings that goes:

"Alright. When love was within our reach. We were blinded by our dreams of being free."

Whenever this part of the song plays in my head, I immediately have to search for the song and listen to it again.

Like today.

Traveling Tastebuds

While it isn’t as easy or simple to travel, it doesn’t mean that my tastebuds can’t do it for me!

Today’s afternoon snack is composed of my favourite drink from HKG, and Mark and my favourite Snack from JPN!

Yes! Vita Lemon Tea and Onigiri in the house!

Hopefully we can travel again to those countries and try the legit thing soonest!

Some kind of One-derful

No, this isn’t about the 1987 film with Lea Thompson and Eric Stoltz.

It’s about the fact that when you get older, you get excited about the most domestic things. And in my case, doing groceries excite me.

Especially whenever I find great deals.

Observe:

Each of these items are just one peso each.

ONE.

PESO.

EACH.

P11 For Limited Edition Listerine and Sparkling Fruit Soda!

And that’s my One-derful story for today.

Amalfi Feels

The Amalfi Coast in Italy is one of the most picturesque places that I've seen.

From the serene, blue waters to the old, European style houses lining the bay, everything is just so photogenic.

And this dress from Plains & Prints captures that feeling perfectly.

From the different shades of blues, to the cenefa print of homes, to the overall silhouette - it's all so coastal chic. 

In fact, this dress would look great while walking in that actual location!

Kudos to Plains & Prints for this Amalfeels!

Kasugai High!

Kasugai is one our go-to snacks in Japan.

We'd often buy it at Donki or at our favourite snack store in Nakano Broadway.

Suddenly, I'm missing our Kasugai runs and snacking on them at random parks. Was looking for it at the Daiso Japan online store, to no avail.

Even a quick scan at Shopee and Lazada yielded no results.

Gosh! Hopefully it'll be available soon!

Hui will miss this!

Another iconic and favourite food shop of mine in HKG is closing down.

Hui Lau Shan is one of my go-to places whenever I'm craving for something light and sweet. And their Mango Sago is an icon in HKG.

That's why it was such a thrill when they opened shop in MNL. But last year, their store in Ortigas Center change names. And now I know why.

Gosh! That's one less restaurant to visit the next time I go to HKG.

Ch-Reese-Mas

The December Issue of InStyle is one of the issues I anticipate the most. This is the issue where they countdown the 100 best style moments - something that's always a joy to read about and look at.

So, just like the September and November issues, the December cover girl is also someone I look forward to. 

And this Christmas month's headliner is someone who I've always enjoyed watching - especially during her stellar turn in "Legally Blonde."

Reese Witherspoon!

Now, how to get my hands on this issue...

FMM: A feel of Bofill

You know you're old when the songs you listen to as a kid is now considered "Classical Music."

That's exactly my feeling after seeing the title of this youtube playlist that has a lot of my favourite songs.

And speaking of "feelings," one of the reasons why I keep on going back to this playlist is because of one of Angela Bofill's songs. It's a ditty from the 80s that I'd listen to as a grade school kid.

Angela is no stranger to this blog, having been a Friday Magic Madness regular. And upholding that tradition, one of her songs "Tonight, I give in" is today's FMM song.

Yes, tonight I give in to the feeling of listening to Angela again.

Ramune-neration

Ramune Soda is huge in Japan. It's almost like their national soda.

But for some reason, Mark and I never really tried it when we were there.  Actually, even when we were there, we never really got wind of it. Soda-wise, I guess I was more focused on Fanta Grape. (Harhar!)

Strangely though, my knowledge of Ramune Soda came from "Strictly Dumpling." The host, Mike, featured it while he was in Japan, and he also brought some bottles when he went to Mexico.

Since then, I've been thinking of Ramune and trying it.

Luckily, they have it in Daiso!

Now, we have Ramune in the fridge and I can't wait to try it.

Splice of Life

Presenting my latest favourite buy from the Bench store at Lazada!

It's a spliced t-shirt!

These are 2 shirts spliced together. The left side is a graphic tee in navy, while the right is a heather gray cotton tee.

Actually, I spotted this shirt as early as September, but they'd run out of stocks quite quickly. But wanting it so bad, I'd place it in my wishlist and check every so often to see whether it was available again.

And true enough, a piece (yup, just 1 piece) was available early November. Knowing the 11.11 sale was just around the corner and this will most likely be snagged by then, I didn't waste any time in adding it to my cart and checking it out.

Now, this shirt is mine! Woohoo!

It's been a while since I've been this excited about anything from Bench. So, that says a lot.

Color Story: Blanc Space

As a fashion color, “white” has to contend with a lot of limitations.

White is bridal.

White is for gala day.

White is for first communion.

White is for Labor Day.

That’s just some on the things that “white” has to contend with.

Personally, though, I like how clean and classic white is. Whether it’s an oversized shirt, a shirt dress, a blouse or button down, it gives any look a clean and carefree vibe.

Same goes with White denim. It might not be the usual or traditional choice, but it’s very classy and classic. 

Like this pair from Elizabeth and James. Yup, it’s still part of the Kohl’s stash that Biboy sent. (Thanks, Bibs!)

To make the whole look very easy on the eye, Impaired it with this off white loose tee from Penshoppe.

Together, the look is so easy, breezy, fresh and clean.

Ah the wonders of White!

Printed Matter: Tres Chic

Fashion illustrations have always caught my eye. 

It's always interesting to see how different artists draw and interpret chic women. Some have more realistic takes on the subject, while some are more animated and exaggerated.

This print is a good balance of the two. The proportions are slightly exaggerated, but the rendition of the clothes and accessories are realistic.

Looking at it, I can imagine this to be Iris Apfel and her squad when they were younger.

That print of 3 chic women isn't in a fashion magazine. It's on a dress from the latest Holiday 2021 collection from Plains & Prints!

 They really make super chic, wearable art!

A (Scorpio) Night to Remember

No, this is not a post about Shalamar.

This is about last night’s get together for the Melrose Scorpions. Which includes me!

Since there were 3 celebrators (Lisa Girl, Cutie and myself), the background was apt because the online meet went on 'til late at night.

As the meeting was wrapping up, everyone agreed that a face-to-face meeting is long overdue.

That should happen soon.

Eleventh Heaven

It was early this year when I first saw this dress from Stella on the Lazada website.

As I've said multiple times on this blog, the Stella brand in Robinsons Department Store is one of the most fashionable and underrated department store brands. Their designs, fabrics and details are really top notch. In fact, I've been a fan since 2014.

And this yellow dress with a side drape was no exception. 

From the first time my eyes were caught by the dress, it went automatically into my cart. Back then, it was P899.75, which is still pretty cheap considering the design and fabric. But somehow, I'd always forget to check out and buy it.

Then, a few weeks ago, they brought down the price by P100. That time, I decided to finally buy it - because of the discount. But for some reason, I wasn't able to.

Last Thursday - 11.11 - I finally realized the reason why I kept on missing the opportunity to buy it the past months. It was because of this.

Yes! That dress which was originally P899.75 was just P111.00 during the 11.11 sale!

That was the impetus for me to finally get the dress out of the cart and finally buy it!

Oh the pleasant - and affordable - surprises that 11.11 brings!

FMM: I've got a Philly

There are days when you just want to get into a 90s kind of R&B groove. When that happens, there are a lot of go-to groups from the 90s who fit the bill perfectly.

Today is one of those days, so my mental playlist was scanned for music under that genre. Music that we'd listen to often back in the 90s but haven't been played in a while.

And this is my Friday Magic Madness song choice for today:

"Motown Philly" was one of Boyz 2 Men's upbeat dance hits. Although they were more known for their slow, romantic ballads, they also had a number of danceable tunes. Just like this one!

It makes me want to do the Harlem Shuffle all of a sudden.

Wait, make that the Philly Shuffle.

Ben there, done that

Ben & Jerry's always brings back happy memories in Tokyo.

During summer time, Mark and I would walk down Omotesando and pass by the Ben & Jerry's store along the main road. We'd go inside and order a few scoops to nosh on while traversing the road from end to end.

Each time I did it, Mark would try different flavours while I'd stick with my usual Cherry Garcia.

Last Saturday, on my birthday, Mark went back to our Ben & Jerry's days by sending me a few pints of the ice cream to make our celebration cooler. Which it definitely did.

He said he tried looking for my usual Cherry Garcia, but it wasn't available. So, he sent a gamut of flavours, including my other fave - Phish Food!

Trust Mark to make my birthday both sweeter and cooler.

Stripe Three!

Pinstripes are such an elegant pattern. It’s classic, chic and preppy.

And if you have 3 different types of pinstripes in one, then that’s 3 times the class, chicness and preppy-ness.

Observe this dress from Plains & Prints!

Whee for three!

This Oreo has Brownie points

Another day, another new Oreo flavour discovery!

There's this shop on Shopee that usually has imported Oreos. But their stocks usually run out fast.

A few days ago, I chanced up on this awesome flavour, and they still have it on stock!

We all know what happened after that!

Oreo as excited as I am?

Red Letter Day

I'm an old-school kinda guy. 

Aside from still writing cards and letters, i'm also equally thrilled each time I receive cards and letters.

Just like these ones that were sent to my for my birthday.

The beautiful, handcrafted card is from Claire. The drawn postcard is from my extremely talented goddaughter, Audrey. And the 2 letters are from Audrey and Aidan.

These surely adds "Happy" to "Happy Birthday."

Triple Double

The awesome thing about Kevin and I celebrating our birthdays just 1 day apart?

A 3-day celebration!

Yes, it's true. We had dinner for Kevin last Friday, then dinner for me yesterday, and tonight...

A street food get-together for the both of us!

This is a Sunday well-spent.

Double the fun

Thanks to the fact that my nephew, Kevin, celebrates his birthday just a day before mine, we always have an excuse to have a double celebration.

Family and close friends know that I don't like celebrating my birthday. Mainly because I'm not comfortable being the centre of attention, even for a day. That's why having someone to share the birthday spotlight is a huge plus.

Just like tonight. We had our usual garage dinner with some of our neighbours to celebrate our birthdays.

And while technically, I'm the one celebrating my birthday today, whenever people greet me, I can always point to Kevin and say: "It's his birthday, too." Then, the attention is deflected. Woot!

Double celebration. Double the fun!

FMM: What to do?

Phil Fearon and Galaxy is my go-to whenever I'm in the mood for feel-good 70s music.

I've written about one of their big hits - "Dancing Tight" - a few FMMs ago.

And this Friday, they're making a comeback! It's another one of their big hits from the 70s, "What do I do?"

To answer their "What do I do?" question:

I'm going to bop my head and groove to this song!

Spread the news

Being a chocoholic, you can't imagine my thrill when I found these spreads in one my online snack haunts.

I'm a huge fan of both Twix and Maltesers, so, finding out that they're now available in spreads is awesome news to me!

Meals with Mark: Pho you and pho me

Pho Hoa is one of our "regulars."

Mark and I have a list of restaurants that we regularly go to when we want something familiar and fool-proof.

It's actually an extensive list that also includes Recipes, Pancake House, Italianni's, TGIFridays, Max's, Yabu, Rack's, Shakey's - among many others. 

Since Mark was going to the office today, we took the opportunity to have Al Fresco lunch. And looking around the area we saw several options - all familiar, but what stood out was one of our regulars.

So, lunch was at Pho Hoa!

Since we went to a "regular," even our orders were our regular fare.

There was one of the regulars that we weren't able to order, though. The Hot and Sour Soup which is a staple on our Pho Hoa lunch and dinners.

We'll have that soup next time! 

Throwback Tuesday

This photo from 30 years ago just reinforces a well-known factoid.

I'm my Dad's carbon copy.

Check him out in the upper right hand of this shot.

At first glance, it felt like looking at myself!

Well, at least I know what I'll look like in a few years.

At a Floss for words

Even before the whole "floss-trend" in the Philippines brought about by Bread Talk, I've already been a fan of floss bread.

It all started in HKG. Outside our office in AIA Tower, there was a small bakery where I'd buy breakfast before going to work. My favourite bread was this rectangular bread filled with baked beans and topped with floss. 

I'd have that around 3 times a week, and never got tired of it.

Maybe it's because floss reminds me of my childhood. Back then, floss was better known as "Mahu" and we'd buy it by the gram at this Chinese delicacy stall in Unimart, along with kiamoy, champoy, dikiam and Twin Cow.

Since then, I'd gravitate towards anything with floss - bread, maki, you name it.

And this weekend, there's a new addition to my repertoire: 

I'm excited to see whether this will be an addition to my flossy faves.