Mom's definitely the word

To the woman who's as stylish as she is smart, compassionate as she is courageous, generous as she is gorgeous, and interesting as she is inspiring, we're all so lucky to call you our Mom.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

My, my Meryl

Looks like you have another winning film here, Ms. Streep.



You really can do no wrong.

FMM: Houston, we don't have a problem

On the cab ride to the office, the driver gave me the comic relief I needed after 4 days of working hard.

The driver was this big, burly man. He looked like one of those lumberjack workers, similar to Costello Tagliapietra. 

He was driving with the radio on, and he was intently singing along with the song playing on the station.

That song was this Whitney Houston ditty.



Mind you, he sang it with this same intensity as Whitney.

This experience just added the "mad" in my Friday Magic Madness. Harhar.

A casual a-pair

The thing about casual Fridays is that you don't want it to be too casual. So, it's important to look for that balance whenever you put together a wash day ensemble.

A fool proof look is the blazer-blouse-jeans ensemble. But it's been done so many times that it's almost boring. Unless you find interesting pieces that will give it a more updated look and feel.

Just like this ensemble I pulled together for Ate Bullet.

The blazer and blouse are both from The Landmark. The blouse is a white silk blouse with lace details. The jacket is made of white jacquard, and has an interesting collar, shape and details.

This look is best paired with a pair of boyfriend jeans, and this one I snagged from Gap.

This pair make casual Fridays a dressy affair.

Color Story: Crazy over Crimson

One essential that every woman should have in her closet is a nice crimson dress.

Crimson is a power color. It gives the wearer a feeling of strength, largely due to the fact that this color has always been equated with leadership. Plus, on a more practical note, crimson flatters every skin color.

Ate Lissa has this crimson dress in her closet, and it's one of those simple yet detailed frocks.

The silhouette looks deceptively simple. Much like a sheath dress. But if you look at the details, you'll see how interesting the dress is.

First, it has tucks on both hips, giving it this tulip shape that gives the wearer an hourglass figure.

The neckline is equally interesting, thanks to some perforations and scallop details.

With a dress that has a rich color and even richer details, it's no wonder that this dress is something worth feeling crazy about.

Felicidades!

After Star Wars day comes another celebration!

It's Cinco de Mayo!

This is the Mexican version of Independence Day. And this is a celebration I was fortunate enough to experience when I participated in an exchange program in Mexico.

It was a day filled with food, tequila, and of course, mariachi music!



To all my Mexican friends, Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

The fourth is strong in this one...

It's May 4! And it's officially Star Wars day. (May the 4th be with you. Get it? Get it?)

What better way to celebrate it than with this classic song from "Return of the Jedi." It's a song that I actually memorized from start to finish. Yes, I was THAT much of a geek!



May the 4th be with you all!

Standstill

As it is customary, the country goes on a standstill whenever there's a Pacquiao fight.

This morning, there were very few people - unusually few, in fact - in church. Which reminds me of that time when the same thing happened in the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord in Megamall to which the priest mused: "Mahirap talagang kalaban si Pacquiao."

There were no cars on the highway. Very few people in the mall. And the streets were almost deserted.

That's the power of Pacquiao. (Apparently, though, he wasn't powerful enough to beat his opponent.)

Feeling catty

It's a Saturday, and we have work!

And while we have our work faces on, all I really want to do is stretch and laze around just like this cat from our visit to the Cat Cafe last month.

FMM: If we took a...

Today's a holiday! And what better song to listen to than this 80s classic from Madonna!

Mini (It really wasn't) Me

When I showed Mother Lyli this photo of Javier, she exclaimed: "Clest, alam ko na ang hitsura mo nung bata ka!"

Well, we didn't have jogger pants or Crocs when we were kids, neither did we have really cool statement tees from H&M. But judging by his features, I must say Mother is right.

Javier and I are look-alikes!

I see a Vision!

Among the myriad of characters in the Marvel Universe, one of my all-time favorites is Vision.

That's why it was such a thrill when I found out that he's appearing the "Avengers: The Age of Ultron."

I haven't seen the film and most of my friends who have gave it bad reviews. But I think I'll watch it for the sake of this character.

Milly's a beach!

The Milly x Kohl's collection is finally on-line, and I was interested to see how it differed from the Milly x Banana Republic collection from a few years back. And as it turns out, there's a big difference.

Her Kohl's collection is inspired by the island of Capri, so the clothes she created are very laid back and beach-ready. This is unlike her Banana Republic collection which was Milly in terms of fabric but Banana Republic in silhouette.

Being a tropical country, it's easy to see her Kohl's collection worn by people here in the Philippines. Which makes me wish you could actually buy on-line and send it here in Manila. Unfortunately, though, they don't ship here.

Then again, if there's a will, there's a way.

More Florties

When I was in Greenhills yesterday, I dropped by Shoppesville and went to my usual haunts. That's when I saw this beauty from afar, and immediately knew that it would look perfect on Ate.

It's another fabulous florties dress in a rich, emerald color.

It had a full skirt, which is very forties. But the fabric makes it modern and tres chic!

Obviously, this fabulous dress went home with me and is now hanging in Ate Lissa's closet.

Gimme Smores

Gonuts Donuts might not be as big and famous as they were a few years ago, but I have to say, they still come up with the most innovative donuts.

Case in point: their Smores donut!

Being a huge fan of smores, I enjoy anything and everything smores flavored. That's why this donut hits the right spot. With its marshmallow topping, cookie bits and caramel drizzle, it's decadently divine!

It's smore than I can ask for!

I'm Free!

My guilty pleasure last week was listening to this very catchy, very juvenile, and very not-me song.

If you thought the fact that I like listening to Taylor Swift was bad, now I'm listening to Ariana Grande!



Gosh, I need to break free from this LSS. Harhar.

FMM: Feel the Burns

One of my favorite - and underrated - acts of the 80s is a group of sisters from New York called "The Burns Sisters."

They had a cult following in the U.S., and they actually had one hit that made it big around the world. It's this infectious ditty called "I Wonder Who's Out Tonight."



Chances are, you know this song but had no clue who sang it. Well now, you do.

Now let's feel the Burns!

We are Avenged!

You know it's a Hollywood blockbuster when all - and I do mean ALL - the theaters in Metro Manila are showing that film. And that film alone!

Yup, Avengers is showing in all 14 theaters in SM Megamall, all 10 theaters in Galleria, and all the theaters everywhere!

Well, at least it will make the question "What movie do you want to watch?" moot and academic.

Going away Mad

After 8 years and 7 seasons, "Mad Men" is finally saying goodbye.

I enjoyed Mad Men because it was one of the more realistic portrayals of the advertising industry on television. Plus, despite the fact that this is a period drama, their plot lines are as relevant now as they were then.

There was a more recent attempt to capture advertising world via "The Crazy Ones," starring the late Robin Williams. But that, too, didn't fly.

So, until a new series that's this good comes along, bye Mad Men. We'll miss you.

Cheery cherry

As a self-confessed cherry fan, it's quite frustrating that fresh cherries are few and far between in the Philippines. Makes me miss living in HKG where there were cherries in almost every street corner.

To make up for that longing, I usually check out "cherry derivatives" in the supermarket. These are any cherry-flavored items - be it candies, snacks or drinks.

And these are the most common cherry drinks I see in the supermarkets.

First is Cherry 7-Up. I remember trying this almost 10 years ago in Mexico, and found it wanting in cherry flavor. I wonder if they reformulated already?

Second is Cherry Coke. Among the flavored Coke variants, I find this the best. And I'm not biased due to my cherry obsession. Although you have to drink it super duper chilled, or else it tends to be super sweet.

But since my stomach doesn't really allow me to drink soda, good thing there are more natural and zero carbonation options. And my favorite is the Tipco Cherry Berry juice drink.

It has cherries, blueberries and raspberries, in a natural juice form. Whenever I buy this, I have to control myself, though, since I tend to finish one pack in one sitting. So far, there are no other juice brands that offer cherry, so this is the one I buy each time.

Now, if The Berry Company has a cherry drink of their own, that would be a definite must-try!