Mother's Yay!

Usually, we spend Mother's Day eating out with family - which means that we give Mom a break from cooking for us. So, we usually hie off to the nearby mall, look for a good restaurant, and enjoy a meal that has no effort needed from Mom.

Today will be different, though. With the Quarantine still in place, we can't go out and we have to stay at home and celebrate Mother's Day here. But of course, we still tried to free Mom cooking duties by just ordering food to go and fixing it here at home. It's a different approach, but hey, it works!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! It's an unusual celebration this year, but once this is over, let's celebrate again the proper, Mother's Day way!

Green and Greek

So, here are some of the first items that came in from Zalora while we're still on Quarantine.

They were 3 pieces, and all imported ones at that. The reason it took them a long time to deliver it - in contrast to some items that they can deliver 24 hours after you order them - is that they had to ship the items from SG and MY. The airport shutdowns around the SEA regions made it difficult for the items to arrive. But eventually - almost 2 months after - they did.

The first item is this one-shouldered fitted dress in a beautiful shade of Emerald Green.

It's very streamlined and modern, and it has grommets! There's 1 in front and 2 at the back, and that's where you attach the separate straps.

Then, there's this flirty, flouncy dress with a lot of ruffles, a lot of joie-de-vivre, and a lot of attitude. And yes, it's also a one-shoulder dress in Emerald Green.

Just as the title states, these are 2 fairly different dresses with 2 things in common. And I'm so glad they finally made it here.

FMM: Give them a hand

What really stands out during situations like this is our spirit of cooperation.

Whether it's as basic and small as cooperation within our compound, to something bigger like our community, to a much bigger scale like a region or a country, it's heartening to see people working hand-in-hand to help out and make things better for those who need it most.

It's this cooperation that inspired my choice for today's Friday Magic Madness song.

This is a song from 1988, and it's actually the theme song of the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.



Even if you listen to it now, 32 years later, the song's melody and lyrics still resonate, and the message is still current. And that makes the song a classic.

Hearing an Olympic theme song makes me sad that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics isn't pushing through this July, though. I'm sure they prepared an awesome opening number and theme song as well.

Fashionable food

It was a few weeks ago when I discovered that Zalora could do more than satisfy your taste and hunger for fashion.

They could also satisfy your hunger and taste. Period.

Yup, they started selling imported juices, milk, chips, cookies and the like a few weeks back. And being a big fan of the site, I went ahead and ordered from their selection.

They finally delivered my goodies today! Now, I have a fresh stock of fruit juices, strawberry milk, gourmet potato chips, cheese, cheese spread and some condiments.

This must be Zalora’s most satisfying delivery yet.

So near, yet so far

Upon seeing this post from The Podium, my mind went into a tizzy and my tummy suddenly craved for Naan and curry!

Yes, New Bombay at The Podium delivers!

As tempting as it may seem, considering The Podium is just 15 minutes away from the house, i’m just worried that it might not taste as great if it’s not freshly cooked. In fact, it might be far off from the fresh, Indian cuisine goodness that Mark and I enjoy whenever we eat there.

That said, i’ll give this one a pass. Will just wait when Mark and I can actually go there, get a seat, and enjoy our Indian classics fresh from the kitchen.

Hopefully, that time will be near.

Why so serious?

Looks like my nephew and grand nephew are busy and seriously watching something on the small screen. Their intensity makes me wonder what is it their watching.

Wish I could be there with them in Utah. Hunched down and seriously watching with them, too.

Rice, Vader, Rice!

What better way to celebrate Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) than with these absolutely adorable - and absolutely yummy - rice cakes from Dolor's Kakanin. Shaped like Darth Vader and the Millennium Falcon, of course!

Gosh, if Dolor's Kakanin in SM Megamall was open, i'd rush right there to get some of these!

Take your peak

As much as I love Zalora, their teaser ad leading to their anniversary gets my goat.

I've said this many times on my blog. "Sneak Peak" is wrong. "Sneak Peek" is the correct way of saying it.

Proofreader, please!

Maroon in Multiples

Or, "Things you find when you're not looking for it, part 3."

This weekend's find came about while I was looking for a book I bought sometime last year. I knew it was in the attic, so that's where I went. And while the book was found, there was another item from the attic that saw the light.

It was this long, maroon jersey dress from The Florence Fling, bought sometime in September last year.

The nice thing about this dress - aside from the fabric and the color - is the cut. It's a classic t-shirt dress with a high, round neck, short sleeves, and as an added "oomph," it had a cascading sash at the back which flowed nicely in the wind.

Here's the thing with that sash. Initially, it was just created as a nice design detail for the otherwise straightforward dress. But while I was trying to fold the dress, the realization came that the sash could actually be used in different ways to make the same dress look different.

Observe:

The sash can be a belt to accentuate the waist, a "sweater sleeve" to wrap around the shoulder, creating that cardigan look, and finally, a full scarf that could cover the entire arms and bodice in case things get a bit chilly.

Yes, all these just came to me while I was trying to fold the dress.

Oh, the things you think of when you're just at home.

FMM: Counting on each other

Another thing that's very important these days is having someone to count on. Sometimes, the days can be trying and you can easily get weary. And during those times, it helps to have someone you can count on - family, friends, faith, even complete strangers, at times.

That's one of the things that this situation has taught us. That we can count on people, and people can count on us. In may be things that are small or mundane, but what's important is knowing that someone has your back, and there's someone you can count on.

This leads me to this Friday Magic Madness song from the 90s - a classic, feel-good ditty from the combined powerhouse voices of Whitney Houston and Cece Winans.

Yes, let's thank the people we can count on. And let us be someone that other people can count on, too.

Hey to Z!

It has begun!

Hey there, Zalora! Good to see you again!

The Zalora items i’ve ordered, starting with the one’s that I actually purchased pre-ECQ, has begun to arrive.

I think this is just the start of more - quite more - to come.

Game!

Something peculiar came into view during our virtual ManComm meeting last Monday:

It’s a winning Tic-Tac-Toe formation!

Ah yes, the things that catch your eye while you’re on quarantine.

Little joys!

Today's little thrill is courtesy of this little header on the website of Zalora:

Yes, since malls have been closed, Zalora has been my defacto mall. But with the ECQ happening, they couldn't deliver their items since they're not considered as "essential items."

Actually, I ordered something from them during the 1st week of March. But just as they were about to deliver it to the house, the ECQ happened, and the item got stuck in their delivery hub.

Now that they're back to normal, I'll most likely get the orders I made the past few weeks.

Yes, "orders."

Good luck to me!

Milo-and-behold!

If you can’t come to the Milo Dinosaur, let the Milo Dinosaur come to you!

First step, get the biggest pack of Milo you can find at the supermarket.

Now, all I need are big blocks of ice, and we’ll be in business!

Why no Dino?

Why am I having all these strange food and drink cravings?

Today, I just couldn't get this classic SG drink out of my head!

Yup, it's the Milo Dinosaur that we usually get at Hawker Centers in SG! I can imagine all it's cold, sweet and malty-chocolatey deliciousness with every sip!

Gosh! I hope I can visit SG soon to get a taste of this drink again!

(Or I can just go to Food Panda and order the InfiniTea version. That should be enough to tie me over.)

Catnip

While Catnip is supposed to be relaxing and soothing, I think the simple act of watching cats have that same effect.

The past weeks, I've been watching these videos on Youtube entitled "Kittisaurus," and it's a great way to rest and relax after working from home too much.



The cats in these videos are adorable! And so are their reactions to everyday challenges given to them by their hooman. The "invisible wall" videos were a hoot! And this "foil" episode showed how intrepid and smart cats really are.

Maybe I should try and making the cat outside our house walk on foil. It's probably say: "Curses! Foiled again!"

FMM: Hammer it!

Although MC Hammer seems like an odd choice at a time like this, his 1990s hit is an apt Friday Magic Madness song.

Because aside from staying home, always washing our hands, getting enough sleep and eating healthy, one thing that we should do - and do a lot of - during this time is to Pray.



Who would have thought MC Hammer would come in handy these days, eh?

McNormal

Today's lunch made things feel normal for a change.

Was able to get McDelivery from the nearby McDonald's branch. And after a long, long, time, I was able to enjoy a burger and fries for lunch!

Times like these make you appreciate little joys.

Pass the Panettone!

The fam got a very pleasant surprise this weekend.

Very pleasant, very flavourful, and very scrumptious, in fact!

It started with a message from Ate Lissa in the U.S. She said that one of her co-Titas was going to send bread to the house. At first, we were expecting it to be something Pinoy and comforting like ensaymada or pandesal. But when the bread finally arrived, we were all stunned into silence. (And delight.)

The "bread" turned out to be one big box of Loison Panettone!

I've seen this brand before. They sell it at Terry's and I've always admired it for its wonderful packaging. (I'm a sucker for nice packaging, obviously.) The box is covered in this beautiful botanical print wrapper which reflects the panettone's flavour.

While the packaging is appetizing enough, the real star is what's inside!

It's moist, flavourful bread which is packed to the rafters with glazed fruits. I'd say it's a cross between a fruit cake and my all-time favourite Gardenia Fruit and Nut Loaf from SG. We first opened the black cherry one, and it was just divine! We tried our best to keep ourselves from finishing it in one sitting. (We succeeded! We made one cake last for 2 days!)

Thank goodness for the kind hearts of wonderful Tita-friends! This is a sweet respite which is much needed these days.

LFLTAT: See the Zebra, the return

So, last January, I wrote about this zebra-themed Look For Less Than A Thousand which was a result of a random visit to The Surplus Shop.

Today, after scrounging through my closet, I was able to put together another LFTAT, also from Surplus Shop (and Uniqlo), also with a Zebra theme. Also, this was from way back in February, but just unearthed now.

The top is a kimono-style blouse with an accompanying belt, made of this nice, zebra-print fabric.

Then, I paired it with this U by Uniqlo wide fit jeans, which I remember was on sale!

With the funky top and a classic jean, it's a pairing that has attitude, yet still has that air of class.

And together, this pair was roughly around P800!

Gosh! I miss visiting my haunts to put together new LFTATs.