Meals with Mark: Gusto-tory delights

The question of where to have lunch first is a perennial one for Mark & myself.

When we asked each other that question yesterday, the answer turned out to be just a ew meters away.

Cafe Gusto!

So, our first lunch in Tokyo is Italian by way of Japan.

We had Mentaiko pasta, Margherita pizza and fries. Let's not forget the drink bar.  All good, as expected.

Like many of our constants, Cafe Gusto does not disappoint.

Tones in Tokyo

With Toni's talents, it's easy to see that she'll go far in whatever endeavour she puts her mind and energy into.

Even in her newest venture - Sweet Tones!

Yup, she's finally venturing into a food business! It's a natural progression considering that she graduated from a culinary course and even went to the US for her internship.

And her first product - her version of the viral Dubai chocolate - is so good!

It's so good that it's now in Tokyo!

See! It's already gone that far.

Wasted Attitude

One of my pet peeves is when people choose the "print receipt" option on ATMs, then immediately throw away the receipt after it's dispensed by the machine.

Such a waste of paper.

What makes things even more upsetting is when they carelessly throw away those pieces of paper. That act creates a situation like this:

Such a waste! Figuratively and literally!

Do not be deceived

Looks like there's more than meets the eye to this jeepney.

Makes me wonder what this transforms into.

Sketchy Stories: Scrap star

Was cleaning my room one weekend and chanced upon a pile of scrap fabric.

These were fabrics that were left behind from previous projects. It included some cuts of native fabric, the "kumot," pieces of "katsa," and a small cut of chambray.

Instead of throwing out the scraps, it inspired me to sketch this.

The scraps will be part of the bottom of the skirt. The design is tiered and a bit random, to give it a mish-mash and patchwork feel.

Showed it to Ofel, and she was able to execute it exactly the way I envisioned it.

The base is a dark denim dress, and the fabric scraps added colour and fun to the skirt. The sleeveless dress has a bateau neckline and a v-shaped back.

There was so much fabric scraps and denim, that we were able to do another dress. This one had flutter sleeves and a v-neck neckline.

Who would've though that scraps could be this chic!

The perfect channel

As a student of a Franciscan school, one of the prayers we'd always say is the Prayer of St. Francis.

As a member of the school choir, this was also a song we'd memorise by heart.

And since it was the Feast of St. Francis yesterday, it's only but fitting to play this song:

This song still gets to me.

Happy Feast Day St. Francis of Assisi!

FMM: No worries

Upon seeing the ad announcing the concert of the group "Incognito" here in MNL, it felt like the 90s all over again.

The group was huge in the 90s. We'd listen to them whenever we'd pull overnighters for college projects, so hearing their songs brings me back to college.

My favourite Incognito song has to be "Don't you worry 'bout a thing." It's such a fave that it's going to be today's Friday Magic Madness song.

Hard to believe that this song was first launched in 1992! So, it's already 32  years old!

Gosh, I'm old!

Printed Matter: Instant Doodles

I've been drawing since my childhood days. It's something I've carried until now. Occasionally, I'd find myself doodling on random pieces of paper. It could be a house, an animal, a paisley print - things that just pop in my head randomly.

This love for doodling is what drew me to this print.

It looked like someone gave a kid a piece of cloth and asked him to doodle anything he wanted. The result are random doodles featuring shapes, faces, even plain scribbles.

And these doodles are the centrepiece of this beautiful dress from Urban Revivo.

This dress is just GOR-GE-OUS! The print is the main focal pint, but the 60s silhouette with the ruffle detail elevates the whole look.

That's why I knew I had to buy it the instant that I saw it.

New Heights

Despite the fact that I've been with the company for more than a decade, this is the first time I'm seeing this view.

Apparently, we have a balcony that faces Emerald Avenue!

Despite the height, I'm finding this view quite relaxing.

Ah yes, you learn something new everyday.

Way back Wafer

 Lola Dita would always have a lot of food in their room. In fact, they even had a double door fridge inside their room, and they would keep a stash of goodies there, like ice cream, chocolates and gummies from Spain.

Another thing that Lola would always have was a can of Nissin Chocolate Wafers. Back then, my eyes would always gravitate to the big, brown can with a very interesting vintage graphic. It showed a street scene from (what I felt like was) the 1940s, and had different women in bikes. 

They stopped producing that can here in the Philippines, and that memorable visual was gone from our shelves.

But apparently, it's still pretty much alive in Malaysia.

You could just imagine my thrill after seeing this. It felt like being back in my childhood, inside Lola Dita & Lolo Iking's room in Morato.

Amazing how snacks can be a way of going back.

Ball of cuteness

Starting the work week with this uber cute sight.

This adorable, curled up, sleeping cat was at the building across the office. This cutie cattater was unmindful of the people walking around. Yup, unbothered.

Just like Garfield, this cat must hate Mondays.

LFLTAT x Color Story: Black-buster

There's something very elegant and very expensive about an all-black outfit. It's a statement that's true, even if the actual outfit is less than a thousand pesos.

Just like this:

The dress was on sale at The SM Store, so, it was 50% off. The belt and shoes are both from The Landmark, both on sale, with an extra 10% on top.

With all those discounts, this outfit rang up to a few pesos shy of P1000!

It's a blockbuster deal!

Let there be peas

The buffet must be the most environment-friendly on that I've seen.

Come on, guys. "Peas" isn't such a hard word to spell.

Proofreader, peas.

I mean, please.

FMM: Love his music

For today's Friday Magic Madness, I'll pay tribute to Sergio Mendes.

It's been almost a month since he went up the great concert hall in the sky, but realised that I haven't written about that moment yet. 

The wonderful thing about singers - including Sergio - is that they leave behind beautiful music and memories that will live on after they're gone. And with his prolific work, there'll be a lot of songs to remind us of what a musical genius he was.

I've featured his songs many times before, and here's another one for today.

As he goes up in heaven, the lyrics of "Love City" resonates even more. 

"it's the only place he feels at home."

Southern Style: Say Pleats

This is one of my fave finds at Metro Gaisano in Cebu. It's an ensemble that's a combination of classy and artsy. 

It's a pleated pair! 

The top has that Issey Miyake vibe, and the pleated skirt has a painting that's reminiscent of Rome. So, it's Japan plus Rome by way of Cebu. Capping off the look is a pair of black and white slides from For Me. Cebu branch, of course.

Pleats are just so pretty!

Southern Style: Bluer than blues

This happened to me several times. I'd go to the Cebu branch of a brand that's also available in MNL, and would find items that are unique and items that they don't have here. It happened to me at Surplus Shop, Zara, Pull & Bear, H&M, among others.

Apparently, these brands have buyers in Cebu, and they would sometimes order items that their MNL counterparts won't. Which makes shopping there more fun.

The top of this ensemble is a good example of that:

It's a navy blue body suit from H&M. It's immediately caught my eye and got me to wondering why this was never in any of the stores here. If it were, I'd immediately gravitate towards it and buy it. The design is very classic, with its boat neck and long sleeves, it's giving Audrey Hepburn.

The skirt is from the Maco brand, yet again. This pleated skirt plays with different shades of blue to give the design more depth and texture.

You can say that this outfit is... Ceblue.

Southern Style: Keeping it Knit

Despite the fact that our Cebu trip was just an overnight one, the fact that our hotel was beside Ayala Center Cebu made up for it.

After our meetings, I'd hie off to Metro Gaisano Cebu. They have a good selection of clothes and textiles, and it's always a stop-over whenever my travels take me to Cebu City.

My lightning quick visit didn't disappoint. Was able to snag a couple of chic and unique looks - mostly from their house brands.

The first find was this ensemble with a knit skirt as the key piece.

It's this thick, knit skirt with a mixed houndstooth patterns. It has a fitted silhouette that flares at the bottom. The top is a black shell top with ribbons and buttons on the side. These are from Maco - the brand that's exclusive to Metro, and a brand that I'd buy often.

This is so neat!

Hopeful Day

Today is the feast day of St. Pio de Pietrelcina!

Thank you for the miracles and hope that you brought to my life and the lives of countless others. In this ever changing world, your words remain true:

Pray, Hope and Don't Worry.

Happy Feast Day!

Meals with Mark: State of the Art(ons)

For this year, we decided to celebrate Mark's birthday in Laguna.

When faced with the question of where to eat, we had a choice between our tradition (TGIFriday's) or something new. After all, it's not everyday that we're in Nuvali.

Eventually, the "something new" won. And our lunch was at this cozy Mexican restaurant called Arton's.

They serve a combination of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. As a fan of Mexico, this was an exciting proposition for me. Also, TGIFriday's fajitas are among the usual things we order, so maybe we can ry the fajitas here, too.

After browsing the menu, we ended up with the Queso Fundido, Baby back ribs and the Peruvian Seafood platter.

The food is really good. The service was a bit spotty, but overall, the experience was great. Especially since we're there for Mark's birthday.

Feliz Cumpleano, Mark!

Iba ang may pinagsamahan

This classic tagline from San Miguel Beer is so apt for our group.

Kin, Jing, LuAnn, Maricar and I were all part of the Corporate Affairs Office of San Miguel. It was during that short SMC stint that the friendship between us started and flourished. (Well, except for Maricar because we've been friends since college.)

Even after my departure from SMC, this group which we now affectionately call "JKLM," stuck together and the bonds of friendship grew even stronger. We've been to out-of-town trips to Pie's weekend home, out-of-the-country trips like HKG and SG, weddings like Lu's, among many others.

We've been planning to visit Jing at her home in QC, but we went a step further and eventually visited her at her home in Laguna. And as expected, it was an evening of catching up, reminiscing and laughing a lot.

So, like San Miguel Beer, I'd say that this friendship is "iba."