Pleasant surprise

This isn't a "Friday Magic Madness" post, but it's still music to my ears.

I wrote a couple of days back about how I'm currently following Paula Taylor's blog. She had one entry about her latest Plains and Prints campaign, and she posted a question in relation to that post, and encouraged readers to answer that question.

And I did.

A few days later, I get an email from Paula Taylor's management company. They told me to go to the Plains and Prints store in Greenbelt 5 to get this:



Surprise, surprise! It's a prize for getting the correct answer to the question. Woot!

This is actually the first time I "joined" and won a prize by simply reading a blog. So this was, indeed, a pleasant surprise.

Maybe this is a sign that I should get that Santorini dress for my sister.

Printed Matter

Last week, when I ran into Kin, Sonee and Jayson in Megamall, we started talking about designer collaborations and this brought us to the subject of DVF x Gap. The queen of prints - Diane Von Furstenberg - is designing a capsule collection for Gap kids. And Sonee was thrilled and was planning to get some pieces for her daughter.

Curious as to how the collection looked like, I went on-line to check it out. After seeing some of the pieces, I immediately saw DVF's aesthetic. There were a lot of wrap dresses in vibrant prints. And the only difference is, the dresses were pint sized.

One particular piece that caught my attention was this swimsuit with a spherical print.



I wondered why it looked familiar. And after giving it some thought, I found the answer.

Actually, I found it in the fabric "archive" at home. (Archive meaning a heap of different types of cloth.)



This is an old bolt of fabric that I got in 2008 at a fabric store in Makati. It was purchased the same time as that Oscar dela Renta-esque fabric in tiered prints that Ate Lissa wore to Ia's wedding. That's why I remember that it was in 2008.



It's been buried underneath other cuts of cloth, and I've almost forgotten about it. Thanks to this DVF x Gap swimsuit, the fabric has been resurrected and is out of the pile.

Question now is, what to do with it?

Nunca te Olvidare

It's been 102 years since you were born and 23 years since you joined Lola Dita and our Creator.

And despite the time that has passed, your memory lives on vividly in our lives. Your lessons have molded us into the people we are today. And for that, we are forever grateful.

Happy Birthday, Lolo Iking.



You will always be remembered.

Off the wall

I've seen the posters in malls and billboards by the road side. Now, I've seen the second trailer, too.

Looks like Mirror, Mirror is going to be a fun movie.



Can't wait to see this version.

Mmm.. Mmm... Magnum

Last Saturday, my students kept on talking about Magnum inside and outside the classroom. At first, I didn't know what they were talking about. All I gathered was that Magnum was something to eat, that it was available at 7-11, that it was P60, and that everyone was obsessed about it.

Later on, I found out that it was Magnum Ice Cream.



Actually, I know Magnum from way back. I used to eat Magnum when I was living in HKG and the summer heat was unbearable. It's good ice cream, although I wasn't hooked on Magnum as much as I was hooked on Bulla Ice cream.

Now that Magnum's here and everyone's talking about it, maybe I should give it another shot.

March into summer

PAGASA affirmed it and we felt it. Summer is indeed in the (hot) air. While walking along the overpass leading to EDSA Shrine, I could feel the heat and I could see people around me sweltering.

Amazing how early the heat arrived. Heck, I didn't even get a chance to feel the cold December air!

But hey, summer is here and there's no use fighting it. So, the best thing to do is just dress for it.


Summer is the time to break out the pastels and bright colors like aqua and coral. They'll match the bright and sunny disposition of summer.


Another nice summer staple are watercolor prints. Summer reminds me of watercolor painting projects, so this print is super appropriate for the season.


Luckily, these pastels and prints were available at Greenhills. Tops and Totes had these nice, loose pants with a ribbon belt. And one of the stalls had this loose shirt in a watercolor print.

Now my sisters are all geared up for summer.

Sweet surprise

Two Fridays ago, I held my last class for the Journalism seniors. On the agenda was finalizing bits and pieces for our final paper which, by the way, is looking awesome.

I made a quick trip downstairs to talk to the Dean's secretary, and when I went back to my room, this box was on top of my desk.



It was a nice box with an Ethnic motif. And I'm in that phase where prints interest me, thus, the box immediately caught my eye.



When I opened it, there was a piece of chocolate inside. Then, one by one, my students placed chocolate bar upon chocolate bar, until the box was filled with sweets.



These sweets weren't regular chocolates and candies. On each one, there was a post-it note with a message from each student. They were messages of thanks and apologies. The messages of thanks were about my mentorship of the class, and the fact that I really lobbied for them to go to HKG. The messages of apologies were for their lack of involvement and effort the past year. With every chocolate and message, I couldn't help but smile.



And of course, the biggest chocolate had the biggest message of all. A message that really solidified the thought that I'm doing the right thing as a professor, and that is helping change the lives of my students in the little ways I can.



What a sweet way to end the Journalism school year.

FMM: Cool Cardigans

Unlike the 80s when there were so many memorable musical acts, the 90s wasn't that distinct when it came to music. My friends and I talk about this a lot. That in terms of decades, the 60s to the 80s had very distinct sounds. But the 90s wasn't that outstanding.

Of course, there were a number of great bands from that decade, too. And one of my favorites was "The Cardigans."

I'm not sure why, but whenever I hear a song by The Cardigans, I'm transported back to the 90s - working in an advertising agency, working overtime and hearing their songs in the background. Yes, happy memories.

There were 2 particular songs that they sang and I liked. There's "Lovefool," which is better remembered as the song in the soundtrack of "Romeo + Juliet."



And then, there's "My Favorite Game." This song reeks overtime for me.



I wonder where The Cardigans are now.

A new Sub-standard

There's a new billboard along EDSA near Robinson's Galleria.

It has a photo of a big sub sandwich, and a familiar "Q" logo. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I realize that the "Q" logo is Quiznos Sub's logo!



I like Quiznos Subs. When I was vacationing in the U.S., I made it a point to have a Quiznos Sub at least twice a week. They're pretty much like Subway, but with bigger sandwiches and a wider selection of fillings and breads. And for a sandwich person like myself, that's a major draw.

I'm suddenly craving for a sub.

Bring it (Cotton) On

We were on our way to a shoot in Binondo and we passed by this swanky new mall in Divisoria.

Yes, you read it right. There's a swanky mall in Divisoria. It's called Lucky Chinatown Mall and it's like having a mini-Eastwood mall in Manila.

What struck me most about this mall wasn't the fact that it looked like a fish-out-of-water. It was the fact that I saw a big sign outside that said Cotton-On!



Can this be THE Cotton-On? Are they really opening in Manila? And in Divisoria?

We shall see.

Access to Accessories

Once upon a time, when people wanted to buy accessories, the only place they could go to was Marcella's. (Yes kids, there was a time when Marcella's was ok.)

A few years later, Cindy Carol came along. And another few years later, you could get accessories at Girl Shoppe. Needless to say, it was slim pickins back then. It was more than slim, it was super slim.

But these days, accessory lovers are spoilt for choice.

For starters, there's the Accessories department of SM Department store. They're always stocked with nice items, like that tasseled necklace I saw a few days back.

Head off to the mall and you have Aldo Accessories, Accessorize, Parfois, Forever 21 Accessories, and some other smaller brands. So, the fashionistas of today really have better access to nice accoutrements.

I dropped by Robinson's Place after school, and I saw this new accessory store in their Midtown wing. It's a shop called Diva, and judging by the price tags, I reckon this is an Aussie brand.



They've got a nice selection of accessories that range from classic (pearls, hardware) to trendy (feathers, tassels.) And surprisingly, they're priced very well considering the quality of the items they carry.

I didn't have time to really look around since I was about to go home. But the next time I'm in that area, I'll definitely allot some time to know this Diva a bit more.

My life as a Streep-er

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Meryl Streep's work. From her earlier movies (early for me, at least) such as "Death Becomes Her" and "Bridges of Madison County," to her more recent gems like "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Mamma Mia," it really seems like Meryl really can do no wrong.

This year, she received her 17th - yes, seven freakin' teenth - Oscar nomination. Who gets something like that?

Meryl Streep. That's who.

Unfortunately, the favorite to win Best Actress for the Oscars this year is Viola Davis. And yes, it would be nice if she wins. But last night, when Mark and I were talking, we were secretly hoping for an upset. We really wanted Meryl to win.

And guess what? It's an upset!



Her 3rd Oscar after 17 nominations. Way to go!

Looking forward to seeing you on the Oscar stage again next year.

M&Ms with a twist

Last Friday, I got a box of chocolates (more on that on a separate post) and one of the items in the box was something new to me. It was M&Ms pretzels!



I can't believe I haven't come across nor tried this new M&M variant. After all, I'm known for discovering new chocolates and candies. Maybe it's because the packaging is the same color as M&Ms Crispy, that's why I didn't notice it.

This chocolate is uber duber good. The packaging captures the flavor exactly. It's sweet and salty at the same time, which is a perfect twist to the M&Ms that we know and love.

Must. Buy. More.

It's a spring thing

When I was a kid, there was this Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs says: "In the spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of ... mischief. And carrots."

It's spring in some parts of the Western world, and judging by the clothes that are coming out on that side of the world, it seems like "In the spring, a fashion brand's style turns to thoughts of watercolor flowers." And this can be exemplified by these items that are coming out in Greenhills. (Which means these are clothes that are coming out on the racks in the US this spring.)

First, there's the ultra colorful and festive looking shift dress.



To soften the overall look, it has a nice, draped cowl neck. There's actually a small piece of metal inside to make the cowl fall into place properly.



The print is so chic. It's got this Van Gogh vibe to it.



If the first one is on the dark and elegant side, this second piece is more youthful and refreshing. It feels like a "summer party on the beach" kind of dress.



It has this venus-cut action going on, but it's a bit modified because the side is not as thin as the usual venus-cut dresses.



The print is also done in a watercolor effect, but the colors are in the aqua and periwinkle territories which make it so easy on the eye.



With dresses and prints like these, it'll definitely be so easy to spring into action this coming season.

FMM: Sounds like the office.

When I was still working at San Miguel Corporation, my cubicle was near the area of the AV/Editorial artists. One of the guys seated near my cube was Mr. Ro - a quiet but funny art expert.

He was a lot into music, and one of the songs he liked to play was this Edie Brickell ditty entitled "Good times." I remember this song clearly because whenever I'd get stressed out with Newsbreak or with the Year-in-Review, this song never failed to calm me down.



Ah yes, those times at the San Miguel office were good times indeed.

Va-va-vintage!

Yesterday, on my way to a meeting, I passed through SM Makati in order to get to the cab line. Since that start of the line is near the Forever 21 entrance, I naturally passed through that area. (Yeah, right.)

Near the entrance, there was a silk shirt dress that immediately caught my eye. I stopped for a few minutes to examine it, and I was really floored by how nice it was. Suddenly, the sales girl came up to me and said: "New arrival po yan, sir. Kakalabas pa lang today."

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to examine or buy it. But since there was another meeting in Ortigas that same afternoon, I figured it would be available in Megamall anyway.

Surprise, surprise. It wasn't available in Megamall. Apparently, it was one of those dresses that were in limited stock and was sold only in Makati.

So today, I decided to pass by Forever 21 in Makati en route to my meeting at Unitel. Immediately, I checked out the rack where the dress was yesterday, and there was just one piece left.

One piece left! And in Ate Bullet's size!

It was a sign. It had to come home with me.

And it did.



This dress has such a vintage vibe to it. It's something that Grace Kelly would wear before. And something that Dita Von Teese would wear today. It was vintage in a bombshell kind of way.

The print was also very vintage. The deep, chocolate brown color lent itself well to the concept, and it just made the dress look even more authentic.



To add a contemporary twist to it, it had a leather belt, also in brown.





Add all these up, and you've got a dress that's the epitome of Vintage Chic!

And I got the last piece.

Woot!

Following women

Whilst I write on my blog regularly, I can't say the same about my blog reading habits.

I'm not in the habit of reading or following a blog, and the last time I really did that was when Mark was in Japan and he'd chronicle his experiences inside the academic jail erstwhile known as IUJ.

But the past months, I've found myself constantly reading 3 blogs. They're very different in content, tone and personality. Even the age range and personalities of the writers are very disparate, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy reading them all at the same time.

Oh, there's one common thread among the 3 blogs, they're all written by women.



First is Paula Taylor's blog. I liked watching her during her stint as a VJ and during Amazing Race. And she's also one of the reasons my sister got hooked on Plains and Prints.



Second is the blog written by Daphne Osena - Paez. I'm a bit fan of architecture and houses, and I often watched Urban Zone when it was still shown at an earlier time slot. But since it's now shown a tad bit too late, I just read about the houses on her blog.

I like her writing style, too. It's very conversational and casual - almost like hearing her talk. And as my journalism professors always tell me, that's a hallmark of a good writer. Aside from that, I've always like Daphne, ever since I first worked with her on the Myra 300-E campaign a few years back.



Finally, for my fashion, music and art fix, I read Emily McEnroe's blog entitled "Magenta Lightning." I like how she writes, and her view of what's cool. She's the kind of girl you'd want to be around, which makes this blog a place that I'd like to hang around in.

Another good thing about these blogs is that it links to more interesting writers - both men and women. And I have a feeling that I'll be adding more blogs to my frequently visited sites soon.

Closed to you...

Out of the blue, I thought of the Serious Spicy Chicken at Jamaican Pattie. So, I dropped by their stall at Rustan's Gateway.

It was closed.

I also needed to pay bills, so I decided to drop by the HSBC branch at Philam Life building in Cubao.

It was closed.

Hmmmm... there's a pattern forming.

Suno or later

It's no secret that I'm an admirer of prints. I've always been drawn to colors and repeated patterns ever since I was a kid. Whether it was the trompe l'oeil prints that adorned San Agustin Church, or the paisley print on my Dad's tie, I'd always take time to stop and study prints.

This is one of the reasons why I've always liked looking at the work of Diane Von Furstenberg, Matthew Williamson, Mary Katrantzou, Marimekko and Etro. They have an unabashed love for prints, and they even make their own fabric designs. I admire them for doing that because the combine two creative processes in one.

Another fashion brand that I discovered recently also has a unabashed love for prints. And after seeing some of their work, I was floored by the quality of the prints and the thought process that goes into each one of their creations.

Suno is the fashion line of Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty. Their creations are characterized by their wild prints and their attention to detail. I like how they take a seemingly unfashionable concept and turn it into wearable art. For example, they had this print inspired by a glass blower:



And they transformed it into this chic dress.



This beautiful vector like print looks like something out of a digital artist's portfolio:



And they were able to transform it into this relaxed dress.



Suno is fast gaining a following, both in the US and the rest of the world. I hope that one of the fast fashion brands will pick them up and do a collaboration with them sooner or later. That would be another collaboration worth waiting for.

Subic Sweets

One thing I like about shopping in Duty Free outlets is the abundance of imported candy brands that I don't normally see in Manila supermarkets. And a lot of these candy brands have a special significance to me because they're candy brands that remind me of my childhood.

These are candies that my grandparents or aunts would bring home from the U.S. whenever we'd visit. Or chocolates that they'd send over through family and friends.

It's been a while since I've seen (and tasted) these sweets, so I'm glad that I was able to come across them in Subic last weekend.

First, we have Tootsie Dots. I'm actually more used to the classic flavors, but I came across this Pink Grapefruit variant, and it's super delicious. I almost finished it in one sitting. (I knew I should've bought more!)



Next, we have Zachary's Chocolates. Compared to the Hershey's and Nestles of this world, Zachary can be considered a Mom and Pop operation. And that's why I like it so much. It tastes so authentic and you know the care that came into making each of these chocolates.



Finally, we have Milk Duds. Heck, who doesn't know Milk Duds? Enough said.



Now, I've got a stash of these sweets in the kitchen and I'm trying to ration them. But hey, I can rest in the fact that I can always go back to Subic in case I run out and get the craving for these candies again.