Now there's an idea

My current notebook pretty much reflects my goal at work.

Hopefully, I can fill my notebook with these types of ideas - lots of them - very soon.

Bowled over again!

At work, we only play bowling once-a-year. But it's amazing how we can come up with pretty decent scores despite being occasional bowlers.

Needless to say, the other team was bowled over by our scores.

That kind of a Monday

It's always nice to start the week with positivity. And you don't get any more positive and feel good than this music video. It's aligned with my personal philosophy that a little act of kindness goes a long, long way.



Here's to an awesome and kindness-filled week!

Not Adam-ant about it

The Adam Lippes x Target collection is finally on-line!

To shop or not to shop. That is the question.

Loop the loop

Even as a kid, I was already drawn to commercials. It's a fascination that continues to this very moment, which is why I ended up in advertising.

Most people would think I'd be jaded, but I'm not. Whenever I see an awesome commercial, my giddiness comes out and I'll end up looping the material to watch it over and over again.

And here's the latest commercial that's on loop for me.



Great copy. Awesome visuals. Beautiful message.

Well played, H&M. Maybe I'll go to your store and shop to show my gratitude.

FMM: Freedom!

Since today is a holiday, let me play an uber appropriate Friday Magic Madness song from the 90s:



It's a free day! Woohoo!

To bee's or not to bee's

They're finally opening Applebee's in BGC this month. Woot!

Applebee's reminds me of those trips to the U.S. and Mexico. For me, it was always a comfort food place that served big, diner-style dishes which I love. So I'm hoping they have that here, too.

Unlike Ihop which was quite a flop, I hope AppleBee's lives up to its image and quality in the U.S.

Eats free!

Whenever we have production meetings, there's usually a lot of food. That also means there's usually a lot of food left over.

What I usually do with it is leave it in our pantry with a very encouraging note:

It works everytime!

Le smokin'

Uniqlo is on a roll.

Now, they released the look book for the Carine Roitfeld collaboration.

My eyes automatically went to this smoking jacket. It's so sharp and chic!

Fingers crossed that this collection will be available here, too.

Qloser and Qloser

Now here's some good news!

The Lemaire x Uniqlo collection will be available in Manila! Can I get a woot, woot?

It's going to be available starting next Friday. And I hope the sweater I like will be part of the collection that they'll sell here.

Lemaire, here we come!

D' Kids are all right

This is one of the highlights of last night's birthday bash. Seeing Audrey, Becca and Lucas baking!

Yup, D' Kids are really taking after their parents, titos and titas.

An evening with D' Frendz

It's been a while since we were able to gather this many Frendz in one place. We're still not complete, though, since Mark and Rick weren't here last Saturday night.

As expected, it was an evening filled with good food, fun stories and laughter all around. Which makes me realize - once again - that we need to do this more often.

FMM: Jets Setting

The Jet's are coming to Manila this November!

This calls for a Friday Magic Madness song.



Admittedly, this concert has "D' Frendz" written all over it.

Lippes service

Everyone's talking about the upcoming Balmain x H&M and Lemaire x Uniqlo collaborations. That's quite obvious in the blogosphere.

There's so much hype about these 2 collections that another upcoming collaboration suddenly found itself under the radar.

It's the Adam Lippes x Target collaboration.

Unlike the earlier Target collaborations like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Jason Wu, Joseph Altuzarra and Lilly Pulitzer, this one isn't getting as much press. Which might be good. That means there are less people to contend with for his pretty, plaid-themed ensembles.

I'm liking his take on layering. There are 3 different plaid patterns, but since they're all in black and white, they don't clash. In fact, it makes the ensemble even richer.

 Here's another masterful take on layering. Two dresses and a vest, all bundled into one chic ensemble!

The first time I heard of Adam Lippes was when he did a capsule collection for Mango back in 2008. I was immediately drawn to his sense of femininity. And I'm glad to see the same qualities in his new collection for Target.

Let the stalking begin.

Care to join the army?

As November continues to draw closer, more and more people are scampering to find images from the Balmain x H&M collaboration. Particularly, people who are keen on joining the "army."

Yup, for Olivier Rousteing, the women who wear his clothes are part of the "Balmain army." Or better yet, the #balmainarmy.

I've seen some of the items from the collection, and they're very much like his main line. I think he found inspiration in the Lanvin x H&M collaboration where Alber Elbaz took some of his best pieces and made them a bit more mass market.

I've seen this dress worn by Gigi Hadid, and it looks so ornate and elaborate.

Based on what I've seen on-line, his collection is very opulent. That's where the problem lies. Pretty much like the Alexander Wang x H&M collaboration, this has the potential to be too niche. The clothes are too party for my liking. And I think my sisters will, too.

I guess we won't be enlisting then.

Interning next week!

One more week and "The Intern" is finally hitting the screens in Manila!



This seems like a very D' Frendz kind of flick. After all, it's about old-ish people in a young environment. Harhar.

Maybe we can all watch this and relate to it.

Skin is in (for now)

For the past year or so, I've been desperately trying to find a bottle of Clean Cotton T-Shirt perfume. 

The one that I got from Mona in 2012 is almost used up. Yes, I've been rationing it to ensure that I get the most out of the bottle. So, it's actually an achievement to have a 60ml bottle last for almost 3 years.

Not to say I haven't been trying to look for it. I've tried searching for the brand in Sephora in SG several times. I've tried searching for it in Japan. And of course, I've tried Rustan's since they officially carry Clean in the Philippines.

Alas, the search is for naught.

But during my last swing by Rustan's, the sales clerk suggested another Clean variant called Clean Skin. She said it was one of the latest additions to the line, and it has the same non-descript scent that Clean Cotton T-Shirt has.

After trying it, I must say that the scent is also quite nice. It's a very quiet scent which gives you that "fresh out of the shower" feeling that Clean is known for.

I might consider buying this variant while I'm holding out for Cotton T-shirt.

But I won't give up the search for that elusive perfume.

The Money shot

Presenting my favorite shot from our trip to Taal yesterday.

This was a very accidental shot, and I'm glad to see how it turned out.

Back in Batangas

Once again, I'm at the heritage town of Taal, Batangas with my class.

I really like going back to this part of Batangas. It feels like a place that's trapped in the past, and everything's so laid back and chill.

I'm going to drag Mark and D' Frendz here sometime soon.

FMM: Talk about it

One thing I enjoy doing the most is sharing my knowledge with the next generation of advertising and marketing practitioners.

Thanks to my former student and now-client, I had the opportunity to do that again. She asked me to give a talk about Experiential Marketing at San Beda College. Incidentally, this is our sister school, which made it even more exciting.

The talk was fun, and it seemed like it was well-received. There were a lot of questions during the open forum, and the challenge was that most of them were directed to me.

And because of that talk, I'm bringing back one of my favorite 90s songs for today's Friday Magic Madness. Cue in Bonnie Rait's "Something to talk about."



Yes, it's really fun to talk about marketing.