FMM: Tuesday Feels

Since new wave is making a comeback in Manila, today's Friday Magic Madness is an oldie-but-goodie new wave song.

It's a song by a group called "'Til Tuesday." If the name doesn't ring a bell, it's because they weren't one of those massive new wave bands. They were more the quiet types, but never fail to come up with great songs.

Just like my favorite song from the group, "Voices Carry."



This will be enough to carry me through the weekend.

Digital Design

There are times when I'd like to sketch something, but a nice pen or pencil is nowhere to be found.

Odd, but true.

In that case, I just open the trusty photoshop and try to digital my way out of the predicament.

Just like this design that for Richard's cake. Dexter's is going to do a great job on this.

It's actually faster to do it digitally at times. But call me old fashioned, but the traditional sketching is still my preference.

Spiel the beans!

Now I can "spill" it.

Anywhere and everywhere, I see proof that there is a dire need for proofreaders in this world.

Proofreader, please.

It's Britney, B***h!

My concert dreams just came true!

Britney Spears is finally coming to Manila!

Let me take an hour or two, or maybe a day to process this.

*faint*

Bicho by golly wow!

On my weekly trips to Divisoria, I always chance upon this nicely and neatly laid out food item on the street.

I've always wondered what it was. But I never got the chance to ask about it. Until yesterday.

I found out that it's called Bicho-Bicho, and it's deep fried bread.

Deep.
Fried.
Bread.

Where do I sign up?

After buying one and trying it, the experience was phenomenal! It tasted like those deep fried donuts they used to sell at Rustan's. So, it would be safe to say that Bicho-Bicho is a taste of childhood.

Looks like there's another reason for me to go back to Divisoria every weekend.

Learning should feel like a picnic!

In today's class, we were talking about event styling. The objective was to show the class that with the proper ambience, planning and props, you can transform just about any venue to one that fits the theme.

A few weeks ago, I asked them what type of event they wanted to see, and their answer was a "indie-camping-cum-picnic."

So, to demonstrate the lesson, I transformed our broadcast studio to a picnic ground. We placed mats, picnic props, and even stars in the background to give it an outdoorsy feel.

Considering how the class reacted, i'd say it was a success.

Learning should be this fun.

The cutest of the mole

You know Saturday is going to be great when your day starts with a comic strip as cute as this.

It's more than enough to give you the warm fuzzies the whole day, eh.

FMM: Make a wish!

In honor of that upcoming China Crisis concert that I saw, today's Friday Magic Madness song is... wait for it...

China Crisis!

And any 80s kid will know that "Wishful Thinking" is their biggest hit!



Makes me wonder if I should watch their concert.

Wishful thinking indeed!

War. Torn.

Both Lolo Iking and Lolo Doring were soldiers. That's why they had an involvement and interest in war.

I recall that in Lolo Iking's library, he had books on World Wars. There was even one book entitled "World War III" which I read and freaked me out. But it also got me interested in war as a subject.

When I was in high school, I would borrow books on military stories and operations. Also, I'd build scale models of war planes, tanks and trucks, along with my brothers.

On my way to a meeting in Pasay Road, I saw this in Ayala Museum.

Then I realized it was a long, long, long time since I've seen anything war-themed. Which made me want to check this out.

Unfortunately, it falls on a Saturday, and I have classes. And much as I'm torn between the two, I'm still an educator first and foremost.

So in this war, my classes win! Harhar.

Flash Mob

Here's a good way to spend time waiting for a meeting to start:

Gosh! I thought it would take time for me to do this, but I was able to do it in less than 3 minutes.

That was fast. Just like The Flash!

Koala cool

I'm a huge fan of Hello Panda. It's one of the snacks that is regular part of the repertoire. This was true even when I was living in HKG.

Last week, when Mark and I had lunch with Mike, I chanced upon this huge Koala bear near their office.

I realized it was the Koala from the Lotte chocolate snack, which is Hello Panda's fiercest competition.

Thanks to that huge koala, I found myself trying, and liking, the Koala filled chocolate, too!

Looks like the marketing folks who planned this did their jobs right. Now, they have another customer, thanks to that sighting.

Marketing is cool that way.

Grown-up Girl

The last time I saw Veja, my niece from Barcelona, was in 2013 when they visited us in Manila.

Two weeks ago, my cousin sent me a photo of her wearing the dress that I sent. And my, has she grown!

Sigh! Kids are growing up so fast these days.

Loose vowels

Oh what a difference a vowel makes!

While I was in Divisoria today, I saw this crate of cute, Hello Kitty stuffed toys.

When I came closer, lo and behold! When you change "u" to an "a", then it becomes a totally different product. Which makes me wonder, what's the "staff" all about?

Yup, it must be made by their staff. Or maybe it's made WITH their staff.

Now that I'm thinking about it more, I can't help but feel scared... Harhar.

Time of Crisis

The 80s are back to haunt us!

This time, it's in the form of two popular new wave bands. In the 80s. Like, 30 years ago!

Strangely, though, I'm very interested to see this twin concert. Hahaha.

FMM: Be(a)st Movie Ever!

While rave reviews were still hot, Mark and I watched "Beauty and the Beast" today, and I have my verdict.

It's-the-most-spec-tac-u-lar-movie-ever!!!

Throughout the movie, I was getting all the feels! After all, this is one of my favorite Disney Animated films of all time, and now it's happening live, with real people. Who wouldn't get goosies with that?

I'll gush about the film a bit more later. Now, let me just relish in the hangover by regaling Friday Magic Madness with the original theme song that was beautifully sung by Angela Landsbury. This was from the 90s, so it's an apt song to play today.



No kidding. This is Beauty and the BEST!

The Spice of Target's life

And Target just keeps on giving...

First, they released the full lookbook of the Victoria Beckham x Target collaboration. Now, the TV commercial is out, too. And all I can say is that it's a spice-y one!



I swear, this TVC just gave me some major Spice Girl feels!

Pieces to Target!

After months of searching and hoping, they finally released the lookbook for the Victoria Beckham x Target collection!

Can I hear a whoop, whoop?

*whoop, whoop!*

Her Target collection reflects the vibe and aesthetic of her Victoria Beckham and Victoria by Victoria Beckham lines. They're sophisticated, simple, and has a quiet elegance to it.

As usual, I'm gravitating towards the dresses in this collection. I'd say these are the money pieces! Like this menswear fabric shirt dress that's ultra chic!

And as I noticed in the first photo they released, they have a series of calla lily printed pieces. I'm loving this shirt and pant combo. It's relaxed and easy.

And the dress! Where do I line up for this?

I've noticed that they don't have evening or long pieces in this collection, though. That would definitely have been a home run.

Nonetheless, I'm SO on-board with this collection. Time to strategize my on-line shopping sojourn now!

Jesse takes the cake!

Birthdays are a funny thing. It feels like I just attended Jesse's 1st birthday party, and now, he's celebrating his 2nd birthday!

Mark showed me the cake they wanted for his Avengers themed party, then I looked at it, did some modifications, and sketched this:

As always, Ate Bullet and their team at Dexter's did an awesome job turning it into the actual cake!

According to Mark, the cake was a hit! Especially with Jesse.

And that means we did our job right.

Mexico by way of Japan

Having lived in Mexico and stayed in Japan for extended periods of time, their respective cuisines are among my favorite.

That's why it was a thrill to find this Mexican-Japanese hybrid snack at the nearby Tokyo Tokyo.

Yup, it's a Makirrito! A cross between a maki and a burrito.

Well, if you want to be technical about it, the burrito isn't Mexican food. One thing I learned during my stay there was that Mexico doesn't make or serve burrito. It's more of an American concept, developed by border towns to cater to "U.S. Americans."

The taste and texture are both interesting, but it's so heavy! I should be having this as lunch next time.

Yes, it's good that it warrants a next time.

TV See

More often than not, people who have been in the same industry or job for a long time tend to be jaded. Or maybe not as excited as they were during their first day at work.

I've been in the industry for more than 2 decades. (Hello, fossil!) But whenever I see the commercials that I've conceptualized on TV, the thrill is still the same. It's the same feeling I go when I saw my first commercial for Coleman entitled "camping" on air. A combination of joy, pride, thrill and plain 'ole giddiness.

Just like when I saw this commercial we did for Thunderbird on TV, in a public space. It was still such a thrill.

Safe to say, I love my job.