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.

Humor me!

Three things that I'm crazy about, especially when I go to the U.S.

1. Good Humor Ice Cream

2. Strawberries

3. Oreo

While randomly checking the Target website, I see this!!!

It's three of my faves, in one!

Need. This. Oreo. In. My. Life!

Imp-ish

It happens to the best and rest of us.

We're typing on the computer. We type the first 3 letters of the word we're thinking of. And without us knowing it, the computer auto-corrects the word. And that auto-correction - which we didn't notice - turns the sentence into an erroneous one.

Ah yes, the irony of it all. The correction leads to an error.

Methinks this is what happened to this article that I ran across on-line.

I'm sure the author was thinking "important." I'm sure the author wanted to write "important." I'm sure the writer thought he typed "important."

Apparently not. After typing the first three letters, "imp," I think the computer auto-corrected. Or it went on predictive typing mode. And because of that, what you now have is an "importation" rather than an "important" thing.

Proofreader, please!

Konbini Ninja!

Yesterday, my sister and I went on a Ninja-lightning mission at the nearby Japanese convenience store. She went there looking for Mirin for a dish she was cooking, while I was looking for - well, I was just looking for something to buy. Harhar.

After about 15 minutes in the store, I walked away with these!

I proudly showed Mark my loot because these are things we usually buy in the Konbini and Supa when we were in Japan.

These include instant ramen, Bourbon brand snacks, and Japanese candies, too. Wasn’t able to take a photo of the frozen tempura, which we were able to get. That should take care of our Japanese food cravings while at home.

Seeing this and showing it to Mark made us miss Tokyo even more.

When this is over, we’re going there pretty soon!

FMM: Together

One thing this entire experience is teaching me is that we can accomplish more and achieve more if we work together.

Whether it's at home, at work, or in our community, each one of us has a role to play. Each one of us has a responsibility to do. Each one of us has a stake in the outcome.

There's no more concept of "You" and "I," and the only way to get things done and moving is when there's a "We." A "We" that works together for a common goal, for a common good.

And this reminds me of this song from the 1970s film "Lost Horizon." I'm not sure whose it was, but we had a VHS tape of this movie in our house in Morato. That was way back in the late 80s, so the film was more than a decade old by the time is saw it.

The song was "Living Together, Growing Together."



That's what we need now. A sense of togetherness in achieving a common good for our nation.

I have faith that we can do that.

Sketchy Stories: Drawn to it!

When i’m at the office and waiting for emails or work to be cleared, I usually walk around the office to check how people are. This includes people within the department, as well as our other officemates in our 60+ strong company.

Now that I’m working from home, there’s no creative team or other departments to walk to. So, I had to find other ways of spending my time while waiting for emails and work to be cleared.

And one of those things is Pret-a-Template. Yup, that app I wrote about some weeks back.

It’s a good way to spend my spare time. While waiting for emails to come in, i’d often look at the fabrics lying around or packed in recyclable bags, and from there, I would sketch the design on the app.

And since we’re already a month into this work-from-home scenario, i’ve done a lot waiting. Thus, a lot of sketching, too.

Behold:

Gosh, if this continues, I might end up with a full collection by the time the CQ is over.

(Ac)Me Time

For the longest time, the term “Acme” was often seen in Looney Tunes cartoons, particularly Road Runner. This is the brand of equipment that Wil E. Coyote would use to try and trap our beep-beeping hero.

Who would’ve thought that it was a real brand. In the Philippines, to boot!

It turns out, there used to be an Acme Supermarket here in Manila! It’s a factoid I learned while researching for one of the projects that I’m working on.

Oh, the things you learn while on quarantine! Harhar!

Missing Mee

Gosh! I am SO craving for Penang Prawn Mee right now.

When this is over, I think Nanyang Food House in SM Megamall is the first place I'll visit.

LFLTAT: Happy Hues

Or, "Things you find when you're not looking for it, part 2."

As the Marie Kondo tidying up project continues, bags that are hiding in unexplored crevices of my closets are inadvertently found.

Which includes a red eco bag which has been hiding for many months, only to be found today. 

I still remember this red eco bag. It was from my visit to Greenhills, particularly Shoppesville. Initially, my purpose there was to look for Oreos from my favourite PX store. 

Now, beside that PX store is one of my go-to dress places, Apartment 8. They had a rack outside their store with big signs shouting "Sale," "P500," and "P300" which I couldn't refuse. So, after shopping for Oreos, it was off to shopping for sale items.

And that yielded 2 dresses in bright, cheerful and happy colors.

The first is this mustard yellow dress with a ruffled hem and a belt. It's a fun, flirty and flowy dress that's going to be great this summer.

Second, this off the shoulder dress in a colour that's a slightly darker hue of cornflower. It also has an asymmetric hem that keeps it from being boring.

And yes, these dresses were under the P500 and P300 categories. So, together, they're beautifully hued, fashionably designed looks for less than a thousand!

I wonder what other things I'll find the next few weeks.

Hope Rising

It's Easter Sunday!

This is a day of rejoicing and hope. Rejoicing that Christ is Risen and has defeated death, and Hope for all that after sorrow comes joy.

Hope and Joy! Two of the things that I - and I'm certain, the whole world - pray for during this Easter season.

Staying Vigil-ant

For several years, our Easter Vigils were spent in this church - The Franciscan Chapel Center in Roppongi.

I've written about it many times, and I'll write about it again. Spending Easter Vigil in this church is truly a rewarding, enriching and emotional experience.

From walking into the chapel in the dark and getting our candles. To the opening prayers held in the chapel gardens. Then walking to the main chapel where everything is dark and only lit by candle light. The scriptures are then read, along with beautifully sung hymns. (Hello, Go down Moses!)

And when the Alleluia comes, the lights all come on and the chapel is filled with life, joy and music!

After the gospel and homily, we then proceed to the basement for the traditional baptism of the new Catholics - an inspiring mix of young and old Catholics.

These same Catholics are then welcomed upstairs by the congregation though song and greetings. This part always wells my heart and leaves me teary-eyed.

The mass then concludes, and Mark and I walk off to Roppongi to have dinner.

It's been years since we spent Easter Vigils this way. We were hoping to do it this year. But this will have to wait when all this is over. For tonight, Easter Vigil was spent hearing mass on-line at The Manila Cathedral.

Until then, I have these memories to bring a smile on Easter night.