Rokh star: Grayer layer

Tokyo mission - accomplished!

One of things that was on my "must" list was to find and buy a few pieces from the GU x Rokh collaboration. Thus the visit to the GU Ginza store a few hours after my arrival.

This gray layered dress was one of the things that was on my list.

It's a twofer. The inner piece is a shirt dress with long sleeves that have a slit detail by the elbow. On top of it is a dress that has a gathered empire, mixing chiffon with a polyblend fabric.

This can be worn together, or as 2 separate pieces.

So, it's not just the colour that's versatile. So is the style!

Rokh rocks!

Camo(te)uflage

This scene was ultra cute that it deserved a photo!

Yup, there's a cat that's camouflaged on that pile of camote.

Cat cuteness, activated!

Yo Jo!

One thing that Jo and I realised is that this is the 4th country where we've met up.

First was in BKK when we were in our 20s.

Then, when she moved to SG, I'd visit her and stay at her flat.

Then, we met up in HKG during the time I was living there.

And last week, we met up in TYO!

So, where to next, Jo?

FMM: Robin Good

Suddenly had the urge to listen to this Jackson 5 classic from the 70s.

"Rockin' Robin," is a song that was played a lot in our house in Morato. It was also played a lot on TV. They also played it in parties.

Heck, they played it everywhere.

That's what happens when a song is this good.

That's smooth!

I've been seeing this online a lot, so heck, might as well try it while I'm in Tokyo.

The 7-11 Smoothie!

All I can say is: the hype is real.

Had this 3x in a day. 

It's that smoothie good!

Wear it's at!

The only line in this trailer, delivered by THE Meryl Streep, captures my sentiment about this upcoming film.

It took them too long to make "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Twenty years to be exact.

Hope it's worth the wait.

Fanta-bulous!

Another thing that was on top of the agenda in Tokyo was this:

Gotta get my Fanta Grape fix.

This never fails. 

Activated!

Spotted in the streets of Shibuya!

It's a Cebu Pacific activation!

As a Pinoy and an Advertising practitioner, it's great to see our brands being shown and represented abroad.

Let's fly, every Juan!

How convenient

Yes, you can't go to Japan without having a convenience store breakfast.

Went to the Family Mart near Roppongi Station. This is the branch where Mark and I usually go, so it's but right that this is where I'm going.

Their Tamago Sando never fails.

First on the a-GU-enda

Barely a few hours after arriving in Tokyo, here I am!

Yes, GU as the first stop is always a good idea.

FMM: Spinning around

No, this isn't a Kylie Minogue post.

But it's common knowledge that I'm a huge Kylie fan, and her song, "Spinning Around" is one of my all-time faves.

This is about another kind of spin - The Spinners!

This Detroit-based group from the 70s spawned a lot of memorable hits. I'm familiar with those songs, thanks to the cassette tape at home.

And since it's their first time in the FMM spotlight, let's start with my all-time fave:

"I'll be there" is their 1972 hit and has that very laid back and boppy tune.

So let's take it for a spin today. After all, it's Friday!

Feeling Yang

Because Tong Yang as a birthday celebration place is always a good idea.

With all the food and drinks, "Happy Burp-day" would be more appropriate.

Always special

It's not a Friday, but this 1984 hit from Iwi Laurel is such an appropriate song for today:

We visited Lolo, Lola and Tita Lon at Loyola today. 

It was our belated All Soul's Day visit. We usually go there earlier or later, so we avoid the November 1 crowd. Since it was raining last week, we ended up going today.

It's been decades, but they're still sorely missed, and will always be part of our special memory.

Kiddulting

You know you're an 80s kid when this toy makes you excited.

This propeller is a very simple toy, but it's so much fun to play with. It was part of my trick-or-treat loot, and there were some left and the creative team ended up playing with it non-stop.

Amazing how a simple toy can bring back the kid in you.

When a song comes to life

There are those rare instances when an iconic song lyric actually presents itself to you IRL.

Such was the case today.

Spotted this on our walk back to the office from lunch.

Yes, someone left a cake out in the rain.

I don't think that I can take it, 'cause it took so long to bake it. And I'll never have that recipe again.

Glenn's money piece

There's not much talk about the recently launched Glenn Martens x H&M collaboration. Here in MNL, at least.

Makes me wonder if they'll carry it in stores here.

Looking through the collection, you can see Glenn's street wear DNA in all of the pieces. The jeans and trousers are spectacular, which isn't surprising giving his stint at Diesel.

Also not surprising is the fact that the piece I'm most excited about in this collection is a pair of jeans.

The design and details are so over-the-top yet still wearable on this one.

Now the question still remains, will they carry this here?

Gotta go to an H&M store to find out.

Rokh with you - again

It felt like this story just happened yesterday.

Mark and I were in Tokyo, and we were meeting Jen in Shibuya. We went to the big GU store there, and they had a big display of the 1st GU x Rokh collab. The catch was that it was a preview display, so as much as I wanted to buy pieces, I couldn't. They were launching it a few days after we left. Boo!

Good thing, Kris went to Tokyo a few weeks after, and thanks to her, was able to snag the pieces that I was eyeing.

Now, the collab is back for the 3rd time!

And I'm going to Tokyo soon!

Wait for me, Rokh, will be there to get your fashionable pieces again.

FMM: Having a (Whig)field day

Someone played this song at the creative department, and it triggered a shocking realization.

This song is already 30 years old.

Yes, "Close to you" by Whigfield now qualifies as an old, Friday Magic Madness worthy song.

Fie this under "another indicator that I'm old."

Hallowheeen!

It's trick or treat day at the office. And it looks like I've overpacked treat bags.

Packed 55 bags, an it turns out that there are only 20 kids doing the traiditon.

That just means one thing:

The adults are in for a treat!

(Har)vest bet

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Clover Chips.

The taste and crunch of their classic cheese flavour is so familiar and comforting. It was one of my go-to comfort food during my expat days in HKG.

Apart from flavours, there hasn't been anything super new about Clover Chips. 

Or is there?

Yup, there is! Clove rChops has this Cassava chips variant called "Harvest." And it has a sweet and sour flavour, too!

Tried it, and it's good! It has the same Clover texture, but there's a certain difference with the crunch. And while sweet and sour isn't a common flavour for snack food, this one works.

This is going to be part of my snack rotation, stat.