Cool Cousin

Unprompted, this feature suddenly popped up on my FB reel.

What makes this reel special is that it features my cousin and their family restaurant in BCN.

Cristy is part of the 3rd generation of Bofarruls who are running Los Caracoles. And it's great to see how much they've embraced on-line marketing and advertising, but in a very authentic and organic way.

Proud cousin here.

Shopping for drama

It looks like great deals aren't the only things I'll be watching out for on the Shopee App.

They now have Shopee Drama!

Yup, they're vertical, micro-dramas that run for about 20-ish minutes, but broken down into 1-minute mini-sodes.

I've watched 1 or 2 of these dramas, and they're so cheesy and campy.

So cheesy and campy that they're actually entertaining.

Must. Resist. Watching.

Chinoiserie chic

Looks like Chinoiserie is having another moment in fast fashion.

From Zara to H&M to Stradivarius, Chinese themed blouses, particularly those with frog closures, are popping up. Some are made of Chinese-looking silk, while some are made with more modern fabrics like linen and denim.

Gosh, this reminds me of that whole stash of Chinoiserie that was in my closet during my stay in HKG and SHG. Should've kept those for a time like today.

The future is creative

This is the reason why teaching is something I'm passionate about. It's always great to see how young creative minds work, and how they approach creative challenges.

Today was my Copywriting class' final presentation, and they did campaigns for the school's hotel.

Seeing how creative their work is - both in strategic thinking and creative execution - it's easy to see that the future of creativity is in capable hands.

FMM: Double Life

Call this a double play or double feature, but today's Friday Magic Madness song is inspired by yesterday's movie trailer.

The trailer had a catchy music bed, and the song is a remake of this 1978 hit by Billy Joel:

"My Life" is one of his iconic songs, and it's been a while since I've last heard it play. But thanks to this trailer, it's now back in my playlist and I'm listening to it on repeat.

Safe to say, this song has been given a second life.

Oak-kay

Just when you thought you've seen every type of Dinosaur film, something like this comes along.

A sudden Dinosaur invasion in an American suburb? Anne Hathaway as a suburban housewife defeding her family from dinosaurs? Interesting.

While there's not much hype on "The End of Oak Street," looks like I'm going to wait for and watch this one.

Wearable Art

A few weeks ago, my parents and I went to this Bicol products fair at Shangrila Mall. 

They had the usual roster of products, like abaca and rattan products, pili nuts and its different derivatives, Paracale gold, Laing, and other Bicolano dishes.

But one booth stood out to me. It sold clothing, but with a very artistic twist.

The owner was an artist who does her own paintings, then prints them on fabric. From there, she makes various creations, including dresses, blouses, and other Filipiniana outfits.

The one that caught my eye was also the piece that eventually made it home. 

This is a bib blouse with a barong tagalog print. The blue artwork is the owners original art, and she added the barong pattern to give it the total barong Tagalog feels. It was so chic, creative and local.

And just like how barongs are usually paired with dark pants, I've paired it with a straight cut, dark denim jeans.

Now, this is modern Filipinana.

Now, this is art.

Hands off

So, it's true. They're shutting down the Tokyu Hands store in Shibuya.

Mark and I have been here once or twice. As a fan of crafting and writing, this place was a joy to visit. They had floors upon floors of papers, pens, cards, art materials, and everything else in between.

Hopefully, their other stores will still be open. That way, I'd still get my crafting fix whenever we go to Japan.

Bahnsen Burner

Was wondering, will Uniqlo be coming up with a new fashion collaborator? 

They have the regular lines with Clare Waight Keller and the U Studio. But there was a time when they had people like Phillip Lim, Costello Tagliapietra, Marni, Jil Sander and Alexander Wang doing capsule collections. And it would be cool to have something like that again.

Lo and behold, a capsule collection with Cecile Bahnsen.

She's a Danish designer known for blending femininity with her Scandinavian roots. So, think minimalism, but with a romantic twist. Something that you can see in her Uniqlo collaboration. It has a lot of ruffles and shirring, details that really elevates her pieces.

I've got my eye on the ruffled dresses, and something tells me that will land in Ate's closet soon.

Printed Matter: Dainty details

My penchant for botanical prints is well documented on this blog. In fact, Ate Bullet has a number of nice, botanical print clothes in her closet.

But there's always room for another one. Especially if the print is this cute.

This is a botanical print, but done in a dainty way. The prints are small and delicate, simple in its execution and colour, and spaced adequately so that you can appreciate it more.

And this dainty print is from an equally dainty dress from The Landmark.

You really can never have too many botanical print dresses. 

Meals with Mark: Aizu the sign

Mark has been talking about and swearing by this Japanese restaurant in San Pedro called Aizu.

It's one of the go-to restos of Mark and his family, and I've always wanted to try it and experience the Japanese food he's been raving about.

And today, that day finally came.

We had lunch at Aizu's 2nd branch. Apparently, the 1st branch, the one he frequents more often, is only open from 5pm onwards. 

Told Mark to handle the ordering since he knows this restaurant more. 

It's a super delicious and super satisfying spread of Tantanmen, gyoza, chicken karaage and chahan.

Everything was good. The ramen was creamy and spicy, and the noodles were firm. The gyoza was flavourful and the skin had the right amount of snap. The chahan was generous in therms of the inclusions and the quality of the rice was top notch. And the chicken karaage was crispy and crunchy without being too oily.

After the hearty meal, I now know why Mark enjoys Aizu a lot. And this is the sign that we should eat at Aizu more. (As well as sample the other restaurants around Pacita.)

FMM: What's the Plann?

Since we're in the subject of j3j3m0hwns, this song from 1993 suddenly came to mind.

"Bring dat booty" is a rap song from the Fil-Am group named Mastaplann. 

While this isn't exactly from the j3j3m0hwn era, (it predated it by more than a decade, actually), this song actually captures the vibe of that era. It campy, cheesy and cringey. But it's so campy, cheesy and cringey that it's fun.

Thus, it's fun to go back and randomly listen to songs like this. 

But yes, I'm still glad this era is over.

The Po3wzh Pose

Last Tuesday, the office had our birthday cocktails. The theme?

Jejemon.

Wait, that didn't come out right.

J3j3m0hwn!

As a sign of sportsmanship and the spirit of gameness, some of us showed up in our j3j3 best, which led the 3 of us to be named top 3 j3j3m0hwns.

I'm the traditional j3j3m0hwn, Mayu is the j3j3pan, and Mikee is the j3j3Lo.

Seeing this makes me even gladder that this era is over.

Sounds of Childhood

When we were kids, we had a talking alarm clock. It was a Raggedy Ann and Andy alarm clock, and if memory serves me right, it was Ate Lissa's and Ate Bullet's alarm clock.

You'd set the alarm, and once it hits the time when it was set, you could hear Raggedy Ann and Andy have this conversation:

Raggedy Ann: Andy, Andy, please wake up, it's time to play our game.

Andy: Okay, Ann, I'm awake, let's do it all again.

Sometimes, I'd get the clock and adjust the alarm to that exact moment I'm there, just to hear this conversation. And was always fun hearing it.

Recently, I saw that exact clock on the net.

It looks like the same one that we had. Now I'm wondering if it sounds the same, too.

Meals with Mark: Visiting Via

Via Mare, that is.

This is one of our go-to places to eat. And the Shangrila Plaza branch has been part of our foodie itinerary ever since it was on the ground floor, near the driveway.

For today's visit, we decided to go full-on Pinoy for merienda.

This combination of sweet (ginataang halo-halo), savoury (quezo de bola pandesal) and cold (shooters) was just what we needed. It's filling, flavourful, and has a summer vibe.

You can never go wrong with Via Mare.

Rugcats

Nope, this isn't a typo nor is it a spin-off of "Rugrats."

It's literally a cat on a rug, still enjoying the weekend feels.

Okay, cat. Time to work.

Master's Degree

Aside from "The Devil Wears Prada 2," here's the other reason I'm going back to the cinema soon.

I'm  a huge He-Man fan. In fact, the original "Masters of the Universe" film with Dolph Lungdren was one of my most watched films. And seeing the trailer of this 2-26 version, and seeing how the characters are closer to the cartoon counterpart, I'm even more psyched to see it.

The kid in me in screaming.

And he's screaming: "By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!!!!"

Summer Rokhs!

Seeing this dress from the latest summer collaboration from GU x Rokh makes me want to transport myself to a GU store, stat!

This dress screams summer! From the plaid fabric to the easy silhouette, it's such a cool and refreshing take on summer dressing.

Gee, you're making me want to go to Tokyo!

FMM: In the Nicks of time

What better way to end Double Denim week than this song from Stevie Nicks.

"Blue Denim" is one of my favourite Stevie Nicks songs. While it wasn't as popular or known here in the Philippines, this song has always been on my playlist since its launch in 1994. The sound is quintessential Stevie - a big of country, a bit of rock, but all phenomenal!

Until the next Double Denim week!

Double Denim week: Life is Pleating

This has got to be the fastest and easiest Stella buy in my history of Stella buying.

The moment my eyes locked in and saw this denim ensemble from afar, my fashion instincts kicked in and propelled me to the rack to snag these:

It's a beautifully pleated denim coords. The top is a sleeveless, pleated blouse made of dark denim. And it has cute ribbon details in front. The skirt is made of the same denim and the same pleating style. These 2 pieces complement each other so, so, SO perfectly.

Yes, this double denim look gives me life!