Virali-tea

So, there's a viral video about a HK Sprite iced tea recipe.

It's been passing by my feed for days, and even my friends are sharing the recipe with me.

As a former HKG resident, of course I had to try it.

Following the recipe on the video, the iced tea turned out a bit pale and light on the black tea flavour. So, I modified it and used 3 tea bags, and it made a world of difference.

The black tea taste is more pronounced, and the fizziness of the Sprite keeps it light and effervescent. Then, there's the kick of lemon after.

Some viral vids are worth paying attention to.

To calamansi is to believe

There's a potted calamansi tree at home, and since it's a fruit tree in a pot, I didn't have high hopes for it.

But lo and behold, seeing it this morning, it turns out that it's bearing a lot of fruit!

Now, we can just go out of the gate and pick a few if we need calamansi for juice or toyomansi.

Unbelievable!

Island living

The rains have been pouring non-stop the past few days, even Megamall has turned into an island.

Hope this lets up soon. I'm missing the sunshine.

Living the dream(er)

I've seen this video quite a few times already. It's an audition from the 2018 edition of "The X-Factor UK." Gosh! It means this video is already 8 years old.

This audition features a 50-year old singer named Jancie Robinson who did a rousing rendition of a very danceable ditty. (Two alliterations in a row!)

While she was being interviewed, there was a backstory about that song that she sang. Apparently, it was a hit song that was part of the soundtrack of both Robbie Williams' and Louis Tomlinson's lives. After doing research, it turns out that the song - "Dreamer" - was a song from an American group called "Living Joy." 

And guess what, Janice Robinson was the lead singer of that group.

The song reached number 1 in the UK charts, which explains why Robbie and Louis are very familiar with it. Looking at both videos now, Janice hasn't lost that beautiful voice and commanding presence on the UK stage. Whether it was "Top of the Pops" in 1995 or "The X-Factor UK" in 2018, she still has that power and presence.

No wonder her dreams - and dreamer - are still going after more than 2 decades.

Meals with Mark: Easy Aussie

In the continuing saga of "Where do we eat in One Ayala." 

 We've passed by Panco a few times, but haven't tried eating there. Panco is an Australian-inspired cafe that serves Australian coffee and Pinoy meals. Tried this at The Podium once, but haven't eaten here with Mark, so we decided to have lunch here last Saturday. 

 My go-to order here is the Salmon Cream Dip with pandesal.

This never disappoints. The creaminess and savoury salmon pairs well with the crunchy and soft pandesal. We also tried their rice meals - Mark having the charred longganiza and me having the fish tartare. They're both really good! 

 Looks like we have another winning discovery!

Send me one line

No, this ins't a Spyro Gyra post. But it feels like I'll have one of their songs as a Friday Magic Madness song soon.

This is about Toni's bazaar at One Ayala today.

Dropped by after school, and got there around 11am. And as early as that time, they already had this long line of folks wanting to try Sweet Tones cakes.

It's actually like this in a lot of the bazaars that she joins. And it's not surprising since the cakes are really good. Especially the Ube Bibingka Cheesecake.

Way to go, Toni!

FMM: Mx it up

While writing the title for yesterday's Mexican story, this song suddenly clicked and played in my head non-stop.

"Mixed-up World" is another catchy ditty from Sophie Ellis Bextor, this time from 2003. While it's not as overly popular like "Murder of the Dance Floor" and "I won't change you," this song is as catchy and danceable as the first 2.

And in true Sophie Ellis Bextor fashion, the music video was eye candy - filled with stunning visuals, great fashion, and signature moves.

Because of all these reasons, this song will suddenly be in the mix the next few days.

Mex it up

Since yesterday was a WFH day, thought of using my in-between-work-time doing something meaningful and memorable.

That activity is making Ham and Cheese Quesadillas for the usual Senior's afternoon merienda get-togehter.

It's memorable because quesadillas remind me of Tokyo and Mark. We would usually make quesadillas for Pinoy parties, like the GRIPS Hanami and birthday celebrations at IH2. It's meaningful because it's for the my folks and their friends.

Decided to use 2 types of ham - chicken ham and farmers ham. Also used 2 types of cheese - mozarella and quick melt cheddar.

The tortilla was brushed with a bit of butter, for that extra flavour and crunch.

And here it is!

Estoy ogrullosa de mi creacion!

Everything's coming up Rosie

It's one of those days when you wish there was a Target store here in MNL.

If they were here, I'd be there now, grabbing pieces from the Rosie Assoulin x Target collab.

Rosie Assoulin is known for her very feminine and fun aesthetic. She plays with colours, patterns, and executes them in sharply tailored pieces. And that DNA is easily seen in her Target collection.

The piece that caught my eye is this off-shoulder, button down denim dress.

It has a casual and classy silhouette, and the denim makes it easy-to-wear for every day.

Gotta find a way to get this.

Musinsa's scene

The Korean fashion invasion continues.

If it wasn't enough that we now have Top Ten and 8 seconds, Musinsa will soon be part of the Philippine scene!

The Ayala group is bringing in Musinsa, and understandably, their first store will be in Glorietta. I'm interested to see how big their store will be, and how much product they're carrying. If it's anything like their Seoul stores - filled with clothes, beauty products, and nutritional supplements, then they have the makings of a huge hit.

Question is: when will the bring in SPAO?

Escape plan

Saw this very peculiar sight while passing through DIY in Ali Mall.

I'm not sure if a kid left it there, or if it fell when one of the staff was restocking, but it sure looks like the toy dinosaur is hatching an escape plan.

There's a story in this somewhere.

Cool Cat

Couldn't help but take a photo of this cool cat that I spotted yesterday.

His stance, his look, his vibe - it screams "I'm cool and can't be bothered."

That's an attitude that we should all have.

Meals with Mark: Mucho Gosto

Mark and I are in One Ayala so often, we've tried almost all restaurants in the mall.

We have our go-tos like Tim Ho Wan, Chili's and Friday's. We've tried all the Bistro Group restaurants in the environs. We've had one-off lunches and dinners at Fat Seed, Khao Khai, Ebi Ten, Stuffd - and the list goes on.

But one place that we always pass by but haven't tried yet is Bom Gosto.

It's the European Concept of The Vikings Group, and it's an ala carte place. Yup, while most concepts of The Vikings Group are buffet places, this one goes against the grain. 

Since we're going against the grain anyway, we decided to try it for lunch today.

Like most Bistro restaurants, they also have an all-day set menu, which is what caught Mark's eye when we first passed by. After browsing the menu, the already knew what he wanted. So did I.

For starters, we had the croquettas and tomato salad with parmesan texture. (It was the "parmesan texture" that got us.)

For the mains, we had the chicken cordon bleu and shrimp alfredo pasta. It was so appetizing, we forgot to take a photo of it. 

Because there's always room for dessert, we had the Classic Torrija.

Overall, the food, ambience and service was well worth its price. Not bad for our first experience here.

And looks like it won't be our last.

FMM: Living in a bubble

In my mind's playlist, there's a long list of songs that are inextricably attached to films. Whether the song was part of the film itself, or the song was incidentally played somewhere in the theater, these songs suddenly have a different and deeper meaning.

Most of these songs are old ones, so it's time to feature them as Friday Magic Madness songs.

In 1976, there was a film that would often be shown in RPN-9 entitled "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble." It starred John Travolta as a teen who was born without an immune system, so he had to live inside a plastic bubble his entire life.

There was a scene - not sure if it was the ending scene - where he finally steps out of the plastic bubble and rides off on a horse with the love of his life. And the song that was playing in that scene was this 1976 hit from Paul Williams.

"What would they say" was written for the film, and it was a perfect match for the scene where it was played. There was a feeling of freedom and joy that captured that final scene.

Now that I've played this song again, it's time to scrounge youtube for the film itself.

City view

Look who had a glow-up.

The Medical City lobby just had a makeover. 

The area which used to be open and had a fountain is now enclosed, air conditioned, and laid out with more couches and waiting areas.The area leading to the garden now has floor to ceiling windows, which highlights the nice view outside.

While the old lobby has a sense of nostalgia for me, this new one looks pretty fine.

Rice above

Amazing how local chefs are continuously finding ways of elevating local dishes.

Biboy and Liz brought this box of rice cakes from a famous shop in Laguna.

It's the traditional bibingka, but elevated through its flavours. Aside from the classic bibingka, they also have choc-nut, almond yema, and ube. As an 80s kid, the choc-nut one was the best for me.

Alas, their only store is in Laguna, so it might take some time before we get to enjoy these rice cakes again.

What sorcery is this?

This is the legitimization of the Pinoy habit of dipping their fries in sundae.

Frankly, I'm so tempted to try this out.

Scared. But tempted.

You say potato, and I say...

Baked!

Speaking of comebacks, one of my fave Wendy's products is finally back!

Back in college, Wendy's Baked Potato at their Quezon Avenue branch was my go-to meal. Paired with their iconic iced tea - it was bliss!

As their old tagline goes: It's the best time for Wendy's!

Color Story: Taupe tier

This is one of my most watched scenes from "Desperate Housewives."

It's less than 4 minutes, but it's bursting with quotable quotes that's been living in my head rent free for years now. 

One of the standouts for me is: 

GABY: "I said taupe, this is clearly beige."

MANAGER: "We don't have it in taupe."

GABY: "Second floor, third mannequin to the left. Look alive!"

Watching this again inspired this post about an outfit from 2 of my go-to shopping places.

The taupe top is from Bocu. It's a classic, boatneck shell that goes well with everything. And because of the simplicity of the top, the pants should make a statement. And that's what this pair from The Landmark can boast of.

It's a wide legged pant with asymmetric panels that sway when you walk. Together, it's an outfit that's simple in terms of colour, but generous in fashionable details.

And that's today's top taupe look.

Visual feast

It's been a while since I've posted about Taylor Swift, so this is long overdue.

I've seen her music video for "The Fate of Ophelia" many times already, and I'm still in awe at the art direction and visuals of this video.

Each vignette is thoughtfully conceptualized and beautifully executed. Each one has a strong concept - Esther Williams' synchronized swimming, Parisian showgirls, Mod 60s dancers, 40s pin-up girls - each one was a feast for the eyes.

And let's not forget the song itself, that's a feast for the ears, too.

This is how MVs should be done. And Taylor knows how to do them perfectly!