Mamou-fied

Casting call.

Sunday brunch is becoming a regular habit.  We started this last year and am glad we are making it as often as we can.  This week's attendees included Expat EIC and Phil Star columnist Katrina Holigores, makeup artist Bobby Carlos, fashion designer's Louis Claparols, Ivar Aseron and designer turned global artist Patty Eustaquio.  Brunch became lunch instead at one of our favorite spots-- Mamou in Serendra at the Fort in Taguig.  Food has always been so good and service is faster than a speeding bullet.  I didn't order my favorite Eggs Benedict with bacon since I came in super late (which by the way is a rare thing) but got a pasta dish--Vongole(clams) instead. I've tried this excellent dish and decided to do something with it for a change. Adding a twist to my meal I spiced the Vongole with ground pepper for that added flavor and was satisfied to my hearts content.  

Vongole surprise.

Cheezy.

Wawawawawawwaaaaaa!!!

For dessert, I was so jealous of Patty's ( who's having a group exhibit at White Space this coming Saturday and another one in Hongkong in March) order and decided to get the same--New York cheesecake.  I was savoring the oh so heavenly melt slowly in my mouth. In my opinion, I think Mamou has one of the best cheesecakes in town. Am so glad it's not one of those mousse cheesecakes which am not so fond of at all.  Perfect Sunday lunchies with a lot of kwentos.  Wished everyday was a Sunday :-)

Kat wearing a silk top from Mphosis, jeans by Viktor, ballet flats from Sapato Manila
and red cowhide bag from TRU.

Louis wearing a green tank top from GAP, striped v-neck shirt from Topshop, gray
harem pants from F & H, high cut shoes by Bernard Wilhelm, sunglasses by MIU MIU
and black bag by Gaspard Yurkievich.

Ivar wearing blackk tee by McQ, pique pants by himself, shoes by Neil Barrett
and bag by Balenciaga.

Bobby wearing printed tee and gray pants both by Fox, blue patent shoes by Opening
Ceremony and black nylon backpack by Prada.

Patty wearing a black knit top by H & M, polka dot short by Mphosis, yellow shoes
by Camper and printed clutch  by Heather Miss Grey.

The author wearing an ourange tee by Banana repulbic, plaid shorts by Springfield,
watch with wooden face and red patent strap from a bazaar, orange laceless lace ups by
Frank at Traffic, nude lambskin bag from HK and suinglasses by Burberry Prossum.

A step on style.

For Your Eyes Only

Have you ever wondered how an excellent Ad campaign is made?  Those beautiful billboards you see along edsa, store window displays, posters in the malls, catalogues and on the pages of glossies and broadsheets are all products of meticulous hard work.  From concept brainstorming to pre-production and production to printing, "the process" is like putting pieces of a big puzzle together.  It is no easy feat creating  an image of a brand or product.  For the consumer, all they see is the output which is left to their personal judgement. But for the team who's hands get all dirty to achieve this, the objective is to sell the image, promote a look or make a statement. With it comes heavy research, product development, buying, sourcing and the list goes on and on. Everything is planned well and it's not something you think of out of the blue or for the moment.  For the greater majority, it's just a matter of liking it or not.  To give you an idea of what happens behind the scenes, here is a sneak peak behind the smiles of SM's Shoes and Bags Summer Campaign shoot in Boracay.

Jack in the box?

This was the set up since 5am.

Rolling stones at 7am.

Retouch. 

A stone throw away.

Clipping on.

Gio and Rudolph with clothes in line.

Peter's instant set up.

Pat and Laura's smile check.

Formal setting.

Each shoot is different from one another in terms of looks, style and proportion but the effort put into it is all the same.  No shoot is greater or lesser than the other because they are all a result of collaborative efforts from each member of the team.  Professionally, everyone is integral and important from the client, agency, photographer, stylists, makeup artist, hair stylists, models and assistants.  Based on experience,the real key aside from what I've mentioned earlier is chemistry.  With no walls to be broken down,the invisible ties that bind us makes every shoot faster, lighter and easier. 


Rudolph wearing 21 Men.

Bobby wearing SM Wayferer.

Belle wearing Ray Ban.

Ria wearing Ray Ban Wayferer.

Donna wearing Chanel.

Rina wearing Ray Ban.

Reg wearing Anne Klein.

The author wearing Tom Ford.



True Food

Don't be deceived by the title. It's not the famous Indian restaurant found in the isle of Boracay. Whenever I go back,  I never miss out on having a good brekkie (breakfast) in Real Coffee.  Located in between station1 and 2, you can ask any tricycle driver or islander for directions and  they will surely show you the way.  The place is owned by Nadine who was introduced to me by a close friend almost a decade ago.  Since then, I never fail to keep coming back.

Me and my kids with the Queen of Real Coffee-Nadine's Mom(center).

They serve healthy breakfast food and  one of the best brewed (barako I think) coffee in the island.  Aside from the waker uppers, the quaint resto is known for signature offerings such as the pesto omelette and tuna melt.  We recently discovered the mouth-watering chicken sandwich also known as Marc's Melt ( named after tv personality Marc Nelson).  Seems like you can't get enough when you go through the entire menu filled with yummy treats. No fuss and flash presentations, the food is simple, healthy and something to look forward to.  Definitely a good way to start your day and satisfy your big morning appetite. 



Muchos Pesto.



The way Mark melts.

 One must not miss the legendary calamansi cupcake.  I used to order a dozen and bring them back home to Manila for my mom and sisters.  The best time to get these food for thought is in the morning and mid afternoon when they bake it. Nothing compares to this gastronomic find that's only available in the island til this day.  The food is as "real" as it can get.


Let them eat cake.

 Another place one shouldn't miss is JONAS for their fruit and milkshakes-super divine.  We had them during our first night plus a taste of the fake choriburger.  Please never get them in the restos because they're not even close to the real thing.  Try being adventurous and start  looking for those barbeque stalls on the street ( though we heard these stands are already prohibited to be setup along the beach) because they sell the authentic ones.  If JONAS is full, then you can get good shakes at JONY's as well which is just a few stores away. It's the perfect place to hangout out in the afternoon to snack up, have a round of drinks or people watch. They have this really good anchovy pizza so heavenly you just might end up ordering another one.


Mad scramble.



Cocktail hour @ Jony's.



Sweet surrender.



Smile with your heart.



Island Smiles

I'm back!!!  After four days of work and super fun in the renowned island of Boracay I know I will be coming back.  The next few days will be all about my stay so please stick it out with me. After being there for the Nth time, Bora can still be quite captivating.  This trip was special because it was the first time SM shoes and bags department shot their campaign in the island.  It was a big group (23 to be exact) and with us were 13 balikbayan boxes filled with more than a hundred pairs of shoes and bags in total (men's and ladies),  and the latest merchandise to come out this summer 2011.  IN between shoots, we had our own shoot as well and with it were smiling faces under the sun against the palette of blues in the endless horizon. 

Belle wearing an oversized blouson top by The Ramp, white shorts by 50th Ave, silver and black rosette bag from Bangkok, black hat from Boracay and sunglasses by Ray Ban.

Rudolph wearing blue tee from Topman, board shorts by Ezekiel, bracelets from H & M,  sunglasses from 21men, vintage sling from Springfield and Fedora from Texas.

Ria wearing a dress by Forever 21, bikini top from Taiwan, sling bag from Boracay and sunglasses by Ray Ban.



May wearing printed tee by Mango, sunglasses by Ray Ban and hat from Nothing But Water.

 

Mau wearing a printed orange tee by F & H, board shorts by Bench, sarong and sunglasses both by SM and printed sling.

Reg wearing a stripes top and orange shrts both by Forever 21, yellow sling bag from Bangkok, slippers by Havaianas, necklace by PeaceLoveFashion and straw hat from Boracay.

Mikey wearing a vintage polka dot printed long sleeve polo, white tee by Topman, shorts by Mental and sunglasses by Aldo.

Bobby wearing a gray tee from Muji, printed board shorts by Gaspard Yurkievich, armband by Paul Smith, nylon robot bag and sunglasses both by Prada.

Pat wearing a printed tee from UNiqlo and boardshorts from Quicksilver and sunglasses by Hugo Boss.



Gio wearing a striped long sleeve shirt from Topman, scarf by Terranova and sunglasses by SM accessories.

 

Donna wearing  flowy cotton top by Topshop, printed shorts by Mango, leather fringe bag from a bazaar, sunglasses by Chanel and fedora from Bangkok.



Rina (left) wearing a printed tee by Forever 21 and sunglasses by Ray Ban and Lora (right) wearing a white tee from Giordano, drawstring pants from Old Navy, waterproff sling bag by Pacsafe and native hat from Boracay.

 

The author wearing white v neck tee from Uniqlo, bright fucshia shorts by Joey Samson, printed tote by Marc by Marc Jacobs and sunglasses by Tom Ford.

Work never seems like it when there's a lot of fun involved.  The fun in work is a different experiemce altogether.  Without it, the work life would be meaningless.  Finishing almost 56 layouts including options (atleast for ladies bags and shoes) was a miracle to accomplish.  But with a great team, a lot of sweat and endless laughs...everything was so worth it.

From ear to ear :-)