3Coins +Plus: An Inexpensive Cure To My Shopping Madness

Posted on October 20, 2014 by heavenliner

When I was still undecided whether the recent long holiday weekend will be spent in Osaka, there has been a bunch of souls who keeps on telling me to go domestic. A lot has been suggesting the City of Pines, Baguio. I told them I’d rather go to Osaka because the trip (from Manila) is shorter by four hours. And besides, Baguio has yet to have a 3Coins outlet.

3Coins Store is the more stylish version of 100-Yen shops. 3Coins basically signifies 3 pieces of one hundred yen coins. Thus, all items found in this store is worth 300 Yen (around 150 Philippine pesos or 2.80 US dollars). Since it is three times more expensive than the usually substandard items found in 100 Yen shops, the ones found in this store is of course of superior quality.

those cute socks for tables and chairs is such an ingenious idea!

those rugs were beautiful…

super nice…

love this store!

And since the items are reasonably priced, this is the ultimate store in Japan where deficiencies in my overall recurring retail therapy are fulfilled. It’s like the final doze of medicine to cure my shopping madness when my pocket can no longer cope with it. Thus, 3Coins is a testament that shopping in Japan need not be expensive.

3 Coins according to their website actually has variety of stores. Correct me if I’m wrong here… They have 3Coins Ooops. The 3Coins Station. The 3Coins+plus. The classic 3Coins. And the somewhat high-end Colle.

The one me and Nengkoy shopped at in Osaka was at 3Coins +Plus outlet. This is the outlet that offers not just items priced at 300 yen but also superb stuffs priced at 1,000 yen (500 Philippine pesos or roughly around 10 US dollars).

I so love this place because this is one of those rare stores that me and Nengkoy seem to have a shopping truce. My mother would usually attack the penchants and the inclinations of my shopping selections due to its absurd and ridiculous prices. But when we are at a 3Coins store, there seem to be a cessation of hostilities between us. It is because she does agree with me on how nice the articles for sale are at a very reasonable price.

nengkoy at the bottom of the stairs... she got herself a couple of cool-looking earrings!

nengkoy at the bottom of the stairs… aside from some bathroom thingies, she got herself a couple of cool-looking earrings!

The store offers daily utilized good as well as lifestyle home interior decors. I particularly love their shower curtains, bedroom slippers, bathroom rugs and storage boxes. And most recently, I discovered that their colorful selections of socks are just so adorable!

Wanpibti lang… Murang mura…

Capricho of a Caprichoso at Comme Des Garcons

Posted on October 16, 2014 by heavenliner

I admit. I have considerable volumes of shirts in various colors, prints, styles and designs. My mother even consider my living quarters as nothing but a humongous cubbyhole of articles of clothing. She would often allege and accuse me of storing some inside my fridge because my closets and boxes of garments are all so choked-up and full to its brim. That is why the last thing I need is another piece of tee shirt.

But because of my caprichoso-ness (capriciousness), I know that I simply have to satiate my capricho. That is why when I was planning my little shopping in Osaka, my odd obsession was focused towards buying a simple yet over-priced piece of shirt. The Comme Des Garcons Play t-shirt.

I was so determined to acquire one, I even googled where in Osaka a Comme De Garcons outlet is. Good thing my nephew Denden knew exactly where in Namba Parks the store is located. Armed with unbendable willpower and fortitude, I, Nengkoy and my niece Erika trekked to the high-end portion of the mall.

caprichoso at comme des garcons osaka

As soon as we found the outlet, I selected from among the limited designs and supplies hanged on the racks. And since I look broke and penniless, the shop attendant did not allow me to wear and test fit it. I got infuriated I wanted to buy the shop attendant himself.

But since I was so focused on my target, I brushed him aside. With irrational conduct, I procured a piece. And with closed eyes, I paid the somewhat unreasonable worth as printed on the price tag.

my proof of purchase…

what i had…

Erika and I went back to the apartment with satisfied and happy faces. Nengkoy however was perplexed, maddened and enraged! Not with the shop attendant but with my capricho and being a caprishoso.

Awtpit pamalengke… Hahaha!

Pablo Cheese Tart Got a Bright Spot Light

Posted on October 15, 2014 by heavenliner

Osaka is known all over Japan as having the best gastronomic courses and culinary entities. Thus, it is not farfetched that the best cheese tart in that part of the planet originated in Osaka. I am talking about the luscious cheese tart from Pablo.

Falling on queue at Pablo’s take-away shop to purchase the famous cheese tart has been part of my last three visits in Japan.

nengkoy while on a long queue at pablo take-away store last spring of 2014

where magic happens…

Served in large spherical portions good for sharing, my theory why this cheese tart has gone so admired and popular is because its flavor and texture is never overpowering to the taste. Unlike the usual cheese tarts when consumed in large amounts would result to nauseatingly cloying feeling, Pablo’s version is subtle, light and delicate to the palate.

Pablo store has gone so swell, I was amazed to learn that they have progressed from a take-away store into a casual dine-in shop serving various drink concoctions, pastries, cakes and desserts. These pastry diner shops also became a hit, it has started to mushroom around Japan.

spherical pieces of heaven!

what a luscious selection!

During my recent October 2014 visit, I told my dear nephew and nieces (based in Osaka) that I and Nengkoy would not miss the opportunity to dine in one of the Pablo shops before going back to Manila.

However, our first venture at Pablo’s Shishaibashi branch was a failure because there were no seats available and we have to fall on a long line of patrons waiting for their turn to be given those precious table. Me and my mother settled on buying the premium version of the cheese tart and have it devoured at my nephew and nieces’ house.

new dine-in pablo branch in shinsaibashi

Our second try was a success! After accomplishing a long walking tour of the majestic Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture, we agreed to have a snack before going back to Osaka. We were glad to find out that a Pablo dine-in branch has just opened in Himeji.

Pablo in Himeji was a true winner. Aside from the good food and drinks we had, I specifically loved the restaurant’s beautiful interiors! The aesthetic elements of the shop were remarkably trendy, cool and stylish!

welcome to himeji branch!

super nice…

glad to have discovered this branch in himeji…

cozy corner…

happy…

With the light enchanting flavors of their appetizing dishes combined with modish designs of the interiors, it would not be a surprise if Pablo would cross ocean borders and establish its shops at other places around the world.

Aysimplilabit…

A Rare Glico Moment in Osaka

Posted on October 12, 2014 by heavenliner

A tourist when in Osaka will never be considered a complete holidaymaker if he misses taking a photo of (or with) the iconic Glico neon signboard. The ginormous nightly lighted panel is located at downtown Dotonbori district. The Ezaki Glico Company’s triumphant running man with raised arms on a blue track with Osaka Castle, Tsutentaku Tower and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan in its background has long been considered an amusing landmark in Osaka.

my sister joie during our april 2012 visit

my sister joie during our spring of 2012 visit

glico in the spring of 2013, shot from afar of ebisu bridge

glico at night, during my spring 2014 visit

But during my trip with Nengkoy this October 2014, while walking along my favorite Shinsaibashi strip, my pamangkins (nieces and nephew) shocked me when they said that Glico has transformed into a woman. I just brushed their story and obviously did not believed them. But when we get to the Ebisu Bridge of Dotonbori-gawa River, I was stunned!

The massive display panel was covered with a tarpaulin, in which printed on it is a lady in exactly the same position of Glico with the same background. When I asked my pamangkins – with a very worried face – on what happened, they smiled and told me that the iconic signboard is undergoing revamp and overhaul.

rare, odd and singular!
glico relieved by a woman

They immediately told me to take a photo since it would be one of the rarest events in Osaka when the treasured symbol is temporarily bugged and preoccupied. True enough, according to news the well-adored signboard will no longer be made of neon lights but will instead be LED powered already when it is re-lighted.

When I asked who the lady on the photo was commissioned to pose ala-Glico-like, my nephew told me that she was like the Marian Rivera of the Philippines. (Marian Rivera, the two-time FHM Magazine’s sexiest Filipina is a mega icon celebrity in the Philippines who is also very popular in other South East Asian countries).

This turn of events just added to the exceptionality and uniqueness of my recent Osaka visit. Imagine, Osaka’s Glico lighted nightly for the last 80 years is momentarily absent and was temporarily relieved by a woman? ? It’s like temporarily replacing the Statue of Liberty while it undergoes refurbishments with an effigy of Brad Pitt wearing a robe and holding up a torch. That I think is truly rare…

Nangawit lang pala kaya nagpahinga… Aym shur, estatwa ni Rizal sa Luneta pag-nirepeyr, rebulto ni Kris Aquino ang ipapalit.

The Grand Symphony of Beauty of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Posted on September 27, 2014 by heavenliner

the grand budapest hotel

Can a film be at the same time funny, exciting, intelligent, poetic, violent, colorful and absurd? The answer can be found in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is because all these elements are present in this brilliant movie.

Ralph Fiennes character of Gustave H, the hotel’s superstar Concierge is such a joy to watch. He imbibes sophistication in his acting in which humor, action and drama were all mixed up in such a perfect balance. Aside from the great Fiennes, the film also boasts of master cameo performances by that of Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, Owen Wilson, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton and a lot more. Presence of these superstars would definitely elicit giggles from the viewers by their mere simple recognition in the movie.

the visuals were simply brilliant!

Because of the gorgeous colors, the engrossing story, the stunning visuals and the array of actors with bits of roles in the story, the movie feels like I was walking through one fantastic and extraordinary music video. I was like transported to the eloquent 1930s Europe of a different universe without the jet lag.

Aside from all these elements, what I particularly would like to rave about the movie are the well-crafted sparkling dialogues. Spoken especially by the engaging Gustave H. The set of words spoken by Gustave are like pieces of art works hanging in a museum. He can be very eloquently composed and can also be uproariously agitated. And because of his difficulty from balancing his temperament he ends up being sophisticatedly hilarious!

To prove my point here is the dialogue, a letter in fact, written by Gustave H to his colleagues of the hotel when he was at the confines of a prison:

My dear and trusted colleagues,

I miss you deeply as I write from the confines of my regrettable and preposterous incarceration. Until I walk amongst you again as a free man, the Grand Budapest remains in your hands, as does its impeccable reputation. Keep it spotless, and glorify it. Take extra-special care of every little bitty bit of it as if I were watching over you like a hawk with a horse-whip in its talons, because I am. Should I discover a lapse of any variety during my absence, I promise swift and merciless justice will descend upon you. A great and noble house has been placed under your protection. Tell Zero if you see any funny business.

Your devoted Monsieur Gustave

The dialogues were so incredibly sharp, rich, witty and completely brilliant. In fact, because of the clever use of words in the dialogues, this is one of the few movies which would be worthy to be seen with subtitles.

No doubt, the Grand Budapest Hotel is one grand symphony of beauty. I truly enjoyed it!

May oskar ‘to. Pihado ko.

Applause for Nick the Gardener

Posted on September 26, 2014 by heavenliner

bill reilich also know as nick the gardener

I know how much it takes to achieve a hot gorgeous body. It doesn’t only take few exercises and a good set of genes. It takes a lot of physical workouts, a pretty good knowledge about concepts of human musculature and isometrics, good knowhow about nutrition and of course loads and loads of time, sacrifices and attitude. And once you achieved your goal you must not stop. It again takes loads of what I just enumerated to maintain it.

That is why I praise and applause all those human beings who were able to achieve their physical goal and successfully maintains it.

Just like Nick the Gardener. Here’s an enjoyable clip when powerful Ellen pushed for Nick to be included in a Hollywood movie.

I have not seen the movie Magic Mike. But after that, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he got at least a small part in the movie. And because of this, it looks like there will be a pretty good chance that I will be watching the sequel.

Nick the Gardener must have worked so hard to achieve that. Good for him!

klap! klap! klap!

Rattled by Bench, Pacified by Meghan

Posted on September 12, 2014 by heavenliner

It is again the season when sizzling hot sexy bodies of the human species – photoshopped or genuine – would bombard almost all forms of media. No thanks to the upcoming denim and underwear mega-produced fashion show entitled The Naked Truth of a local clothing brand Bench (set on Sep 19 at the SM Arena).

Those pretty damn photos released on all visual forms of media make me feel like a wrecked low-class yappy loser. It’s like those photos are voicing out a soundless question “What happened to you?” They are so gorgeous it actually hurts to look at them! Here’s a couple of (still subtle) photos which I grabbed from the B/Blog on bench.com.ph website.

even the ‘go-see’ event was a huge one

effortless…

so gorgeous, it hurts to look at them! Hahaha!

But all these feelings simply fades away every time I hear the pop and somewhat throwback rock & roll track ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor. I feel so boosted everytime I would sing along with Meghan the portion of the lyrics that says, “Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top”.

This song I guess will never be played on a fashion run way. That is why let this song be my paralyzing message to all those eye-catching Bench models with such stunning corpus. Here’s a fun fun version with Jimmy Fallon and friends…

Pampalubag loob.

Superlative Aesthetics of Barber’s Tales

Posted on August 22, 2014 by heavenliner

barber’s tales movie poster

All elements of a good movie seem to be present in the film Barber’s Tales written and directed by Jun Lana. Everything in the movie though simple in its attack seems mesmeric. It is so good the viewers at the end of the film could not control from clapping their hands.

It is a quiet movie yet its overall effect encompasses viewers’ expectations of a well-made film: honest-to-goodness directing and storytelling; unpredictable twists and characters; so-true-to-the-character acting performances; skillful use of the Filipino language; unobtrusive and discreet use of music that mixes naturally with the sound of the environment; and, lastly the brilliant use of old and faded colors.

I know there have been heaps of positive reviews and blog posts written about Barber’s Tales highlighting on how good the story is, how cohesive the direction and cinematography was or how impressive the actors were. Thus with this post, let me honor one aspect of the film that seems to have been slightly neglected. The production design.

Being a person who grew up in the era on when the story wheeled on, this element of the film truly delighted me. Thus, for me, Chito Sumera, the production designer of the movie is one of the movie’s superstars.

The movie’s production design brought me back to my pre-school years in Pasay. I agreed with all the 70’s period props and costumes featured in the movie. From the prostitutes’ usage of pink plastic rolers (curler tubes) on their hair, the presence of old transistor radio inside the barbershop, the usage of hoary kulambo (mosquito net), the presence of time-consuming ginanchillo (crochet fabric) on top of the rickety-looking tocador (a dresser) and even the old magazine with Margie Moran on its cover were all genuinely amazing to see. These well-researched props made me further feel the critical sensory-emotional values of the film.

when i was still a kid, i always thought that those batya (laundry tubs) were giant tansan (bottle caps)

I actually whispered to Nengkoy while the movie was running if she noticed and still recalls those reliable tin metal batya (laundry tub) which the main character and her best friend were using in one of the beautiful scenes.

These key design elements further elevated the film to be closer to what is the truth and what has existed in the past, thus, making the story so real.

The Barber’s Tales is still showing in few selected cinemas in the metro. For its ‘true’ aesthetics, this film is definitely a must watch movie.

Hanep!

Gorgeous Judges

Posted on July 19, 2014 by heavenliner

Nowadays, every country seem to have their own franchise or version of The X Factor, Idol, The Voice or ‘name-a-country’ Got Talent. With the continuous popularity of these reality singing contests season after season along with the continuous diaspora of the Filipino race in every corner of the globe, it is no longer a big surprise if one or two or three of the show’s contestants are Filipinos or of Filipino descent. And because of the innate singing talent, Filipinos around the world has been wowing the planet.

And every time a Filipino joins these contests, the whole country tend to celebrate and be more than proud every time the Judges would either love, praise and exalt the talent they just heard. I actually at times gets so whacked every time I read the dog-tired “Proud To Be Pinoy” comment on Facebook or Youtube.

Anyway, because of these happenings, I along with a lot of Filipinos got to see personalities and celebrities around the world judging these reality based singing contests. Thanks to Youtube and Facebook.

Let me clarify, this write-up is not about my fellow Filipinos with killer pipes. This is about the judges of these fabulous contests. So far, via Youtube, I have seen and watched celebrity judges from Bulgaria, Italy, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Australia, USA, Israel, China, Canada, Spain, Poland, Norway, Taiwan, Ireland, Thailand, Austria and New Zealand. It is because these are some of the countries where at least one Filipino has joined.

ronan, danii, redfoo and nathalie (photo taken from au.lifestyle.yahoo.com)

Anyway, going back to the judges!

For me, the most gorgeous set of judges ever is from Australia. They are the Season 5 and presently running Season 6 of X Factor Aussie version. They are the clean cut Ronan Keating, the brunette Danii Minogue, the afro Redfoo and the blonde Nathalie Bassingthwaighte.

I have seen them throughout the whole season of season 5 and all I can say is that these four are simply oozing with gorgeousness both inside and out. If I am to join a singing contest, I would be joining the contest where all these four will be judging.

They are the only set of judges in a reality singing contest who gave a contestant more than a standing ovation. The four super impressed me when all of them stood on top of the judges’ desk to jump and applause over a contestant’s unbelievable performance!

Their comments may it be a denigration or accolades towards a performance looks and feels so sincere. They judge the performance not the person. What’s so good about their criticisms is that they express it not in a very cocky, arrogant or harsh manner. Even though a performance may turn bad, these judges always have something positive to say. Thus, rejected contestant walks out of the stage unhurt and actually goes home happy and inspired.

They’re the living example of charisma, great sense of humor, confidence and intelligence mixed into a gorgeous looking group. They got amazing bags of sex appeal and looks so comfortable with each other. They look like they are truly having fun. No drama, no palaver, no non-sense. I don’t know if it’s the differing hair but for me, they just blend perfectly.

Hurrah tu dis hurado!

2014 FIFA World Cup Best Jersey Goes To…

Posted on June 22, 2014 by heavenliner

While everyone has gone so gaga on cheering for their favorite team at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, let me extend the biggest applause to the team with the most worthy jersey design. I know that design wise, athletic uniform companies has not much can do. But when they come up with awesome designs, it would of course worthy to be praised about.

viva argentina! (ezequiel lavezzi & lionel messi)

Argentina is my favorite team to win in the World Cup this year. Though team Argentina sports the most classic design (the iconic blue and white stripes), for me the best uniform this year goes to Team Ghana.

Best In Costume!

I chose Team Ghana’s uniform because of the stylish neckline inset. It is so remarkable! The use of Kente cloth design which is indigenous native patterns of their country is so smart. This subtle tribute as done by Puma gives you a deep-seated feeling of pride and passion for the country that you represent. Aside from paying homage to the rich culture of Ghana, another unique feature of this print design is that it beautifully frames the wearer’ face.

Team Ghana may unlikely to clinch the coveted trophy but still their jersey is undeniably true fashion worthy.

Manalo, matalo, best in kostyum kayo mga ‘tol!

Nengkoy

ruminations & travesties of the favorite yet naughty son of Nengkoy

Tag Archives: style