Fashion: Forever21 First x Forever Launch

It's one of the stores I frequent to even if they have a teeny weeny section for men. I adore their wife beaters, their pants, their shirts, the shoes, the jackets, the bags and the little things in the 21MEN section. It's like everything's pre selected already and all you have to do is grab a bag and stuff it to the brim and see if you can still swipe your credit card after. They have kilometers of sections for women and you'll almost get lost while inside the store. The sweet yellow designs you and I may have seen before went kaput when I visited their gigantic store in SM Megamall by giving it a hip makeover. The Californian brand went more black and white, wood and brick with some industrial metal shelves seen shining here and there. It's more clean and chic unlike the more girly version they had previously, although still VERY edgy as much as they've done it in their 9 stores nationwide. 

So I did the next thing and stayed a few meters from the other bloggers and concentrated on the 21MEN section in this 2,600++ square meter store just to stay in tune with my site's theme. Mind you there are tons of worthy clothes, accessories that any shopper would love. They even have a Shop Forever promo where MasterCard holders can get to win a wardrobe of their choice, and possibly a 21K shopping spree every 2,500 worth of purchase. You can even double your chances of winning by using your SM Advantage Cards, SM Prestige,  BDO Rewards, PRiMO Cards too if you shop until the 31st of October 2014.

Then here I am posting my favorites

GMA Stars Francheska Farr, Arianne Bautista, Maricris Garcia, Rita De Guzman, Mayton Eugenio and Julian Trono at GRACES in QC

We celebrate our birthdays in different ways, some intimate, some really good ones especially if your goal is to share your blessings with other people. That's exactly what the September birthday celebrants from GMA Artist Center did a few days ago at the Graces Home for the Elderly at the back of SM North Edsa in Quezon City. Francheska Farr, Arianne Bautista, Maricris Garcia, Rita De Guzman, Mayton Eugenio and Julian Trono pulled up their sleeves and got their hands ready to give a few hours of entertainment and enjoyment for the Lolos and Lolas of Graces. 

Francheska Farr and Maricris Garcia presented song numbers and of course the elderly folks loved every bit of it. Some even joined them and even participated during the event. I remember distinctly one Lolo singing a whole medley when we thought it was just song. It was hilarious but we really had fun! Arianne Bautista on the other hand hosted the event with Tess Bomb. Their antics made them laugh all throughout the program.

The GMA Artists want to thank Fernando's Bakeshop for their cakes, it was all given to the Lolos and Lolas later on.

Lots of their sponsors also chipped in so that in their birthday, they would be the ones to give gifts to the elderly. If you could only see the smiles on their faces that day, they really had fun!

Disney Infinity - Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 Edition Launch

Mike Schneider Senior Producer Disney Interactive

I've been playing consoles since I was a kid. I journeyed far and beyond Manila to get a decent challenger in some of the games I play and have championed some of them. I got pretty rusty already because the usual games I played became outdated in a couple of years and it was pretty hard to learn new ones later on. I still have a my Playstation addiction and can play a mean round or two of any game of your choosing. I can easily adapt because I am a gamer no matter how new these console goes out in public.

/*Image from Disney.com and not mine.

One of the innovations on these consoles that got my attention lately is this game in particular called Disney Infinity. I haven't played the game yet but when we got to the launch a few days ago, they were already releasing the second edition. Think of multi-player, then use characters from Disney and Pixar. Think of the game play that would come out in their various skills and superpowers done in spectacularly designed environments made by professional ones or community members who even give their designs away for free via Toy Box. You can just imagine the possibilities. The recently launched one includes The Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack version 2.0 includes the game software, the Disney 2.0 Base, The Avengers 3 piece character set (Iron Man, Black Widow and Thor), two toy box game discs, your own game web code card and Toy Box 2.0 software too. They also released Spiderman and Guardians of the Galaxy play sets so you can mix them up if the game allows it. You would need to play specific quests in order to make that available in the game. 

In the Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 Edition, they are bringing more fresh content and story lines. They also believe that they'll be impressed with how these new characters would be involved inside the story doing flying, web swinging, crawling, smashing a lot more. The Toy Box 2.0 was also improved by a mile making it easier and efficient in making random or designed pieces wherever and whenever they are in the country. Characters can also be updgraded in skill so don't fret if you're going to need the playset 2.0 to mix with first edition ones. They'll be mixing and matching them as long as you do the special quests in the game. The all natural games  will surely make adventure lovers love it even more when it arrives on your doorstep. Last year's event got us excited over the developments coming to the version 1.0, now that they've got 2.0 and pretty impressive characters in the story. 

Gameplay is nice. I played an hour or so on my first try. I loved how free the environment was because you can fly, you can change characters by placing a different one on the Disney Infinity pad. You can also use the game discs to boost the powers of your characters as if it wasn't powerful enough. The graphics, it has more to improve but I think the thing to consider is that it's made cartoon-ish so don't expect life like characters. They also needed to make them equate with the other characters from other shows and that is a bit complicated. You also need to do special quests in order to use the other characters. Aside from that, skill upgrades are available while inside the game so your superpowers improve as you get further in the story. I like the modes where you can also ride a motorbike and roam around the city that way or be in versus mode to battle for the best time.

What I like is the fact that it is now here in the Philippines. In the past we always had to import things like these just to get it. It's presence along may spur gaming trends because it's not like the oridnary consoles we had these past few years. It's a new technology, it's got a Toy Box and a lot of gaming opportunities. I wish I had compatible consoles but it's a good thing you can play this on the PC by downloading off their website. Register now and make your own Disney Infinity a reality!

For more information about their stores:

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https://Infinity.Disney.com/

Moonshine Bar in Jupiter Street Makati

Tucked away in Jupiter street in Makati is this quaint little oasis full of gourmet cocktails and hearty comfort food. It's perfect for the yuppie crowd or just anybody from the area. After a hard days work, all you need is a cold drink and really good food to make your stress go away. It was raining a bit when I arrived and it felt perfect to be there even if I didn't know a lot of people from this place - it's got a lot to do because the bar is conducive for talk. So when you're there, stay nice and wear a smile and grab one or more Mason jar cocktails; and enjoy letting lose every once in a while.

Moonshine Bar is the child project of college friends (TITAN Restaurant Group) Chef Jehrad Dolino, Chef Rain Barbers, Renz Mediarito, Chef Jared Sto. Tomas, and Gian Mathay (who's based in Cebu). They were the naughty and notorious bunch in college, they were the ones that were more known for getting drunk before, while and after class. They were kind of frustrated seeing some businessmen that didn't even have culinary background, but have built pretty great restaurants. They knew they could do it, maybe even better. In the beginning. they didn't get to storm ideas that well because everyone wanted to trump each other - not surprised since they're all alpha males. They got together and butted heads one day, 3 off of 5 agreed with a more "Speakeasy" concept. It's a retro 1920's vibe, wherein movies, are usually seen where gangsters hang out.

The Interiors

Yes, the concept's quite great. I love the few unique pieces they have on the lot like this light fixture on top of the table we dined in.

It's made of exposed light bulbs, glass jars and wrought iron whilst the tables were a mix of wood, upholstery with leather and a couple of  bunk chairs. 

Seating can probably go around 50-70 people including the ones outside the porch. Just like you I can't take away my eyes off the mirrors and brick walls. It's not too fancy shmancy and they've got a great bar whipping up some great cocktails and drinks this side of town.

The lighting is perfectly set for that "secretive" kinda place that "no one knows" feel they were going for. There's not much people around this area which would be perfect for the intimate gatherings you might want to have with friends, officemates and even family. There's a slight drawback on the brick walls though because once that other tables become a bit rowdy, you'll hear them quite much. Since you probably go here for fun, you wouldn't really notice it and might actually think they're you're friends too.

 We went there on California Wine Night so there were a ton or two of our foreign friends from Europe, US and Asia having fun with the multitude of wines they have inside the store. Still, nothing fancy but more relaxed.

It's very near the Buendia MRT station, I literally walked from there. It's in front of the Car shop and about 5 buildings away from the street corner beside a little known Persian restaurant if my memory serves me right. Ladies, you are STRONGLY encouraged to go to this place not just for the drinks but the hearty food choices they have that you'll see in a bit. I didn't even know I'd meet really good people in this joint but I did so if you're alone, don't despair, you can meet people here. The place is tops for those who don't want ultra commercial places that charge an arm and a leg on drinks and chow, which gets us into our next piece.