JessicaRulestheUniverse.com

Today was Megamall day—I had to get my cats’ supplies, meet my publicist friend for lunch, and check out Forever 21 with my sister (we had not been there).

My friend and I talked about renewing the National Bookstore sponsorship for the LitWit Challenges, and the possibility of a book. Then she mentioned that she’d organized a Haagen- Dazs event at the Megamall Atrium and would I like to drop by?

Of course I said yes, it’s Haagen-Dazs. My skills at bilocation were tested, but I managed to go shopping with my sister at Forever 21 and attend the press conference to launch the all-new menu of the ice cream brand.

At the presscon Haagen-Dazs reps Tess Panganiban and Cathy Castro noted that given the frenetic pace of urban life, today’s biggest luxury is not designer goods or snazzy cars, but Time. Women who juggle the demands of motherhood, wifehood, career, and general fabulousness need their Me moments. (Hah! I chose me over all of the above, so my entire life is a Me moment. But I do love the ice cream.)

Haagen-Dazs is helping women give themselves permission to put up that Do Not Disturb sign and indulge, Tess said. These are their new indulgences:

Joyful Party: mini-scoops of Vanilla, Green Tea and Strawberry ice cream, Raspberry sorbet, Mango Sorbet on griddle cake decorated with almonds, cherries, pretzel sticks and chocolate sauce.

Fruity Journey: Strawberry ice cream, Raspberry sorbet, Mango Sorbet, and Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream with fresh fruit.

The Create-Your-Own section of the new menu lets you design your dessert by combining the flavors and toppings you desire. Of course all the classic Haagen-Dazs flavors, fondue, ice cream sushi platters, and cakes are also available.

Interesting to note that earlier in our history, during the Spanish colonial era, ‘indulgence’ (indulgencia) was a grant from the Catholic Church giving you time off from Purgatory on the sins you had committed. It was one of the church abuses Jose Rizal satirized in his novels. Now ‘indulgence’ usually means ‘luxury’. Which is another way of viewing time off on your sentence in Purgatory.

In Forever 21 my sister noted the number of plainclothes security men patrolling the premises. Which sort of defeats the purpose of ‘plainclothes’. She bought accessories, I bought a white shirt. Then we ate ice cream.