Chinese New Year and inaugurations

It's always a cinch that when Chinese New Year comes, celebrations are in order especially in hotels like Waterfront, Shangri-La and Marriott.

Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort & Spa started its celebration with the yearly Yee Sang toss to bring in more Fortune and Prosperity, and what better way to start the Chinese New Year but celebrate it with Cebu's Fourth Estate members. With GM Tim Wright, Vincent Yap - new assistant F&B, Sharon Samarista, PR girl par excellence, and her alter ego Lesley Tan, our day with the guys on this Year of the Fire Pig, was incomparably exhilarating.

On the other hand, Marriott Cebu City Hotel's celebration was an early date with our colleagues that Sunday morning. The invites said, we had to be there by 9:30 a.m. for the 9:58 a.m. ceremony. And we were there, to witness the Lion Eye-Dotting rites and special KungFu exhibition. . In happy attendance was GM Karl Hudson with his lovely-half Rose in a mini Chinese cheongsam with Chinese characters all over the dress. Rose, if we may say so, is now in that interesting stage, and the couple is just exceedingly happy.

As the morning ceremony was going on, Karl introduced the hotel's new Executive Chef Witold "Witek" Szczechura and his pretty wife Beata. Of course, our dear friends Dolly Belo and Joan Danao were very much present. Yes, the ceremony was quite impressive.

And three weeks ago, Metro Gaisano Supermarket sponsored the Canadian Food Festival occupying a big space in the store displaying products from Canada. What we loved most were the cereals, the special cookies and maple syrup for the pancakes. By the way, maple is Canada's national tree.

Doing the honors in cutting the ribbon were Canadian Ambassador Peter Sutherland with Lita Urbina of Café Laguna, Taft Properties prexy Jack Gaisano, Derek Dytian of Creative Cuisine, Mrs. Anna Lee, wife of Canadian Consul Robert Lee, and Luke Gagnon, a Canadian who is Marco Polo's Executive Chef.

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With the growing traffic of motorists traveling to the north of Cebu, Chevron Philippines inaugurated a new Caltex mega-station at the Cebu North Road in Labogon, Mandaue City, to cater to its north-bound customers. Rey Aguila claimed that this is the first modern equipped Caltex mega-station in Cebu. The CMA North Star is a Caltex mega-station that carries the full-line of Caltex petroleum products, Xpress lube and service bays and the Caltex Starmart convenience store. In addition to the convenience store, the new service station is also anchored by a fast food chain restaurant, McDonald's.

In going to the north, just look for the Caltex sign on your left in Labogon, Mandaue City.