Doris Magsaysay Ho’s 60th birthday celebration at Whitespace was one of the best reasons one should turn a milestone with a horde of friends, family, diplomats and business associates. Not only was it a great way to see friends whom I hadn’t seen in ages, but the buffet table had one of the choicest culinary delights that featured giant tunas and salmons filleted into the freshest sashimi, as well as a humongous paellera that was bigger than my bath tub.
The best news for the evening’s celebration was when Doris happily announced that she would be able to build 120 homes for Habitat for Humanity with the donations and gifts that were given to her that evening.
What a wonderful way to celebrate life’s blessings by giving so many families a roof over their heads and a future to look forward to!
* * *
I love the Christmas season when the whole country is in a festive mood with the decorations and good cheer being spread around.
Dusit Thani Manila invited my family to join in their Christmas tree exhibit and we willingly accepted since there was going to be a friendly competition for votes and the prize money would be given to our favorite charity for the top three vote getters on Facebook and the hotel’s dining outlets. What a great way to share the holiday season’s festivities, which would redound to a worthy cause. In our case, we chose the Makabata School, since I am one of the trustees of this institution that educates the poorest-of-the-poor street children in a private school setting.
When I spoke to Maricar Lopez Tiangco of Rustan’s Flower Shop about our concept of having music as our theme, she went into high gear by suggesting colors, decor and ornaments that would fulfill our vision. Lo and behold, on opening day, we had a lovely and elegant white Christmas tree with musical angel ornaments.
* * *
For comments and ideas: jacinto.fa@gmail.com.