Regine, Michel, Ogie and The magic of falling in love

Last Valentine’s Day, Richard and I together with my parents braved the traffic to watch Regine Velasquez perform with no less than Michel Legrand at the PICC. I’ve seen Regine perform a lot of times and I’ve always been in awe of her talent so I knew that everyone there was going to be in for what would undeniably be a night of good songs. It was no big deal. I expected it to be good – how could it not be?

But I honestly did not expect to enjoy myself as much as I did. As the night deepened, so did my appreciation for all things wonderful. Do you know what it is like when there is music playing softly and beautifully that it almost sounds heavenly? When you so admire a person, you wonder how that person can be so talented and perform together with a whole group of equally talented individuals? It is in moments like these that I am humbled and I realize just how amazing God really is. After all, He created all that.

The show was breathtaking – no dull moment to speak of. The performers of the night, maestro Legrand and Regine, sang accompanied by the San Miguel Philharmonic. Legrand was nothing short of wonderful, everything about him was so French–he was genteel, affectionate, and very appreciative of Regine talent and the audience’s responsiveness.

Legrand performed first and after several well-applauded numbers, Regine came onstage. She looked like a doll and sang like a goddess. Her gowns did not disappoint either, she looked like the singing diva that she is. She wore a glittery bustier with a full cloud of tulle for a skirt and later on slipped into a slim red, fully beaded halter gown that dipped daringly low down her back. Both were designed by Rajo Laurel. I especially liked the way she fixed her hair. It was combed neatly into a low, sleek ponytail with the ends tucked under and a single rosebud lightly pinned atop it. The whole night was a showcase of Legrand’s compositions except for the Filipino song Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw, a Regine original. Legrand accompanied Regine on the piano as she sang it, after which she took out the rosebud pinned to her hair and gave it to him. He in turn tucked the rose into the pocket of the suit where it stayed for the rest of the night.

After the concert, we found ourselves at Azurro in Glorietta 4, a place we’d been hearing good things about but never got to visit. It did not disappoint. The food was so good we found ourselves going there again after only a couple of days. We were very happy with the risotto cakes, the beef salpicao that was very tender, the fish and chips and the seabass, as well as the foie gras.

A couple of days, later we were in for another fun treat at Ogie Alcasid’s concert Onstage at Greenbelt theater. Ogie was his usual delightful, funny self – he never fails to entertain. Circumstances seemed to cooperate in keeping with the theme of the night because midway through the concert a guy actually proposed to his girlfriend through Ogie. After a gleeful "yes" from her, the guy like a true boyscout whipped out a ring from his pocket and slipped it into his fiancée’s finger. I’ve seen this kind of proposal countless times but I never get tired of seeing it. It’s always wonderful to witness the magic of two people in love. It gives you that warm feeling deep inside that in a world where marriages are falling apart and breakups are a reality, there are also people being constantly brought together. As a friend of mine who has been through enough heartbreaks to last her a lifetime succinctly puts it, no matter how much pain she has been through it will only take one couple that look genuinely happy together to make her believe that just as life is beautiful, so is love.

Amen to that.