A Shanghai night

Top business magnate, prominent stockbroker and former CEO of the Journal Group of Companies, well-loved Jun Arroyo, dahlings, celebrated another hectic year of his rich life with a fabi party dubbed Night in Shanghai at the tres popular New World Hotel Ballroom.

The venue was transformed into a veritable Shanghai’s Shangri-La, dahlings. Invitees were dressed in eye-catching Chinese costumes as requested by the host. Definitely a stand-out was world traveler and socialite Zeny Cabral who wore an authentic 16th-century Chinese Empress costume made especially for the occasion.

A significant event that coincided with the celebrator’s big day was the presentation of the design of the shrine to be built by the Foundation of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Our beloved Pope John Paul II is a devotee of Our Lady of Czestochowa, better known as the "Black Madonna" of Poland. The foundation was formed by the host as a form of gratitude for the many graces that he and a many others like him have received from Her. It serves as a way of propagating devotion to Our Lady.

Well-known architect Bobby Mañosa was commissioned to do the design, palanggas. The devotion to the Black Madonna was started locally by Jun’s close pal, Zeny Cabral, apres she came from Poland, as a promise for the cure of her two sisters who did get cured. The site will be at the Tagaytay Ridge in one of Jun A.’s properties.

The fun bash had tons of hot invitees in the guest list. They included top business leaders and government officials plus many society leaders and pals who came in full force.

Needless to say, palanggas, the sumptuous and authentic Chinese lauriat prepared by the New World Hotel’s popular Emperor’s Court Restaurant delighted the invitees. Dancing followed apres dinner with the music provided by the 747 band.

To our King for a Day, Jun Arroyo, Cheers, palanggas!

A nude awakening

They say Nirvana is impossible to achieve in this world, dahlings. But not for health-conscious working socialite Annie Tanchanco and her son, young, hip business entrepreneur JP Tanchanco. This mother and son tandem is behind the newest, chic-est, and healthiest café simply called Chimara, an all-white, blue-lit, neo-vegan café at the Level 4 of Greenbelt 3. The café was officially launched with a grand party dubbed Nude Nirvana. The party theme fit right into Chimara’s mantra, borrowed from the great Buddha: "To become a vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to Nirvana."

"Going nude is the mind, body and soul philosophy behind all that you see in Chimara. That’s why we’ve decided to prove that it is indeed Nirvana," says Annie, who also founded the Taters movie snack chain eight years ago.

A dreamy mood was set by the free-flowing ambient music, provocative dancing "statues," bio-morphic blue lights, flashing quotes, white flowing drapes, and invitees garbed in zen-white.

No less than Ayala Land’s chairman, workasonic persona Fernando Zobel, sounded the gong to declare the official awakening to a new world of health and peace. Next came the evening’s highlight, palanggas, the presentation of Chimara’s yin-yang icon in the form of a giant vegan sushi called "Se-kai" (meaning "world") as dancers of Ballet Philippines moved to the beat of world music performed live by the Makiling Ensemble.

No less than Makati’s dynamic Mayor Jejomar Binay took the first slice of the fabi Sekai sculpted from a mix of organic brown rice and veggies offered in Chimara’s menu.

A touching segment of the show featured a special musical number by 15 scholars from Center of Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX). Jenina Anos, a grade three CENTEX student, was presented a special award for winning the art contest themed "My Dream World of Snacks," the artwork of which is now printed on Chimara’s packaging. CENTEX, a school project providing excellence in education for under-resourced, talented children is Chimara’s life-long beneficiary; one percent of its gross sales is pledged for this worthy project.

The event, dahlings, hosted by fitness instructor/radio DJ, Chinggay Andrada, was a unique experience for the hundreds of fabi guests toasted the new café’s noble intentions of promoting a healthy, harmonious and sustainable world. A select group of hip health buffs included CENTEX director Carol Atacador; Unilever-Bestfoods chairman Howard Belton; Schwarzwalders’ Peter Jentes; Sonny Tanchanco and his pal John Gaddi with Annie Carmona; Audie Gemora; Carlo Orosa; vegetarian Julie Roces; columnist and now author of the From Coffee to Cocktails, vivaciously-adorably Celine Lopez; Miguel Rosales; TJ Manotoc; Aliya Parcs; Juan Miguel Ongsiako; Ana Ungson Price; plus other veggie lovers like them.

Chimara, coined from the Greek word chimera meaning "impossible dream," palanggas, was envisioned by Annie and JP to herald a new trend in its consumers’ lifestyle. "The dream we are trying to make possible is to provide a better world through our ‘nude’ food," says Annie, "that is, free from preservatives, coloring, and over processing."

"We believe that Chimara’s neo-vegan lifestyle is for everyone, not just vegetarians. One bite from our tasty specialties will convince you of that," ends JP.

Filipino, French and Spanish artistic expressions

The InterContinental Manila’s Lobby Art Café continues to showcase the super artworks of our outstanding local and foreign artists, dahlings. Arts Croises welcomed the fabi celebration of Philippine-French Friendship Week. It was a back-to-back exhibit of Cosmo Manille-based sculptor, muralist and serigrapher, world-renowned Impy Pilapil’s marble and metal sculpted pieces with France-based painter Edmund Bendijo’s oil tableaux. The tres prestigious French Business Association of the Philippines, better known as Le Club, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by their respective presidents Lionel Rossignol and Sergio Ortiz-Luis, organized the exhibit with the hotel’s top-of-the-line PR Department led by smart PR director, quadrilingual Jennifer Peña. The hotshot guests of honor were French Ambassador Renee Veyret and Makati’s dynamic Mayor Jejomar Binay. A chi-chi cocktail reception at the Grand Ballroom gathered Filipino and French businessmen and our town’s art lovers.

An exhibit highlighting the special relationship between the Philippines and Spain followed. The guests enjoyed a double visual treat in the abstract paintings of brilliant Filipino artist Eugene Jarque and Spanish diplomat/sculptor Miguel Marco. On view were Jarque’s Distant Light series presented in Madrid early this year and Marco’s Moebius series, works are in bronze and bronze wire that explore the realm of mathematics.

Very popular Spanish Ambassador el simpatico, Tomas Rodriguez Pantoja; National Museum director Corazon Alvina; and the hotel’s otro muy amable GM Michael Herrmann opened the exhibit with namedroppable members of the local and Spanish communities in full attendance.

Alberto Avellana curated both exhibitions. A portion of the proceeds from the artworks’ sales went to InterCon Manila’s community projects.

Don’t forget, palanggas, to say "Happy Birthday" to Jesus Christ who came down to earth to save us. Have the merriest Christmas with your friends and famille!

See you.