Straight to the top

Brilliant persona Jan Krenn, the mega marketing manager of the trendy and super chic Dire tso, dahlings, told the chic invitees during the inauguration of Diretso’s display room along N. Garcia (Reposo) in Makati, "We are straight and honest in all aspects. We are very focused when it comes to customer satisfaction." Before the event was over, palanggas, the guests heartily agreed.

During his brief welcome speech, dahlings, Jan expounded on Diretso’s product designs and workmanship which are streamlined and natural. "They are classy but minus the frills. Nothing is overdone–simple lang!" said Dutch designer Frank Vander Walle.

If you still haven’t heard of it or been there, dahlings, Diretso is a world-class company specializing in the design and production of medium and high-end furniture. It makes use of both indigenous and imported materials. After Ad Colle and Ton Van Hierden founded Diretso in l996, the company has added a new dimension to furniture design and production.

Over cocktails at the opening, palanggas, Ton V.H. revealed their group had started out as a trading company. "Diretso’s main job then was limited to designing and sourcing out furniture materials and joining trade fair exhibitions," he said. "Our team of Dutch nationals has found a home in the Philippines, particularly in Pampanga, a place noted for its craftsmen. It is recognized as the country’s furniture capital."

A hotshot guest of honor during the inauguration, palanggas, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, was ably represented by Makati City Administrator, well-respected Nicanor Santiago. Another guest of honor was gorgeous international star Ruffa Gutierrez, no less, who was so impressed by the innovative and cutting-edge home and office furnishings that suit the discriminating taste of the global market.

Ruffa’s vivacious mother, Southern lady Annabelle Rama, remarked, "No wonder Diretso has been recognized for Best Product Design, Best Product Collection and Best Visual Design at the last annual Philippine International Furniture Show."

The invitees, consisting mostly of architects and interior designers, raved endlessly about the paintings from The Drawing Room and the classic metal works from Silver Lining which adorned the display of classy sofas, club chairs, dining and bedroom furniture at the Makati showroom. "Other manufacturers can copy our design but they can’t copy quality," Jan Krenn pointed out.

Hobnobbing with the other personas were Rochiel Vander Walle; Diretso president Mhel Austria; Christine Bolagao; CFIP consultant Gerhard Rainer; and Arlene Bellosillo. Yours truly hosted the opening ceremonies.

We all nibbled on superbly prepared cocktail-finger food and sipped on drinks from Wasabi and Bijou. The newly-opened real good Italian resto called Café Carusso also provided for this rare gathering of beauty and art aficionados.

The guests agreed, dahlings, that Diretso’s competitive advantage is its unique use of local materials like abaca, banana, wicker, balakka and metal combined with leather and other materials from all over the world to create top-of-the-line furniture. Architect Nilo Vergara, Mandy Innocencio and Rens Koekenbier concurred that each Diretso furniture is an impeccable fusion of Filipino flair and European design, a clear convergence of two cultures. As architect Mary Ann Allado said, "Diretso doesn’t just sell chairs or furniture; it sells comfort and a contemporary lifestyle."

Asked about its plans, the Diretso group replied it would come up with more shops.

For a team that continually endeavors to satisfy the demands of furniture lovers, Diretso definitely only has one way to go–not left, not right, but straight up!

Check them out, palanggas, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Hear, hear!

In these days of never-ending controversies; terrorist threats; political blah- blahs; and what have you, it certainly is most welcome to hear good news.

Well, dahlings, those world-class fleet of liners, the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and Celebrity Cruises (CEL), had more than just one good news to announce to travel agents, hot names from the airline and travel industries during the Travel Agents’ Appreciation Night and Year 2003 Launch a new moon ago at the swinging Dish.

The event hosted by Arpan Air, Inc. (AAI), the sole international representative in the Philippines of both RCI and CEL, proved to be a fun gathering of AAI supporters. Hosts for the Night for the nth time, palanggas, were magnum movers and shakers, workasonic eye-catcher, AAI SVP and COO Joy Abrogar and AAI general manager Wally Cervantes. AAI’s president and CEO, woman of substance and grace and the affair’s super gracious hostess Marilen Sandejas-Yaptangco captivated the crowd with her list of great news.

Not to be outdone was Mr. Charmer Kelvin Tan, RCI and CEL regional manager based in Singapore, who not only had his own list of good news but who also showed off his dancing and singing skills when he performed with the band later that night. Moi wonders if Kelvin’s dance and singing mentor is moi pal, our palangga, Rama Rebbapragada, RCI international sales and marketing director.

Here are the good news:

The first is that RCI and CEL will now have five gorgeous ships in Europe which will offer new exciting itineraries. This will surely tickle your appetite for more European adventures. Well, now is the time to take that European cruise.

From RCI, the choices are a seven-night Mediterranean cruise sailing from Barcelona and featuring favorite destinations like Monte Carlo, Cannes, Florence, Naples and Valetta in Malta; a 12-night Mediterranean cruise on one of RCI’s newest ships, Brilliance of the Seas, for the ultimate European cruise sailing from Barcelona and visiting such exciting ports of call, like Dubrovnik, Croatia; Corfu, Pireaus, Mykonos, Santorini, Greece (now in moi list of favorite places) and Ephesus, Turkey to go to again and again, palanggas; and a 12-night Scandinavian and Russian or special sailing of the majestic British Isles and Norwegian Fords.

From CEL, the choices are a 10-or 14-night Northern Europe and Mediterranean itineraries in CEL’s newest ship, Constellation; or a 12-night classical Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Venice.

With such choices, you don’t have to look anywhere else when you want to make your dream of cruising in Europe come true.

The second good news is the expanded Cruisetours (cruise and land tours) program both in Europe and Alaska. In Europe, the newest Cruisetours, "Magical Tour of England," is guaranteed to be a real treat, especially for the hip pack. It will bring you to different places in England where parts of the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone were filmed.

In Alaska, you have 20 unique itineraries to choose from using RCI’s state-of-the-art glass-domed traincars, The Wilderness Express. Moi haven’t seen this traincar but I was told you would feel disappointed if you were booked on another! The Alaska Cruisetours covers some of Alaska’s most exciting destinations and the Canadian Rockies. Even before the introduction of these cruisetours, moi went on RCI’s Alaska cruise and to this day, I still can’t find the right words to describe that truly unforgettable experience, dahlings.

The third good news is two new magnum RCI ships, the 90,000 ton-Brilliance of the Seas and the 142,000 ton-Navigator of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.

The fourth good news is that CEL’s 77,713 ton-Mercury will be deployed to the West Coast, sailing from the popular gateway San Francisco starting this March in time for summer vacation. It will be a great way to chill out from Frisco.

The fifth great news, palanggas, is the continued tie-up between the super efficient Lufthansa German Airlines for the European cruise itineraries. This tie-up is a wise choice for making that dream cruise vacation to Europe.

The event also honored last year’s top travel agents like Golden Miles Travel (again!); Greatship Adventure Cruises (again!); New Sontra Travel Co.; Altitude Travel; Manly Tours and Travel; and Westgate Travel and Tours. Kelvin and the AAI rah! rah! team (with the exception of its sales and marketing manager Sam Manalo, who was cruising the Mexican Riviera) awarded each winner with a Top Producer plaque.

The affair ended with a grand raffle which the crowd awaited with extreme excitement. The winner of a seven-night Caribbean cruise was Shirley Uy, VP and general manager of Southeast Asia Tour and Travel. Marilen and Kelvin drew the winner’s calling card.

If you really want to have a vacation like no other vacation on earth, palanggas, and if you want that vacation to exceed expectations, think only of one of the best, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, no less.

For more info on RCI and CEL, do call your travel agent or Arpan Air, Inc. at tel. nos. 892-2701 to 03, 894-3957, fax nos. 819-5246, 892-2790 or check their website at www.royalcaribbeanphil.com or www.celebritycruisesphil.com.

Adieu

The news that immensely popular Spanish Ambassador, el muy simpatico Tomas Pantoja, would be leaving for a new assignment, dahlings, elicited much sadness because of the far-reaching and meaningful impact the ambassador had on all sectors of Philippine society during his brief tenure. With so many wanting to bid him adieu, Ambassador Pantoja had to do the rounds of bidding goodbye.

One such occasion was the intimate dinner hosted for him by Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco and his daughter, the Hostess of the Year, Nedy Tantoco. The invitees included those who have come to cherish the friendship of Ambassador Pantoja during his time in Cosmo Manille.

In his gracious pre-dinner remarks, palanggas, Ambassador Tantoco hailed his guest of honor’s achievements in strengthening the bond between the Philippines and Spain. On a personal note, Ambassador Tantoco also touched on his famille’s own close ties to Ambassador Pantoja’s homeland.

Ambassador Pantoja shared, "I am genuinely sad to be leaving after such a comparatively short time. In all my previous foreign diplomatic assignments, I had left ‘a little bit of my heart’ behind in each country I left. But in the Philippines, it’s a big part of my heart that I am leaving behind."

Over a superbly prepared dinner of Philippine yummies consisting of fresh Lumpiang Bacolod; Beef Sinigang; Calamansi Sherbet au Champagne; Grilled Coral Prawns with Aligue Sauce; steamed white rice; Seaweed Salad; Buco Pandan; Starbucks coffee/camomille tea; and excellent Spanish wine, the dinner table conversation, palanggas, recalled the exhilarating musical production of zarzuela dances produced and directed by Ambassador Pantoja at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). The production had featured both Filipino and Spanish performers.

A book of poetry by Ambassador Pantoja, published in the US, was due to be launched in Cosmo Manille next month. It will now, however, be launched at a later date in Madrid.

Apres dinner, dahlings, the chic invitees moved on to the gorgeous drawing room of Ambassador Tantoco’s tres elegant residence. Over coffee, one of the special guests, internationally acclaimed pianist Nena Villanueva, accorded Ambassador Tomas Pantoja a farewell serenade of Chopin and Brahms pieces.

To wind up the night, a Filipino snack of bibingka and puto bumbong was served to bid adieu to the well-respected, one-of-a-kind Ambassador Tomas Pantoja who so eloquently proved during his tour of duty here that he is really "a Filipino at heart."

Remember, palanggas, do drive safely and drink moderately.

Have a great weekend.

See you.