An elite golfing tournament

It was another memorable golfing event at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club when Philippine Airlines’ golf loving Elite and Premier Elite members together with PAL top executives gathered for the 2008 Mabuhay Miles Elite Invitational Golf Tournament.

Tuan Nguyen edged out Valeriano Floro to win the overall net honors at the Tournament. Floro, managing director of Podium Motorsport and four-time winner of this event, finished as low-gross champion.

The two bested a field of 310 players who competed in the event sponsored by Airbus, Allied Bank, Boeing, GE Aviation, HSBC, MasterCard International Philippines Inc., Mizuno and Petron Corp. Corporate sponsors included GE Commercial Aviation Services, KID-Systeme, Panasonic Avionics Corp., OSIM (Asian Therapeutics), and Philippine National Bank. Toyota Motor Philippines and Mercedes-Benz (CATS Motors) were the hole-in-one car sponsors; Century Park Hotel, the official hotel; and Philam Insurance as the official insurer of the tournament.  Belo Medical Group, Citibank, Pacific Paints (Boysen), Seemi-Phiten, Rudy Project, Union Bank and Victorinox were the event’s minor sponsors.

This yearly by-invitational golf event is certainly looked forward to by the Elite, Premier Elite, and Million Miler members of Mabuhay Miles, the reward program of PAL.

The several prizes included PAL Mabuhay Class tickets, free Mabuhay Miles Program Partner Hotel accommodations, and golf equipment. Prize donors included Amorita Beach Resort, Asia Brewery, Boracay Regency Beach Resort, British India/Esprit/Clark Shoes, Fridays Boracay, Guam Visitors Bureau, Makati Shangri-La, Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort, Microtel Inns & Suites, Pan Pacific Manila, Regent Food Corp., Tanduay, TIME, Traders Hotel Manila, World Traveller and Xytron International.

Incredible pairings

An intimate group enjoyed a dinner with Arboleda Wines of Seña recently. What makes these wines from the vineyard in Colchagua Valley in Chile exceptional is the weather that brings the north-westerly orientation that gives heat summation and solar exposure necessary for the grapes to ripen properly. The cool breeze brought about by the proximity of the Pacific Ocean — 45 km away from the vineyard — also helped in the maturing of the grapes.

The dinner was held in a private dining room at the Ascott Makati Café on the 6th set up by Ascott’s resident manager Lew Yen Ping in collaboration with Tita Trillo of Titania Wine Cellar, Inc. The highlight of the evening included the wines paired with the creations of chef Jerome Cartailler for a real degustation dinner.

Guests started with pomelo Asian shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon with dill potato paired with Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc 2007 that won the International Value Awards 2008. The tomato soup with juniper berry and pesto foccacia was paired with Arboleda Chardonnay 2006, which also won a trophy and gold medal at the 2007 International Wine Challenge. The next course was seared duck foie gras with espelette piment on Carmenere risotto served with Arboleda Carmenere 2006, winner of the Best Carmenere by International Value Wine Awards 2008. The next course was coffee-crusted pork mignon and crispy belly scented with star anise served with whipped potato. This was paired with the Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, a full-bodied elegant wine rated 89 Points by wine expert Robert Parker. Old-fashioned chocolate mousse together with fresh fruit brochette paired with Natalie Sweet Chardonnay ended this unforgettable dinner with such incredible award winning wines, all available at Titania Wine Cellars.

‘I Land’

What happens when the hula meets hip-hop? See “I Land” and find out. The show created a splash when it first came out off-Broadway and its run has been very well-received by critics. Ever at the forefront of the effort to bring Filipinos the freshest, most versatile performances, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in cooperation with the Asian Cultural Council Philippines (ACCP), is bringing the original cast of “I Land” for a limited run on Jan. 22 (gala night at 8 p.m.) with regular performances on Jan. 23 and 24 (8 p.m.) and Jan. 25 (3 p.m.) at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (The Little Theatre) of the CCP.

ACCP board members Rajo Laurel and Malu Gamboa are spearheading the promotions. Proceeds of which are earmarked for the college education of the Philippines’ most promising young artists.

Malu says, “In the New York run, audiences came back to see the show more than once. Get a sneak peak on You Tube and see why.”

The musical stars Hawaiian-born actor and dancer Keo Woolford. “I Land” is Woolford’s semi-autobiographical search for the meaning of his Hawaiian heritage in a post-modern world. In a tale woven from traditional Hawaiian hula and hip-hop routines, Woolford chronicles how he first learned to dance from his idol, whom he dubs the “Hula god,” before a fleeting brush with fame as a member of a boy band that almost hits it big time. His subsequent descent into a world of drugs and partying culminates with his rediscovery of the dance that connects him to both his culture and to himself.

(For ticket inquiries, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or 832-1125 loc. 1409 or call Ticketworld at 891-9999.)