When tinsels and pencils make a wonderful Christmas

If it’s a designer Christmas you’re looking for, don’t look too far because a one-of-a-kind-Christmas is what awaits you at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila. This year, the hotel has partnered with multi-awarded furniture designer Milo Naval to showcase his monumental masterpieces collectively known as “Tinsels and Pencils of Christmas.”

Be mesmerized as you enter the lobby of the hotel where a massive sofa made of green pencils takes center stage. This innovative Christmas installation piece by Milo is titled “Synthesis,” a proof that a wonderful and whimsical Christmas can be had at the hotel. Did I mention that more than 10,000 pencils were used to create this work of art?

Milo says, “It is not your traditional Christmas decoration. Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila is known for its artistic and creative approach in providing a designer Christmas. It is any artist’s dream to work with a company with such passion and open-mindedness for the arts and its different interpretations. But what inspired me to work with them is their tradition of dedicating each show to charities that both the artist and the Hotel support”.

This year, the chosen beneficiaries are the poor but intelligent students of the Divine Healer Academy, a school in Cabid-an, Sorsogon, which was established by Fr. Gerard Deveza in 2003 through the Healing Servants Foundation. Milo and his wife Katherine Naval are avid supporters of the foundation. 

Milo’s other installation pieces can be found at the hotel’s restaurants Market Cafe, Li Li and The Fireplace, as well as at The Lounge and the Regency Club Lounge.

Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila also continues to nurture its enduring relationship with its partner foundations, Make-A-Wish and Kythe.

Milo Naval started out as an interior designer and worked as one for more than 15 years before he established Evolve Designs, a company engaged in designing contemporary furniture and accessories.

(“Tinsels and Pencils of Christmas” can be viewed until Jan. 6, 2012. For more information, call 247-8666.)

The camera to have...and to hold

Building on the success of its 2View technology and in response to evolving consumer demands, Samsung Philippines launched its latest digital camera with the Samsung 16-Megapixel MultiView MV800 Mirror Pop at the Robot Restaurant.

Found at the restaurant were three different photo-wall stations, where guests took turns taking their most creative photos complete with a wide array of costumes with the 3.0” Wide Flip-out Display set to 30-degrees, 120-degrees, and 180-degrees.

Five participants were also given a chance to take home one MultiView MV800 Mirror Pop camera in an impromptu photo contest of dance performers. HWM Magazine editor Lionell Macahilig won the contest. His photos, using the MV800, showed a wide array of shots, including low-angle, high-angle and self-portrait shots with the performers in the background.

The ultra slim and stylish MV800 boasts of enhanced picture quality, touch screen technology, Live Panorama, Picture-in-Picture, Smart Filter and Smart Touch 3.0 with Wallpaper. HD video recording also comes standard with this camera.

The camera is available in black, white and red.

Dressed to give

For the benefit of the Philippine Cancer Society, Manila’s Best Dressed convened for a stylish fundraiser at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La. The eighth Philippine Cancer Society’s Best Dressed Women of the Philippines Ball had Fila’s Cris Albert as one of the awardees. Of course, her friends and Fila family trooped to the event. Cris is president and owner of four international footwear brands: Fila Everest, Tiva and Outdoors for Fila and the new Fila Skele-toes.

Joining Cris in this year’s roster of Best Dressed Women were Letty Santos, Marcott Almeda, Alelee Aguilar Andanar, Ruby Jane Chua, Cristina Gomez, Connie Haw, Small Laude, Shelly Lazaro, Len Olbes, Joy Onglatco, and Sheila Bermudez Romero who all walked the ramp wearing gowns by the country’s top fashion designers.

Cris wore Auggie Cordero creations. A crowd favorite was the one-sided, multi-layered empire chiffon number in different shades of green, which was accented with a draped, bejewelled and beaded bodice.

It was a sumptous dinner that everybody had, including coriander marinated smoked salmon with Caesar salad, followed by potato and leek soup with oven-dried parma ham and chives for starters. Main course was beef tenderloin with creamy mashed potato and roasted vegetables topped with rosemary glaze while the non-meat eaters opted for roasted seabass. Tiramisu, white and dark chocolate mousse and sansrival and raligieuse made up the dessert sampler.

Joining Cris on this charitable affair was her family with mother Wanda Louwallien and sister Ana Abad Santos as well as husband Butch Albert, Carlo Albert, Isabella Albert, Carlo and Monique Albert-Lopez and Tommy Bitong. Cris’ other special guests were Fila endorsers Tim Yap and Abdel Abdelkader.

Run against cervical cancer

More than a thousand women’s health advocates braved the wet weather to express their support against women’s health issues by taking part in the Millennium Health Run for Women’s Health at McKinley Hill in Taguig. Organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), in partnership with leading global research-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the event aimed to raise funds for the education and training program of POGS in addressing women’s health concerns like pregnancy-related deaths, breast cancer and cervical cancer. 

Taking part in the event, which featured 10K, 5K, 3K and 1.5K race categories, were POGS president Dr. Sylvia Carnero and VP Dr. Rey de los Reyes as well as GSK officials led by president and managing director Roberto Taboada and VP for commercial vaccines Derrick Sim.

Also expressing their support were Bravehearts Foundation president Abbygale Arenas-de Leon who was joined by husband photographer Jun de Leon and son Ijah, as well as Bravehearts advocates Sharmaine Suarez and Mymy Davao.

Together with the medical community, these advocates joined hands to promote vaccination as the best way of protection, especially since a vaccine that targets human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 is now available to help protect women against cervical cancer.