MANILA, Philippines?I had a blast with my amigo muy simpatico Cesar Montano and Journey?s front man Arnel Pineda at Buboy?s resto, Bellissimo. They met way back, during Arnel?s struggling days at Spindle.

?I was shy and he was busy,? recalled Arnel. ?But music paved the way for us to be friends.?

Now that Arnel has hit the big time, he and Buboy are planning to stage a concert in various provinces.

?It would be an honor to work with a great artist like Buboy,? says Arnel. Buboy is equally excited that Arnel agreed to do a duet with him in his next album, ?Subok Uli.?

?Ibang klase ang boses ni Arnel,? gushed Buboy. ?Parang may ibang pathway na dinadaanan.?

My fave band True Faith?s Medwin and Eugene Marfil and Jake Lumacad gamely jammed with them. So did Duncan Ramos. Listening to all of them sing was pure rapture!

Arnel remains grounded even if he is already way up there. ?My most memorable moment with Journey so far is when the hard core Steve Perry fans cheered for me and accepted me as the new vocalist of the band,? he said.

As we were saying our goodbyes in front of the resto, a speeding car would have hit me if Buboy hadn?t pull me back. Buboy is truly my hero friend. In my heart, I build a monument for him each day.

Pops-Martin concert

Pops Fernandez had a simple birthday dinner celebration with family and close friends.

?I was so busy the past months that I totally forgot to plan anything,? said Pipay. ?Martin, Jom and my two boys gave me gifts from the heart. They all knew what I wanted.?

Martin wasn?t at the dinner because he was out of town. The much-awaited Pops-Martin Valentine concert is finally pushing through on Feb. 6 at the Big Dome, and Pipay?s boyfriend, Jomari Yllana is producing.

One kind of love gives way to another.

Lovey-dovey couple

JC de Vera and Rhian Ramos were spotted being so lovey-dovey at Bugsy?s. Habitues of the bar insist there seems to be something going on between them. Or are they just pals who happen to be extra-sweet? Friends with benefits?

Peace, please

LJ Reyes brushes off rumors that Marky Cielo committed suicide because of her.

An insider reveals that he saw the report of the medico legal of Marky and it shocked him. But without the family?s consent, he is not at liberty to divulge the cause of death. Let?s leave it at that and just pray for the eternal repose of his soul.

Marky?s mom Mildred assailed the ABS-CBN crew who covered the wake because they violated her request not to air footage of Marky in his coffin.

Mildred is usually soft-spoken. Perhaps grief and fatigue took their toll on her. I?m sure the Kapamilya station meant no harm. Maybe it was just a detail they overlooked.

Marky can rest in peace only if his mom and ABS-CBN will make peace. Peace, please?

?Survivor? finale

Don?t miss the two-part finale of ?Survivor Gabon? at 3 p.m. Monday on QTV-11 with prime-time telecast at 7:25 p.m. It will gear you up to survive the Christmas rush.

Bossa nova evening

Catch bossa nova diva Sitti in ?An Evening in December? on Dec. 17, 8 p.m. at the Music Museum, with guests Christian Bautista, Richard Poon and Hiyas ng Pilipinas Children?s Choir. Also grab a copy of her new album ?Ngayong Pasko? under Warner Music. Listen to her soothing music to calm you amid the holiday rush.

No queues

Avoid the queue in malls and do your Christmas shopping in my boutique, Kolorete Clothes (Unit 3, Timog Arcade, No. 67 Scout Torillo, Quezon City, tel. 9268363). We sell export overruns (good quality) of branded clothes like MNG, Zara, Replay and Ralph Lauren, signature bags and shoes.

Just call if you want to order a particular style of bag and we will get it for you. Kolor your closet Kolorete!

E-mail wateringholeshangrila@yahoo.com