MANILA, Philippines?From Vienna to Russia with love. That?s exactly where our newly designated well-liked Philippine Ambassador Victor Garcia and his absolutely vivacious wife Connie will be for the next two to three years, palanggas. The first ?goodbye? party for the couple was given by businessman Bert Basilio and his wife, fashion plate Nonie Tan B. The fun dinner was held at their sprawling Greenhills home, dahlings.

As expected, several members of the diplomatic corps and close pals of the hosts and the honorees came in full force. Before dinner was served, gracious hostess Nonie B led the invitees in offering a toast to the honorees, ?Farewell with best wishes for a safe and comfortable trip.?

Aprés dinner, Nonie encouraged some of the selected guests to sing for the honorees.

Naturellement, all those who just loved singing in or out of the shower accepted the offer without batting an eyelash, palanggas. They were businessman and interior designer Gerry Contreras; Pitang Tiongson; Lulu Castañeda; Eimee Cragun; Ambassador Herbert Jaeger and Dr. Martina Corrado of the Austrian Embassy. Prompting one of the invitees to whisper to me, ?I bet none of them will make it even to the auditions of ?American Idol,?? she said with a laugh.

Then Nandy de Jesus and Ambassador Vic and Connie Garcia sang a duet.

It was a real fun way to say goodbye and God bless the fantastic Ambassador and his wife.

Disco Retrograde at Warehouse 135

It was like turning back the hands of time, palanggas, as moi made the rounds of hot night spots. Shiny mirror balls, strobes, disco lights, spacious dance floor, ledges, cubicles, VIP rooms and a DJ?s booth.

Cyber-smart Domini Primero, the Club King and Warehouse 135?s marketing director, is enthusiastic about bringing back the disco era. ?You know, Maurice, it used to be just the ?70s and ?80s. But now, retro music includes ?90s disco-dance music?anthems from Euphoria, Mars, Faces, and Rumors, getting a new generation ?rocking the dance floor,? as you would say.?

Even in swinging Bacolod where moi spent a real cool Holy Week, there were cool places to hang out. Ice, with its disco sound and strobe lights, was packed with dance enthusiasts. The chic Mu_Shu played retro music throughout the night which was enjoyed by Bacolod?s young people.

Hip, young promoter France Misa explained the retro music concept of Warehouse 135. ?Disco Retrograde is a party held every Wednesday night. Such great music should be a cause for celebration.?

Fine retro DJ?s like Warehouse?s Norman de Ocampo of Coco Banana fame and Tito Jante of Stargazer, Faces, and Mars are also back on the scene. Recently, Batch Parties were held for the alumni of La Salle and St. Scholastica?s High School Batch ?83.

?Birthday Bash? of the ?90s is back. Hotshot celebrators like Wyngard Tracy and Rachel Alejandro had a taste of a retro birthday bash.

Open bar from 8-10 p.m. No entrance fee for retro music lovers.

Reconnect, reunite and reminisce, palanggas, every Wednesday @ Warehouse 135, Yakal St., Makati City. Visit www.drivenmanila.com. www.discoretrogradew135.multiply.com.

?I love the night life, I love to boogie.? Yeah! Check it out.

Singapore Airlines A380

It was a fantastic exhibit which had tons of attendees still talking about it, palanggas. I?m talking about the super successful third-year launch of Singapore Airlines? Boarding Pass Privileges (BPP). The exhibit on the awesome Singapore Airlines at the upscale Podium mall brought the largest aircraft in the world closer to the public. Visitors from all walks of life experienced the luxurious cabins of the A380 and its exclusive KrisWorld through panel displays and film showings from local and international media ANC, BBC, CNN, Discovery Channel and Sky News. Loads of passengers also booked online for A380 tickets to Sydney, dahlings.

With a minimum purchase of P1,500 from any of the shops in the mall within the day, visitors stood a chance of winning two Singapore Airlines A380 tickets to Sydney, which were raffled off last March 5, palanggas.

Another exciting news was when the airline?s General Manager Clinton Tan announced that Singapore Airlines three-times daily flights from Manille, and SilkAir daily flights from Cebu and Davao connect conveniently on the same day in Singapore to the A380, which now departs from the new Terminal 3 at Changi Airport. The next A380 destination will be London some time this month.

Singapore Airlines A380 definitely thrilled and overwhelmed the grownup and young travelers.

Want to know more about this flying giant? Log on to singaporeair.com.