MANILA, Philippines?The long hot summer is still here, palanggas. And on one bright, clear blue-sky afternoon, Manila Polo Club?s viewing deck was packed with Cosmo Manille?s tres chic, sophisticated personalities watching the always popular Fila Polo Cup 2008 Annual Match, natch.

No less than young brand owner and mega achiever, gorgeous Cris Abad Santos Albert welcomed the polo players and society luminaries to a day of super fun with a Spanish theme.

Extravagant tents, colorful flowers and cool sangria to wash down the yummy tapas, plus overflowing drinks courtesy of Ralph Wine were enjoyed by Ana Abad Santos-Bitong; sportsman Dante Silverio; Ernie Lopez and his adorable wife, Jeena Llamas L.; civic-oriented Irene Araneta; Ralph Joseph; Ingrid Sauvage; Dennis Lagdameo; Alyanna Wijangco; Ayam Barredo; Tatler?s eye-catching Shauna Jay Popple and Hans Eckstein of Repertory Philippines, among others, palanggas.

Since this was the grandest event of the month, ABS-CBN, QTV 11, IBC 13 and Lifestyle Network documented the whole happening.

The polo match started with a low goal game, won by none other than Fila big boss brilliant Butch Albert with his superb player team: Osang Yulo, Jun Eusebio, Santi Juban and Gabby Roque.
On the other hand, the heart-stopping, high goal game was between the Fila whites (Alfie Araneta, Santi Elizalde, Jay de Jesus, Iñigo Zobel) and the Fila black team (Manot Montilla, José Constantino, Anthony Filamor and Vincent Bitong).

Aprés the games, the party really got on the roll with a hot flamenco show led by the renowned Clara Ramona. To which one plump-ish society matron asked moi, ?You think I can get to dance like that? I love it, soo sexy.?

?Dream on, dahlings, dream on. It?s free to dream,? I told her with my naughty smile.

Aprés the excellent Spanish dinner, two huge cars came in, with waiters following on foot, carrying the tables and trays of food. And while we dug into the yummy food, the night sky turned into a kaleidoscope of colors, with the awesome fireworks. Meanwhile, Sabor Latino?s beat inspired the chic-chic set to shake off the calories they got from the sumptuous dinner.

Definitely a fitting finale to celebrate the tradition of the Fila Polo Cup.

Now, isn?t that soo Fila, dahlings, n?est ces pas? (as in, di bala?)

Superbly organized by stage actress and director Ana Bitong, the event was directed by Rem Zamora and sponsored by The Manila Polo Club, Lifestyle Network, Universal Motors Corp., Dior, plus, plus.

42 Below comes to Manila

The world?s most awarded vodka, New Zealand?s 42 Below, was introduced to 100 chosen invitees during a trés prive cocktail party at Embassy?s chic SuperClub with 42 Below?s top own brand Ambassador, Mr. Charmer himself, Jacob Briars, dahlings.

As 42 Below?s certified vodka professor, J. Briars, told us the history of the brand, which began as a weekend hobby in a small garage in Wellington by ?some crazy New Zealanders.? (Yes, palanggas, check out how crazy they are at www.42below.com.) Today, it?s the hippest drink for the trés fashionable, artistic set the world over, palanggas.

When moi took my first sip, I immediately tasted how incredibly smooth it was, so moi asked Jacob: ?Is this made from potato?? His answer: ?It comes from the cleanest water on earth, and is made from wheat.?
?Oh, whole wheat?,? I asked. ?No, organic wheat,? he said with his boyish smile.

Brias then created a cocktail especially for the Philippines called Summerbreeze, which is a mix of dalandan juice, apple juice and 42 Below pure. Real cool, palanggas.

Beaming with pride over the success of the event were marketing head and expatriate Rajiv Ghumman, the main man behind 42 Below, Bacardi and Grey Goose.

This awesome new vodka brand 42 Below has taken the globe by storm, and party people everywhere have fallen in love with its distinct smooth flavor, dahlings.

Yeah, it was so smooth I downed practically a whole bottle without noticing it, till the morning after, ooops.

Okay, vodka lovers, rejoice, 42 Below is now available in all the cool bars and nightspots, palanggas.

For more info, call GP Reyes at 0917-8534747 or e-mail gpreyes@gmail.com.

Exclusive BMW experience

One of the most dynamic car shows fit for a privileged few that moi had witnessed was when world-class Citibank gave its hotshot Visa Platinum cardholders the chance to experience the fab BMW 3 series, dahlings, at the BMW Pavilion in Pasay City, palanggas.

?This BMW Driver Training is just one of the many exciting events we?ve lined up this year exclusively with several special programs. All this is part of our commitment to provide our Platinum cardholders the chance to meet their financial concerns, and what fits their lifestyle,? said cyber smart Bea Teh-Tan, cards business director for Citibank Philippines, no less.

The event also featured a former European race car champion who?s now a certified BMW product trainer, Herbert Grünsteidl. He jetted in from Germany to personally guide the participants and show them the attractive features of the sleek BMW 3 Series.

Needless to say, your Citibank Visa Platinum gets you fantastic discounts and benefits in over 1,000 of the country?s finest establishments, and in more than 16,000 establishments all over the world, I was told.

More? Well, why not you and your immediate famille be covered by a comprehensive travel/accident insurance package of up to P20 million when you buy travel tickets through your Citibank Visa Platinum card? That?s hard to beat, huh! Visit www.citibank.com.ph.