MANILA, Philippines - In the blink of an eye, half the year has gone by! Quick, try to recall all your New Year?s resolutions and see which ones you?ve been able to keep... Hmmm. Is it due to age or convenience that I can?t seem to recall my goals?
Coming into one?s mid-40?s means settling into a decade with a lot of shaky ground, including memory loss, deteriorating eyesight and sagging skin. No amount of cleansing or moisturizing can hold back the visible signs of time, so one must receive these with grace and confidence.
Elegant party
One such lady who has defied time is Baby Cruz. Her impeccable style oozes elegance and sophistication, from her signature jet-black coif to her perfect pearl earrings. Baby recently celebrated her Golden Sixty at the Conway?s Bar in Makati Shangri-La, in an intimate fete hosted by her children, Tisha C. Bautista and Boey, along with close friends and relatives.
Conway?s never looked so elegant, with black-and-white motif centerpieces on the dinner tables. Laughter and cheer filled the place as the well-planned party entertainment delighted the guests. But the cutest gift was a full-blown copy of Baby?s new Senior?s Citizen card, presented to her by her relatives.
In lieu of gifts, the grand lady requested donations to the Isdanco Foundation, which empowers grantees through alternative training and value formation. Together with her dear friend, Ising Madrigal Vasquez, Baby works with Isdanco to offer assistance through education and specialized work instruction.
Characterized by strong will and determination, Baby is a typical Taurean, gifted with a commanding persona and aura.
So many of those close to my heart celebrate their birthdays in May. Athena, my youngest daughter, turned another year naughty on the 5th. Swatch and Gift Gate queen Virgie Ramos and dear friend Emily Wong shared natal days on the 18th. And successful fashion designer Rajo Laurel turned another year wiser a couple of days after.
Sea of pink
Rajo marked his milestone swathed in a sea of pink at Paparazzi. Moët et Chandon?s Olga Azarcon kept the champagne flowing and Edsa Shangri-La?s Richard Alarcon took care of all the other details, including a pretty-in-pink ?wedding cake? by Red Ribbon.
As party host, I asked each table to give a toast to the cheerful celebrator. The table of stage performer Teenee Chan won with their joyful cheer, ending in a song that almost brought Rajo to happy tears.
To celebrate his 15 successful years in the fashion world, Rajo and I have teamed up with the Red Cross to have a Gala Dinner Fashion Show on September 9. We aim to showcase his awesome collection through the years and in the process raise funds for the newly opened Red Cross Makati Chapter.
Building up to the Gala, we will have a series of fabulous monthly affairs, all drumming up continuous awareness for the Red Cross. For June, the House of Laurel will have a Beauty and Bridal Tea Party for all newlyweds and brides-to-be. In July, we?ll be teaming up with the Camera Club of the Philippines to mark their 80th anniversary.
Then in August, we?re planning an explosive Celebrity Texas Hold ?Em Poker Tournament at the Metro Club at Metrowalk. Whoever said giving back couldn?t be fun?
The one that seems to be having the most fun is my little Athena. For her birthday, we celebrated at the very girly The Club Princess Shop in Trinoma Mall. Owned by creative graphics couple Norman and Mye Cruz and party organizer Angelette Calero, the party store offers a variety of fancy jewelry, stationery, bags, colorful hand gels and colognes and myriad things for kids to mull over. There are also hair design, tattoo and nail stations to complete the kiddie makeover.
My older daughter Annika and her cousins took full advantage, coming up with colorful hairstyles, glittering tattoos and matching funky shades. The rest of the party princesses were busy exchanging tiaras and bracelets. The Club Princess also has a branch at Boni High Street, so do check out the fun store for your little kikay girl.
While we were at the gigantic, impressive Trinoma Mall, we shopped at Meet My Feet Shop for some cute pairs of shoes for the girls. There is a whole section of the mall just for kids.
Spring cleaning
Midyear is a great time to do some spring cleaning. I think one of my New Year?s resolutions was to improve my charitable efforts, so my Assumption classmates and I held a garage sale. What better way to get rid of clutter and negative closet energy than to pool together and sell our unused fashion and décor, then donate the proceeds to our Assumption Batch 81 Foundation?
As usual, the key organizing force included Milky Way?s Popsie Gamboa, with Girlie Sison and Chiqui Mangibin as chief cashiers. We had sea motif décor and racks of old clothes, toys and CD?s for sale, and even guards to check bags as the shoppers exited. My husband could only quip, ?Who would shoplift from a garage sale??
My gowns, accessories and glittery shoes sold quickly, mostly bought by moms for their daughters? costume parties. The colorful affair was chronicled in the blog of Rica Lopez de Jesus called Heart 2 Heart. Just search for ?tessa? at http://heart-2-heart-online.com.
Chick flick
Midyear is also a great time for a break, even if it?s only for a two-hour chick flick. Of course, every female reader knows I?m talking about ?Sex and the City.? Mercedes Benz premiered the movie last week, hosted by Cats Motors? Felix Ang?s better half, Grace.
Indeed, it was Ladies Night at MyCinema in Greenbelt that evening. The product placement of the movie is the Mercedes Benz GLK driven by Samantha Jones, a sexy star in a sexy SUV.
All the ladies? brands seem to be connecting to this movie. The previous night, Coke Light hosted its own premiere at Greenbelt 3, converting the lobby into a modern-day, New York-style cocktail party with a mini-fashion show by romantic fashion designer Patrice Ramos-Diaz.
And so, I?ll end this week with a little question to all the husbands out there: Which product are you more likely to buy for us girls this midyear?a Coke Light or a Mercedes GLK?
E-mail the author at seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph.
