Wedding anniversary

July 31, 2011 at 10:48 am (2000s Philippines, Current Events, Family Traditions, Manila Houses, Personal, Random memories, The Global Crowd, The Manilenos)

It was all sooooo effortless and yet so splendid…

For once, I arrived in time for the 7:30 p.m. invitation.  The 3 streets which the manorial house straddled were already filling up with all the latest, top-of-the-line cars and SUVs.  Just by the vehicles alone, one already knew exactly which crowd was attending the party:  the major Chinoy and Pinoy players of big business.

The extensive buffet dinner was catered by the Makati Shangri-La hotel, and it featured all the best selections from its 4 restaurants.  All kinds of wines and other liquor flowed freely from the very open bar.  French champagne, Scottish single malt, Johnny Walker Double Black, vintage Bordeaux and Burgundy, Louis XIII [ Treize ] de Remy Martin cognac, it was “bottoms up” “drink all you can” because the sky was really the limit.  Because it was drizzling, meaning that the ladies’ expensive Blahnik, Choo, and Louboutin heels would sink in the extensive lawn’s grass and their Hermes bags would get wet, the lady of the house spontaneously decided to hold it inside the house.  No problem, as the elegant house of embassy proportions, completely airconditioned, could easily accommodate the 200 guests in round tables of 10 between its living room and garden room, with more than enough space for everyone to glide through like a skating rink.

There were lovely, lovely flowers by Manila’s top florist placed discreetly on various tables and pedestals around the house.

After dinner, it was quite a treat to see many of Manila’s richest Chinoys [ Chinese-Filipinos ] and Pinoys belting out their favorite ballads and dance songs accompanied by a very talented band.  Interestingly enough, many of them actually had good voices.  The joking, the teasing, the banter, the mock verbal abuse among Manila’s inebriated business titans were very amusing.

The immaculate guest bathrooms were efficiently attended by alert and assiduous household staff who totally cleaned up after each guest.  There were various Hermes and Chanel cosmetics on Christofle silver trays and lovely, lovely flowers amidst the Carrara marble and the uberefficient German fixtures.  Hidden perfume burners emitted the most marvelous scents.

The party finally ended at 5:00 a.m..

There are many superrich people in Manila, but they might as well wear shirts stamped with “SCRIMP SCRIMP SCRIMP”  by the modest [ albeit admirable and conscientious ] way they live.  But for the superrich to live like the superrich, that’s style…

All I can say is that it’s really, really, really nice to be really, really, really rich and to have everything really, really, really new.   :)    :)    :)

*unfinished*

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The fruits of summers past

May 13, 2011 at 1:33 pm (1800s Filipinas, 1900s Philippines, Arnedo de Sulipan, Domestic Travels, Escaler de Sulipan, Family Traditions, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Manila Houses, Pampanga Cuisine, Pampanga Traditions, Personal, Quiason de San Fernando, Random memories, Reyes de Arayat, Rodriguez de Bacolor, The Batanguenos, The Bicolanos, The Bulaquenos, The Cagayanons, The Cavitenos, The Cebuanos, The Davaoenos, The Global Crowd, The Ilocanos, The Ilonggos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Leytenos, The Manilenos, The Negrenses, The Novo Ecijanos, The Pampanguenos, The Pangasinenses, The Past, The Samarenos, The Tarlaquenos, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Valdes de Pampanga)

ANONAS.

ARATILES.

ATIS.

BALIMBING.

BALUBAD [ KASUY ].

BAYABAS.

BUKO.

CACAO.

CAIMITO.

CALAMANSI.

CALUMPIT / KALUMPIT.

CAMACHILE.

CEREALES.

CHESA.

CHICO.

DALANDAN.

DALANGHITA.

DAYAP.

DUHAT.

DURIAN [ DAVAO ].

GUYABANO.

INDIAN MANGO.

KAMIAS.

LANGKA.

LANZONES.

MABOLO.

MACOPA.

MANGGA.

MANGOSTEEN [ DAVAO ].

MANZANITAS.

MARANG [ DAVAO ].

MELON.

PAKWAN.

PAPAYA.

PINA.

RAMBUTAN [ THAILAND ].

SAGING NA LAKATAN.

SAGING NA LATUNDAN.

SAGING NA SABA.

SAGING NA SENORITA.

SAMPALOC.

SANTOL.

SINEGUELAS.

SUHA.

ZAPOTE.

27 Comments

Breathless

January 8, 2011 at 7:26 pm (2000s Philippines, Arnedo de Sulipan, Current Events, Design and Decoration, Family Traditions, Gonzalez de Sulipan, Humor, Manila Houses, Personal, Random memories, The Global Crowd, The Ilonggos, The Manilenos, The Negrenses, The Pampanguenos)

I have never had a Christmas season like this in Manila… I was actually out of breath dashing from work to lunch, work to merienda, work to cocktails to dinner… practically every day.  I can only guess that the Philippine economy is doing well, because the majority of people are in the mood to give and to attend all sorts of gatherings.

Aside from the Christmas parties, the lunches and the dinners with friends, there were family / clan reunions, gala events, “bienvenidas,” “asaltos,” “despedidas,” “important” weddings, baptisms, confirmations, children’s parties, debuts, “important” funerals, art openings, concerts, book launches, out-of-town jaunts, etc., etc., etc..

And the season hasn’t stopped… It’s just going and going and going…!!!

WOW…  *breathless*

4 Comments

Titans of Taste: Lindy and Cecile Locsin

December 5, 2010 at 10:07 am (1900s Philippines, 19th century Filipino Art, Architecture, Design and Decoration, Manila Houses, The Global Crowd, The Ilonggos, The Manilenos, The Negrenses, The Past)

There are many rich, even superrich, Filipinos.  But only a few of them have style, and even fewer still have the high style which compare to their peers in New York, Paris, and London.

Architect Leandro “Lindy” Locsin and his heiress wife Cecilia “Cecile” Araneta Yulo along with their friends personified Filipino high style.

Lindy and Cecile kept a close circle of friends — Jimmy and Maribel Ongpin, Ting and Baby Paterno, and Manolo and Rose Agustines.

4 Comments

Titans of Taste: Luis Ma. Araneta

December 5, 2010 at 10:06 am (The Manilenos, Design and Decoration, The Global Crowd, Filipino Art, 19th century Filipino Art, Manila Houses, Architecture, The Past, 1900s Philippines)

He already had good taste even as a child, which wasn’t surprising considering that his family lived in the most beautiful residence along aristocratic Calle R. Hidalgo.

8 Comments

Titans of Taste: Arturo de Santos

December 5, 2010 at 10:04 am (1900s Philippines, Architecture, Design and Decoration, Manila Houses, The Global Crowd, The Manilenos, The Novo Ecijanos, The Past)

If the adage “Money can buy everything” is true then Arturo de Santos certainly bought everything…

9 Comments

Mythic creatures: Conching Sunico

December 5, 2010 at 10:02 am (1900s Philippines, Manila Houses, The Global Crowd, The Manilenos, The Past)

At the time when family background counted for everything in American colonial Manila society, Conching Chuidian Sunico had everything it took to dominate the social scene.

5 Comments

I feel the earth move!

November 10, 2010 at 3:46 pm (The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, The Global Crowd, The Ilocanos, The Negrenses, The Ilonggos, The Davaoenos, The Cebuanos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Angst, Tristesse, Random memories, Manila Houses, The Tarlaquenos, Personal, 2000s Philippines, Current Events, The Batanguenos, The Cavitenos, The Bulaquenos, The Novo Ecijanos, The Pangasinenses, The Leytenos, The Bicolanos, The Cagayanons, The Samarenos)

Yeah baby, the earth’s movin’, under our feet, and we better be ready for it…

7 Comments

Conversations about: Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo, 1924 – 1984, painter [ the dead artist, NOT Fernando Zobel "el guapo" the dreamboat ]

July 23, 2010 at 3:15 pm (1900s Philippines, 2000s Philippines, Filipino Art, Manila Houses, Random memories, The Global Crowd, The Manilenos, The Past)

We stood before a big white canvas with a messy black splotch in the middle…  we were all awed before it because it had been purchased for an unspeakable sum.  Actually, everything in that house was purchased for unspeakable sums so it was just another purchase during a leisurely afternoon.  The more august among us murmured expressions of comprehension, appreciation, and delight.  Needless to say, I wasn’t one of them.  I wanted to go down and back to the living room where there was more foie gras and more Dom Perignon served by the waiters and big bags of potato chips secreted inside the magnificent Batangas I altar table.

“I have never pretended to be an art connoisseur and I’m certainly not going to start now…  So what’s this all about???”  I looked up and down and left and right and just couldn’t “get it.”

The rest of the company, who were good friends of mine anyway, stared incredulously at me and broke out in guffaws and giggles…

In truly “top-out-of-sight” Manila — the Manila of the Roxas-de Ayala-Zobel-Soriano, the Tuason-Legarda-Prieto-Valdes, the Roxas-Zaragoza-Araneta-Ortoll, the Ortigas, the Aboitiz, and now of course the monosyllabic Chinoy ultrarich the Sy, Tan, Go, Tiu, Que Pe, et. al. — a painting by their “primo” Fernando Zobel in one’s home, usually in the living room, is a sign of one’s belonging in that special world.  You see, you just cannot walk into a Manila art gallery and buy a Fernando Zobel.  Not only will you need the $$$ megabucks, you will need the stratospheric social connections to pull it off.  If you bought one and didn’t need either, then you bought a fake, darling.

9 Comments

Conversations about: Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892 – 1972, painter

July 23, 2010 at 3:13 pm (Gonzalez de Sulipan, The Pampanguenos, The Manilenos, The Global Crowd, The Ilocanos, The Negrenses, The Ilonggos, The Davaoenos, The Cebuanos, The Laguna Tagalogs, The Tayabenses / Quezonians, Filipino Art, Random memories, Manila Houses, Family Traditions, The Tarlaquenos, The Past, 1900s Philippines, The Batanguenos, The Cavitenos, The Bulaquenos, The Novo Ecijanos, The Pangasinenses, The Leytenos, The Bicolanos, The Cagayanons, The Samarenos)

What a laugh…  I grew up in my Lola Charing’s house which was proudly hung with oil portraits by THE Fernando Cueto Amorsolo.  Unfortunately, all of them, save for Lolo Augusto’s posthumous one from 1947, were from the 1950s, a period decried by serious collectors and scholars for mediocre works because of his deteriorating eyesight.  The one of Tito Willy looked specially sad;  Amorsolo had explained to Lola Charing that he was mimicking the style of Rembrandt.  It looked like Rembrandt on downers.  In any case, they were perfect for Disneyland’s “Haunted Mansion” ride.  Fearing that we grandchildren would neglect and eventually sell them, my uncle Brother Andrew donated the whole spooky lot to the various art gallery units of the DLSU De La Salle University.  They must be haunted by now.

So when I found myself in the houses of family friends with magnificent, blindingly lit Amorsolo genre paintings, I was surprised by how sunny and happy they looked, so unlike ours.

46 Comments

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