Turning a new leaf
If there’s one thing Filipinos love to do, it’s to celebrate or party. It must be wired into our DNA, this penchant to throw parties at the drop of a pin. Christmas, New Year, Easter, Halloween, birthdays, weddings, baptisms — it’s like we’re never far from finding a reason to throw that party to end all parties...until the next occasion comes along.
Our lifestyle and society pages are proof positive of how even store openings, product launches, corporate events and fundraising activities have joined this bandwagon of merrymaking — to the point where those with a sarcastic streak will joke about how your perennial “left to right” from these pages would show up even for the opening of a can of tuna or corned beef. That’s how celebration-hungry many of us are; and it isn’t unusual to find some dedicated partygoers flitting from one occasion to another three or four on a singe December night.
For the ones organizing the revelry, one major consideration will always be the venue. It comes as no surprise that with the “ber” months ushering in a frenzy of social occasions, organizers are always on the lookout for the new “hot” venue — and these venues sprout in amazing numbers this time of the year. For example, this year’s last quarter alone has seen Valkyrie for clubbers, Green Sun’s fourth floor and the function room’s 360-degree wall screen, and the new section of Solaire Hotel and Resort with its amazing “wired for sound” theater (the traveling production of Chicago is the theater’s baptism of fire) and Sky Tower, all opened their doors. Old reliables such as McKinley Hills’ Blue Leaf Events Pavilion, a perennial favorite for corporate events, wedding receptions and en grande anniversaries have to constantly update their profile and offerings to stay in the game, and be among the first choices of the people tasked to organize these events.
It was probably with this is mind that the people behind Blue Leaf invested in putting up a spanking new alternative, the Blue Leaf Filipinas (BLF). Nestled beside the City of Dreams (yes, still another establishment that will use December as its starting point), BLF is smack dab in the middle of the Aseana City complex that promises to change drastically the landscape of the Roxas Boulevard reclaimed area over the next few years. At BLF, there are three major halls and three smaller function rooms. And taking a cue from how the McKinley Pavilion operates, there is flexibility — while each Hall can accommodate some 300 to 500 guests, the three halls can be converted to one gigantic hall, good for up to a thousand people.
I recall how I was so impressed the very first time I had to attend an event at the McKinley Pavilion, the attention to interiors and how no expense was spared in the facilities such as the toilets and powder rooms; and how the staff was attentive and well-trained. This same standard is maintained, and even improved upon, with the new Filipinas Pavilion. Its Modern Filipino architecture and interiors all serving to act as backdrop for whatever the occasion demands.
Recently, BLF threw an anniversary party to say “Thank you” to its business and industry partners, to the media, and to close friends and regular clients. A bountiful array of appetizers, main courses and dessert was provided by the bevy of caterers and food outlets who are tapped regularly by the establishment. For me, it was an eye-opener to the extensive range of contacts and suppliers that an events venue like BLF must maintain via an accredited list to make things go smoothly. How this benefits the entities who book the place can never be underestimated. For Blue Leaf Filipinas, it’s all part of its commitment to create memorable moments — moments when we can live, love and laugh.
The Mighty Pen
The three novels today come from acclaimed writers who write very differently, yet all three enjoy enviable reputations. Revered by the critics, and having gained both mainstream and cult followings, these three are at the forefront of contemporary fiction.
Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch (available on Amazon.com) Author of The Dinner, Koch is acclaimed for his razor-sharp social commentary. In Summer House, our narrator is a cynical doctor, a general practitioner — who knows only too well why he has not specialized, and how increasingly anachronistic his niche has become. When larger-than-life and flagrant womanizer actor Ralph Meier becomes his patient, and “friend,” the world of Dr. Marc Schlosser and his family (wife and two daughters) are turned upside down. Ethics, revenge, adultery and parenting all take their turn under Koch’s “microscope.” Loved how he equates small changes in your life and the kind of person you are, to a stain on your trousers. Impeccable writing!
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (available at National Book Store) In what may seem like a departure from the whimsical, fantasy-ridden, real world Murakami has created in his previous works, Colorless Tsukuru is more pegged down to the real world of friendship, betrayals and changing the course of one’s ordinary life. But when you’re in the hands of a “master,” there’s no denying how continuously engrossing this slight story becomes. We meet a group of five high school friends in Japan, two girls and three guys. When one girl creates a lie about the advances one guy has made towards her, the group immediately closes ranks and shuts out Tsukuru. Bewildered, confused and dejected, the book chronicles his life.
Tigerman by Nick Harkaway (available on Amazon.com) Taking on what easily could have been the basis of a graphic novel, Harkaway sets his sights on modern civilization, the media, and friendship in this page-turner. Set in a fictitious port city called Mancreau, somewhere in the Arabian Sea, Mancreau is like a cross between Macau and a contemporary Casablanca. Lester is the British Brevet-Consul, and in this far-flung diplomatic minefield, his duty is to maintain presence while turning a blind eye to the various syndicates and dubious corporations engaging in shady businesses and activities. When he befriends Mancreau native, Robin, a young boy, and a common friend dies, Lester’s life is turned upside-down. Comes close to being a modern-day Graham Greene.
