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NOW,
sweetie, let us all take a bit of a break from the
still-ongoing soap opera involving Australian Brian
Gorrell, so looking lovely and charming in last week’s
cover profile, and the infamous Delfin Justiniano “DJ”
Montano, who was last reported to have heeded our advice
and enjoyed some spa pampering, albeit not in that
marvelous new branch of The Spa in Bonifacio High Street
at The Fort, just a short walk away from DJ’s equally
infamous former haunt.
Or would
you like to hear this latest bit, sweetie, about a
couple of old male floozies who, reportedly in a state
of gaudy inebriation, unsuccessfully tried to channel
Barbara Stanwyck following a night out in Boracay, but
ended up like a withered Carol Varga, as they supposedly
harrumphed about the pobres in their midst?
Another
time, sweetie.
Meanwhile, last April 26 my best girlfriend and I drove
hysterically to the San Miguel by the Bay, at the back
of the ginormous Mall of Asia (MOA), to attend the
so-called VIP Party launching the very first Hooters
Restaurant in Manila. Us little old ladies just laughed
remembering the time we threatened our dear parents that
we’d become Hooters Girls if they forced us to that
dreadful Swiss boarding school cousin Georgina had also
been shipped to. Look what good that did to her. She was
now a lesbian married to a gay man—and penniless! Boo-effing-hoo!
The
party had just started and we were just surprised to see
a number of female guests, almost equaling the males in
the crowd. We have, of course, always thought of Hooters
as a lair of the male species, but who knew that we
girls would enjoy the restaurant as well? It could be
the fat fries in aioli dip.
There
were even a few kids running around and playing the
Hula-Hoop with some waitstaff, a sight that my
girlfriend found so cute. She promised general manager
Eric Gutierrez to bring her lovely tykes next time
around to enjoy the restaurant’s casual-dining
atmosphere. And I must say, sweetie, that would be a
first for my girlfriend who feeds her gorgeous little
girls their burgers at the poolside of the Mandarin
Oriental. According to John Weber, executive vice
president for franchising of Hooters of America, the MOA
outlet is the 445th of the highly successful restaurant.
Honestly, sweetie, I had no idea there were that many
Hooters around the world! He was in town along with
several Hooters Girls from the
US,
all dressed in black, who were going to train the local
girls for the next two weeks, on how to keep their
customers happy and ordering. Of course, with that
outfit the girls would strut around in, that should be
easy.
The
formal opening of the first Philippine Hooters
restaurant was a proud moment for Kaz Endo, managing
director for Paradise Wings Llp., which owns the Hooters
franchise for Asia and Guam. He announced it with a
flourish by ceremonially sliding down the “first order”
for the restaurant to the kitchen, much to the applause
of the guests.
Seen
enjoying the festivities with Endo were Brian Suhr,
president of South Pacific Petroleum; Michael Hahm,
Brian’s EVP; and Paradise Wings’ local partner Ruben
Mortera of Group 57. Also helping entertain the hooting
crowd was Ruthe Paeste, a dusky Filipina beauty who grew
up on Guam and will soon be managing the Hooters outlet
over there.
The
local Hooters Girls in their exotic glory were such a
nice lively gaggle. They sang and danced at the drop of
a hat and treated every customer—male or female—with
respect and courtesy. Our girl Miles especially made
sure we had the first taste of the restaurant’s famous
chicken wings that everyone had been wildly anticipating
for about three hours since the party started. I so just
wanted to join the girls in dancing the “YMCA,” but that
would have sent the party to a grinding halt and a quick
end. Yes, sweetie, I do know my limitations.
The
Girls even sang a rousing birthday special to another
VIP guest, Mitsuo Tanabe, president of Hooters Japan,
who was so overjoyed that he danced on top of the table.
I had joked that maybe I could come to the Tokyo branch
to sing some karaoke, but he didn’t look too happy,
sweetie.
I saw
several reps of Pepsi-Cola Phils. also enjoying the
night with beers in their hands, instead of their
favorite soft-drink beverage. Huli kayo! And I almost
died when two cuties from the Red Bull PBA team sat down
beside us and chatted us up. I suddenly had visions of
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher playing in my head! I was
too sloshed, though, to remember who they were,
unaccustomed as I was with drinking brewskies instead of
my usual Shiraz.
Kaz
tells us the next Hooters branch would be at The Fort
Entertainment Strip. Oh, that would be ever so nice. It
would maybe shake things up a bit in that neck of the
woods after the not-so-celebratory revelations on my new
BFF’s blog have kept away the partyphiles from their
drowning superclub.
While my
girlfriend and I are not used to sitting in booths or
parking our arses in high chairs with a beer in one hand
and a chicken wing in another, sometimes it is
liberating to just let go and enjoy what the commoners
do. Underneath the Marc Jacobs outfit, my Shu Umera
makeup, and Prada handbag, I’m just a little old lady
looking to have some fun.
 Also,
sweetie, cheers to Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila for its
successful staging of the 1st Philippine StarBall at the
hotel’s grand ballroom. The event left everybody
spellbound with the performances of the world’s most
talented amateur and professional ballroom dancers.
Dancers competed in several categories, including
Amateur Latin, Amateur Standard, Pro-Am Latin, Pro-Am
Standard, Professional Latin and Professional Standard.
There were also Beginner, Novice, Junior, Pre-Teen,
Under 21 and Senior divisions.
The 1st
Philippine StarBall was organized by the Council of
United Professional Dance Teachers of the Philippines
Inc. (CUPDTP), with the support of the Department of
Tourism, First Gentleman’s Foundation, Metrobank, SM
Mart Inc. and International Container Terminal Services
Inc. Proceeds of the competition went to Kythe, a
foundation which helps children afflicted with cancer.
 Michaela
“Pinky” Puno, wife of Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno
and chairman of the 1st Philippine StarBall organizing
committee, led the awarding ceremonies together with
Games and Amusement Board
Chairman Eric Buhain, CUPDTP
president Jojo Cariño, CUPDTP vice president Jerswin
Poloyapoy, Consul Erik Nielsen and wife Madame Dawn
Nielsen of the Royal Consulate of Denmark, Madame
Cosetta Fedele, wife of Italian Ambassador Rubens Anna
Fedele; US Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Jones and his
wife Catherine Jones.
Now,
sweetie, let me wind this piece up with just another
bit....
What’s
this we hear about another spurned lover’s blog,
obviously inspired by my BFF’s site, exposing the, ahem,
less-than-fabulous birth of one of our favorite society
wannabes. This GI Baby, who has long been
misrepresenting himself as a Spanish mestizo, has been
rumored in the past of making a punching bag of his
ex-lover, the son of a former diplomat divorced from his
politicking mother.
Well, as
this new blog goes, GI Baby has been committing
corporate fraud despite the fact that he had occupied
the post of large telco-based conglomerate as a
corporate governance officer, and has lied to
stockholders not only about his birth, but his unpaid
debts in the US.
And here
we thought he was let go by the company because the
chairman caught GI Baby smoochy-smoochy with his boytoy
of the moment.
A lovely
weekend we’re all going to have, isn’t it, sweetie?
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