Visitors from NY

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Tong and Rita are in town again to attend to several family functions. Like all Balikbayans, it was a time for the two to catch up on the many local things that immigrants miss while they are busy earning Dollars in ole’ USA. For Tong it was Golf with Cord and Dinky. From Tong's stories when I saw him, I surmise there were other more inebriating activities he did with his relatives. For Rita, it was a chance to be with her mother and relations again . . and maybe shopping. Rita sees her 95 year old Mom in Marikina at least once a year. Last week, Rita and Tong went to Boracay where they attended a wedding. Boracay will always be a nice place where everyone is sure to enjoy.


























Upon their return from Boracay last Sunday, a CAFA reunion was held at Oni’s house in QC. The couple just had time to land at the airport and take in a mass service before proceeding to the party. Dinky, Milou, Tycel, Alex, Cord and his friend Edcel (Ledesma) came for the get together. Of course, Bili and Oni were there by default. For the other CAFAs who did not make it that night, it must be a hectic December season.

As usual for CAFAs, the conversation over dinner centered around bawdy adult things. When asked about his love life, Alex insisted on making a distinction between his love life and his sex life. This idea caused Tycel to cover her ears while listening to the shameless CAFAs. At one time during a discussion of shoe size, Oni expressed his amazement that his feet continue to lengthen. And then it was too late - I should have known that a statement like this wont get past the guys without a wisecrack. Tong mentioned that it was the only thing in Oni that grew (long) and that’s why he is into footsies now over other related exercises. And finally, when the scotch whiskey was proving difficult to extract from the bottle due to the bib tip, Cord said the technique of pouring is wrong. He somberly said it should be gripped and shaken like . . you know what.

After dinner, it was singing time. I thought that the Tiongco Brothers plus 1 (Dinky, Tong, Alex and Oni) sounded real good doing the CAFA standards. Puede na! Later on Cord and Edcel showed that they also knew the songs and boisterously sang along. It was fun. After exhausting the CAFA music, it was a pleasant surprise to see Edcel take to the piano. He dared anyone to sing a Beatles number that he will accompany on the piano. Between songs, the group discussed the possible reunion in the USA. For the information of Bess, Tong is seriously honing up on his rendition of Remember Me (with his custom M1). He plans to master Rom Byrom's rendition and deliver this soaring ballad in that reunion. Meanwhile, Oni is working on his MTV experiment (for one of his songs) that he hopes to finish hopefully in time for the next CAFA reunion. By the way, Delfa is scheduled to be in the USA San Francisco area in April next year. Maybe that elusive reunion can be held then.

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DIDI & NORE IN TOWN

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The tireless US-based couple Didi and Nore Lim are in town for a month taking care of business interests in Manila. Over the weekend, the CAFA Balikbayans with locals Oni and Bili had the opportunity to get together for dinner. In lieu of the usual restaurants, the group decided on a quaint Italian dining place called Galileo in an old area in Mandaluyong. Fresh baked bread, salads, pasta and meats (laced with tart Prosciuto and salami, my favorite cardio food) were the fare of the day. Just as interesting was the décor of the restaurant (compared to boutique restaurants in the usual commercial places). Galileo is actually a store-restaurant concept that is probably what Rudy and Cindy have in mind. There is a little specialty wine and food store (with imported European stuff) right at the entry. Past this facility, dining ‘niches’ festooned with wine bottle racks and muralistic wall paintings can be found inside. Even the toilet door was not spared from the mural work.

But that was not the highlight of the evening. After dinner, the foursome decided to investigate Zirco, a comedy bar in Ortigas and Wilson. Operated by Alan K - a gay TV comedian, the stage show featured gays at their best while mainly hitting on everyone and everything. The Zirco performers were competent singers who harmonize effectively and make their Karaoke backtracks sound good. In between musical numbers, the humor on stage ranged from distracting to disrespectful to insulting to downright vulgar. Bili continued to worry that Didi and Nore may be scandalized by the no-holds-barred acts, but Nore was observed having a laughing fit all night. The show may have been amusing for her since the goings-on where roughly like party chika fare of her crazy Fine Arts fun crowd.

Bili should have been more concerned about my sensibilities. Watching the show, I almost fell off my chair as one performer pointedly asked a game young female sitting up front with her middle-aged American boyfriend: “Did he move you? (translation: ginalaw ka ba nya?). If he did not yet, then pareho pa tayong hindi nababayaran! ” Then looking at the American: “Sir, what I just said was that we appreciate your predeliction for young Pinays . . and for putting them out of their misery!” In another situation, a sexily-dressed girl coaxed to go up on stage to sing karaoke was subjected to interview before her song. It went this way:

Emcee: What do you do, girl?
Girl: Marketing.
Emcee (without hesitation): Saan, sa Quezon Av? (where Maalikaya and others like it are located).

The emcee even admonished the audience when he said: “This is a comedy bar where it’s noisy, frank and fun. If you want quiet, civil and decent, please go to Robinsons at EDSA Ortigas. There is an adoration chapel in the church there!” These are examples of the mild jokes. You can guess how vivid the language and the spiel content came to be later on. Surely, going to Zirco was an experiment where I would not advise the place for the faint-hearted.
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HERITAGE-LIKE SONGS

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The Heritage Conservation Society of the Philippines held their Benefit Dinner last Saturday. Headed by Gemma Cruz, former Miss Philippines, the Society hosted an exclusive dinner affair for Manila’s distinguished heritage advocates and supporters. Aptly, the Benefit Dinner was held at Mother’s Garden, a surprising haven in Zamora Street, Pasay City. The Mother’s Garden venue is actually the family compound of National Artist Pablo Antonio. We understand that the heritage house on it was being used by the society wedding couturier Malou (Antonio) Veloso until the time it was turned into an events place. (Some of Ms. Veloso's gowns were still in the rooms.)

The Neos were tapped to entertain the elite group who were more than gracious listeners. The mature audience engagingly corrected the Neo’s claim that ‘Java Jive’ is a 70s song. (They were one in claiming that this is a real oldie). The highly civil audience visibly enjoyed the Neo’s kind of retro music and was generous with their praises of the Neo performance even up to the time the party ended. Dinky, who is a member and technical adviser of the Heritage Society, drew chuckles as he produced his spiel during the performance. In general, he introduced the Neo members as ‘antiquities’ with their ‘heritage’ songs albeit productive enough to be prime examples of ‘adaptive reuse’.

The accolade of the audience was more than enough satisfaction to the Neos in exchange for all their effort to prepare for the event. Oni and Hector arranged to come three hours early to set up the Neo’s own equipment. (it took some time for the inexperienced pair to fix the feedback problem). The rest of the Neos came soon enough to hold a sound check that had its share of problems. (The promised CD player of the place malfunctioned). Through all the debacle, the Neos managed a successful presentation with comparatively expressive harmonics this time. One reason is the probably the fact that Hec took it upon himself to manipulate the mixer throughout the show. This allowed the Neos to finally hear/feel each other (ala CAFASinger days) while singing together.

The raffle after the show saw Oni get lucky. His stub number was called out and he took home an orchid plant prize that the non winners looked upon with envy. Paintings were also raffled out including an Alcuaz original that was auctioned. For the Heritage Society, everything seemed to fall into place for a successful event. As late as a couple of weeks before the show, the Neos actually feared that they had to make do as an all male group. Delfa just came in from her mission in the Gobi desert (with a cold) and Irene had her Alum homecoming event on the same night as the show. The Neos even thought of having Ofels Monroy (original Neo lady) to fill in but fortuitous events happened. Especially for those who know Ofels, please say a little prayer for her Dad who passed away last Friday. In a way, the Neos dedicate their songs last Saturday to Ofels and her family.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

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Last week, some of the CAFAs had a get together in New York. Bili and Oni Mayo were visiting America so East coasters Tong and Rita Salgado and Sam and Sandy Sta. Maria made it a point to see them. The busy Nore caught up with the group in Chiams, a trendy 52nd St. resto, although she still left earlier than the rest for another dinner appointment. Tito and Girlie Valbuena and Fiel Zabat were supposed to join, but they couldn’t make it at the last minute. The group also missed Rody Picar who was reportedly in the Philippines.

The party was fun and the details of which I’m posting as described by Sam in his email. I couldn’t have described it better. The blow-by-blow of the event by Sam is depicted below (albeit edited for flow) and now embellished with photos. I completely agree with Bess that Sam should really do a US CAFA whirl Blog soon. Sam’s report:

Ito ay para sa mga US residents whom we missed at our dinner last Friday, May 29. What a great time we all had, trying to get in as many topics of conversation between Chinese entrees that included duck and jellyfish (?) I can’t recall the exact dish name but it tasted good. Since most of us were famished (after a day’s work), second platters of food had to be ordered quickly. The waiters did a good job of moving us along by scooping the last morsels into anyone’s plates and clearing the empty dishes posthaste. I lost count of my allowable daily quota for sodium and sugar intake, which hopefully got burned up when Sandy and I walked from 46th to 34th for our subway ride to NJ. Times Square was nice, as Oni will attest, since it is now closed to traffic, and people were in beach chairs in the middle of the street gazing at the neon billboards.

Retirement has its challenges for Tong. First, a botched cataract removal procedure has left one eye with a fixed lens instead of one that adjusts focus automatically. I hope I got that description right. It’s like having an old Kodak Instamatic with a fixed aperture instead of an auto-focus Nikon. Since he got some sort of credit for the less than perfect procedure, I suggested that he demand a complimentary face lift and nose job, too. Stay tuned for the new, improved Arthur Salgado. Then there are his arthritic knees! I feel your pain, Tong. Sometimes I do, too. Ritz, don’t you think this is Tong’s grand scheme to escape from taking out the garbage and increase his golfing time? He say’s he needs the walking exercise, preferably on the fairways.

We briefly discussed Dinky’s food poisoning bout. Could it have been caused by his disgruntled tenant in hacienda Silay? If you must know, Dinky and Milou have leased out a piece of their lot in Silay to a restaurant. Maybe just lactose intolerance then, and a longing for more TLC from Milou. Meanwhile, Don Rody Picar must be checking on his holding company in Manila. A giant billboard for Picar Holdings has been spotted thereabouts, according to Perez Hilton.

Nore is now the consummate ZooYorker, zipping via subway from her new condo in Harlem to all points in Manhattan (something she never did until this year?) This leaves more time for Didi to strum his guitar and possibly hobnob with their famous neighbor, Pres. Bill Clinton. Didi, was that the reason you were not with Nore last Friday? The weekend experience inclusive of the cooperative weather was simply gorgeous, presaging a glorious ZooYork summer. So to all CAFAs, come on down and visit NY soon to experience the same.

After the early dinner, the CAFAs hung around a nearby public sitting area (for more chika and photo op) while waiting for the bus schedules of the Jersey and Rockland residents in the group. Oni and Bili haven’t seen Sam and Sandy since Vermont. Sam and Sandy are still ever fretting over the whereabouts of their darling Adrienne now 15. (Sandy made the check up call during the dinner. Adrienne now has a bf). Tong assured them that there’s no need to worry. From his hunting days, Tong has a lot of guns that he said he can always give to Sam so he can be like Gwendolyn’s policeman father. (Remember Gwendolyn - dancing to slow drag at her prom in Hilton Head?)

In line with Dinky’s Email inquiring about the next CAFA reunion from Alice, Oni posed the issue to the group for their suggestions. It seems that the theme, place and the timing for the next reunion still remains to be determined. A musical show theme akin to the last reunion would be a natural activity for CAFAs and would be guaranteed fun. If that's too hard to bring about (due to the rehearsal process), an alternative would be to showcase other CAFA skills in dancing, fire-eating, glass-walking body-piercing and extreme sports! The time between now and the next reunion can be a good opportunity for the CAFAs to practice their acts. Seriously, some ideas that came out of the Montreal Summit (among the Calleys, Lims and Mayos) to make the reunion interesting were: 1) a coffee book project that showcases CAFA friends and family; and 2) a Karaoke session in the reunion program. For the book project, Nore, Sam and Oni (others?) have publishing experience to help the CAFAs put it together. Meanwhile for the Karaoke event, Bess and the NeoCAFAs can assist in the preparation of M1s for the Paul (Potts) and Susans (Boyle) in the group. What say?

THE CANADIAN ESCAPADE

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For two days in May, some of the CAFA family from the East Coast had a weekender in Montreal, Canada. The three pairs of Sarah & Charlie Calley, Nore & Didi Lim and Oni & Bili Mayo had a mini-reunion in that wonderful French-speaking city. The group stayed in Marriot Courtyard, a convenient 3 star hotel along Sherbrooke Street. Recommended by Sarah, it had a 2-day incentive package (plus a $50 promotional discount certificate in a French restaurant) that suited the purpose.

For the Mayo tourists in the USA, the Canadian adventure started on May 14, Thursday when the Lims picked them up in Manhattan in their trusty Montero. It was a scenic 6 hour drive up chilly upstate NY that gave the foursome enough time to exchange news. The conversation was spiced with Nore's continuous appeals for the daredevil Didi to watch the speed limit. The overcast sky, light drizzle and gusts of wind that tend to nudge the Montero out of lane added to Nore's concern. But Didi the adventurer was unperturbed and up to the task. Did you know that Didi had participated in squabbles with border guards of Latin American countries for being too adventurous? In the middle of the trip, the phone rang and it was good to exchange greetings anew with guess who . . .the now Texan, Romy Ballesteros. Ever the considerate CAFA fellow, Romy just wanted to say hello and I'm glad to hear that everything's fine at his end.

The Calleys came to Montreal direct from nearby Vermont. Over dinner the three couples had a fun time trying out the different fares in the menus and exchanging news and views. Did you guys know that the Calleys produce their own meat? Charlie is now quite a rancher that he can actually command his herd of sheep and cows to behave themselves while he and Sarah go on vacation. (the electric fence keeps them in place and their food is, well, on the ground). In addition, the enterprising couple also produce commercial maple syrup (so tedious to extract and expensive to buy) from the many maple trees in their estate.

It was like old times. For two days, the CAFA group traded stories; sampled the fine Montreal streetscape, sights, weather and cuisine; and discussed future plans that included the next CAFA reunion. The group had fun conjuring the scenario for the next reunion. It could be a laid-back kind of get together or something else (that gets the juices flowing). If the reunion will be a stress-free simple get-together there would still be the need for a champion to research the sites, places to see and overall guide us to the interesting and affordable (cheap?) places.

The original plan to hold it in the US remains a popular option. The options for other places like Canada and even Shanghai however look interesting. Our Canada experience was great and wish that the gang can enjoy it too. Meanwhile, Nore will participate in a food fest in Shanghai next year and we can take that opportunity. For the adventurous, Mexico and Afghanistan are out of the question, I think.

If the reunion will ultimately be in the USA, places like LA, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas were mentioned. And if the reunion were to be anytime soon, it would be necessary for the group to come to a consensus on the date, the place and the activities. And of course, the point man will be necessary. Any volunteers?

The floor is now open for suggestions and comments.

PARTY AVENUE

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Party Avenue is a music bar located in the Timog, QC area, or Scout Tuason to be exact. Last April 24, a fund raising musical show was hosted by the St. Scholastica Marikina alumni. And you guess it, the organizer is the HS class of Irene de Quiroz, erstwhile Neocafasinger! Despite the absence of Delfa who is on work mission outside the country, the Neos came not only to enjoy the Friday evening out but also to give moral support to a fellow Neo. The show program is simply designed around the talents of the St. Scho class members. The classmates would do their thing first and then the Neos would enter later in the evening. As the program started, the St. Scho batch lived up to their billing and set out to entertain the crowd sans inhibition. You really have to hand it to Pinoys (and Pinays) for carrying a tune. I thought that the St. Scho girls did well and can only surmised that they must be karaoke veterans!


Whereas the host class is the Batch of HS 81, you can compute for yourself the average age of the audience there. However, when the singing started the music was dominantly retro - our kind of music! To me, this is just another proof that the better songs for singing today is not the current pop music. When the Neos took the stage after the program, there was a little apprehension when Irene tried to explain the Neo group (or rather why she was visibly among Seniors!). The ice was broken when Dinky said that the only reason the Neos came to sing was because of one of the sponsors. We heard that they were distributing anti-aging cream!

Despite the unbalanced mics (Hec and Alex said they had no sound while Irene's was full blast), the tight stage (I was standing on wires and trying not to be strangled by Alex's crossing wire) and the garbled monitors (the feedback was louder than the melody), the Neos got on with it. Like real pros, the show must go on! Later Dinky tested the humor of the young audience by introducing the final song. In his UP drawl, he declared: "We are now singing Stasera, an Italian song. Baka kasi akala nyo wala kaming class!" Despite everything, I think they liked it.