Facing Faces

A trek down memory lane was in order as the entire cosmo manille - the SFDV crowd plus more - trooped to the EDSA Shang last Friday after MS mag issued the invite that they would "re-create" the famous Faces... And so the '80s came back with a vengeance, this time staged in the grandeur of the Isla Ballroom converted into one gigantic authentic-looking disco with mirror balls, colored lights, fog machine and ledge dancing from that memorable era. Faces from the past were a-plenty, with plenty of air kissing, hugging and yes, shrieking. It was indeed a lump-in-the- throat moment for many as recollections of the hedonistic 80’s and early 90’s filled the air - which led to a very heightened party feeling - ergo - marathon drinking and celebrating with long lost friends (including vodka tonic ‘classmates’ like JT the ex lover of my best friend then Christie C who had that famous confrontation scene in Quirino Avenue after leaving disco SG, which by the way wasn't Faces era, but still part of the sinful '80s) . It was simply overwhelming- - the memories, the music, the people. But I told EL, one of the party hosts, that although I was very much an '80s girl, Faces was NOT exactly my scene as that happened late eightees when I was – ahem – busy getting pregnant or nursing and seeing a different set of faces - cute lil' ones with drool and spit who kept me up all night. Admittedly, and I know I’m dating myself, I have a different set of memories - having been more of a Stargazer-Johnny Romero’s Circus - LouieY’s and Calesa kind of '80s gal. Yup, early to mid. So there, the age shows but who cares. ANYWAY.. the party last Friday was a celebration of the ENTIRE '80s era, which was still MY era, and indeed the most colorful part of my life, where stolichnaya and disco reigned supreme and the only problem was how to drive home with car on auto pilot, where the issues for the day involved deciding what to wear that night, who to go with, and hoping "na maganda yung crowd’. I remember agreeing with Christie back then that the only reason we had our day jobs was so we could earn enough money to buy nice clothes to wear at night.
And that, folks, summarizes my shallow shallow youth which I've left behind - thank God.

Instant youth by osmosis - with twenty-something SSI girls Ria, Annick and Nina... They too were at "Faces", wanting to find out what their aunties, uncles, moms and dads (my peers in other words) were up to twenty years ago. Common denominator? Look what they're holding...

SFDV

Has it really been ONE year since colleague Gerbie and I resurrected our gowns from our bauls in preparation for a supposedly long gown affair, and where we hid behind the tall plants in the lobby, feeling very self-conscious in our ballgowns as we noticed that majority of the cocktail crowd were squeezed into little black dresses? But I do remember having fun that evening, overdosing on pritchon and champagne, feeling very Kiera-ish in my long gown finery. Well, tonight marked the anniversary of that evening, as magazine T&C celebrated its first year by throwing yet another well planned, lavish affair, complete with big band (yes! think Blue Moon and that era), dancing, DI's, a delectable spread of roastbeef, oysters and other Pen delights...AND of course, the de rigueur cocktail crowd of le cosmo manille - the SFDVs in full force! (Same faces different venue) It was indeed such a welcome respite for this hired hand to get away from the trenches of office routine and sip..or rather gulp down six successive glasses of champagne, and devour the oysters and canapes with my cocktail friends (most of whom quite honestly I don't see during the daytime, but who I greet anyway like long lost relatives, kissing on both cheeks while trying to remember names). It is such a welcome exercise to go through the usual party motions inside the Rigodon ballroom, after all the stress and physical and mental fatigue the past weeks - which by the way accounts for my long long blog absence. And soooo...talking about exercise...I did just that, by dancing with the DI's like there was no tomorrow once the canned music set in.
While tonight was the first anniversary celebration of T&C, tomorrow is the launch of some new magazine,WB, while Friday is the grand grand party of MS magazine. Yes folks, the party scene is upon us, as the -ber months slowly creep in. SFDVs of Manila, unite!

Incidentally, at one point earlier this evening I and my single friend M of MC mag were quietly surveying the glass clinking crowd and made the common observation that no way would parties like this be a potential breeding ground for Mr. Right. In the first place, I said, Mr. Right would probably be at home reading the stock market report or some such boring winding-down-after-a-hard-day activity. And, M added, you wouldn't want your Mr. Right to be the type to attend these activities, would you, as we eyed the dapper, very friendly, oozing with charm and all the right words men-about-town-but-whom- you-better-be-wary-of "N" and "M". They were working the room alright, dressed in their spiffy suits and devious smiles as they oggled the array of cleavages, low backs and slinky dresses parading about. But the SFDV crowd wouldn't be as interesting without them, would it?

Cheers! Clink.

last year's event: http://msfrancisco.blogspot.com/2007/09/pritchon-chic.html