Last 4 October, a group of bloggers was given a sneak peak into the movie, as well as the chance to interact with the producers. Also, we were able to witness the actual processes involved in creating Dayo.

I’ve seen — and been fascinated by — several documentaries shown on TV about the making of animated films, especially those by Pixar and Disney. This time, I was right there interacting with the artists, and having conversations with the producers, directors and writers!  The tour of Dayo’s impressive production outfit in Makati is something I will never forget.

I’m pretty sure what we saw and heard that wonderful Saturday barely scratched the surface of the whole production effort. But it was enough to give us an appreciation of the level of talent, creativity and professionalism that has gone into the movie’s creation.

The tour of the animation studios of Cutting Edge Productions, the creator of Dayo, was an eye-popping experience for all of us. Everyone was ooh’ing and aah’ing while the animators did their magic on their high-tech workstations. They were doing actual work while we stood there watching wide-eyed. Of course, fellow Dabawenyo and blogger Jehz just had to have a first-hand feel of the digital animation process, so he unabashedly asked one of the animators to show him how. Some of us were lucky to follow suit. There’s this studio with about 15 artists, and each of them has a high-powered Mac computer equipped with a Wacom Cintiq monitor/tablet. You could see they’ve really invested a lot in this movie.

Beyond the obvious monetary input, the passion for this momentous undertaking was also palpable. During the presentation by Dayo executive producer and Cutting Edge CEO, Jessie Lasaten, I could feel how passionate he and his colleagues are about the movie. And I am certain this dedication to producing a quality film will translate to a movie that’s going to be worth watching and cherishing.

Dayo is all about a young boy, Bubuy, who encounters the world of the enchanted. The movie is populated by Philippine mythical creatures like the manananggal, tikbalang, siyokoy. While these creatures from folklore are based on what’s been handed down through the generations, the Cutting Edge team has taken some artistic license in creating the characters. For example, you’ll see one of the lead characters, Anna, who’s a manananggal, will have two sets of wings. Tito Romero, the creative director, explained that they decided to give their manananggals an extra pair of wings to justify their ability to hover. Neat huh?

Dayo will be launched to the viewing public at the Metro Manila Film Festival on Christmas Day 2008. This is a major feat for a new production outfit. In my opinion, the inclusion of Dayo in the annual filmfest raises the bar for all filmmakers, animation or otherwise.

But much more than that, Dayo is a shining showcase of Filipino ingenuity and creativity. It is an adventurous and inspiring undertaking. It is, in fact, brave of the producers to have delved into this project — but it’s high time that Filipinos took it upon themselves to prove that it can be done.

Have I mentioned that the movie’s theme and musical score are performed by professionals? The theme, which has a new and upbeat sound, is rendered by Leah Salonga, as well as by a SonyBMG up-and-coming band that proves to have a bright future ahead. The musical score will be performed by no less than the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. Other heavyweights in the music industry have also been tapped to contribute to the soundtrack, including Joey Ayala. And, everything will be recorded on Dolby Digital.

Director Robert Quilao and Lasaten (who is also the musical director) proudly pointed out that Dayo is 100% Filipino-made. For several years already, Filipino artists have been receiving outsourced work for Japanese anime projects; however, these were partial components of larger projects. Now, thanks to Cutting Edge, Filipinos have embarked on a higher plane by producing animated movies locally. (Dayo, by the way, is planned to become a trilogy!) What does this mean?

Well, this means more jobs and we’ll get to keep our talent once we start producing more of such movies. It also means we produce value locally. And who knows, we might even be exporting our films in the foreseeable future.

There’s so much more that I’d like to tell you about the movie… but I’ll just spoil it for you. So this December, I invite you to go to your theaters and watch Dayo.

The bloggers’ Dayo tour was organized by Dave Quitoriano & Mike Abasolo of RedMedia and yours truly, through Cutting Edge’s marketing officer, Jinky Salvador.

Kudos to Cutting Edge and break a leg!!

Davao Surreal Artist features in New York Exhibit celebrating John Milton and Paradise Lost

Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo* were the first Filipino visual artists to achieve international recognition by virtue of their winning gold and silver medals, respectively, in international painting competitions in 19th century Europe, during years when Modernism was still swelling as a wave to eventually sweep the world. Luna, especially, did it as a form of propaganda disclosing imperialist Spain’s unjust treatment of its then colony, Las Islas Filipinas. Unknown to these two Philippine art icons, a trail of artist followers would form behind them a century later, in terms of desiring to be recognized internationally, this time as a way out of the difficult artist condition (whose condition is easy anyway?) in the Philippines. As result, a number of contemporary pinoy painters are now represented by established galleries in some of the world’s art centers. Whether they are financially better off now and happier is, of course, another question.

Bienvenido Bones Banez is a surrealist artist from Davao City who is not after monetary rewards in his artistic pursuits, but is definitely happier since he based himself in New York because he is experiencing acceptance and recognition of his talent. Now, he is posed to enter the portals of art history as the only Filipino invited to exhibit work in what is projected to be the grandest-ever celebration honoring the blind man-turned-literary immortal John Milton and his classic masterpiece, Paradise Lost. Banez’s participation is more significant in that of the more than 60 visual artists from all over the world, who will display work, he is one of only three who are distinguished as featured.

In his emailed letter to this writer, WAH Center President and Executive Director Terrance Lindall announced that Bienvenido Bones Banez has been named a "Featured Artist" in the Paradise Lost show in September 27-November 2, 2008, at the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn, NYC, USA, along with two other outstanding artists, Kris Kuksi and Rich Buckler. Terrance said of Ben (Banez’s nickname):

"I know of no artist whose work so sincerely expresses his heart felt belief and knowledge that we live in a Satanic time. Ben calls this his ‘666 World.’ He sees humans as possessing the ability to make a Paradise on Earth and yet devoting their energies for wealth, power, and self gratification at the expense of their fellow beings. It is a contradiction to pursue selfish interests for one’s own satisfaction by creating misery for one’s neighbor. No lasting satisfaction can ultimately come from it. Ben is right in that Satan surely has the world in his clutches while encouraging nations and individuals to dominate one another for wealth and resources. Until another Jesus or Ghandi appears to lead us to the light, we are in dark times and dire straits. One should look deeply into Ben’s paintings to see what we have become and are becoming in this ‘666 World’. True poets and artists must be called upon to sound the alarm. Ben has answered the call!

“He paints as if he is plugged into a wall socket and the energy that pours forth through his brain and fingertips to the canvas comes out in pulses of scintillating colors,” adds Lindall.

Kris Kuksi is one of the most highly regarded artists in the contemporary surreal/visionary movement. His work is in the collection of Chris Weitz, Director of the movie, The Golden Compass, based upon Philip Pullman’s book and grounded in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Richard “Rich” Buckler is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics’ The Fantastic Four in the mid-1970s. He will be producing a portrait of John Milton for the 21st century, unveiling of which will be at the Costume Ball.

Of the participating performing artists, Polish surrealist fashion designer Olek, herself a stunning beauty, will be of particular interest to beholders of the absurdly beautiful as she unravels her latest unique creation with her company of models parading, preening and posing throughout all three floors of the exhibit venue during the ball (see sample photo of her 2003 debut also at WAH Center). Another is playwright/musician/composer Peter Dizozza, described as an “incredibly unique talent,” who will present his musical mystery play “Paradise Found!”

Other performing artists are scheduled intermittently to grace the celebration all the way to November 2: the jazz bar-favorite JC Hopkins Biggish Swing Band; Yana Schnitzler with Human Kinetics Movement Arts – a “mesmerizing”, interactive, cutting-edge dance group; a band of musicians led by Arthur Kirmss dressed in 17th century costume belting out Baroque tunes; and poet S. David as tour guide.

The historical exhibit includes Miltonia; a handwritten Torah scroll of the Book of Genesis — approximately 300 to 400 years old, original copies of Paradise Lost; old woodcuts and engravings; and Royal British memorabilia.

Entrance ticket to the ball is very affordable at $40 for art and entertainment that could go into the annals of history.

* Simon Flores y de la Rosa was reported by the Ayala Museum as having won silver award in the Philadelphia Universal Exposition in 1876, several years earlier than Luna and Hidalgo earned their medals; thus, accordingly, should be credited as the first Filipino artist to receive international recognition.

(Watch out for the concluding Third Part of this series after the grand costume ball in September 28!)

The much-awaited Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) and Anflocor project took a significant stride with a groundbreaking ceremony held on site last 23 September 2008 for their joint venture dubbed as Abreeza.

The ceremony was attended by ALI & Anflocor executives and guests, who witnessed Anflocor Chairman of the Board Antonio O. Floirendo Sr., Ayala Corp. Chairman of the Board Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, Ayala Land Chairman of the Board Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Land President Jaime I. Ayala, Ayala Malls and Ayala Businesscapes Group Head Ma. Victoria E. Añonuevo, Head of Ayala Land Vis-Min Emilio J. Tumbocon, Anflocor Vice Chairman Antonio R. Floirendo Jr., Anflocor President Alexander Valoria, Anflocor Senior Vice President Ricardo R. Floirendo, Anflocor Directors Ma. Cristina R. Brias and Vicente R. Floirendo, with Davao City Administrator Wendell Avisado, break the ground at the Abreeza site along J. P. Laurel Avenue to formally signal the start of building work for the joint venture.

Abreeza is the first major entry project of Ayala Land, Inc. in Davao City. When completed, Abreeza is envisioned to be an integrated mixed-used development that will innovate the city’s urban landscape. It will include a three-storey shopping mall, two Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) buildings and, in the future, a hotel and residential and commercial lots. The first BPO building will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2009 while the first phase of the mall will open in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Abreeza is not the Ayalas’ first development in Davao City, however. We mustn’t forget that the venerable Insular Hotel (now owned and operated by the Waterfront chain) was built by the Ayala family. The high-end Insular villages were also theirs, as well as the Insular Life and BPI buildings.

During the press conference on the same day, this time held at the Pearl Farm Marina, ALI President Jim Ayala, Anflocor Senior VP Ricky Floirendo and the other executives of these two corporations related how Abreeza will become a business-cum-leisure center that Dabawenyos will be proud of. If we are to base our expectations on Makati’s Greenbelt, Abreeza is certainly something to look forward to — in two short years!

The representatives who were at the presscon were the decision-makers of the joint venture, and so the media — as well as the bloggers — were able to glean juicier details than what was printed on the press releases. For example, Jim Ayala revealed that the total project cost up to 2011 will be Php 4 to 5 billion (but the question regarding ROI was predictably left unanswered).

Also, and this is something that I’m sure we will all appreciate, Abreeza will reportedly have around 20% of the 10-hectare property dedicated to open spaces. Think of those beautiful gardens and parks that dot the five Greenbelts in Makati.

Davao City has long been identified as a favorable investment destination for BPO companies, as well as a viable source of skilled manpower. Thus, Abreeza’s first finished product will be the 10,000-sqm building reserved for BPO and IT firms. The executives said that there have already been inquiries from such operators who have existing deployments in other ALI properties.

Prompted by questions from the press and from yours truly, the executives of ALI and Anflocor also talked about their dealings with the city government. Jim Ayala, who reiterated his company’s confidence in the city’s peace & order stability, also discussed plans to address the flooding situation along J. P. Laurel Avenue, as well as other plans to ensure the success of Abreeza’s development.

The entry of Ayala Land, in partnership with Anflocor, is a gleaming beacon of investor confidence in Davao City. Progress is inexorably in our midst.

The name Abreeza was coined from "breeze" and the Italian word for embrace, "abbraccio".

Booking for my flight to Manila in October, I noticed that the Web site’s interface had undergone slight changes — some layout changes and minor improvements in the user interface. Then I was pleasantly surprised when I was presented with the Seat Selector screen (screen capture below).

It’s pretty neat! But, it’s a premium service — meaning, it ain’t free. After choosing my preferred seats, I noticed an extra charge of P448 on my total airfare. Oh well. Anyway, reserving seats isn’t compulsory. But at least passengers now have a choice, especially people who are particular about seating, like me.

Another change that I’ve noticed is an option to prepay for excess baggage. I find it deplorable that Cebu Pacific lowered the baggage allowance to 15kg per passenger on domestic flights, and this new online service doesn’t really alleviate the pain. However, I do appreciate it that the airline has put in place this measure that makes it less of a hassle for passengers to check in.

CebuPacificAir.com also now has a way for passengers to donate to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines). To quote: “Your donation will be used to support the WWF-Philippines climate adaptation work in Mindoro. The amount is based on the estimated carbon dioxide emission versus the actual flight distance being purchased.”

Kudos to Cebu Pacific!

When British Renaissance poet John Milton wrote what is considered as the greatest poem in the English language, he was a frustrated political/religious writer and financially distraught. Worse, he had become blind. He retreated to a silent life and dictated Paradise Lost to a sympathetic acquaintance who wrote it down (Braille was not born yet) for him.

Milton’s epic poem about the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden then went through history as the classic, literary masterpiece of the meta-narrative from which three of the world’s foremost religious traditions originate: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The notion of Original Sin is, thus, consequently embedded, this time with a poetic twist, in the modern Judeo-Christian psyche. The world, as we now know it, evolved not without a tug-of-war between the God-fearing and the non-believers.

Milton, despite his surliness and heretical religious views, became an icon representing the poet stepping into divine realms, joining visual artist Michelangelo before him and ancient philosopher Socrates, also blind, who must have found himself in interesting if not temperamental company.

Starting September 27, present year, what could be the grandest celebration of Milton’s birthday is going to be held categorically neither by the God-fearing nor the non-believers. John Milton’s 400th birth anniversary celebration will be opened with a grand costume ball by international surreal artists, musicians/composers, poets, fashion models and other stage performers who, for more than a month, will showcase talent and work.

Consider these: over sixty visual artists from all over the globe will display works; a Miltonia historical exhibit; a stunning Polish female artist with her bevy of beautiful fashion models will materialize from dream to reality what surreal fashion is; a jazz band doing what they do best in some of the finest bars; and a cutting-edge dance troupe. Good food and drinks too are to be served. Even the possibility of traffic jams on the road going to the venue is foresighted. If you get caught in one, you would not mind taking a look at the show’s advertisement in full-color Passport magazine you had earlier received from a band of professional models who distributed the publication to train passengers for free!

That the event is going to happen in Brooklyn, New York City, should interest Filipino readers not because we are the first, and for long the only, Christian country in Asia, and also the first to be Westernized culturally (350 years inside the convent and 45 in Hollywood, remember?), but because one of the three main featured artists is a Filipino—a surrealist from Davao. Why? Because his presence among the world’s best known living surrealists to honor the immortalized blind poet is testament to the Filipino artist’s universality. But this means nothing if the event organizer, the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, along with the people behind it, is not credible enough.

The WAH Center

The Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, non-profit, has been described as the epicenter of Brooklyn’s largest artist community: Williamsburg. Its 3-storey, 19th century edifice used to play significant role in America’s financial success as a county savings bank during a time when hostility between the musket-firing US Army and insubordinate, tomahawk-wielding natives had ebbed. A touch of ingenuity from WAH Center founder Yuko Nii, from 1996 onwards, transformed it into a cultural dynamo and one of NYC’s landmark buildings as declared by the City Council in 2007, preserving it forever, hopefully, from the ravages of development.

Yuko Nii, acclaimed artist and philanthropist of Japanese descent, herself, is a beloved daughter of New York State, having been distinguished as one of 1997’s Women of the Year awardees. Her awards did not begin and end there: Betty Smith Arts Award, Outstanding Citizen Award, Asian Cultural Award… include the credentials she had accumulated, and this page would easily fill; it is, therefore, for the interested reader to surf in the web. Suffice it to say that she had once been described by NY Governor George Pataki as “Woman of Excellence with Vision and Courage.” She is presently WAH Center’s Artistic Director.

Official Brooklyn Historian John Manbeck said in an article: “Art in Williamsburg has made great strides. In fact, all Williamsburg has progressed, undoubtedly because of its attraction to artists. Much of the credit must be placed on the doorstep of the director of the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, Yuko Nii.” The City Council of New York believes in and trusts her enough that it infused the WAH Center a $500,000 capital funding grant.

Reciprocating Nii’s vision and courage is the brilliant and steady leadership of President and Executive Director Terrance Lindall, philosopher, poet, writer, events organizer, and artist. Lindall seems to excel in all his endeavors. As student of philosophy he graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College in 1970; as artist, his modern illustrations for Paradise Lost are today the best known, excepting those of William Blake and Gustave Dore. As leader, he organized in 2003 the largest-ever surrealist show in history. The Brave Destiny, as it was called, gathered almost 500 surrealists from all over the globe, converging in WAH Center, declaring to all dreamers, realists, and abstractionists that Surrealism is very much alive!

Now, WAH Center’s 400th birthday celebration of John Milton and Paradise Lost, with Lindall as Show Director, promises to join the annals of history as Milton’s grandest. The blind immortal has something to thank Lindall for. Surrealism founder Andre Breton, too, now has a successor who is perpetuating the movement beyond the 20th century. So felt is Lindall’s influence in the art world that he was included in the Marquis list of Who’s Who in America 2006. Information about him can also be found in the Smithsonian Institute Library. The original Lindall Paradise Lost illustrations are in the collection of the Yuko Nii Foundation and will also be displayed during the exhibit.

(To be continued, featuring Davao Surrealist Ben Banez.)

Each time I go to their outlet in Bajada, they’re always out of congee! And we were craving for it too, after looking at all those scrumptious photos on the Chow King website…

It was not to be a lucky night for us. We decided to try this new restaurant in town, Conching’s, which is a franchise (or a branch) of the original in Cebu. I’m afraid I have to give the place two thumbs down. After all the hype from friends and family, just seeing the place was a let-down. It’s an open-air affair, but was not ventilated well enough, and the service was what you might expect from a cheap barbecue joint, not from a place that supposedly caters to the well-to-do.

Conching’s specializes in grilled native chicken. I like free-range fowl for its tastiness — but it has to be prepared and cooked just so, else it’d be too gamey. Well, that’s how it was at this restaurant (and the chicken barbecue was served cold). Chattee and I ordered a whole chicken, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to finish it, it was just so wrong. And the rice? Miniscule serving and nearly desiccated.

Check out some of the other photos of the chicken in the photo album below — not very appetizing pictures, unfortunately.

Twice unlucky, I couldn’t bear the disappointments anymore. So I brought my fellow student of photography to Kangaroo Coffee Company. When in gastronomic straits, run to your nearest trusted dining place — your safe zone.

Our day’s last taste had to be exceptional to make up for the earlier disasters, so we each had Kangaroo’s special treats. I had a tiramisu and Chattee had a mocha something cake, which erased all traces of our distasteful meal.

This cafe’s tiramisu is something else. It has that bitterness that I love (ground coffee beans in there somewhere), and the slight creaminess that takes the edge off. And it washed down perfectly with the Americano, which is my staple brew.

If you take a look at the photo album, you’ll notice lots of food shots. We did not have all of those! The place was full, so we parked ourselves at the bar, which is where the staff serve the orders and where the patrons claim them. It was the perfect spot for foodies!!

Energized by all those calories, we decided to do another — albeit shorter — night walk, from Tionko to F. Torres. We ended up at Studio Onnie for some laughs and a couple of beers, and went our separate ways.

Along the way, we took pictures of this new commercial building — forgot to take note of the name — on Jacinto Extension, right behind the Metro Lifestyle complex on F. Torres. At the ground floor, there are Bigby’s (an export from Cagayan de Oro) and Antonio’s Grill (export from Bukidnon, if I’m not mistaken).

Chattee’s letting me play with her Nikon D80 (and Sigma 18-200mm lens) only for this week, hence my sudden immersion in photography. It’s a very expensive hobby, so I’m still holding off from plunging completely into it. It’s fun, though, I must admit.

Here are some of the photos from last night’s jaunt. Click on any thumbnail to view my flickr set.

We met up at the Matina Town Square. I’d hoped we could chance upon good shots at the park, but it was raining a few hours before, so no luck.

Then we hied off to Arman’s of Tagum, which is an export of Tagum City. It’s well-known among bus travelers going north of Davao, because Arman’s has an eatery along the route. We had a heavy meal, because we ordered more than we could finish!

From there, we took a jeep towards Magsaysay Park, where we got off in front of the Piapi Public Market. This particular wet market is open at night, but at that time we were there (around 8pm), there wasn’t much fish left. However, I got to finally find out what galunggong is called locally: moro-moro.

Next stop: the durian vendors of Magsaysay Park. Chattee and I got a quick run-through of the various varieties of the King of Fruits. The really good ones, in my opinion, are the Arancillo, Puyat, and some of those with numbers in their names. But my favorite is still the Davao native durian, which has a lovely bitter taste wrapped in a buttery romance.

Too bad, though, we didn’t get to the park on time — it closes at 7pm. So we walked the length of Magsaysay Avenue and took photos of street hawkers. The common sight anywhere in the Philippines: barbecue vendors on the streets at night.

Then, we took a jeep to the heart of the city, got off at the corner of the Monteverde Public School, and walked towards People’s Park. More vendors and peddlers. This part of the city is more awash with bright lights, and populated with students milling about after classes, street children, and after-office workers on their way home.

We ended up at a bar called Someplace Else for much-needed San Mig Light and pulutan. Here are the photos, which might tell a better story of our unusual tour.

So, one of the attached activities we thought of doing for WordCamp was a blogging contest that would highlight Mindanao — as well as other Philippine — destinations. It’s like expanding the scope of purpose of MindanaoBloggers.com, which has more or less succeeded in achieving its objectives for the island.

We approached Cebu Pacific to sponsor WordCamp, specifically to help us conduct the planned blogging contest successfully. The airline company agreed readily, and even sponsored the organizers’ plane fare from Davao to Manila and back. So, in appreciation, we dubbed the activity the Cebu Pacific Blogging Challenge. This contest is our brainchild, not the airline’s.

(I was part of the organizing team of the first national golf tourney ever held in Mindanao, and it was called the Dole - Casino Filipino Philippine Open Golf Tournament. Guess why?)

The contest means to encourage bloggers to promote Philippine destinations, but not to have them sugar-coat reviews for the benefit of the airline. Contest entries are blog posts that should talk about a Philippine city or town, and not about the airline. However, the rule that says there should be no negative reviews of the airline in the entries is but natural. We’re not asking bloggers to do away with their freedom of speech, and we’re certainly not asking them to say anything that’s not true about our sponsor.

If you owned a company and wanted to promote it by sponsoring an activity, would you want to pay for something that returned bad press? I agree, though, that companies who offer customer service should maintain a high level of quality to ensure that there are no negative feedback. But, zero negative feedback: is that ever a reality? There is a saying, You can’t please everybody.

I’m not defending Cebu Pacific. But I am defending my team, the five (plus five) of us who organized WordCamp Philippines. We’re conducting this activity in good faith, and with the best interests of everyone concerned. Including Cebu Pacific, of course, because they’re instrumental in getting this bloggers’ activity off the ground.

So, my appeal to everyone is, please focus on the good that this blogging contest will bring. Imagine the publicity bloggers can bring to places like Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Laoag, Aklan, Davao, Cebu and many others.

O.M.G.

This high-ranking official was wise to request anonymity from that newspaper.

Feng shui is a body of practices invented by the Chinese during their dynastic era, and while it may have been of use to them during their time, it would most probably not apply to our generation and so far away from mainland China. Feng shui helps people live in harmony with nature — or at least that’s how it started. But I digress.

Anybody care to discuss the highly probable fact that NAIA3’s construction was sub-standard? Why aren’t we reading about any investigation into the airport’s bill of materials? or the construction process?

The accidents that have happened — sections of the ceiling crashing down at different parts of the structure — should be a seriously major concern.

Is our government sitting on their hands, waiting for loss of life before something concrete is done? Right now the condition of NAIA3 is just a tremendous embarrassment. Are we to allow it to become yet another disaster that could’ve — and should’ve — been avoided? Must the public suffer the consequences of having an inutile government?

It seems that the used-to-be-dreary “TTh” is now the new Friday-Saturday around these parts. At Tabu, a restaurant in Salcedo Village that turns into a hip club around 11-ish, people party hard on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Check out these photos I took.

It’s intriguing how holding a DSLR camera automatically gives you the license to shoot people. They’ll even pose for you without being asked!

Gerard, the events manager and DJ at Tabu, says that they’ve made Tuesdays and Thursdays models night and Brazilian night. So these young, luscious, head-turning models show up on these days and liven up the whole place. Check it out! (Psst! Matt, you missed out on some fantastic photo ops here!)

Before going to Tabu, my best buddy Vince and I went to sample some exceptional wine selections at Cav, in Bonifacio High Street, The Fort. A bit pricey, but if you’re a wine lover, I’m sure you won’t mind the expense. When you get there, they give you a swipe card, where they store the value of your orders. Each time you take wine from their high-tech dispensers, your card gets updated. (Now don’t get too drunk and run up a bill you won’t be able to stomach!)

Cav also has a superb cheese tray — if I remember right, they have about a dozen types to choose from. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that they have Davao Goat Blue Cheese. It’s high-quality stuff, and proudly Davao-made. The taste is not what you might expect of blue cheese, because it’s milder than the French variety. I also recommend the Tête de Moine, if you’re into cheeses. It’s very pungent but provides a heady sensation and a extremely pleasing aftertaste.

Our last stop, having become quite inebriated, was naturally a food outlet. Vince brought me to Rufo’s, supposedly known for their tapas. I really couldn’t tell, because I was so hungry and tipsy, it didn’t really matter anymore.

Tonight, there’s a wii party being put together by Jayvee. Should be interesting. I’m sure to meet up with other bloggers there, including Jehz, who’s celebrating his birthday today.

With all the excitement and sights and tastes in the capital, I still can’t wait to go back to Davao…