THE SHOW MUST go on—and it will, if you ask National Artist BenCab.

Even if the 21st Ad Congress has been moved to Subic from Baguio, after the recent typhoons devastated Baguio, “Optical Medium,” a four-man photography exhibition, featuring Bien Bautista, Wig Tysmans, Jaime Zobel and BenCab, will push through as scheduled.

The works of the four master photographers will be on view at the Gallery Indigo of the BenCab Museum in Metro Baguio beginning Nov. 17 until Jan. 3, 2010.

“Optical Medium” shows the four’s varied styles and approaches that are as individual as their personalities.

The BenCab Museum is at Km. 6 Asin Road, Tuba, Benguet. Call +63 74 4427165 or visit www.bencabmuseum.org.

At last

The Philippines has long been playing second fiddle to neighbors like Thailand in terms of tourist arrivals.

But that may soon change as the country has recently made it to the National Geographic’s Best New Trips for 2010 list.

According to National Geographic, Wilderness Travel—a California-based travel agency specializing in cultural, wilderness and hiking adventures—will lead groups on 12-day mountain-to-sea treks beginning in May 2010.

The itinerary will include hikes to the rice terraces of Banaue and five days of snorkeling and diving in the country’s coral reefs. For a mere $3,300, priceless adventures.

Niche perfumes in Manila

There are generic perfumes and there are the niche ones. The former you will find in just every department store and duty-free shop; the latter, only in few and select distribution points.

Adora at Greenbelt 5 is fast becoming the repository of unique and rare fragrance brands, some of which you won’t find even in the most upscale stores in Asia.

There’s The Different Company’s range, founded by French perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, who has since become the nose at Hermés. His daughter Celine has since taken over Ellena’s tasks. The New York Times rated Celine Ellena’s Sel de Vetiver as the only “five-star fragrance” in 2006.

Another haute perfumery at Adora’s lineup is Histoires de Parfums, a range created and inspired by mythical characters like the Marquis de Sade, Casanova, George Sand.

Adora’s plush marble-and-glass interiors, once cited by Wallpaper magazine, provides just the fitting backdrop for these olfactory treasures, along with equally exclusive brands of scented candles and aromatics diffusers.

Hillary conquers the Philippines

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may have donned the diplomat’s hat, but she remains a master politician with perfect sense of timing and inexhaustible resources of charm. This was evident when she went to the University of Santo Tomas Friday for a forum with Filipino student leaders. She never missed a beat and quickly connected with the audience. She exuded warmth and familiarity and even stayed around for photo-ops and tête-à-tête.

At times, the forum looked like the small-town community meetings that have become a staple of American presidential campaigns, except that the meeting was taking place in the large Medicine auditorium of the 400-year-old Pontifical University.

Asked at one point if she liked basketball, Hillary said she used to be an avid watcher of the Chicago Bulls especially during the time when Michael Jordan ruled, because she hails from Chicago, Illinois. She said she’s excited over rumors the Bulls would draft Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. But since she used to be senator of New York, she’s also interested in the fortunes of the Knicks.

Hillary said it’s OK to have “basketball crushes,” but it may be difficult for girls because basketball players are tall. “You may have stiff necks,” she said.

Asked if she had crushes other than Bill Clinton, she said, “But of course. All of us have crushes.” “Even my mom who’s 90 has crushes,” she added. “She has this big crush on Mick Jagger!” The audience laughed. “My mom has been to the concerts of Rolling Stones!”

Hillary said she had a big crush on the Beatles when she was a young woman, and it was a delight for her to have recently met Paul McCartney.

Asked if she foresees a woman eventually making it as US president, she was forthright and funny about her failed bid to get the Democratic nomination: “God know how I tried! But you are the ones who should tell me how. You’ve had two women presidents already.”

Freebie habit

Is getting freebies habit-forming? It is, if you take the example of this high-profile executive who, even if he/she has been out of a job (and thus without the corporate clout), still had the temerity to ask a high-end destination for a free weekend stay—and couldn’t believe that its marketing staff was ducking his/her persistent calls.