Twenty-one years of wonderful wedded bliss is a definite reason for a celebration, so my hubby Dennis and I decided to have a second party.
This latest one had a “head to the movies” theme. It was highlighted by the participation of HOOQ, said to be the country’s largest mobile entertainment service for movies and TV shows.
I dressed up our home as a movie theater complete with movie munchies and a beautiful purple carpet from Glam Lane. One of the rooms was dedicated to classic Pinoy movies, which are among HOOQ’s 30,000 movie titles.
Guests came as their fave movie characters—Batman, geishas, Anastasia Steele, gangsters, cowboys, among many others.
There was also a viewing room that featured 21 love stories that are special to Dennis and me. As HOOQ has the largest entertainment library in Asia, we quickly found all the movies we wanted.
HOOQ has partnerships with local studios ABS-CBN, Regal Entertainment, Viva Communications and GMA, in addition to its global deals with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Dreamworks, Disney, Miramax and more.
I’m particularly excited to watch “English Only, Please”—an indie production from Quantum Films, another local content partner.
I learned from HOOQ country manager Jane Cruz-Walker that Globe and HOOQ are focused to give subscribers “the best entertainment experience possible.”
She also told me that with 30,000 hours of content, HOOQ is more than twice bigger than its nearest competitor.
Every Filipino can get HOOQ’d on a trial basis for 30 days or more. Globe subscribers have various plans and promos to sweeten the deal. For example, GoSurf subscribers with a minimum Plan 299 will get a three-month bundled HOOQ subscription. Tattoo broadband customers also get bundled promotions.
New HOOQ subscribers can also get a 30-day pass upon registration. This makes HOOQ the only paid video service provider in the country with the widest and longest period of trial access to the largest library of movies and TV shows.
Visit www.HOOQ.tv.
Key market
One of our guests was HOOQ global CEO Peter Bithos. He said that the Philippines is one of its key launch markets worldwide, and that “by offering more options for Pinoys to get HOOQ and by expanding our payment terms, everyone has the chance to HOOQ up and access an unlimited world of entertainment.”
Of course I had to try it out on my smartphone. The HOOQ team signed me up and I quickly downloaded a couple of movies. Any smartphone, tablet or personal computer could be used to enjoy the streaming service or to download up to five movies at a time. No other service allows download, which is a particularly cool point, given the country’s sometimes suspect Internet speeds.
Our party cocktail was “Captain HOOQ,” a signature drink concocted by the folks at Destileria Limtuaco. The base was Very Old Captain Artisan-crafted Dark Rum with a floral purple foam added in. For Dennis, mixologists Kalel Demetrio and Larry Guevarra whipped up Purple Pirate, also using Very Old Captain but with grape juice and various spices.
Very Old Captain is a blended, batch-distilled, dark rum produced with top quality blackstrap molasses. The finished rum is matured in oak barrels for the equivalent of eight years. It recently won the Katha Award at the International Food Exhibition in Manila.
Classic rum brand
Apa Ongpin is the brand ambassador of Very Old Captain Artisan-crafted Dark Rum. He joined Olivia Limpe-Aw, president of Destileria Limtuaco, at the launch of the rum at The City Club at Alphaland Makati Place last month.
Very Old Captain is an extension of the company’s classic rum brand Old Captain Rum. This new version follows a production process patterned after those in Caribbean rum plantations. The result is a heavy rum with notes of caramel, molasses, sweet spice and orange.
All our movie party guests took home a limited-edition gift box containing a bottle of Very Old Captain Rum, a Very Old Captain Rum glass and a small bottle of Limtuaco Aromatic bitters made with 17 different ingredients. A swag with swagger, I must say.
Pretty peepers
For a bit of Hollywood swagger, I wore dramatic sunglasses by Linda Farrow. I learned about this super stylish brand of sunglasses when I was invited to the launch of its shop at City Of Dreams Manila.
The Linda Farrow Gallery there is just the fourth in the world, after the first two in
London and another in Hong Kong. Done up in a palette of pastels, fun stripes and swirls, the Gallery is the epitome of a summer wonderland.
For the launch, the Linda Farrow team thoughtfully put together an assortment of whimsical and playful “summer essentials” that embody the style and attitude of the worldly jet set, and put all these into a “Linda Farrow Summer Essentials Bag.”
The bag will be launched worldwide, but Manila was tagged as the first leg. Stylish celebrities, VIPs, fashionista personalities and various media writers were all present at the Gallery for the party.
Gabriele Boschi, CEO of Linda Farrow Philippines was also present, as well as Tracy Sedino, marketing director for Linda Farrow, who flew in from London. Together with Dr. Lorrie Pascual, Linda Farrow optical partner, guests sipped pink lemonade and nibbled on sweet confections from Candy Corner.
The affair was hosted by fashion blogger Trica Centenera-Valenciano, whose writing lends edgy street cred to any brand.
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