So what’s the fuss about Jose Mari Chan and the beginning of the “ber” months? At the intimate, joint birthday dinner party hosted by Philippine Tatler editor Anton San Diego for Fila CEO Cris Albert and me, we started singing Joe Mari’s now-classic songs and joked about how Filipinos have the longest Christmas season.

 

Although a few weeks late, Cris celebrated her birthday at Manila House to jointly mark Fila’s participation at the upcoming Milan Fashion Week. Anton and I are very excited to attend the by-invitation-only fashion show with Cris.

 

After the scrumptious dinner, members of Red Turnip Theater showed how real singers jam. Ana Abad Santos, Topper Fabregas, Jenny Jamora and Rem Zamora amazed us with their performance-level Broadway hits. Equally amazing were JM Rodriguez, Christine Flores and Anton himself.

 

Cris’ hubby Butch Albert sweetly serenaded the birthday girl, while my hubby Dennis declined to perform.

 

Together with the rest of the members of Red Turnip, Rem invited everyone to the gala night of their latest production, “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” on

Sept. 15. The production runs weekends from Sept. 15 to Oct. 7 at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center. It is sponsored by Fila as part of its continuous support to the Philippine theater community. Tickets are available at TicketWorld, tel. 8919999, or www.ticketworld.com.ph.

 

Customized lipstick

 

At the party, my lips were lusciously sealed with the latest Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain lipstick. This luxury beauty and makeup brand has invented its first customized lipstick with a double mirror case. Choose from a wide range of shades and cases to create your own lipstick. The cases come in a multitude of styles, from the most timeless to the trendiest, along with limited editions, so there is an infinite variety of choices.

 

For the Guerlain local campaign launch, top photographer Mark Nicdao was tasked to dramatically capture 11 beautiful ladies highlighting the Guerlain lipstick. The women included Amina Aranaz-Alunan, Boop Yap, KC del Rosario, Janeena Chan, Princess Violago and me, doubtless as the most “mature.”

 

Now in my mid-50s, I feel that more and more people around me are much younger! Is it because I have crossed over to the second half of life? Either that, or most events I have been attending are focused on the younger set, just like the recent Coke Studio Homecoming event.

 

Coke Studio

 

In line with Coke’s thrust to empower the youth, Coca-Cola tapped into young Filipinos’ love of music through Coke Studio PH, which became a haven for OPM last year. Today the project continues, further establishing itself as a hub of Pinoy talent, introducing a stellar lineup of local and international Filipino artists.

 

Stephan Czypionka, Coca-Cola Philippines VP for marketing, said that they wanted to continue and strengthen this legacy. Coke takes it a step further by enabling the youth to do their part for a greater cause.

 

This year, Coca-Cola announced an industry-first goal to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle, or can, it sells globally by 2030, in line with its vision of a “World Without Waste.” Coca-Cola encourages teens to deposit their PET bottles in designated recycling bins, and the Coke Studio TuneCycle, a stationary bicycle that grinds PET bottles, will be a staple in Coke Studio events.

 

The ground PET bottles will later be turned into eco-bricks.

 

Busy September

 

September is becoming one of the busiest months this year. This week is the opening of “M Butterfly” at Maybank Theater, and this coming weekend is the Mutya ng Pilipinas beauty pageant. As the pageant turns 50 this year, it brings the promise of greater heights and new achievements to its storied and golden history.

 

I am excited to be one of the judges at the upcoming preliminary competition and coronation night. I’m super happy to support Venisse Laurel-Hermano and the rest of the Mutya management group as they undertake new initiatives for the beauty industry. I have prepared my own crown by Mark Shandar to wear during coronation night.

 

The last weekend of September will be extremely busy. The country’s longest-running provincial trade fair in Manila, the Negros Trade Fair (NTF), is happening again this Sept. 26-30 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.

 

Since 1985, NTF has provided small and medium Negrense enterprises a venue to showcase their individual ingenuity and been a platform for trade. As always, admission is free. Visit www.negrostradefair.com for details.

 

Rounding up September is the annual Global Mala Project or GMP (www.globalmalamanila.com). Since 2007, GMP has focused on its mantra of uniting the global yoga community through service and collective action. The global mala movement brings together people who share the same values of mindful living, sustainable practices and collective consciousness. GMP is from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the Blue Leaf McKinley Hill at BGC.

 

Various lineages of yoga, and nontraditional classes of drumming and capoeira will highlight the GMP. In addition, talks on health, wellness, sustainability and mindful living will happen throughout the day. I will make sure to attend the Kundalini yoga sessions of gong bath master and healer Rosan Cruz.

 

Also at the GMP will be The Mindful Market, a popup space that promotes and supports organic, natural and sustainable products, businesses and services. Each participant will share the same values of wellness, sustainability, conscious consumption and living a zero-waste lifestyle.

 

See more photos @seaprincess888 on Instagram.