It has been a yearly ritual for moi to fly to Boracay with my favorite airline, the reliable Seair, for the traditional New Year Countdown, palanggas, having done it for nine years, all thanks to my pal, PR wonder man Louie Cruz, and close friend Freddie Olbes. Only Louie could have created the magic!

Now, expats and locals flock to Boracay for the countdown, dahlings.

Naturellement, the internationally renowned Pearl of the Pacific Resort and Spa, which has the widest and best beachfront on the island, becomes my home away from home for almost a week.

This year, Pearl had a touch of Moroccan influence, with belly dancing. For extras, their spacious restaurant, which opens to an unobstructed, spectacular view of the sea, offers the best seat in the island to people-watch, have a gastronomic New Year’s Eve dinner, and wash those calories away to the music of the Sold Out Band, an hour before a new year is born, while watching the dazzling kaleidoscope of the colorful fireworks display that starts 20 minutes before the strike of midnight and goes on, like, forever, dahlings.

The dinner was mind-boggling, starting off with a choice from three kinds of soup; a salad bar of six super choices, followed by 14—yes, palanggas, 14 main courses; a pasta bar of three kinds, and six choices of calorific desserts, not including the to-die-for chocolate fountain, all for only P1,500 per person.  Now that’s a fantastic way to greet the New Year, di bala?

Après nibbling a couple of the Pearl’s choices, my pals headed to the famous and always consistent Kasbah Boracay Restaurant, a step away from Discovery Shores Resort.

Here we welcomed the Year of the Dragon by pigging out on the resto’s authentic Moroccan menu. This year, the resto presented the legendary Noli Aurillo, the finest acoustic guitar player, together with the mesmerizing Lamayag Tribal Group, mixing eastern dancing with western acoustic medleys.

But don’t worry, you lovers of superbly prepared food. Kasbah will have a grand opening at The Fort Strip this April. Now this is one resto which is a must-go for a superb, awesome, satisfactory dinner.

But that did not end there; on the first day of the New Year, we had another gastronomic dinner at the world-class high-end Asya Premier Suites, which served an incredible all-Filipino buffet that many of us could not stop eating. Asya’s yum-yummy choice of food on the buffet table was excellently prepared by the resort’s mega asset, the talented chef Santi, no less, dahlings.

Après our stay in Boracay and overindulging in all the food, we made our resolution “to control our appetite.” But then, most resolutions are meant to be broken, palanggas.

The bottom line is, Pearl of the Pacific, with the Tirol-Sansons as the patriarchs and their dedicated daughter Rita T. Sanson on the scene, has kept Boracay the way it should be all these years. Their fast-growing developments and expansions have always been eco-friendly. Now you know why I have stayed loyal to Pearl of the Pacific all these years, palanggas.

Bride’s dream come true

Now, dahlings, Rosa Clará is a pioneer in gorgeous, stylish and classic designs from the world’s acclaimed designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix, no less.

Rosa Clará has finally set foot in the Philippines, palanggas.

It all started with the talented Rosa Clará’s first shop in Barcelona, Spain, where she gained international fame with her designs. “The success of her debut at Barcelona’s Bridal Week was seen in her gowns, as she showed divine and modish dresses,” said très charmante Valerie Zayco, Rosa Clará’s managing director.

The Rosa Clará Group has now over 60 boutique shops worldwide receiving the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from Ernst & Young in 2006, where they accepted the Marie Claire Fashion Prize. Last year, she was the recipient of the Glamour Latinoamerica Prize, recognized as “the best businesswoman in the fashion world,” said Sam Eduque, Rosa Clará’s bridal consultant.

Rosa Clará’s minimalist collection showcased style that may look plain in appearance, but never in quality and technique, and is simply elegant and classy, dahlings.

Check it out at The Residences, Greenbelt Corner, across Greenbelt 2.

Filfest honors Angel Peña

The Filfest Cultural Foundation, with Insular Life and BMW, ushers in 2012 with the 7th Philippine International Jazz Festival and its fifth season with the theme “Southern Exposure,” dahlings, with a très special concert honoring the legendary classical and jazz composer, musician Angel Matias Peña, on Feb. 11, 8 p.m., at Insular Hall in Alabang, natch!

Featured are the Kasilag Guitar Trio and Asosasyon ng Musikong Pilipino Big Band, led by its music director Mel Villena, palanggas.

Tickets are sold at P1,000 and P500 with a 50-percent discount for students with valid ID. Seniors and season subscribers get a 20-percent discount. To purchase or reserve tickets, call 5853823 or 0917-8177261.

The jazz festival is until Feb. 29. Visit www.pijazzfest.com.