When I breezed into the Peninsula Hotel Manila, I knew instantly it was a Citibank affair. The world-renowned Citibank was hosting a thanksgiving dinner for its clients, hoping for continued partnership and stronger ties with them for another year.
It could be any standard hotel room in the quaint northeastern Dutch city of Zwolle, with a bed, a minibar, bathrobes and two pairs of slippers. Except for the room temperature, which hovers just above freezing.
Merck, one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world today, offers hope in the new year for patients with hepatitis C, dubbed a “silent killer” that lurks dormant in the body for 30 years or so, until it ultimately causes liver failure and cancer.
Actor Rocco Nacino chiseled his body to land the cover of Men’s Health and the centerfold of Cosmo Magazine. Petite designer Michele Sison whittled her waistline from 24 inches to 21 ¾ in a month. British executive Mark Andrew Lyndsell dropped from a double extra large to a large in six months.
It’s that time of year again when every person who indulged in rich holiday fare vows to shed the extra padding. That’s why gyms and exercise studios rake in the dough in January.
In 2004, Bienvenido “Donnie” V. Tantoco III stood before members of the media to thank them for their support during the grand opening of Shopwise Araneta Center, Cubao. Seven years later, Tantoco, president of Rustan’s Superstores Center Inc. (RSCI), finds himself doing the exact same thing—with a twist.
It only takes one actual personal experience or encounter with the unknown to shake or upset a person’s firm belief that something is not real, when it is in fact so.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Yes, maybe even a third, especially if it concerns the self. A new year sends a signal of hope to all who believe that second chances will not happen for them. Truth be told, if you want to take a chance on yourself, the start of a new year is the best time ever to begin.
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