Flew in w/ the 'Rents to Naga via Cebu Pacific. Airport displays Thank You banners of JP Enrile and Bong Revilla, much to my disgust. The driver of 5-Kim's CBD Plaza Hotel shuttle service picked us up, and on the way to Mabulo (5-Kim's place where we stayed for the duration of this trip) I was given some insight into Gov. Villafuerte's ego (or insecurities) when every other multi-purpose hall and waiting shed had his named painted on their roofs. Had birthday mi-sua for breakfast at birthday man 3-Ku's house in Bagumbayan before we headed out to visit dearly departed relatives at their gravesites. While dearly departed 2-Ku's gated tomb at Sto. Niño Memorial Park could use some work, 5-Kim's parents have an air-conditioned mausoleum complete w/ cable-tv access and welcome garden. Went back to 3-Ku's place and had krispy pata, clam soup and salted sliced tomatoes for lunch. Fruit desserts included grapes, home-made mango ice cream and insect-riddled lanzones.
That afternoon we went to CBD Plaza Hotel (located along the sycophantic sounding Ninoy & Cory Avenue), the latest working project of the Maryselle Olivan mini-empire (future projects include a wet market and an extra wing added to the 60-room hotel). While for me the room rates are a little steep (minimum 1000 for overnight stays 500 for... 3-hour naps), the rooms weren't too shabby. The Schindler elevator had a nice futuristic design, contrasted by act deco lighting fixtures in the lobby and their America-circa-1959 polka dot curtains. Someone should also talk to them about Photoshopping the wrinkles out of the not-so-tightly-tucked-in bedsheets on their room gallery menu.
When the (older) adults opted to drive outta town to check out the Seaoil refineries, I asked to be driven back to Mabulo, where I web-browsed and caught up on much-needed sleep. A couple of hours later Evett went in the room to change for the 3-Ku's bday party. Good thing he did, too, because everybody else thought I already went ahead to the party venue, and they would've gone ahead had Evett not decided to change to a red shirt.
I'm sure hosting 3-Ku's 70th birthday party at a place called Lolo's Music Bar and Restaurant was just a coincidence. Who cares, they served good cheesesticks, chicken fingers, cucumber and carrot sticks for appetizers, salad, angel-hair pasta and steak, and pie ala mode. The highlight of the program was the professionally produced/edited AVP of 3-Ku's kids, grandkids and wife Auntie Rose talking about him in one-on-one interviews w/ old pictures spliced in between. No star-wipes or corny-@$$ graphics, just sincere and heartfelt stories.
Another thing to look forward to at Olivan parties is when 4-Ku and my ninong, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo sit at the same table for some political and business gossip. Screw SNN, this is where the really juicy stuff comes out. Thing was, it was hard to catch all the dirt when the restaurant's featured singing quartet kept belting out at crucial moments of Ninong Jess' anecdotes. Some highlights: Chiz and BF may be moving to support Noynoy, Erap's popularity waning, the Villafuertes feud is only for show, Mar may be in the closet, and retired generals really run The Show. We're actually living in a militocracy.
The storytelling, sans Ninong Jess, continued at a coffee bar nightcap. I learned it was bad to do business w/ SMC, warehouse rental is viable, and you have better odds at a casino than investing in the foreign exchange market.
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