scenes from a new year party

at the two thousand and twelve countdown in hong kong, i was inside one of the city's hottest bars wearing a mask, joining thousands of other revelers dancing, sweating it out while waiting for the clock to strike, what else, but twelve?

while it was fun, fab and very gossip gurl, nothing compares to the new year's party in manille. last night, after a short visit to the greenbelt chapel to say thanks to heaven for all the good things that happened in two thousand and twelve as well as for the challenges that i successfully hurdled, i went straight to ayala avenue to taste the foods being sold on the stalls and to get fabulously drunk!

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just like any celebration in the country, the new year's eve party had the fiesta, flea market atmosphere to it what with all the food stalls selling different kinds of food (the usual fare: lechon, sisig, barbecue, grilled chicken, callos, fried rice, siomai), drinks, cigarettes and other knick knacks. then there were the  whole families going out together (including months old babies on strollers), luvers kissing on the streets, hawkers selling roses. at the corner of ayala and makati avenues was a large stage where the hotdogs (not the tender, juicy ones, but the real ones), yes the luvable band who made famous songs such as pers lab and manila, and jett pangan of the dawn serenaded the crowd.

jet pangan, magnified a hundred times through giant screens located around the area, brought some nostalgia to the evening by singing some of his old hits like salamat.

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then there were the street jesters in colourful outfits.

obliging their fans with thousands of pictures that will end up as profile pictures on facebook.

and the hawkers selling torotots and other noise making toys, bunny hats, glow in the dark thingies.

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the crowd, surprisingly, was a mixed of locals and foreign tourists from around asia, us and europe. manille, indeed is becoming another melting pot of expats. chos.

one of them was this tall, young man taking photos through his ipad.
there were a lot of cuties too, but i was too shy to take their pictures. double chos.

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then at exactly twelve midnight, the colourful, deafening fireworks began, lasting for around twenty minutes. for a while, ayala, makati avenue, paseo de roxas stood still as the crowds looked up the sky to take pictures of the burst of colours coming from the exploding fireworks. beautiful, indeed.

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a little before midnight, i was walking fast along the crowded ayala avenue looking for a toilet (too much san miguel lights) when i bumped into one of  my favourite people on earth  - mader fil. we took a photo using her camera. then i have to bid goodbye as my insides were about to burst.
wrong timing.
but everywhere i went, i could still see the goings on on the stage with these giant monitors.

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it was my first in more than a decade to join the makati new year's eve revelry. the last time was in 1999, when everyone was anxiously waiting for the arrival of the year two thousand, predicted to bring apocalypse to the universe and wreck havoc on the computer systems all over the world caused by the so called millenium bug.  but as all apocalyptic predictions go, that did not  happen.
otherwise, i won't be here blogging and spreading fabulousness in manille. haha.
happy new year everyone!

stay fabulous!