Wines and Proposal Makes a Glorious Event

Went to the wine riot festival--and yes it was a riot. I volunteered on opening night and was assigned to the crash course seminars, where I was able to  learn about Bordeaux and the famous Japanese sake.  My job was pouring wine to each attendee,  after the speaker would have explained about the beverage being offered.  And there were about 8 different kinds. That volunteer work was my free pass to the event which I graced the next day. I opted to get the afternoon session since I had evening plans.

Having a glimpse of what the event was already like,  the first stop of my wine riot experience was  to go to the Instagram and Photo booths.  After that, it was just sampling wine varieties from different parts of the world. From the 250 wines being  advertised in the event, I tasted about 50 of them.  Which to my mind I think was the most expensive gargles I have ever had. That was because  only the wines I liked I swallowed which when added together would not even constitute half a glass.  Every attendee was given a glass where we could request for the wines we wanted to taste. So as not to be overwhelmed with the quantity of varieties, the organizer  developed an app for the phones , where the attendee could track the wine tasted and make notes.  I thought that was a cool thing using modern technology.

As I made my rounds to the zinfandels, reislings, cabernet sauvignons, chardonnays, merlots and so many more including bubbly champagnes from Italy, France and the U.S., I could not help but be amazed.  If there was wine that I wanted to try, I would extend my glass to the exhibitor where he would pour a few drops on my glass.  I then swirled my glass to aerate the wine (for smell), checked it’s color before I tasted it.  When the wine reached my mouth, I would let  it circulate inside for taste sometimes with puckered lips .  I would then spit the wine back to my glass, throw its contents to a black receptacle used for its purpose, then rinsing my glass with water from a pitcher found at every exhibitors table. This would then make my glass ready for the next kind of wine.

Two hours in the wine show was enough for me as I headed out to meet hubby. I was light headed (but not the least tipsy after all those wines) that a good breather walk was better for my system.  And mind you, I did walk 30 blocks.

Our friends, Rich and Dee Vachal were already in  Rockwood Music Hall where their daughter Amy was performing.  Dee’s son, Jake and his girllfriend Kristie were there too. We had known that a proposal was going to be made and when the moment came, many were just teary eyed.  It was simple, classy and beautiful.  Kristie, the bride to be couldn’t contain her emotions while fanning herself with her hand as the debonaire Jake knelt down and popped the question.

The engagement party next door was as equally chic, as it was held at a rooftop showing the skylines of downtown Manhattan.  I drank alternates of champagne and a merlot as the open bar did justice to its name.  Now this was where I really had a celebration.  The food was delicious with a whole array of sushi at the bar and waiters roamed around to serve horsdevoures such as teriyaki meatballs, mini hamburgers, shrimps on skewers and much more.  It was a fantastic evening and I'd like to thank the Vachal family for inviting us to this memorable occasion.

And to cap that eventful day,   The Glorious Veins, (my favorite band in New York, not just because I’m the mama of the drummer..heheh), played at Pianos.....And people, I did not go to Pianos, Brazil as some thought I did because my timeline said so.....some friends pm’d me that I was such a jetsetter......I wish...

My Cousins are the Best!

A few days ago, I posted that I have the best cousins in the world, and I really do.  Because when we gather, there is never a dull moment.  Let me tell you some stories!!!

One afternoon I went to a cousin’s place to have dinner with her and we chatted for quite awhile.  As the night was winding down, and she was doing  last minute chores of  putting dishes in the dish washer, taking out food from the freezer to thaw for next day’s use and wiping out counter tops.  I bid my goodbyes and hoped to see her again in the weekend.

That night, as I was about to sleep, the phone rang.  

“Vanette, did you know where I put the chicken to thaw out?”  my cousin asked me.

“NO, sorry”  I said.  

“Oh, sh*t, I can’t find it.  OH well,,it will appear unless it got ressurected and went to chicken heaven.”

The next day, cousin called again, “I found my chicken this morning….…..in one of my kitchen drawers.”  And we both burst out laughing.

Many months later,  same cousin AGAIN called me up to share her experience of loosing a checkbook only to find it three months later-------in the freezer.  This is the epitome of what we called FROZEN  ASSETS.

Another cousin is so obsessed with expelling her POOP in the mornings that  If she were to make her own book, there would be a chapter of “ the gospel according to ………’  and the verse would be, “it is not what comes into the mouth  that is important, but what comes out the next day that will make my day a joyous one.”

One day, both of my cousins above, and I  were going to San Francisco from LA to attend the Fancy Food Show.  It was an 8 hour drive and it was surprising that we had NON STOP conversations…..If the car still had gas, our mouths would endlessly chatter as well.  We stayed at another cousin’s house who was away on a diving trip, so we had the whole house to ourselves.

Anyway, the show exhibit  was for three days and in one of those days we went around Napa Valley and toured some wineries including the famous Coppola vineyards.  In another, we had wine tasting wherein each of us were given two glasses--a red and a white.  The problem was (and I didn’t know at that time) both my cousins don’t drink and so they pushed their glasses of wine towards me and saying, “sigue beh, tell us what you think?”....well, for the first two drinks, I probably told them the taste and all…..but am sure at the end of the 6th glass, I was revealing my innermost secrets----oh those two!!!!! hahahah! 6 glasses is more than a bottle!!!!!!

Oh and the most hilarious experience of that trip was the last day of the fancy food show.  The exhibitors were giving away many of their samples, most were chocolates, gourmet mixes and food knick knacks.  There was even a guy  that told us to get all we could carry from his booth.  And mind you, the organizers don’t normally let attendees out with exhibitors stuff ,  but we did! So just imagine three middle aged ladies each carrying a garbage bag filled with all those goodies all the way to the parking lot!!!! YES PEOPLE, we amassed ourselves with tons of goodies, and got away with it!

Back at the house, we combined our loot which was a huge mound.  We then selected what we wanted and the rest we repacked for the balikbayan box.  That was one of the funniest experiences we had---and these was almost a decade ago.

One other cousin, who is a ‘kaskasera’, normally would take her mother to work everyday.  And you can just imagine the traffic in Manila is horrible.  My aunt, who is a religious person, would pray her rosary within hearing distance, while travelling.  One will know how my cousin would drive because it would show on how my aunt would pray.  If my cousin drove too fast, the ‘our father’s ‘ would be as fast too….and when there would be a quick shift of speed, the ‘hail mary’s’ would be just as loud. So if my aunt would be gibberish in her prayer, it is an indication of a speed race.

Which reminded me of a joke:  At the gates of heaven, a priest complained to St. Peter why it took him awhile to check on the priests deeds before entering heaven, while the jeepney driver had ease in enter it,  to which St Peter said, “when you preached, people fell asleep, but when the jeepney  driver drove, the passengers started  to pray.”

So there!  my cousin will definitely go to heaven…...I can go on and on and on…. and am sure everyone has her own cousin story to tell as well…...

Guess who's pregnant?!

Yesterday was a day of reminiscing in facebook, but not me.  Who wants to know about the past unless of course they are crazy funny.  And that’s what my bff in high school Maria F. and I were chatting awhile ago…..the dare has been done...this is for you MARIA F...

So she remembers our conversations in High School when we would both burn the lines for hours just to chitchat nonsense..  And in between those calls, an irrate party line would butt in, wanting to use the phone.  Yes people, it was that age where we had to share land lines with somebody else, unless you had a private line which was double the monthly expense.

Anyway, there were times when Maria F’s line would be busy and I knew it would be that party liner  taking revenge.  But it never brought my spirits down, because in between those busy signals  there were people as crazy as me to chat on the phone….Yes, people, creativity comes when one gets bored.  And three phrases in between the buzzing busy signal would be heard  and it was…….”Hello…...What’s your number…..call me up!”  ..And this was how we got our social media in yesteryears in the PHilippines.

The only thing was, there were no instagram or selfie etc.. physical meet ups were ‘it’.  And more often than not,  I would invite a girl  friend to come with me, describing  her to my supposedly ‘phone pal’ and passing on as me.   That way, I would be safe if he/she did not come at par to my standards.  Oh well, them were the days!

Going back to Maria F....Well, she reminded me that my opening lines to her on the phone was always, “Guess who’s pregnant?”  and she would ask “who?!”  And I would rattle away with the latest rumors  I would get from other gossip girls…..

These days,  we are concerned with our children just as I am sure  Maria F. is with hers who are just as adorable  and wanting their liberty.   Giiving children space to grow on their own is  I think the best thing a mother could  do.  You don’t have to cut the umbilical cord, just make it longer (heheheh!) I probably scared her with my previous statements in high school with the ‘guess who’s pregnant phrase’.  

So I told her the story with my one and only daughter , who wanted to have a ‘serious talk’  which almost scared the shits out of me.  She was still in Junior College taking up Interior Design at a local University.   Anyway, she showed me her stunning diamond ring and told me that her boyfriend had asked her to marry him.  I looked straight at her in the eyes and said, “why???  are you pregnant?’  (she was still in college, you know)  anyway, with a stunned look she said, “NO MOM, I’m not like you mom!”....and then I sighed a sense of relief.  Later on, I heard from her friends that my daughter was so strict and a prude that she could pass as their mother superior! Something she didn’t get from me.!!! heheheh!

And so I told my bff Maria F.  that it was different in our days.  That our conditioning was part of how we behaved, rebellious yet conforming.  Even if  we were santa santitas on the outside, deep inside we were burning with dragon flames.  But nowadays, there is facebook, instagram, iphones and all those social media that surely, nothing surprises anyone anymore.  As that famous beatle song would be so appropriate in these days, “LET IT BE”’....and those are speaking words of wisdom.

And if today I called up my bff in high school Maria F.  she’ll probably ask, “okay, who’s pregnant this time?”......and if I’d answer “ME!”.... she’ll probably put on her asthma inhaler to stop from laughing and say, “yeah, right!”

this is andreas drawing of me while i was reading beside the table....my grandkids make fun of me and i love them dearly

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