What's On & Expat - Philippines

The Hardbeats, a popular German rock band from Frankfurt, recently made a concert tour of Metro Manila, playing the sounds of the 60s and 70s including hits from Elvis Presley. The band is composed of seven German professionals who are also performing artists. Lead male vocalist is George Sarakinis, a dentist and politician. The others are Juliane Langenhahn, female vocalist and a Lufthansa flight attendant; Manfred Schwebel, lead guitar player and an investment and tax consultant; Franz Gebhardt, keyboard artist and an information technology (IT) consultant; Thomas Roeder, bass guitar player and also an IT consultant; Bernhard Hauke, rhythm guitar player and an engineer; and Hendrik Arnold, drums player and a corporate executive. The band performed at Merk’s Bistro in Greenbelt; Club Zeno in Libis, and at Shangri-La in Edsa, among others. The band was flown in by Gulf Air and the official hotel was Edsa Shangri-La/. The concert tour was also sponsored by BMW Philippines, AutoHaus BMW, Asia Brewery, Pagcor, PCSCO, Petron Corporation, Rene Barbier Wines, L’Incontro Ristorante Italiano, NU107 Rock and Italianni’s restaurant

As a way of saying grazie for 25 years of successful fashion retailing, Linea Italia Group is whipping up this year’s hot anniversary sale.
  The latest collections from Italy have at least 50 percent off, in all its 10 multi-brand stores in Metro Manila and Cebu. The offer

fashion shore is Martin Box with its line of stylish coats and dresses.
  Linea Italia continues to pursue its commitment to make true Italian fashion easily accessible to everyone. It’s a fashion freedom that embraces individuality, creativity, exploring potentials and ignoring

is good while supplies last.
  C top-of-the line brands and the hottest just-off-the-catwalk goodies from new Italian labels are available. These include tops, jeans, elegant dresses, chic shoes and bags.. Offered are the most coveted design ideas and the modern, edgy styles of popular labels: Sandro Ferrone, Online, Cerruti, L’Altra Moda, Roberto Cavalli, Versace Jeans Couture, Alegria, Henry Cotton’s, Pinko, Zinco, Pietrogrande, Byblos, Alysi, Messori, Fiume, Nanibon, Havana & Co., Alcott, Divina and Upstar, among others. New on the local

the limits of every piece of apparel. Indeed, individuals who are cosmopolitan, adventurous, who work hard and know how to reward themselves, should not miss this massive sale promotion.
  Linea Italia’s anniversary sale is ongoing at Linea Italia (6750, SM Megamall, Ayala Center Cebu), Linea Uomo (Parksquare, SM Megamall, Ayala Center Cebu), Prima Linea (Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Cebu), Corso Marconi (Marconi St., Makati) and Viva (SM Cebu).

It’s a wonder Don Puno can still find time to sit for a brief chat. The former MTV VJ and radio personality-turned-bar owner barely has a moment’s peace. Between planning a tremendously exciting Halloween Party for Alchemy, Puno revels in juggling his life in the public eye and his private life already being a family man at the age of 27.
   Don was born Rodolfo Puno, Jr. in 1980 to Rodolfo Puno, Sr. (more popularly known as Dody) and Irish-Spanish mestiza Lucy Pijuan (now Marshall), sister of Miss International 1970 Aurora Pijuan. Prominence may well be said to be in Don’s blood, having come from a long line of politicians, businessmen and celebrities.
   While in the US, Don worked to both earn a living and find a bit of himself. “I had numerous odd jobs,” he says. “My first job was at a VHS packaging and recording facility. I then worked at a perfume store as a sales clerk. I also sold televisions. I even worked at a fine dining restaurant where we had regulars like Jessica Simpson, Will Smith, Jada Pinket Smith, Xzibit and Rebecca Romijn just to name a few,” Don recalls.
   While juggling his day jobs, Puno fueled his passion for theater and film by honing

his craft in whatever projects he could swing. “I studied and acted in plays, musicals and student films in the US during my college years,” he says. After college, Don returned to the Philippines and auditioned for the MTV VJ Hunt. It wasn’t a difficult choice for the judges; Don’s ability to switch from intellectual conversation to easygoing banter, as well as an uncanny gift that allowed him to impersonate with ease Hollywood actors and cartoon characters made him a television natural. His MTV exposure also won him a coveted spot on the morning show of popular Metro Manila radio station Wave 89.1FM.
  Eventually Don decided that venturing into the Puno family business of operating bars and restaurants would complement his experience with odd jobs and his being entertainment savvy. With the help of his longtime girlfriend M.C. Perdon, Don opened Club Alchemy in Pasig City and the popularity of the revolutionary three-storey entertainment mecca hasn’t waned since.
  Industry pundits attribute Alchemy’s ongoing success to Don’s never-ending search for ideas to revolutionize Manila’s nightclub scene. For instance, on October

31, Alchemy will host an “Alice-in-Wonderland” themed Halloween shebang–Don’s brainchild. Don’s vision found him collaborating with some of the finest events wizards in the nation, including the Philippines’ premier magician Erik Mana, architect and actor Manolet Garcia, and Spanish ambience specialist and DJ Pan Martinez. While the party is undoubtedly going to be a hectic behind-the-scenes for Don Puno, it promises to be yet another night of solid entertainment, the kind only he can truly endeavor to provide.
  Alchemy is located at the Silvercity Mall, Frontera Verde Drive corner Julia Vargas St., Pasig City. For tickets and more information, call (02)633-0516.