Please allow me to continue where I left off in yesterday’s post. This time though, it will just be a narrative report (heheh) of what happened after my dearest hubby surprised me and made me cry a river on the morning of Valentine’s Day.
The very nice three yellow roses from my Hubby
The day turned out very well that by the time my work was done (actually that was because Ate Kara had already arrived at Festival Mall and I was to meet her since I couldn’t let her stay there alone. She may be taller than me but she is still only 14 so there is still this fear that some bad stranger would walk up to her and do something to her. Yeah, Taken, that’s how paranoid you have made me), I knew nothing could go wrong, ever.
Anyway, we went to the newly-opened Jack’s Loft-My Thai-Pho Hoa restaurant in Festival Mall (I love that you get three restaurants in one. Maybe that’s why ever since it opened, it’s always been full of patrons even on ordinary days, something that has never happened to its past occupants) for dinner. It was there that Bong met us.
After dinner, we made our way to Bellevue Hotel for the solo concert of The CompanY titled “A Lighthearted Valentine with The CompanY.” Before we proceeded to the Grand Ballroom, I filled out the raffle portion of the ticket hoping we’d win one of the prizes at stake which included a stay in the hotel for a night and buffet for two at the Cafe d’Asie (which is one of my fave buffet places. Love, love, love it!)
Once inside the Ballroom, we seated ourselves. Good thing that the seats Bong got for us were near enough the stage. There were also two big monitors at both sides of the stage so you would still be able to see the performers even if you were seated far from them. Philippine Idol Raymond Sajor, opened the show, and man! What a voice! He sang three songs, but before his first song was over, I got a text message from an unknown number. It said that, miracle of miracles, I won in the raffle draw, a gift certificate for a lunch or dinner buffet for two at Cafe d’Asie. Haha! You know how they say that bad luck comes in threes? I’d say good luck came in threes for me at the time. My husband serenaded me with a song he composed for me, I received flowers from him, and then, this.
The concert was really off to a great start so when Musical Director Beth Martin and the rest of the 4-man band came on stage to perform a jazzy overture of The CompanY’s hits, I almost had a hard time containing my giddiness. After that, one by one, the members of Asia’s Premier Vocal Group filed in. All of them, Moy, Annie, Ces, Sweet and Jay were so full of energy I couldn’t understand for the life of me why a lot of those who watched wouldn’t at least sway to their music. Oh well, to each his own, I guess. They did love songs, mostly those that they have recorded in the past, and other fun and upbeat numbers. Standouts for me were their renditions of “Take A Chance on Me” which is included in their Group Hug album (I swear, I can still hear Moy in my mind), the classy Bad Romance which was soooo funny, and the vocal calisthenics they did with their version of BEP’s “My Hump,” another ultra funny number.
Towards the end of the show, they started thanking the sponsors and it was Moy who produced a small piece of paper and told everyone that he received a message earlier, to which the others, in unison, asked if it was through Friendster. Haha! Moy said, in jest, that no, he received it through his Easy Call. More laughter in the audience. (Those who don’t know what Easy Call is should just shut up because that would only magnify the fact that I am old. haha!) Moy then said that there was a request for him to sing a song from way back and that the request came from Bong-Bong Plata. Oh dear, I said to myself. That stunned me yet again. I thought, wait, my luck should have ended with that third surprise for the night from Bellevue, but then, I could already hear Moy saying that Bong-Bong requested a song to be sung for his wife Kaye. Yes, that’s me. Hihi! And the song was Sana Nga (Ikaw Na). They asked where we were and then there was the camera showing us on the big screens. Haha! After a few more greetings, Moy proceeded to where Ms. Beth Martin (on keyboards) was and he sang the first few lines of this beautiful song that they recorded way way back in the 90s. Unfortunately, since this was an impromptu request, Moy couldn’t remember anymore much of the lyrics. At the time Moy was singing, Bong was telling me that this used to be his song for me, when we were still in college. Wow. There’s another, “Pag Nagkataon,” which he also asked Jay, in another message he sent to him, to sing. But it was Moy who obliged and that was just more than enough for me.
The show ended at around 11pm after which there was a meet and greet session. (This is actually one of the best things the group does after each concert– meet the people who attended their concerts, sign CDs and have their photos taken with them.) I’ve had so many photos taken with them but always, the fan in me can’t resist. So yes, the obligatory group photo was taken, courtesy of Ate Kara who didn’t want to be photographed because according to her, she didn’t look particularly pretty (although if you’d ask me, she is naturally beautiful whatever she does to herself). Prior to the photo op, Jay saw me and Bong, instantly recognized us from the people who were waiting to have their photo taken with them, and called my name. Sweet! He recognized us. 
- with The CompanY and Daddy Bong after the “A Lighthearted Valentine with The CompanY”
After the photo was taken, I just thanked Moy profusely for that beautiful song. He apologized for not being able to sing the whole song as he hadn’t sung it for a very long time. He then told us that he had to look for the piano piece of that song so he could sing it during the concert. That really floored me because I know for a fact that the group has been busy with out-of-town engagements the weeks prior, and another major concert the previous night. But he was so generous that even if the song wasn’t included in their lineup, he still sang a part of it. Now, can anyone blame me for being a big fan of this group? When I thanked him again, he said I shouldn’t thank him. I should thank my husband, instead, for making it all possible.
Darn right, Moy. But you know what I realized, (and I apologize for this)? The CompanY is, after all, not my biggest Idol. After everything you did, yes, Dad, you are truly my biggest Idol and I am, humbly, your biggest fan. But together, we might just be one of The Company’s biggest couple-fans.
In closing, (parang speech lang na sinusulat ko no?) The song Sana Nga says,
Kung may mga labing
maaaring magsabing mahal ako
(minamahal kita, minamahal kita)
Sana nga ikaw (sana nga ikaw)
Ikaw sana (ikaw sana…) ang siyang
marinig ko (siyang marinig ko)
Kung mayroong pusong
pinakananais maging akin
sana nga’y ikaw
ikaw sana ang para sa akin
Dad, ako na nga yun. Yung mga labing nagsasabing mahal kita at sayo lang ang puso ko, dahil totoo, ako nga ang para sayo, at ikaw naman ang sa akin. <3 <3 <3
