Imagine pencils strung together to make leaf-shaped sofas hung from ceilings;
portraits not drawn in pencil, but installed with pencils; lanterns adorned with
pencils; chairs high-backed with pencils and; a dragon-like sculpture made with
pencils. To celebrate Christmas this year, Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila
commissioned multi-award winning furniture designer Milo Naval to showcase his
masterpieces entitled “Tinsels and Pencils of Christmas.”

Milo’s pencil artworks are intricately hand-tied together with nylon string,
creating geometric patterns that dazzle the eye and raises the question of how
the structural stability of the designs synthesized with the aesthetic form. The
main piece is a collection of 10 leaf-shaped sofas, one atop the other and made
of green pencils called Synthesis. It is in the main lobby of the Hotel as its
Christmas tree, which stands 4 meters tall and is composed of more than 10,000
pencils. The other Christmas pencil installations are at the Hotel’s restaurants
Market Cafe, Li Li and The Fireplace, as well as The Lounge and the Regency Club
Lounge.

“It is not your traditional Christmas decoration. Hyatt Hotel and Casino
Manila has been known for its artistic and creative approach in providing a
designer Christmas. It is any artist’s dream to work with a company who has such
passion and open mindedness for the arts and its different interpretations. But
what inspired me to work with them is their tradition of dedicating each show to
charities both the artist and the Hotel support,” shares Milo.

Milo Naval established Evolve Designs, a company that designs contemporary
furniture and accessories with the use of indigenous materials. His works have
been featured in Paris, New York and Milan and other international furniture
shows.

The beneficiary of the proceeds of the sale of the “Tinsels and Pencils of
Christmas” is a local charity in Sorsogon, the hometown of Katherine, Milo’s
wife. The unsold pieces will be dismantled and the pencils will be donated by
the hotel to the students of the Divine Healer Academy, a school run by the
Healing Servants Foundation, Inc.

Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila advocacy for children is evident in its
continuing relationship with its partner foundations, Make-A-Wish and Kythe.
“Tinsels and Pencils of Christmas” can be viewed throughout the Hotel until Jan.
6, 2012. For more information, call 245-1234.

For enquiries on the Hotel’s Christmas activities and New Year festivities,
call the Food and Beverage Reservations Centre on 247-8666. Alternatively,
e-mail cath.mn@hyatt.com. — Reggie Rullan, Contributor

Edsa Shang and Tony Rodriguez

Children’s Nutcracker fantasies come to life as Edsa Shangri-La Hotel
celebrates the holiday season with gingerbread toy soldiers, ballerinas and
sugar plum fairies, Mandarin teacups and Maryoshka dolls around its Christmas
tree, designed by Tony Rodriguez.

The 20-foot tree was lit by Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin Abalos with, his wife
Munchies and Edsa Shangri-La Hotel general manager Henry Lee together with over
100 children from Isla de Cocomo Day Care Center from Barangay Mauway,
Mandaluyong City.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s children’s choir performed
a medley of Christmas during the tree lighting. The children’s choir was founded
in December 2005 for musically gifted children from scavengers and indigent
families, under the instruction of conductor Joseph Padlan. The Bakeshop is
transformed by executive pastry chef Tony Wang into a giant gingerbread house
filled with German stollen, British mince pie, Milanese panettone and European
Yule log along with Edsa Shangri-La’s signature chocolates, marzipans and
pralines.

The chief toymaker, Santa, will be at his workshop crafting toys airplanes,
boats and houses to give away to children who dine with their parents during
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the HEAT restaurant in the ground floor of
the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

The Isla de Cocomo Day Care Center from the barangay of Mauway, Mandaluyong
City is the adopted community of the Hotel. To participate in the charity
activity, contact Lesley Tan, communications director, at 633-3888 or e-mail
lesly.tan@shnagri-la.com.

For more information about the Edsa Shangri-La’s holiday room, dining and spa
packages, call 633-8888, e-mail esl@shangri-la.com or visit www.shangri-la.com.

— Reggie Rullan, Contributor

Trader’s Hotel’s Sharing Christmas wishes

Nov. 14 marked the start of the season of hope at Traders Hotel, Manila with
“Christmas Wishes.” For P50, selected school youths and the Maytubig community
will benefit from the generosity of guests. A white Christmas twig tree is
placed at the lobby for guests to hang their Christmas Wishes, which serves as
the tree’s ornaments. Christmas Wishes will give three out-of-school youths the
privilege to sustain their education with a vocational degree. The children of
Maytubig Day Care Center will also benefit from the proceeds for their school
supplies for 2012. The local community of Maytubig has 250 less privileged
families that the hotel has been supporting since 2008.

This year, the hotel provided books, school supplies, hygiene materials and
undertook classroom repairs and maintained the orderliness of the day care
center. The children were also the stars of the night during the Christmas tree
lighting on as they serenaded the guests with Christmas carols.

As a thank you to the generosity of patrons, the hotel is giving away five
overnight stays in a Traders Club Room with complimentary breakfast, afternoon
tea, sunset cocktails and all-day non-alcoholic refreshment for two at the
TLounge in a raffle draw to be held on Jan. 6, 2012.

For inquiries on the “Christmas Wishes,” call 523-7011.

The Peninsula and Make-a-Wish

Make-a-Wish Foundation Philippines’ “Wish Kids” witnessed the lighting of the
45-foot tall Christmas tree at The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila as guest of
honor Makati City Councilor Tosca Puno, The Peninsula Manila hotel manager
Oliver Dudler and The Peninsula Manila’s very own Peter Bear turned the lights
on, signaling the start of festive activities including the Trees of Hope
campaign.

Make a child’s wish come true this Christmas with The Peninsula Trees of
Hope. Purchase a red or gold tree ornament to hang on The Peninsula Trees of
Hope and you will help Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines fulfill their mission
of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

daily tribune