Wonder what turning 42 will bring?

Allow me to celebrate my birthday once again by writing about the fun-filled week that surrounded it. A girl turns 41 only once; might as well make the most of it!

Rob and I, my brother Gerard and his wife DJ flew to Hong Kong on Tuesday, Feb. 21, in anticipation of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s (HKPO) fundraiser the next night. When we arrived, we were ready to party—except my poor husband, who had work-related e-mail to write, receive and reply to. So it was up to Gerard, DJ and myself to partake of the bar food and specialty drinks that we knew were waiting.

Our cab driver dropped us off in Lan Kwai Fong, where the Hong Kong Brew House was located. There we met up with a few members of the HKPO.

We ordered some buffalo wings, potato skins and ribs, as well as a beer for Gerry and cocktails for DJ and myself. Once midnight hit, out came a cake with a lit candle, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” The bartender proceeded to prepare a flaming tower of a blue drink (he had to do it twice; the first attempt crashed as I was drinking it!). We headed home at around 1 a.m.

On my actual birthday, Rob took me to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Ye Shanghai on Nathan Road. We had our favorite dim sum dishes and a pot of hot tea. Afterwards we walked around Ocean Center and Harbour City to kill time before the show.

The fundraiser, titled “Romancing the Night Away,” consisted of several well-heeled personalities in Hong Kong performing some of their favorite songs. Gerard had told us in advance that the singers wouldn’t be professionals, but that they would be going up there to raise money for the orchestra, and have a good time doing it.

Spirit of fun

I was most impressed by everyone’s chutzpah and spirit of fun, not to mention their numerous costume changes.

The orchestra, as always, sounded heavenly. I can’t wait until the next time I get to sing with these amazing musicians. I hope something similar could be staged in Manila to raise funds for our fledgling orchestras as well.

Post-performance dinner was at Le Soleil, a Vietnamese restaurant. At the end of the night, an ube-macapuno cake courtesy of Bonnie Gokson came out, again with a lit candle. Woo-hoo!

We flew home on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, I brought my daughter Nicole to Lusso—one of my favorite restaurants in Makati—for lunch with a few stars from “The Kitchen Musical,” including Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Christian Bautista, Carla Dunareanu and Arthur Acuña (whose date was his lovely wife Maritina Romulo).

When we all parted, I headed to Damariñas Village to watch friends rehearse for Repertory Philippines’ coming musical “Jekyll & Hyde.” It was a treat to see director Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo in action, going at things with bound-less energy after obviously thorough research.

It was also fun observing Michael Williams work with Kalila Aguilos (in her first outing with Rep), hearing Trisha Amper-Jimenez’s clean and clear voice, and watching Junix Inocian make his return to the Rep stage after a long absence. Witnessing this creative process is inspiring. Sometimes, a rehearsal is more fun to watch than the real thing.

Strep throat

I had a mini-concert scheduled for Sunday evening at the Venice Piazza in Bonifacio Global City, but I had one slight problem: strep throat. It had started to bother me on Wednesday in Hong Kong (I mistook it for a cold that I thought would heal in a few days… hindi pala).

It didn’t get better by Saturday night, so I scheduled an emergency visit to the clinic of my ENT, Dr. Melfred Hernandez. Once I had my prescription for antibiotics in my hand, I felt I could breathe a little easier, knowing I’d soon be on the mend. But, would I be well enough to sing?

I’ve stressed out myself and my brother in previous outings (he once uttered an expletive and shuddered in fear for me when he heard my hoarse speaking voice after the first song), but he seemed calm today at the sound check.

I fed off his quiet confidence; after the sound check, my voice felt okay enough to withstand the demands of an hour-long show. As I warmed up while getting my makeup done, I recalled singing lessons in which my teachers would remind me about my posture, alignment, breathing, mouth positioning, and body support, as I would need all those techniques.

All went very well (thanks be to God, and to the many people who prayed for me, knowing I was sick)—my voice felt strong and supple. The weather was at its most perfect, with even the humidity level at optimum (yes, that matters!).

The best part: A thousand or so people singing “Happy Birthday,” accompanied by Gerard and our little orchestra, as two chocolate cakes came up on stage. I was touched. We served the cakes at our postshow dinner in Red Crab.

All in all, I had what I could call an amazing birthday week, filled with laughter, friendship and music.

Now I wonder what turning 42 will bring. Hopefully more of the same—it can’t get any better than this!