Shaken, not stirred

From October 21 to December 16, Sofitel Philippine Plaza is hosting themed parties at its luxurious 7Pecados by the Bay bar and club. Last Wednesday's theme was "Casino Royale" and I think even James Bond would have approved of the booth that my husband and I chose. Instead of seats, it has a lounge chair for two. And don't you just love those crystal-beaded walls?



The cover charge, amazingly tiny at only 200 pesos (about US$4), not only gives you entrance to the club. You also get two drinks of your choice, peanuts and wasabi peas are already on your table, and servers with trays laden with various hors d'oeuvre walk around the room offering more filling treats to all the guests. The theme was also applied to the drinks—you have to choose your drinks from the bar list at the entrance and instead of drink stubs, you're given playing cards which correspond to your choices. I used my 6 for the Mai Tai (dark and white rum, curacao, grenadine, pineapple juice, orgeat syrup and lime juice) and the 10 was for a Long Island Iced Tea (sweet and sour mix, vodka, tequila, rum, gin, triple sec and Coca-Cola).



The smaller aces of spades in the photo above, each labeled with a face value of 1000 pesos, was for one of the night's main attractions: casino games. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) lent 7Pecados a Black Jack table with two dealers (cute dude—I like his dimples)…



and two slot machines. Of course, this was all just for fun so no real money was involved.



The casino games were very popular that night. I'm glad I got photos before the crowds arrived. The handsome 27˝ iMacs were quite popular too. Just for World Wide Wednesdays —WWW@7Pecados, which is the party series' name—the bar also becomes a mini internet hub.



And what's a party without music? The band was good—they had everyone swaying to the beat even as they were playing games or chatting away with friends. I asked the girl at the reception table their name, but my liquor-soaked brain didn't retain it. (Thanks to a friend in Sofitel, I now have their name: Blind Curve.)



I couldn't resist this next shot. The ceiling of 7Pecados is completely covered with mirror tiles and I found it fascinating. So now I have an unusual portrait of me and my husband. And the guy in the next booth.



The next World Wide Wednesdays themed party at 7Pecados by the Bay is on November 4: Knock Out Night. (I just hope that's not what I'll be like—knocked out—at the end of the evening.) Who wants to come? Everyone's invited!

Crystal rainbow

The crystal-beaded walls that so fascinated me at Sofitel's 7Pecados turned out to be made of clear beads behind clear glass panes.



The colors were coming from lights built into the wall (I think). It was an unchanging red during "Casino Royale" but for "Knock Out Night" the light cycled through all the colors of the rainbow. I thought it was wonderful!

I spy…

Masks! At the Masquerade themed party of Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay bar and club last Wednesday.

With a lovely ice bucket.


Under glass with a bottle of cognac.


Over the stage.


On the bar.


In a silver bowl of ice with champagne.


The last World Wide Wednesdays @ 7Pecados themed party will be on December 2. It will be a Marker Party where guests will be given white shirts and markers. Care to guess what you're supposed to do?

K.O.

So we went back to 7Pecados at Sofitel Philippine Plaza last Wednesday for the second of its World Wide Wednesdays themed parties. As I mentioned after the first one, the theme was Knock Out Night and sure enough, it was all about boxing. Very timely, as Manny Pacquiao, the "Pambansang Kamao" (national fist), fights for his seventh world title in a seventh weight division against Miguel Cotto this weekend. The stage where the band performs was set up like a boxing ring and a video documentary about Pacquiao was being shown onscreen.



Boxing gloves were hanging from the ceiling. At least, the parts that weren't tiled in mirrors. I didn't notice it the first time, but the ceiling at the center of the room isn't mirrored. The huge pillar beside the bar is though, which made for more interesting reflections.



The members of the band Blind Curve were dressed up in athletic gear. Ummm, sort of. I doubt if trainers allow stiletto-heeled rubber shoes in the gym.



Even the servers were in shorts, tees and jackets. I hope this doesn't get them into trouble, but I found it funny-cute that between waiting on customers, they were playing around with the iMacs, either surfing the web or having fun with Photo Booth.



And as I promised myself, I didn't get knocked out on Knock Out Night. I was a good girl and only had one glass of Singapore Sling (gin, cherry brandy, pineapple juice, lime juice, orange liqueur, herbal liqueur and grenadine syrup). I can't promise I'll be as good on the 18th, the next WWW@7Pecados party with its theme of Masquerade. I'm looking forward to that one and really hoping that it's Venetian. I wonder though, will it be masks on or masks off?

Last theme

We weren't able to go to the December 2 Marker Party at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay, but it turned out that it wasn't the last of the themed parties. There was another one on December 9, and its theme was "Glitter…



and Glow." They gave all the guests glow-in-the-dark bracelets. Hubby dear got a blue one and mine was orange.



There was a different band that night, Arpie and The Multivitamins. The guy in the hat (I think he's Arpie but I don't know for sure) seems to moonlight as a stand-up comedian too—he was really funny, but only when he was speaking in Tagalog. He kept teasing the female singer that she looked like a bangus (milkfish) in her sequined dress.

Warm

A row of lovely floor lamps at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Hi there!

THEME DAY: REFLECTIONS • Just having fun (again) with the mirrored ceiling of Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay.



See the world in mirror images through the lens of CDP bloggers. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Hide-and-seek

I have to confess that I have a thing for bathrooms and powder rooms (which we call the comfort room or CR for short). I dream of the day when we can have all of ours renovated to look like those featured in Good Housekeeping, but until then, I love peeking into those in hotels, restaurants and posh homes, even if I don't need to use them, just to see how they're decorated. This is the powder room at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay. Both the attendant and I hid behind walls while I was taking this photo—a fat lot of good that did us.

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

Crowning glory

I wish I could properly introduce you to pretty Em, one of the servers at Sofitel Manila's 7Pecados by the Bay, but when I asked if I could take her photo, she shyly shook her head no. When I said that I wanted to take a photo of her gorgeous, long, curly hair, she willingly posed for me.

Cold and hot

Frozen cocktails, anyone? Rum and fruit juice or Kahlua? Holiday cheers to everyone! :)

I feel like howling

A full moon over the Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Sofitel is located in the same complex as the Cultural Center of the Philippines and overlooks Manila Bay and its beautiful sunsets. Its flagship restaurant is Spiral, famous in the metro for its huge buffet spread. Its bar, 7Pecados by the Bay, I've featured quite a few times already.

Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page and tour the skies of our beautiful world.