I Dream of City of Dreams Manila

“Soon they will no longer resist those who persist.”   This was our mantra on February 2, 2015, opening night of City of Dreams Manila.  It was unplanned but my officemates and I went to the event nevertheless.  We had this hope that by some means, “Lady Luck” would push us to the concert venue, sans tickets.  As for me, the force that drives me is Leonardo DiCaprio, who is one of the 3 International Club Kings that want City of Dreams Manila.  The other 2 being Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.   Leo is my eternal crush, from What's Eating Gilbert Grape, to Titanic, to Romeo and Juliet, to The Aviator, to The Wolf of Wall Street, to eternity (Hehehe!). 

The International Club Kings

We reached City of Dreams at almost 6pm and were so excited by the thought of seeing Leo, whose image, along with those of De Niro and Scorsese, were repeatedly projected via spotlight on the upper left side of the City of Dreams edifice.

Our first sight of the City of Dreams Manila

At 6pm, first slap, our hope almost deflated when we were turned away by the guards from the street parking area.  We found ourselves parking at the back of a Jetti gas station near North Park.  No taxi accommodated us so we had a long walk from the parking area back to the City of Dreams.  The effort was tantamount to a 3k run.

Past 6pm, 2nd slap, back in the City of Dreams, we were denied entrance because we had no concert tickets.  We told the marshals and guards that the venue is not yet crowded and they could still allow a lot of people since the concert is free, but they still denied us.  We were at a lost, the marshal and guards seemed to be at a lost too when asked where we could get concert tickets or enter freely, for they each pointed us to directions that we were previously denied access to.   They seem to lack coordination.  

Rather than fret, we used the time as opportunity to get our free membership cards.  We passed beneath the moving chandelier, a long thread of seemingly giant golden coins that move in snake-like motion on the ceiling going to the casino, where we applied for membership and got our card and freebies.  I drew a limited edition City of Dreams Pillow.  Emman and Lin, well, they got that one thing the majority’s not excited about but drew, the City of Dreams carton fan (clap! clap!).  Well, curse is somehow easing on us.

I am now an official member of the City of Dreams Manila

Yay!!! I won a limited edition COD pillow (I prayed hard not to draw the carton fan while pressing the draw button! Hahaha!)

At 7:30pm, curse finally broken, the gate marshal finally gave us 3 Walk-in Guest tickets to the concert.  And we were just in time for the main event, Ne-Yo.   We were able to catch Ne-Yo sing 2 of his hits.  Not bad, considering it was the climax of the concert.   The timing couldn’t be more perfect.  The concert venue was not jam-packed, not sure if the organizers did it on purpose.

Free tickets were finally given when the show was nearing its height

The stage with the Golden Fortune Egg

Yo! Ne-Yo!

After the concert, the golden Fortune Egg was revealed by noted politicians and businessmen amidst prancing ballerinas.  

The VIPs revealed the Golden Fortune Egg

Another main event was the 10-minute fireworks display which was launched just above the concert venue, there was a sprinkle of firecracker splinters over the heads of the spectators.  Our eyes nearly got splinters, but I did not overhear anyone that his hair got burned from the firecracker drops.   The firecracker show was spectacular and I’m sure it turned away evil spirits. 

Exactly 8pm, after all the festivities, we had to walk another 3k to get back to the parking area.  So, that was a total of 6K unplanned walkathon.  Our legs were sored, considering me and Lin were wearing heels.  This wouldn’t have happened if we were allowed by the guards to park on the street when we first arrived.  Apparently many cars were soon allowed after all.  I could not say whether the event was a failure, probably I was just expecting a bigger blast, and comfort, considering it was the City of Dreams.  And Leo DiCaprio was not in attendance, in contrast with what has been rumored by the press promotions.  Anyways, we appreciate the experience.  What with Ne-Yo, the membership, the freebies, the fireworks show—not bad.  City of Dreams after all is not a City of Nightmares.

Tiffany & Co. and the Tiffany Blue Box of Happiness

What's that blue that never brings sadness but happiness? It's Tiffany blue.

(In praise of Tiffany & Co. and everything blue about it, I used the Tiffany Blue color as the background of the sub-titles of this article.)

Tiffany & Co.

Tiffany &Co. is an American jewelry company that was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in New York City in 1837.

The Tiffany & Co. flagship store in New York City, facade showing Atlas shouldering a huge clock (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

Tiffany & Co.'s vast collection includes diamonds, fine crystal, titanium, gold, silver and metal jewelries and accessories.  Patrons include royalties, politicians, movie actors, and other notable personalities.

Charles Lewis Tiffany was hailed as the King of Diamonds (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

The glamour and popularity of Tiffany made it the setting of Audrey Hepburn's 1961 classic movie, Breakfast At Tiffany's. The result was a huge success.

Audrey Hepburn's character, Holly Golightly, habitually peeks through the glass windows of Tiffany & Co. while having breakfast on the go of pastry and coffee (Photo credit: Google images)

The Tiffany Blue Box

The exclusive Tiffany Blue Box cannot be bought no matter how much one offers for it (Photo credit: Google images)

Every piece of Tiffany comes encased in a blue box-- the Tiffany Blue Box, crowned with a white satin ribbon.The Tiffany Blue Box is as famous as the jewelries it holds.  It's exclusive.  It's a box that is much coveted.  Charles Lewis Tiffany mandated that it could only be acquired with a Tiffany purchase. It only goes to say that the Tiffany blue box never goes out of the Tiffany & Co. store empty. The New York Sun has reported in 1906, that "Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer, he will only give it to you, and that's one of his boxes."

The Tiffany Blue

The "Tiffany Blue" color is as exclusive as the Tiffany Blue Box.  Tiffany & Co. has a trademark over the Tiffany Blue color, which is produced by Pantone, Inc., a global leader on color technology, best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS).  Tiffany Blue's PMS Number is 1837, following the year Tiffany & Co. was established.  The trademark means Tiffany & Co. is the only one in its industry that is allowed to use the color.

Tiffany Blue color (Photo credit: Google images)

So, how different is Tiffany Blue from the rest of the blue colors?  Tiffany Blue is a blue-green hue--it is the blue of a robin's egg.  Some say it is also the blue of a forget-me-not flower, but the color of the forget-me-not flower sometimes varies from deep blue to purplish.  The robin's egg is the more identical color with Tiffany Blue.  

Robin, the friendly little bird that produces pretty blue eggs (Photo credit: Photobucket images)

A robin's blue egg in a nest (Photo credit: Photobucket images)

The tiny blooms of forget-me-not (Photo credit: Photobucket images)

Charles Lewis Tiffany selected Tiffany Blue as the color for the cover of the Blue Book, a collection of Tiffany handcrafted jewelries, first published in 1845.  It was written in the Tiffany & Co. website that CLT may have been inspired by the gemstone, turquoise, which was very popular in 19th century jewelry, in the era when Tiffany & Co. was established.

The turquoise stone was one of the twelve biblical stones (Photo credit: Google images)

Turquoise is one of the main stones of the Miss World crown, along with blue sapphire  Here:  Miss Philippines, Megan Lynne Young, Miss World 2013, receives the crown from Miss World 2012, Wenxia Yu of China  (Photo credit: Google news images )

My own turquoise bracelet

Return to Tiffany

Over a century, Tiffany had produced several designs and collections.

One of the most popular Tiffany collections is the Return to Tiffany, launched in 1969. This collection was initially meant for the younger customers but eventually proved to be versatile as it also appealed to mature customers. Each piece of Return to Tiffany heart tag is engraved with the statement, "Please return to Tiffany". Back in the time, the statement purposely instructs anyone who finds it when it gets lost, to return the piece to the Tiffany flagship store in NYC. Tiffany &Co. will communicate with the buyer-owner, who could easily be traced through a specific registration number unique to each piece. Such practice is no longer adapted today. The "Please Return to Tiffany" is but a statement of history behind one of Tiffany's most popular collections, which lives on to the modern days.

The Return to Tiffany collection is mostly made of silver.  Other pieces of this collection is also made of yellow gold, rose gold and silver back-to-back with Tiffany Blue enamel.

Return to Tiffany silver hear tag necklace (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

Return to Tiffany chain bracelet with silver heart tag (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

Return to Tiffany blue enamel beads with silver heart tag (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

Return to Tiffany silver beads with blue enamel heart tag (Photo credit: Tiffany & Co. website)

In the movie, Legally Blonde, the Fashion major and aspiring lawyer, Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon), was shown in various occasions wearing a pair of silver toggle heart tag Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelet.  Elle's Return to Tiffany necklace has a matching piece with Bruiser, her chihuahua.  One of the funny scenes was in a pool, where Elle was wearing a bikini and a Return to Tiffany heart tag necklace, during her Admissions video application to Harvard Law School.  She passed!

Reese Witherspoon wears Return to Tiffany jewelry in Legally Blonde (photo credit: Google images)

The Tiffany 92.5 Standard Silver Grade

Tiffany silver jewelries are much expensive compared to other brands bearing the 92.5 standard grade of sterling silver. Evidently, it's the prestigious name of Tiffany & Co. and the exclusivity of it that commands a higher price for each piece of the company's jewelry.

My Own Tiffany Blue Box of Happiness and More!

Before Christmas in 2013, I visited the Tiffany & Co. store that is located at the ground floor of Rustan's Department Store in Ayala Center, Makati City. The sales staff of the Tiffany store here is very accommodating and they will assist you in an untiringly friendly way.

The elegant dark wood interior of Tiffany & Co. in Rustan's Makati

The Tiffany & Co. Rustan's Makati Showcase

The Tiffany & Co. staff allowed me to take several photos of the collections on display.

The glass shelves that house the Tiffany collections

Two necklace pieces on display are two of the most gorgeous, and expensive!

Titanium necklace with turquoise Tiffany bag pendant

Interlocking Rubedo metal circles necklace, with matching bracelet

Rubedo metal was launched by Tiffany & Co. in its 175th anniversary in 2012.  Rubedo is a soft lightweight yet strong metal with rosy hue that goes well with any skin tone.

The other gorgeous jewelry collections abound the Tiffany & Co. store.

Pendants galore!

Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelets

More necklace and bracelets from the Return to Tiffany collection

Atlas collection

Various collections

Tiffany & Co. has other specialty and gift items like porcelain sets, leather goods, and writing instruments.

The Tiffany porcelain set I bought (except the square plate which was priced separately)

Tiffany commemorative plate,cup, and pens

Tiffany leather pouches, bill-card holders and coin purses

Tiffany ceramics, frame and pens

My Tiffany Blue Box of Happiness

After several "sightseeings", I decided to buy a Return to Tiffany heart tag necklace and chain bracelet with heart tag pendant of silver back-to-back with Tiffany Blue enamel.  I also bought an elegant Tiffany porcelain set of cup, saucer and bowl.  I asked the lady staff if I could have an extra box or paper bag, and they politely told me that the box and paper bag are only given for each purchase. So that confirms CLT's mandate.

Our friendly Tiffany lady wraps my purchases 

The Tiffany Terms

Tiffany & Co. local stores have a tie-up with certain credit card companies for easier terms of payment.

Since I maintain a good credit standing with my credit card, I was able to avail of an 18-month installment term for my jewelry and 3-month installment term for my porcelain set purchases, all with absolutely zero-percent interest! What an easy way of paying for fabulous Tiffany jewelry and porcelain pieces.

The Tiffany Treatment

The Tiffany staff made me feel special. They led me to a guest area where I sat comfortably on a cushioned chair, while they process my payment and wrap my purchases. While waiting, a Tiffany lady assisted me in filling out a Tiffany customer profile card.

I was sitting comfortably in the guest area

Looking at the gorgeous paintings on the wall which show Tiffany collection pieces

Everything was taken care of by the Tiffany staff. I was just sitting peacefully since I did not need to go to the cashier.  I did not feel impatient while waiting, I was looking at the paintings of Tiffany gorgeous pieces hanging on the walls of the guest area. After around 20 minutes (understandably there was a queue of other Rustan's customers in the cashier), another Tiffany lady came to me for my signature on the credit card slip. Then she handed me a crisp white Tiffany envelope containing my credit card, the customer's copy of the credit card slip and the sales receipt.


The Tradition of the Tiffany Blue Box

The tradition of the Tiffany Blue Box is the giving of it.  When the Tiffany lady handed me two Tiffany blue paper bags that contain my jewelry, I was delighted for they are a real beauty. And when I opened the Tiffany blue boxes that contains Tiffany blue jewelry pouches encasing my Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelet, I was literally happy! Inspite of myself I thought, "these are a few of my favorite things!"

One of the Tiffany blue bags given to me

The Tiffany lady also handed me a large Tiffany blue bag that contains the big Tiffany blue box holding the porcelain set. It was literally a big source of happiness.

The Tiffany Extra-Mile

The Tiffany lady offered to assist me for the free engraving service. She went to the 5th floor with my necklace, however the engraver had already gone off from work at that hour, 8pm. The Tiffany lady advised me to drop by anytime and just show the sales receipt to the engraver. She was more than glad to redo the white satin ribbons of the Tiffany blue boxes I opened earlier.

The engraving services at the 5th floor of Rustan's Makati is free for every Tiffany purchase

I exchanged "thank you's" and smiles with all the Tiffany staff before I left the Tiffany store. And holding the Tiffany blue paper bags, definitely did not make me feel blue. I was happy with my Tiffany experience.

I Returned to Tiffany

After a few days, I dropped by and had my name engraved on my Return to Tiffany heart tag necklace. I also wanted to buy a Tiffany blue card holder-coin purse I have eyed during my initial visit. The Tiffany ladies recognized me at once and assisted me as dedicatedly as before. The item was already out of stock in their store, but they called their Shangri La branch, which fortunately still had a stock. The Tiffany ladies advised me to roam and shop while they wait for the item to arrive. After 2 hours, they called me through mobile phone and informed me that the item has arrived. 

Again, I was sitting comfortably in the guest area while the Tiffany staff process my purchases

I got another Tiffany blue bag and Tiffany blue box

So, I got my desired card holder-coin purse at 3-month 0% installment term through my credit card. And I got another Tiffany paper bag and a Tiffany blue box crowned with white satin ribbon. I had the keychain holder engraved with my name.

A few days later I called them to inquire if the card holder-coin purse had a pouch. They were so nice and told me to drop by anytime and when I did, they gave me a Tiffany blue soft cloth pouch.

My Tiffany card holder-coin purse

The Tiffany Thoughtfulness

My Tiffany experience did not end with my purchases, they sent me a Tiffany Christmas Card, with greetings signed by all the staff of the Tiffany store. Well, that's another dose of little happiness. Receiving traditional greeting cards by snail mail is always special.

The face of the Tiffany Christmas Card

The Tiffany Christmas greetings signed by all the store staff

A Day in the Life with Tiffany

I haven't used my Tiffany porcelain set which is sitting prettily undisturbed in its big Tiffany blue box and large paper bag. The Tiffany card holder-coin purse is nestling in my closet.   The pretty Tiffany Blue boxes and paper bags are a joy to behold.  Because I know they hold some of my favorite pretty things.

I often wear my Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelet, they are versatile and go well with and add more prettiness to all my outfits.

My Return to Tiffany silver necklace with heart tag

My Return to Tiffany chain bracelet with silver-blue enamel back-to-back heart tag

My Return to Tiffany necklace and bracelet have become a staple in my OOTD

Moments with Tiffany give simple happiness!

Even Royals are into the Tiffany Blue Box.

Looks like Prince William is giving a Tiffany Blue Box to Princess Kate (Photo credit:  Facebook)

Ditto.  Blue, blue, my world is blue with Tiffany happiness!

My silhouette gets a good contrast with the blue backdrop of Tiffany & Co. ad board (Location:  Macau International Airport)