Enter The Dragon

Edsa Shang welcomes the Chinese NY in style 

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

Asian Dragon magazine and Edsa Shangri-la welcomed the Chinese New Year auspiciously through an all-night extravaganza at the Garden Ballroom a few days before the official descent of the Water Dragon year. Simply dubbed after Bruce Lee’s cult martial arts movie “Enter the Dragon,” the well-attended event saw revelers in red and gold. Seen as a year of fruitfulness and mentorship, the sign of the Water Dragon is touted as a boom for babies and business. It is heralded as good feng shui to bear children in the year of the Dragon. No other sign triggers a baby boom in Asia within the Chinese 12-year Almanac cycle as evidenced by the previous Dragon years, including the most recent population increases of 1988 and 2000 all over countries with Chinese heritage. 

The cocktail hour saw guests trying their luck by playing the 9,999,999 Fortune Cookie app at the foyer area. Asian Dragon publisher Olivia Aw and Edsa Shangri-La GM Henry Lee dotted the two lions’ eyes that lay by the entrance to signal their awakening. As the lions entered the ballroom, guests followed suit. Chinese New Year trivia, a treasure hunt, and an exciting roll out of raffle prizes unfolded as guests were reminded to get 'ang pao' from the Money Tree after the Grand Prize was drawn. Some of the exciting raffle prizes that night included an overnight weekend stay at the Makati Shangri-La for 2 in a superior room with lunch at Dimsum Plus for 2 that’s usable from 5 Jan – 5 July 2012; an overnight stay in a Specialty Suite at the Garden Wing of Edsa Shangri-La with Horizon Club Lounge access, buffet breakfast for 2 at HEAT and a special Chef’s dinner at Paparazzi for 2; an overnight stay for 2 in a newly-renovated Deluxe Sea View room at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa in Cebu with buffet breakfast for 2 persons and lunch for 2 at Tea Of Spring worth PhP 1,500 net and valid only from 1 Feb - 1 Aug 2012; a One-Night Weekend Stay in a Tower Wing Deluxe Room at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore inclusive of breakfast for 2 persons at The Line; a two-night stay in a Deluxe Room at Shangri-La’s Kerry Hotel Pudong in Shanghai with breakfast for 2 that’s valid until 1 January 2013; two complimentary weekend nights stay in a Deluxe Peak View room at the Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong with breakfast at cafe TOO for two persons; a two-night weekend stay in a Deluxe Room at the Pudong Shangri-La in Shanghai with breakfast for 2; as well as a two- night stay in a Deluxe Room at Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa with breakfast and roundtrip transfers from Caticlan. 

All the other hotel accommodation prizes will be valid for a year hence. At the Raise the Red Flag game, guests who were not wearing red or gold were the first to be booted out. Those directly connected with Edsa Shangri-La and the Asian Dragon magazine came next. After them were the non-January babies (regardless of year), those born in the Dog years (being the Dragon’s arch-enemy) and those born in the years of the Dragon themselves (1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, and 2000) as well as the non-allies of the dragon like those born under the signs of the ox, snake, rooster, tiger, horse, rabbit, sheep and pig. Next to go were those without existing account with Allied Bank, the official fiscal house of the event. And then those who don’t have a copy of Asian Dragon at home. Soon, those who have not dined at Edsa Shangri-La’s Summer Palace nor haven’t attended any 2012 ESL event prior to Enter the Dragon bade their adieus. Those shorter than 5”3 without heels (as Dragons are associated with power and big size) were eliminated, too. Ditto, those whose first names had an ‘A’ and those whose last names have the letter ‘D.’ Edsa Shangri-La is ESL, so those whose middle name having an “S” came next; followed by those whose first name starts with “E” and whose surnames starts with the letter “L.” And then those who haven’t experienced CHI, The Spa for the last 12 months were out of the game too and, finally, those who cannot sing broke the tie. It was such a fun and interesting way to be eliminated out of a game. The lucky winner went home beaming with a CHI Hayahay treatment for 2, the Shangri-la spa’s signature and best-selling treatment package. At the close of the event, attendees grinned from ear to ear as nobody went home empty-handed; each one receiving an 'ang pao' from the Money Tree for luck. The Year of the Water Dragon runs from today, Jan 23rd until Feb. 9th next year. To one and all, “Kung Hei Fat Choi!”