Amsterdam After the Show (Oct22)

After our show at Pepsi Stage in Amsterdam--which was a huge success, although I have NO PICS to prove it (just take my word, pls!)--our food hosts distributed the goodies backstage for us to bring back to our hotel rooms. Water, of course, was a priced commodity and we had bottles and bottles of it. Here's GOOD STUFF I brought back to the room:
The evening of Oct 21, we had an OFFICIAL courtesy call with the Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands, H.E. Ramon Arguelleswherein his very able Filipino household staff served us a buffet of Filipino food including adobo (which would become a staple at all our future dinners!), steamed rice and baked fish. Of course, there was the GIGANTIC leche flan so we wouldn't miss HOME too much :)
We all wanted to take home these OFFICIAL dessert plates (made by Noritake, of course!) which had the official Philippine seal on it:
The entire cast with director Rey Memije, from left: Rico J Puno, Bituin Escalante, Nanette Inventor, FrancisM and Jolina Magdangal posing with the Ambassador.
When we got back to our hotel after dinner, a friend we had made backstage at the show RAMY, was waiting for us at the hotel. He had earlier volunteered to get a pair of Nike Air Force 1's for FM because he'd read it in his blog that FM was DYING to get a pair of these and he had them on him already! Ramy was actually able to get it at a discount so we only had to pay 113Euros from 150Euros. A friend INDEED! We promised him we'd greet his wife and kids when FM got back to the Philippines in November :)
I had another SURPRISE awaiting me at the hotel's front desk, when the night shift man announced I had a package waiting for me. It turned out to be a relative of FM's editor, Manie Magbanua, asking me to send a gift to him. Along with it she sent FIVE of these gold boxes of LEONIDA's chocolates: one for each member of the cast. How SWEET!
The next day, we had to leave Amsterdam for Vienna, and FM gave a copy of his CD to our bus driver as a token of his appreciation:
FM also gave our producer, Danny, a CD of his own.
Our Amsterdam experience was just the beginning of many more to come, but I gotta say it was a GREAT START!
(See more photos and read more happenings at FM's site www.magalona.com)