BAILA MALO, PASA BON. A little bird whispered in my ear that every Thursday at the end of main street at the Baby Back Grill on Hospitalstraat all of town’s Kizomba dancers congregate to slowly, smoothly and sensually dance holding on to their romantic partner tightly. It’s something to see. Rock-N-Blues lovers will be happy to know that Thursdays at the Alhambra Casino & Shops, Will Roth and his band Mojambo are performing live, entertaining patrons at the Hollywood Smokehouse and Fusion Wine Bar, with their classic Rock and Blues repertory, from 8pm to 11pm. Last Thursday they had a crowd of music-lovers movin’ n groovin’ and having a great time.
BULERIA SHAKES THINGS UP. If I am told it was a good party, the statement is immediately followed by the admission that Buleria was there. The new band is stirring things up on the island’s music scene. The formula is simple, but not that simple. Buleria has three very good-looking male singers upfront, crooning adorably in tight, form-fitting clothes, a la Menudo, only cuter. Their favorite music genre is the local bailable, which requires no expertise nor skill: Just hold on to your partner and grind, never moving off your designated floor tile. It’s sensual music which suggests making love while standing upright. So what does the name of the band mean? Buleria, a Spanish Flamenco term signifies having a good time, making noise, leaving an impression. The band was founded by Elite Production & Entertainment, who is responsible for the instruments, the set up and the sound. Buleria has been giving us a good time since midyear 2014, and though Ghansham and Padma Mahtani would like to see their son married and blessed by a handful of kids, Krish doesn’t see a reason to slow down, especially not during the next five weeks, as Empire Carnival Group takes to the streets with Upgrade Music and Buleria on board under the slogan: 10% SLEEP…90% GRIND….Sky’s The Limit.
PWC WELCOMES THE NEW YEAR WITH A FRIENDLY BASH. The annual parking lot event received an upgrade this time with a contemporary set up, lights and live music by C-Zar Olarte and his band. Edsel Lopez welcomed his guests warmly and declared 2015 the year of partnership and expansion. Optimistic about the economic outlook of 2015, Lopez went on to warn against cheap advice-givers and signaled his company’s willingness and preparedness to help us all become more successful and efficient. The party enjoyed an air of informality, hence the champagne toast was served about 10 minutes after Edsel suggested it, but we toasted anyway, and enjoyed the networking opportunities with Hans Ruiter and the rest of the congenial leadership team.
CUBA’S COOKING OFFERS MUSIC EVERY DAY. Maestro Ramon who played at Cuba’s Cookin’ in the old days on Wilhelminastraat is back strumming his guitar with great charm and charisma on Wednesdays and Sundays. The rest of the week, the Cuban combo is there during evening hours and Aldo the chef and his assistant come out of the kitchen to support it with percussion, when the pressure in the kitchen subsides. Cuba’s Cookin has a new lunch menu with Vegan and Gluten Free items marked for easy dietary info. Also they take on any dietary issues as long as they are given a bit of advanced notice, if it is complicated and requires special purchases. After all in the spirit of the legendary island, Cuba’s Cookin’ operated under Para Servile philosophy, which is part of the Cuban culture, a genuine desire to serve and make it better. Everyone has the right to eat well and enjoy, says the tambourine playing owner Douglass Marcus!
GOOD TIDINGS IN 2015. Daphne Agius Cesareo-Lejuez is now the new president of the Chamber of Commerce, she will be introducing that venerated organization to common sense and attention to detail. Daphne will be the 3rd female president in the chamber’s 85 years of existence. Our favorite photographer, Steve Keith, and his gorgeous wife Jeanette are back on Aruba after living in Florida for a few years. Jeanette will be assuming a leadership positing with Little Switzerland in Aruba. Indra Zaandam, previously at Arikok Park, has taken up a challenge previously answered by tourism adviser Sue Ann Lee at the Ministry of Tourism, she will light up that office with her smile and great energy, the minister is lucky to have her! Raymond Habibe is now Director of Finance at the Marriott in charge of five major operations, including the three resorts, the casino and the Marriott vacation rentals. I met him at Sam Electronics as he got himself some super-powered, hand-held phone/computer and looked very happy about his purchase and about his new job. Vanessa Hollander’s stint as Marketing Manager at Tropical Bottling/Brouwerij National Balashi came to an end on December 31st, 2014. She was there just over a year. Her boss Managing Director Wendell H. Bennett, has been with the mother company since 1972!
THE BEACH POLICY IN PLACE. We welcomed the new beach policy with great enthusiasm, because before we had nothing. And I immediately read it with interest but it is very general and can be interpreted a million ways. Nevertheless, finally our number #1 asset is governed by a policy, and I have many questions. I am mostly bothered by the pirates who rent chairs and umbrellas and I hope they will have to reapply for their permits and that their petitions will be handled cautiously, and approved for only a limited number of chairs and a limited number of umbrellas based on merit, not nepotism. They can’t all be the minister’s relatives. Many of the nickel and dime hoteliers who charge extra for beach lounges and palapas can be thanked for that private enterprise proliferation. They created an opportunity for the freelancers, who were encouraged by rebelling guests, to rent for less than the hotel was charging, hence the of colorful stuff on the beach. The eternal question remains, who will enforce and supervise??
DOG LAW, IN PLACE. The new dog law was just introduced and we welcomed it with great enthusiasm because we had nothing before. It basically aims at making us better pet owners, and keep our dogs in the yard. The days of Owned-Strays are over, you can no longer sort-of own a dog, allowing his to roam the street freely, from now on you have to commit, it’s yours and you are to treat it like a member of the household. Thousands of puppies are put to sleep in Aruba each year because of the over population, as the roaming strays are allowed to multiply. The new law is designed to reduce those numbers by cracking down on canine casanova. The eternal question remains, who will enforce and supervise??
LOCAL GARDENS AFFECTED BY WEATHER CHANGE. Going from drought to deluge my bougainvilleas acquired a number of immune system issues, and are now recovering slowly. Having been used to drought conditions they developed good coping skills. Then the rain came and they did not know what to make of it. In their confusion, pests settled in. Naturally, with a weakened immune system, the mealy bugs and spiders staged an invasion. John from Fantastic Gardens recommends spraying against pest, clipping, and fertilizing. Mostly don’t lose hope, it will all recover if you help!
NEW PENHA AT THE HEAD OF THE MAIN STREET. The new store has an Urban Decay, store within a store.It’s a great American trend-setting cosmetics brand, including eye shadow, lip gloss, eyeliner, lip plumper, bronzer, mineral makeup & other cosmetics. [email protected].
