THE 7101 MUSIC NATION CHRISTMAS PARTY!

The Tao Cafe of Champions was all decked out for the season. A huge red carpet was laid out from the entrance of the Tao Corporate Center all the way to the doors of the cafe. Paintings of musical instruments were lined up and this cool 50's jukebox looked awesome as you entered. The Elements poster hung proudly over it.

6:30 pm: Joy was evident in the room as Campers, Artists, and the members of the Tao community started to enter the huge cafe doors. They all had warm smiles on their faces, and started greeting each other like long lost brothers and sisters. After all, this was the first time these guys saw each other since the Elements Camp a couple of weeks before. Some of the guys even couldn't help but get on stage and get in some early jamming. The party had not even started.

7:45 pm: Then came the bugle sound. Yes! That bugle sound! People were shaking their heads and laughing. Here was this familiar boot-camp piece that was constantly ringing in the ears of the people during the Camp to signal the start of an activity. Time to eat.

7:50 pm: Dinner time. The food was amazing as usual, somewhat a traditoin for alll the parties of Tao. Wine was overflowing as everyone took their places to view the documentary that Quark and his team cafefully crafted. Laughs were shared as everyone looked back at the Camp caught on camera! A successful debut.

9:00pm: Program time. Jungee Marcelo, our crazy and funny camp host came up on stage with his usual swagger to begin the show. One by one he introduced some of the Campers who were asked to showcase their chops on stage. Inky de Dios, Bullet Dumas, Kate Torralba, and Karl Ramirez all took thier turns playing their original songs. Claps were heard all around as each of them finished.

9:45 pm: Kate Torralba and Inky De Dios went up on stage to announce the surprise awards for the evening. "The real crush ng bayan" award! Male and female ribbons were given to Jun and Pia Sy as voted by the Campers. Jun told everyone that this was the first time he had ever received an award like this. Everyone was clapping asking them to kiss. They obliged!

10:00pm: With the wine kicking in, it was the artists turn to take the stage. Gabby Alipe, Gary Granada, Noel Cabangon, Rico Blanco, and Jay Durias all took turns in singing some of their songs. The atmosphere was relaxed and the people watching were soaking everything in. It was like being in a mini-concert with no admission fee.

10:40pm: It was Jun Sy's turn to come up on stage. Backed up by his band, he received loud applause as he sang some of his favorite songs. At one point during a Rolling Stones cover he was singing, Gary Granada and Noel Cabangon both took the mic and started backing him up! Priceless! It was great to see that everyone was feeling the Christmas vibe.

11:15pm: Gary Valenciano was the last one to take the mic as everyone was egging him on to sing. He too was feeling it as he talked to the band and did some Chick Corea and Earth, Wind & Fire songs. By this time, everyone was pretty much sloshed and dancing the night away.

12:00am: Things started to wind down as the party was almost over. Hugs were given left and right as people started exiting the cafe. You could tell that everyone who went there had a blast! A merry Christmas it was.