Tuesday, December 13, 2011

"heartbeat: Manila Hilton" edited by Marla Yotoko-Chorengel and Letty Jacinto Lopez

From the summary on the back cover:

The skyscraper of dreams - that was the Manila Hilton, at 22 storeys, the tallest building in the Philippines in the sixties and its first 5-star international hotel. It was here where foreign expatriate executives and locals worked together to create a unique multi-racial mix. It was a period when the Philippines enjoyed an energized campaign courtesy of the Hilton International chain's worldwide network, and the country's shores were graced by an influx of  overseas tourists.

Decades ago, the Manila Hilton vanished from the Manila horizon. But, during its lifespan, the hotel touched our lives like  prism that colored our working days within the hotel. The Manila Hilton lingers in the landscape of our memories and still lends its hues and intensities in our present, perhaps our future, too.

Rekindling the past, the spirit of our hearts is palpable. We offer no apologies for the unabashed exuberance of our personal reflections. Rather, we invite our friends of the Manila Hilton era to journey with us now to our shared yesteryears, and, who knows, to unleash some of their own endearing yesterdays. Together, we can wonder where all that magic came from, why the explosion of sentiments... imagine this!