When you hang out with creative consultant and brand strategist Monique Madsen, founder and creative director at Modeme, it’s like you’re hanging out with the world.
She has a special skill that makes you feel at home and that’s probably why she’s the go-to person for every new expat in town who wants to be shown around.
Happy Ongpauco Tiu and her team happily prepared a spread worthy of such a milestone, replete with a grazing table groaning under the weight of soft and hard cheeses, flavored cream cheese, truffle honey, and chorizo and jamón for starters. “I had a mix of Spanish and Mediterranean menu because some of my guests are vegan,” says Monique, as she took me to the bar, also set up by Happy’s team with no less than Bobby Tenchavez and Carlo Calma Lorenzana, the two men behind Boca Juan Filipinas, making sure all the wines paired perfectly with the evening’s spread.
To me, however, what made Monique’s birthday bash one to remember was the guests. It was an odd mix of nationalities that would rival even a diplomatic affair. On her guest list was everyone who had been a part of her life over the last seven years when she moved back home to Manila after a stint in Shanghai. “These are my friends and people I worked with who have all become my friends,” says Monique.
But the Manila Monique shows her friends is one that’s charming and welcoming to foreigners. “It’s definitely a lot easier to integrate and make friends in Manila, compared to, say, other cities I’ve lived in,” she says. “First off, everyone speaks English here and I find that we are a lot more open to foreigners in general.”Jessica Shields, vice president for global services at Dexcom, came to Manila when she was 23.
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