It?s time to party with Tim and Sam

By Dinna Chan Vasquez

Love him or hate him, you must admit that Tim Yap has redefined partying in the Philippines. These days, it is not enough to look fierce. You?d have to be at the right party, too, or else it doesn?t count.

But Yap says there?s even more.

?It?s all about attitude,? says Yap, who admits he has crashed a Dolce & Gabbana party in Cannes, where he met Kimora Lee and was on the dance floor with Stefano Gabbana.

Yap struts into a party with a look on his face that says ?This is my kingdom? and, more often than not, it is true.

He is the ultimate party animal who will talk to anyone, whether you are famous or anonymous. You can really say anything you want about Yap, but don?t call him a snob.

?I?ve met great people at parties,? he says.

After all the drama of the past year, Yap says these days, he prefers hosting dinners for friends instead of lavish parties although he just celebrated his birthday with a ?Breakfast at Timothy?s? theme.

?You don?t throw a party para magmayabang. A party is nothing but a celebration,? says Yap.

He predicts that this year, there will be two major trends for parties. One is ?Go with the flow,? which means that hosts and hostesses will throw more Spartan parties in keeping with the times. But Yap says some parties will take the escapist route and throw ?fantasy balls? or something to that effect in order to forget that there is a global crisis.

Yap has hundreds of ideas for parties. In fact, it seems that an idea comes to his mind every minute but he admits that he is not very organized. In fact, he doesn?t even take down notes.

He has a staff of five to help him out with his events and a childhood friend, who was in a carpool with him in grade school, who he calls ?The Queen of Divisoria? to help him source materials and other party essentials.

?If I need 100 feather boas, she can get them for me. She is actually a supplier of plates to hotels and restaurants but because she knows the Tabora, Ilaya, and Divisoria areas so well, she can look for hard-to-find items at reasonable prices,? he adds.

If Yap is a party animal, Filipinized Korean Sam Oh is the life of a party. The bubbly TV host admits that as far as partying and clubbing are concerned, she has seen and done it all.

?I?m over the fancy and glitzy parties. Now, I?d rather stay home,? says Oh, whose interests include Bikram yoga and food.

Oh reveals that what she?d really like is to organize ?something,? perhaps an event or a party, for children and the aged.

It?s understandable why Oh, who is only in her 20s, is a jaded partygoer. In the last few years, she has attended every party imaginable as a TV host for two television stations. She?s tried practically every cocktail in the planet and donned all sorts of party clothes and makeup.

Well, Oh still loves her makeup. In fact, she has an ongoing love affair with false eyelashes.

?It makes all the difference when you have falsies on,? she says.

Yap and Oh are an irresistible combination. He is Chinese and she is Korean. They both like to talk their heads off. He throws parties and she covers them. He is funny without trying to be and she is a natural comedian. They both carry their clothes well.

Yap and Oh are the hosts of Events Incorporated, a show on Q Channel 11 that will feature notable happenings and help viewers come up with ideas for their own special parties. This weekly lifestyle magazine show will take viewers not only to the venue, but through the whole process of creating that dream event.

There will be a splurge or save and lots of ideas from the experts, most of the time from the hosts, on how to host a memorable party.

For its premier episode on Saturday at 6 p.m., Events Incorporated will give viewers an exclusive pass to ?Breakfast at Timothy?s??the making of Yap?s birthday celebration. Oh, in turn, will help a friend and fellow DJ, Robbi, throw a romantic Valentine?s surprise for his girlfriend.