Dining

Quest Hotel Cebu: A Conquest of the Now Normal

Before anything else, I’d like to say my New Year’s Resolution for 2021 is to stop titling my posts with ‘New/Now Normal’. Until then, it’s fair game.

Given how this year has turned out, I didn’t have my hopes up for my annual Christmas Tree Lighting pilgrimage. I didn’t also realize how much I’ve taken these events for granted—sure, they’re really fun and a great excuse to drink champagne every night without being judged, but they can take up so much energy that my introvert tendencies demand I retreat to breathe and recharge for a while. Last year was particularly insane.

It was a bit saddening to see so many of the places I frequent forego tree lighting ceremonies completely, but that also makes the ones that did have events even more special—if a bit more mindful because of so many protocols we now have to observe.

Last month, I was fortunate to be invited by Quest Hotel & Conference Center Cebu for their annual Bell-Ringing. I didn’t really know what I was expecting—perhaps the significantly-reduced guest list would make it a somber affair? But to my delight, the festivities stirred the beginnings of some much-needed holiday cheer.