Merk’s Bistro & My Closing Remarks

And so, the band played. It was mostly retro and I thought I will sometime bring the one and only, something we used to do when we were younger and the bands played at places like the Calesa Bar and Siete Pecados.

I had my notes for the closing remarks which I prepared at home before going to Makati. But everyone forgot about the program and enjoyed the band playing. After a while, the people in our group started leaving. probaly because we they were getting old, the wife was waiting home with a rolling pin, or any other reason. Rene Mañalac bought me another beer at another joint at Greenbelt after which we went to the parking lot. It turns out that I was parked somewhere else and it took me sometime to find my car in the basement.

In any case, I was not able to do my closing remarks. It would have went like this:

It has been a wonderful evening. I truly enjoyed it and I hope all of you did.
Let me thank the organizers of this affair for finally having pushed it thru.
I was watching the emails going back and forth and the date was moved several times. Thanks to the internet, we didn’t have to call meetings just to agree on the venue.
I would like to thank:

• Dr. Eduardo Lindo, Dean of the College of Engineering for gracing the occasion as our inducting officer,
• to Delfin Jacob for coordinating and providing everyon with information and updates,
• to Noe Enriquez and Venus Quevedo for making the program who (without asking my permission.) assigned me the task of making this. closing remarks.
• I would also like to thank Francis Patron who chose this beautiful place for our venue,
• to Randy Maranan who picked up the tab with the promise that this will not be deducted from any of our accounts with BPI,
• to an associate and my personal guest, Mr. Arnold Morfe, a CE alumni himself, for adjusting his schedule and meet me here instead.
• and specially to Richard Merk for the use of this fantastic joint for our induction.

As we end up tonight’s affair and look forward to the task of why we are involved in promoting the Adamson University Industrial Engineering Association, allow me to quote John Nash from the movie A Beautiful Mind:

• I've always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason.
• But after a lifetime of such pursuits, I ask,
• "What truly is logic?"
• "Who decides reason?"
• My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional -- and back.
• And I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is
• only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.
• (Nash, looks at his wife Alicia and says) I'm only here tonight because of you
• You are the reason I am.
• You are all my reasons.
• Thank you.
• This was his acceptance of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences
• Let me greet everyone a pleasant good night.

Merk's Bar & Bistro

This has to be told somehow.

The site of the oath taking of the Adamson University Industrial Engineering Association’s officers and board of trustees was Merk's Bar & Bistro at Greenbelt 3. I won’t dwell into how we ended up with this bistro as venue. Suffice to say that we have been oscillating on the time and place but at some point, someone made the suggestion and everyone agreed.

Merk’s Bar & Bistro is owned by celebrity Richard Merk. For those not familiar with the ambiance, the clientele is a misture of yuppies and middle aged executives featuring some performers, including a retro band. When I arrived, a lady accompanied herself with a guitar singing “Mrs. Robinson”. The president of the association and a few other fellows were already there. I did not check the menu, but we had the usual fare of bistro habitués would be beer and some bar chow. We did not have the place for our own hence other guests, mostly yuppies were in attendance. We downed a few beers, rabbit chow, crispy pata, and some peanuts while waiting for other members to come. The date was October 27, 2006, a Friday night so just imagine the mood at Merk’s.

Noe and Venus prepared a program for the occasion but it’s obvious they did that with a different frame of mind from those who were charged with locating a venue. I felt insecure as I was supposed to do the closing remarks and the others were a bit ill at ease lest we look funny doing our induction, I’m a pessimist but I recall scripture: qui observat ventum non seminat et qui considerat nubes numquam metet. (He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap, Ecclesiastes:11:4) Yes, these younger guys in the board are of a different breeding.

Francis Patron talked to Richard Merk who allow obliged himself to do the introduction of our association to his guests. during the change in set. And it came to pass. After the lady folk singer finishes her set, Richard takes the microphone with the usual “hope you’re all enjoying th night….” introduces our president Randy Maranan to take

center stage. In due time, we were all lined up at the platform, among the band instruments and sound equipment, each of us was holding a paper where our “Oath of Office” was written; we could have been mistaken for christmas carolers.

Well, everything went well. Smooth as Richard Merk would. Kudos to Francis and Randy… if there’s something you want done, no matter what the circumstances, you gotta give it to these guys. The rest of the evening was fun.