The road to Binibining Pilipinas 2012: My favorite for the crown; Giselle Muñoz

Will she follow in the footsteps of Venus Raj and Shamcey Supsup and be the next Philippine representative to the Miss Universe pageant? Let's hope stars align in the next few weeks as Giselle go for the crown in her first and last attempt. Fingers crossed for you G. Let's workout soon.

Meeting Shamcey

Last 19 September, I was a guest on ABS-CBN's Kris TV. During that particular guesting (my second) I met Shamcey Supsup, Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up. The meeting was brief yet I was able simply congratulate her for her success and had a brief chat with her before going live. I'll admit that I'm somewhat of a bandwagon jumper to the Shamcey bandwagon. I only came to appreciate her after the Miss Universe prelims, why? Because I saw a different Shamcey on stage in Sao Paulo, than the one I saw during Binibining Pilipinas. There was a glow and presence which was very present in Brazil than what we saw a couple of months prior. During the said event she delivered the goods yet there was some concern if the judges are favoring her or not. Some contestants may have been more facially beautiful than her but Shamcey comes as the complete package. Humble, pretty, sophisticated, intelligent and very graceful.

Author and Miss Universe 2011 third runner-up Shamcey Supsup

During that guesting I was able to know her and what she is as a person. She's a real person by the basis of that brief encounter yet despite of all her achievement (architecture board exams topnotcher to name a few) her feet seems to be firmly planted on the ground and she is determined not let her recent success go into her head. During the encounter, I met a young lady who's determined to further her studies and at the same time would like to make the world a better place by being able to help transform a city through the means of proper urban planning and efficient building methods she acquired in college. Aside from that, she comes across as sweet, level headed and determined which are very good qualities to have. To be honest, I felt rather bad that Shamcey only finished fourth when in my opinion she should've been ranked between first to third only. One thing that me and friend predicted that its going to be a fight till the finish between her and eventual winner Angolan Leila Lopes. But then there are other plans for her. Perhaps, she'll one day follow the footsteps of architects like Zaha Hadid, Cesar Pelli, Frank Gehry, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava or even Daniel Libeskind who have made great names for themselves in the field of architectural design. Will she be entering showbiz like several titleholders have done? Right now, Shamcey is simply starting a new chapter of her life, one that promises to be rewarding, challenging, and fun.

Kudos to you Shamcey on your success and all the best on your future endeavors.

Just an added bonus: Author with Binibinibing Pilipinas International 2011 Dianne Necio and  Binibining Pilipinas Tourism 2011 Isabella Manjon. Good luck in Miss International Dianne. Bring home the crown. 

Miss Universe and friendship

Every year me and my friends gather together to watch pageants (local or international). We either go to the venue (local) or watch it on TV or livestream. Last year was rather memorable for me, my designer friends Veejay Floresca and Martin Bautista and our friend Aleck Africa. As we were watching the live telecast of the Miss Universe pageant from Las Vegas via Starworld, Veejay came up with the idea of taping how we'll react during the semi-final announcement. We placed the computer on top of the TV and then it went into sleep mode forgetting that the camera was recording. The result was a seven minute video which was very funny, spontaneous and memorable as it captured the emotion filled with nervousness, doubt, surprise and most of all jubilation when Venus Raj was the last contestant called to the semi-finals. Let's just say my sister's bedroom was full of energy after the semi-final announcement. We enjoyed every moment of last year's pageant from swimsuit, to evening gown and even the dreaded Q&A round. Though Venus did not win the crown, we were happy for her as it finally ended an eleven year drought at Miss Universe (last placement was 1999). We only realized that a video existed more than 2 hours after the live telecast and Veejay went to work editing the video which I then uploaded on my Youtube account. Let's just say the video went viral. From that point on we were invited on several TV shows, the video were featured on numerous shows here and abroad and eventually landed a product endorsement from KFC. In just 12 days, a new Miss Universe will be crowned in Sao Paulo, Brazil. No, we won't recording one this year, (Sorry to disappoint some), but we'll still have a get together which will be bigger this year.

Here's a fond farewell to Miss Universe 2010 Jimena Navarrete of Mexico

 Felicitaciones Jimena!