My schedule has been so busy because of a teleserye that I’m shooting so I completely missed watching Glennifer Perido and Eva Psychee Patalinjug win the top 2 titles in Mutya ng Pilipinas 2014. Congrats to them both! But rest assured that the blogging beauty queen KNOWS whats going on!

Meantime, I got to see the Bb. Pilipinas 2014 winners yesterday (August 11, 2014) and I must say that they are all looking fabulous are ready for their respective international tilts! Here’s what went on…

Bb. Pilipinas 2014 Circle of Crown Winners – Yveth Marie Santiago, Kris Tiffany Janson, MJ Lastimosa, Bianca Guidotti, Parul Shah

Finally, a break from work to check out the ribbon cutting ceremony of Manila Water’s new Toka Toka campaign with the winners of Bb. Pilipinas 2014 as guests of honor! It was held at the activity center of Gateway Mall in Cubao.

The beauties in attendance were: Bb Pilipinas Tourism 2014 Parul Shah, Bb Pilipinas Supranational 2014 Yvethe Marie Santiago, Bb Pilipinas Intercontinental 2014 Kris Tiffany Janson, Bb Pilipinas International 2014 Bianca Guidotti and Miss Philippines Universe 2014 MJ Lastimosa.

Bb. Pilipinas 2014 1st Runner up Laura Lehman is such a funny girl!

Bb Pilipinas 2014 1st Runner-up Laura Lehman did the hosting duties. The girl has a natural funny-ness about her which makes her a good choice to wield the microphone. Laura had me and my seatmate, beauty-queen-turned-journalist, Patricia Fernandez in giggles!

My seatmates – Pageant journalist Jay Patao, beauty queen Patricia Fernandez and moi

The beauty that I did miss was Bb Pilipinas 2nd Runner-up Hannah Ruth Sison who was absent from today’s event.

So, what’s this Toka Toka thing?

Well, in a nutshell, its an environmental project by Manila Water which aims to clean and revitalize used water from households and return it, good as new, to the rivers. The goal is to turn soapy, scummy, sludgy water into water that is good enough for fish and other river creatures (like mermaids and manatees) to live and thrive in it!!! Target rivers are the Marikina, Pasig and San Juan Rivers.

Beauties having fun at the Toka Toka ribbon cutting ceremony. L-R Bianca Guidotti, MJ Lastimosa and Yvethe Santiago!

Since I’m from Marikina, the Toka Toka campaign is important to me. I occasionally take my dogs for a walk on the riverbanks of the Marikina River and am all too familiar with its murky, dark waters… Eeeeewwww. To see my hometown’s river back to its original beauty would be a dream come true!

Now going back to the campaign: the Toka Toka part comes in when you and I, the water consumers, share in the effort. Ano ang Toka natin? What is our contribution to the campaign? According to Regina Unson, Advocacy Manager of Manila Water, there are four basic ‘Tokas’ or contributions we can make. Even doing just one or two of the following is a big help:
1) Segregate your waste.
2) Have your Poso Negro (Septic Tanks) cleaned out every 5 years.
3) Connect your home to Manila Water’s sewer network.
4) Spread the word!

Bb. Pilipinas 2014 beauties dance with Kuya Pat, Manila Water’s mascot (he’s behind the girls on the stage)!

The technology involved in cleaning used water from households is very expensive but with Manila Water’s water trwatment facility and customers making ‘toka-toka’, we may yet see clean rivers in the city once again.

Manila Water is the concessionaire that services the eastern side of Metro Manila. To find out more about how you can be part of the Toka Toka campaign, follow Manila Water on Facebook and Twitter!

If you often drop by the Gateway Mall you can also visit the Toka Toka educational gallery which can be viewed from August 11-17, 2014 at the mall’s activity center.

And now… it’s time to cut the ribbon!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

L-R – Rose Fajardo (1st Runner-up), Kim Karlsson (Miss Grand Philippines 2014 winner) and Erna Gomez (2nd Runner-up)

Congratulations to Kim Karlsson for winning the first ever locally-staged beauty pageant of the Miss Grand Philippines franchise! The Swedish-Pinay beauty won by a hairline over 1st Runner-up Rose Fajardo who was the crowd favorite while Best in Long Gown winner Erna Gomez took the 2nd Runner-up slot.

John dela Vega on the far right…. next to him is Ali Forbes then Erna Gomez, winner Kim Karlsson, Rose Fajardo and the reigning Miss Grand Int’l Janelee Chaparro

But the biggest victory goes to John dela Vega for staging his first-ever national-level beauty pageant; a dream come true for the young beauty-queen-maker. Although the production and staging of Miss Grand Philippines 2014 had a few glitches and could have been more polished, it’s definitely something to be proud of! The grand event was held in the theater of the Toyota Cultural Center in the UP Diliman area.

The Miss Grand Philippines winner, Kim Karlsson, will now spend the next month getting ready to compete in the Miss Grand International 2014 pageant which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. She departs for the Asian nation on September 15, 2014.

L-R – Miss Grand Int’l pageant director Mr. Nawat Itsaragrasi, Miss Grand Int’l 2013 Janelee Chaparro, Miss Grand Phils 2014 Kim Karlsson and Miss Grand Int’l 2013 3rd RU Ali Forbes

One of the most exciting things about the first-ever staging of Miss Grand Philippines was the presence of the creator of the Miss Grand International franchise, Mr. Nawat Itsaragrasi of Thailand and the current winner, Janelee Chaparro who is from Puerto Rico. It is interesting to note that both of them abstained from judging and left the decision to the panel of judges which included yours truly.

It was a difficult pageant for the panel to judge since Miss Grand International is only on it’s second year so there is no solid ‘peg’ to base our decisions on. But I am pleased with the outcome and believe that Kim Karlsson will represent the Philippines well. She’s got a lovely personality and an alluring type of beauty. For me, her shining moment was during the Long Gown Competition…

Kim Karlsson in the long gown competition wearing a stunning ruby-red gown that brought out her seductive side…

Apart from winning the main title, Kim Karlsson also won three special awards: Best in National Costume, Miss White Beauty and Miss Emar Suites (not sure if I got that name right).

I will try to upload more photos in the coming days (if I can squeeze out some time) but in the meantime here is the complete list of winners and special awardees announced on coronation night… Congratulations to them all!

Top 10:

#9 Kim Karlsson

#11 Jean Feliciano

#17Jessica Oribe

#15 Erna Gomez

#1 Ivy Enriquez

#5 Cynthia Caldona

#8 Desiree Betito

#7 Rose Fajardo

#3 Ana Reniva

#13 Apple Ann Bartolome

Special Awards:

Best in Long Gown #15 Erna Gomez

Miss Friendship #3 Ana Reniva

Best in National Costume #9 Kim Karlsson

Miss Photogenic #1 Ivy Enriquez

Best in Swimwear #11 Jean Feliciano

Miss IAAS (International Academy for Aesthetic Sciences) #16 Dana Rockwell

Face of IAAS #13 Apple Ann Bartolome

“I Am Confidence” Award from Tupperware #13 Apple Ann Bartolome

Miss Reborn Apparel #3 Ana Reniva

Miss Informatics #7 Rose Fajardo

Miss To Go Travel #7 Rose Fajardo

Face of “Color Collection” #16 Dana Rockwell

Miss White Beauty #9 Kim Karlsson

Sash Factor People’s Choice #18 Princess Gonzales

Miss Elogy (not sure if this is the right spelling) #15 Erna Gomez

Miss Emar Suites (also not sure if I got this right) #9 Kim Karlsson

Miss Regroe #16 Dana Rockwell

Miss Gluta White #1 Ivy Enriquez

Miss Noche Dental Smile #15 Erna Gomez

Miss Capsinesis #7 Rose Fajardo

Flying kisses from Miss Grand Philippines 2014 Kim Karlsson (middle), 1st Runner-up Rose Fajardo (left) and 2nd Runner-up Erna Gomez (right)

Finally, what I’ve been waiting for… the screening details of Miss World Philippines 2014! Received this text from MWP National Director Cory Quirino:

Hello friends of Miss World Philippines. We are pleased to announce our screening schedule:

General Screening Sept 9, tuesday , 9am-4pm

Final Screening Sept 10, wed, 9am- 4pm.

Please bring your respective candidates with: – wardrobe requirements: casual wear, swimwear, long gown, high heels and casual footwear.

Photos : one full body color photo, one close up color photo- minimal make-up.

Call us at 533 7470 or Agnes/Karen at 09189301278. Venue to be advised the soonest. Would appreciate receiving your confirmation. Thank you for your valuable support.

Loving my new Hurom Slow Juicer!

Finally! I got my new Hurom Slow Juicer!!!! I am a big fan of this juicer because its Slow Squeeze Technology (SST) gives juice that is far healthier than those made with traditional juicers. To find out why slow juicing is healthier, click HERE!

Hurom Philippines is asking me to go on a 6 month “Hurom” journey and I aim to take all of you along with me! So here goes my first entry – a simple PONKAN JUICE!

INGREDIENTS:

Ponkans. (Four big ones yield one glass.)

Remove the peel off of your Ponkans and make sure to seed each wedge well

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel The Ponkans and separate the wedges. Make sure to seed each Ponkan wedge carefully.

2. Close the lever of your Hurom and put in a couple wedges into the chute then press the start button. Continue putting the wedges into the chute.

3. When extraction is almost finished, place the lever in the half-opened position to release the compressed pulp.

NOTE*** The great thing about this particular Hurom model (from the HH series, Type L) is that it comes with two strainers – a coarse one and a fine one. The coarse strainer is used if you want a pulpy, thick juice while the fine strainer gives you a clean, pulp-free experience.

Since I prefer pulpy juices, I made mine with the coarse strainer and my hubby Ron, who loves it pulp-free made his with the fine one.

If you’d like to get your own Hurom Slow Juicer, email me at jaedeelight@yahoo.com

FINE ON THE LEFT, PULPY ON THE RIGHT. On the top left is the fine strainer. It yields a clear juice like the one below it on the left. The on on the right is the coarse strainer which offers a pulpy juice like the one below it!

This Hurom model has a little hatch on the juice outlet (look at the top right pic) so you can release the liquid after juicing is done.

Voila! Ponkan Juice!!!

If you’d like to purchase your own Hurom Slow Juicer

Dear ABQ Readers and Friends:

Golly! My blog has been as dry as the Sahara ever since I started working on a new teleserye for GMA7 called “Ang Lihim ni Annasandra”. I had thought that I would be able to juggle shooting days with writing about beauty pageants but it seems like I’m not Wonder Woman. Even if I look like her, aahaha!

Andrea Torres stars as Annasandra in the GMA7 teleserye Ang Lihim ni Annasandra

While I do miss being in the heart of pageant life in the Philippines, I need to focus on this new direction in my career because it is a time-consuming job! I spend hours waiting on the set for my scenes to be shot and then I need lots of beauty sleep to recover from our 24-hour shooting days!

This is what we do in between scenes! We horse around !!! With me is Andrea Torres who plays Annasandra and behind me is Mikael Daez, her leading man who’s character happens to be my character’s son… got that?

But this is not a complaint. On the contrary, I am thankful for my new job! I actually used to joke about it and say that I would become a famous soap opera actress in my golden years because I’d somehow ‘preserve’ myself and still be gorgeous at mid-life.

Well, in case you’re wondering, my ‘preservation’ methods don’t involve the invasion of needles, lasers or knife. As I always tell people who ask me how I maintain myself, I say: 1) getting enough beauty sleep 2) exercising moderately 3) eating a healthy diet 4) nurturing my relationships and 5) having the faith of a child.

With my Ang Lihim ni Annasandra co-actors L-R Glydel Mercado, Maribel Lopez and Cris Villongco.

I have actually been working hard at honing my dramatic skills for the past four years by acting in plays, student films and indie films. But I’d have to say that my 17 years as a professional voice talent is my main foundation as an actress. The skills I have learned in the recording booth are the ones I rely upon when the director says ‘action’. Believe it or not, I still get stage-fright and oftentimes feel that the loudest thing in the studio is my pounding heart. But knowing that I have full control of my beautiful voice calms me down and helps me get through my scenes.

With this new direction in my life, I’ll have to put the pageant blogging on hold but I won’t be silent. I’ll do my best to write about the interesting people and things that I come across. And I won’t be totally  ‘out of commission'; I am still part of the reality show: Pinoy Beauty Queen Academy which starts shooting this September or October 2014.

Watch out for Pinoy Beauty Queen Academy with Evangeline Pascual, Maribel Lopez, Lara Quigaman and moi!

Meantime, keep an eye out for my first-ever contrabida role in “Ang Lihim ni Annasandra” which is set to air starting October 13, 2014. I promise you that my character is a major, major b*tch so it will be a LOT OF FUN!! It will also involve a lot of serious acting since most of you know that in real life, I’m the farthest thing from a contrabida :)

Love…

…and World Peace,

Joyce

… because we all need contrabidas in our lives…

With my taping for “Ang Lihim ni Annasandra” postponed, I found time to help with the screening of Miss World Philippines 2014 hopefuls! It is indeed a joy for me to sit and watch as one beauty after another passes before me. Thank you to Cory Quirino for always inviting this blogger to such a treat for the senses!

So, how did Miss World Philippines fare on Day 1 of the screening?

Well, we had a lovely set of ‘scrutinizers’ on the panel of judges and here we are:

The panel of screening judges with Miss World Philippines country manager Cory Quirino in the middle.

Note the halo of light shining down upon Cory Quirino. Hmmmm… could this be a sign that she will find the girl who is worthy enough to fill the shoes of Miss World 2013 Megan Young and give the Philippines a back-to-back win in Miss World? Just thinking of it gives me the goosebumps all over!

Zahra Bianca Saldua, Miss World Philippines 2014 2nd Princess, was the esteemed host of the event!

Every beauty pageant franchise in the Philippines has its best beauty-queen-slash-hosts and for the Miss World Philippines family, I’d have to say that Zahra Bianca Saldua is the top banana! I looooove her hosting style because she has the energy of a monster truck but the elegance of a crowned princess. And then wait til you hear her rap and sing, which is exactly what she did at the screening…  Zahra (a.k.a. “Z”) is SNAZZZZY!

Now lets take a quick look at the 22 applicants who attended the screening at Raven Club Boutique in the Fort BGC. They were supposed to be 23 of them but one girl forgot her swimsuit and decided to just return on the 2nd day of screening tomorrow.

Left to Right – #5 Angelica Balmonte, #4 Moriel Olea, #3 Eliza Johanna Cruz, #2 Theresa Regli and #1 Laye Ann Grace Lapid

Left to Right – #6 Valerie Weigmann, #7 Keiko Vitug, #8 Zsarina Casandra Girado, #9 Kimberly Pajares and #10 Liezl Anne Naing

Left to Right – #15 Ranielah Marie Oval, #14 Lorraine Kendrickson, #13 Gazini Christiana Ganados, #12 Grace Ann Bautista and #11 Frances Ruth Constantino

Left to Right – #21 Priscilla Kimberley dela Cruz, #18 Jean Marie Feliciano, #19 Nicole Donesa #17 Rachel Louise Peters and #16 Nilda Ibe

Last but not the least – #23 Anne Christine Carpio (left) and #22 Rachelle Emmylou Carandang (right)

The last two girls in the line-up were late but the wonderful thing about Cory is that she doesn’t turn down the late-comers. But of course, I don’t recommend using lateness as a tactic because it’s just not what a true beauty queen would do. If you think you deserve a shot at the crown, then be gracious through and through.

So, what do you think of the 22 above? Do you see any possible winners from this batch? Remember, not all will be called back to tomorrow’s final screening. I can see some heartaches already, *sniff*sniff*. 

Anywhoo… the target number of official candidates is 25 and if all goes well, we’ll find out who those 25 girls will be tomorrow evening…

There I am asking a question!

One of the toughest things about being a screening judge is that you have to think of questions to ask. I have come to realize that the best questions are the ones that get the applicant/contestant talking. IMHO, it’s very selfish to ask tough questions just to show off your intelligence or put a contestant down. But I do come across many judges who like to wave their IQ in the air by asking long-winded, difficult questions. Then there are those who do it on the pretense of ‘testing the girls’ intelligence’ when you can see that they just enjoy torturing contestants. Ugh, such judges should try putting on a swimsuit and walking on stilettos on stage and answering their own questions. They’d most likely flail, fail or fall, LOL!

Oh, but none of the MWP judges at this screening panel were like that. Each one was gracious and kind!!!

Cory Quirino (in blue in the middle) poses with all 22 girls who attended Day 1 of the screening for Miss World Philippines 2014…

SURPRISE! Ross Misa showed up at the tail-end of the screening (see below) looking like a mermaid with legs! She is one of my favorite beauties and the 1st Princess in Miss World Philippines 2012. She is busy during the day with her family business which Media Production and then in the evenings, two or three time a week, she takes care of the PR at Raven Club, this year’s screening venue for MWP. Seeing Ross so bubbly and beautiful was a great way to end my day at the screening. Ciao!

Left to Right – Ross Misa (Miss World Philippines 2012, 1st Princess), Zahra Bianca Saldua (Miss World Philippines 2013, 2nd Princess) and yours truly.

ABQ will be adding better photos later but here are a couple shots I took ith my phone…..

Look at the photo below and tell me this: Could the next Miss World Philippines be one of the girls standing behind the silvery red crown?

Hmmmmm….

A cup of Sweet Potato Latte…

This delightful recipe is an alternative way to enjoy kamote (sweet potato) and coffee. It is actually an adaptation of a recipe I found in the Hurom Slow Juicer recipe book but I added a dash of instant coffee and some Stevia (sweetener) to give it a true Latte taste. The original recipe doesn’t include any coffee or sweetener at all so it’s your choice if you want to do that or not.

Boiled Sweet Potato or Kamote

INGREDIENTS FOR ONE CUP:

Sweet Potato (Kamote) 100 grams

Milk 200 ml

Instant Coffee, unsweetened, 1 tsp. (optional)

Stevia or your choice of sweetener (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1) Boil the Sweet Potato (Kamote) first. Slice into wedges. No need to peel it.

2) Heat the Milk but don’t boil it. When it’s warm, add the Instant Coffee and the sweetener. Stir until the coffee is completely dissolved in the milk. NOTE – Step 2 is optional. You can skip it and proceed to Step 3.

3) Close the cap and lever of your Hurom and fill the chamber with the Milk.

(In my case, I used the coarse strainer because I wanted this particular drink to be thicker in consistency.

3) Put Sweet Potato (Kamote) wedges into the chute one by one. When extraction is almost finished, place the lever in the half-open position to release the pulp of the Sweet Potato. Keep the Hurom on until Sweet Potato and Milk are well blended.

4) Pour into a cup and reheat if you wish.

I used a sachet of Via, the instant coffee made by Starbucks and dissolved it into the warmed milk.

Instead of sugar, I use Stevia as a sweetener. Stevia is natural and has been used in South America for hundreds of years. I prefer the Sweet Leaf brand because it has no added ingredients. When buying Stevia please read the ingredients to make sure you are buying pure Stevia.

Making two cups of Sweet Potato (Kamote) Latte… one for me and one for the hubby who took all these great photos!

Comments: It was a very interesting drink, Worth trying out. Not something that I would have everyday but maybe on a cold, rainy morning as a treat. My hubby found it gritty and so next time I will use the fine strainer for him. But overall, a good recipe. 3.5 Tiaras out of 5.

Team Red is (L-R) Diana, Leslie, Keena, me, Jane and Pia

I finally got to spend some time with the Red Team – the 5 pageant-hopefuls that I’m mentoring in Pinay Beauty Queen Academy. The photo above was our very first meeting as a group, during the reality show’s press launching at Fishermall a couple weeks back.

It so happens that I’ve worked with Pia Pialago in the past. We worked together at RPN Newswatch. She continues to work as a reporter for PTV 4. But she’s put that career on ice for Pinay Beauty Queen Academy. Pia’s best asset is her sensual beauty specially when photographed.

Then Dianna Qeblawi – altho we never formally met until the press launch, I had already seen her compete in a tourism pageant which I also judged. Diana is a gorgeous Mideast-Pinay model and one of the prettiest girls in the entire batch.

Leslie Ramos is one of the shyest girls in Team Red but she’s fabulous when she crawls out of shell! For me, her gorgeous milky skin and expressive eyes are her best features.

The one with the best catwalk in my team would have to be Keena Togher. Keena works as a model and has some experience in pageant competition. I love the sexy way she negotiates the stage… like a mermaid on legs!

Now if I could award the Best in Swimsuit this early, I’d give it to Jane Sotomayor for her 22-inch waistline and loooong sinuous legs! She is also great on the catwalk and her Pinay beauty suits the academy well.

PINAY BEAUTY QUEEN ACADEMY starts airing this Saturday, October 4, 2014 on GMA News TV Channel 11. It will run every Saturday night at 9:45 until December 2014. See more photos of Team Red as well as the other lovely pageant students of the academy on their Facebook, just click HERE.

Team Red in their PINK swimsuits – L-R Diana Qeblawi, Keena Togher, Leslie Ramos, Jane Sotomayor and Pia Pialago

Beautiful Team Red, rich as rubies, fiery as Mars… we’re the team to BEAT!

“For me, you’re just a vacuum cleaner. At wala akong pakialam kung i-vacuum mo ang lahat ng cuticles sa kwartong ‘to… Huwag lang anak ko ang higupin mo!” – Hazel Benitez to Annasandra…

Well, well, well… it seems like my evil plot to rule the world has come one step closer to it’s fruition today, October 6, 2014, with the debut of Ang Lihim ni Annasandra on GMA7 Afternoon Prime (after Dading!). Although technically, next Monday pa ako lalabas as ‘Hazel Benitez’, ang matapobreng ina ni William Benitez (played by Mikael Daez).

LOL! Don’t you just love that word, ‘matapobre’? Mwahaahaha!

So, now that God has answered my prayer to become an evil entity (thank you Lord ha?) I can finally unleash my dark self and tell you all about my dreams of stepping on kittens and perhaps having them for breakfast as well! Four years ko itong pinagdasal at pinaghirapan at ngayon binigyan ako ng break ng GMA7! So now, it’s my turn to break the will of anyone who CROSSES MY PATH! Mwaahaaha!

To be honest, saying nasty things straight into the face of someone who annoys the heck out me is liberating. Here is one of my favorite examples:

“For me, you’re just a vacuum cleaner. At wala akong pakialam kung i-vacuum mo ang lahat ng cuticles sa kwartong ‘to… Huwag lang anak ko ang higupin mo!”

I actually yelled that beautifully crafted sentence into the poor tear-stained face of Annasandra (played by Andrea Torres). How yummmy naman…

Then, I get to slap people around! I mean, how many of you get to do that AND get a talent fee for it? Well, my first victim was my own son. They say charity starts at home diba? LOL! So I got to slap the pretty face of William after he humiliated me by announcing to the world that that… well… okay… I won’t tell you nalang. Although I’m a Kontrabida with a capital K and would love nothing more than to spoil the story for you, baka magalit ang mga bossing ko sa GMA7. I still need to pick up my next TF so dapat bait-baitan muna diba?

But I PROMISE YOU that their authority over me won’t last long. I’ve got a plan to rule the world diba? And that includes THEM!!!

Mwwaahahahaahaha!

by Hazel Benitez.

Out of all the big internet media news groups, PEP.ph had the best headline photo of the newly crowned Valerie Weigmann, Miss World Philippines 2014… thank you PEP.ph for this!

Photo from PEP.ph

Such awesome news that Fil-German beauty Valerie Weigmann is our new Miss World Philippines 2014 winner! To be honest, I would have been shocked if the TV celebrity and fashion model hadn’t won. Even during the screening for this year’s Miss World Philippines, I could see it in her stars that bearing the red and silver crown was her destiny!

I took this photo of the Miss World Philippines crown during the screening not noticing that Valerie, the future crown-bearer, was in the background. She’s 2nd from the left.

Valerie Weigmann is on the left in a white gown. This was taken during the screening of applicants for Miss World Philippines 2014…

But what truly surprised me was Valerie Weigmann’s sweep of 12 special awards! Not because she didn’t deserve them, but simply because in all my 5 or 6 years of covering beauty pageants, I haven’t seen any beauty do so well! Besides, most people expect these special awards to be distributed among the girls as much as possible diba?. But not last night! No sir-ree! Valerie took her enchanted broom and sweept them all…

Miss World Philippines 2014-Valerie Weigmann (middle), 3rd Princess Nicole Kim Donesa (left), 2nd Princess Nelda Ibe (2nd to the left), 1st Princess Lorraine Kendrickson (2nd to the right) and 4th Princess Rachel Louise Peters (right). Photo by Teddy Pelaez

Photo above from TV5

Also not a surprise were my other two favorites – Lorraine Kendrickson and Rachel Peters – making it into the Top 5. See Rappler’s complete list of winners here. Although I do feel that Rachel Peters should have gotten the Best in Swimsuit award. Instead it went to Valerie who was my 2nd choice for that particular award. Nevertheless, both have centerfold-worthy bodies that will make your eyes pop out of their sockets so okay na ako sa choice ng judges.

This is the best crowning moment photo I’ve seen so far, of Valerie Weigmann, and it’s from my best friends at Sash Factor! That’s Megan Young passing on the crown to Val who so deserves it!

Photo above from Sash Factor’s Facebook. Please click and like them NOW!

I truly think that Valerie Weigmann was miles ahead of her competitors, many pageant otakus would agree to that. She was ahead not just in terms of beauty and physique but even in training for the pageant. She has been at it for months! Another key factor to her victory is her advocacy – Musikaramay – a group that builds lives through street music. The Miss World brand takes charity work very seriously and chooses winners that fit its ‘beauty with a purpose’ theme. It is not enough to send a stunner to the international competition; we need to send someone with a big heart for those in need.

And if I am to judge by her answer to the final pageant question, why should she win, Valerie aced it -

“I try to live my life in relation to others, by putting myself into other people’s shoes. I believe in the importance of empathy and compassion because I see if all of us can come together and work as one we can all be advocates of change. And I want to inspire and encourage everyone to take up a personal advocacy such as my own…because I believe it is truly in giving that makes us beautiful.”

And now lets all say, AMEN TO THAT!

Andrea Torres stars as Annasandra in “Ang Lihim ni Annasandra”

When I chanced upon Tito Nester Torre’s article yesterday on the PDI criticizing telenovela scriptwriters, my inner ‘Awok‘ awakened. I was ready to grow tusks, morph into my Razorback-self and eat the nearest human being! But I told myself, chill girl, this is your idol talking and he’s got lots of wisdom to share.

In his article Tito Nestor writes:

Television drama series have to continually keep viewers intrigued about their upcoming twists and turns, but their current penchant for doing so by way of “secrets” to eventually reveal is turning out to be dismayingly unproductive. Can’t drama series’ writers think up something else—and better—to keep viewers viewing?

For instance, on “Ang Lihim ni Annasandra,” the very first telecast revealed what the female protagonist’s big, hush-hush secret was—at dusk, the lovely lady (Andrea Torres) would be transformed into—a wild pig! (The show is based on the Visayan legend of the aswang called Awok.- joyce)

With the big shocker already out of the bag, what else does the new show have to glue viewers to their TV sets? Many other things happen on the show, but they’re mainly of the predictable sort, so an infusion of real creativity and exciting complication is urgently needed.

Young Annasandra’s first time to morph into an Awok. Kudos to the child actress who was a true picture of pain as she turned into a wild boar.

As a critical viewer, I so understand where Tito Nestor is coming from but I would like to respectfully share my viewpoint as a cast member of Ang Lihim ni Annasandra:

1) Annasandra is only starting its third week today (Oct. 20, 2014) and the story has barely unfolded. I feel its not fair to judge a book on its first few pages. If anything, I wish the program was longer because masyadong ‘bitin’ ang 30 minutes.

2) I have read all the scripts up to week 6 and was honestly shocked at the developments and can’t wait to read week 7. I am glued to the story. So are my language coach Ditas Pangilinan and my dear P.A. Jen who helps me memorize my lines. The story is far from dismayingly unproductive!

3) Caped heroes Superman and Batman share their secrets with us from the get-go. Are they ‘old hat’? I don’t think so! Have their stories become dull? Certainly not! The huge buzz around the upcoming film “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” proves it. And to this day we still panic at the thought of people in Gotham and Metropolis finding out who Batman and Superman really are.

As for the scriptwriters of Annasandra, all I can say is thank you po for making my job as an actress easier! This is my first time to do a teleserye and my first time to be an all-out evil Kontrabida. Plus, I struggle with Pilipino. But because your lines are well-written, your words roll off my mouth and I become the devil herself!

My character Hazel Benitez is a sosy-ex-beauty-queen-Mom-zilla with an axe to grind against anyone who isn’t as sosy as she is. My request to GMA writers – Can Hazel become an Awok too, pretty please? aahaha!

Going back to Tito Nestor’s article, he ends it with this:

Perhaps the better ploy would have been the tack that a few other TV-film productions have favored—namely, a secret that’s kept even from the viewing public, so everyone is productively mystified before the big mystery is solved!

This is the tack that the current film, “Gone Girl,” has chosen to take, and the fact that it’s the top hit of the month attests to the astuteness of its decision.—Keep everybody in the dark, why don’t you?

But for me, to ask ‘Ang Lihim ni Annasandra’ writers to hide the fact that Annasandra becomes an Awok at night is like asking Marvel DC Comics to keep Superman’s true identity as Clark Kent under wraps. It’s just inconceivable. The way I look at it, stories that reveal secrets at the end are different creatures from stories that reveal the big secret at the start. And IMHO, they are both great ways to tell stories.

Annasandra (Andrea Torres) turning into an Awok. She voluntarily locks herself up in a dog cage before sunset so her Awok self will not hurt anyone.

With that said, I still think Tito Nestor has valid criticism. To be plain and simple, our scriptwriters and storytellers need to push the envelope because there’s truth to the sentiment that all Pinoy teleseryes are just the same. Indeedy-doody!

But hopefully, tough love from top critics like Nestor Torre will spawn future teledramas that won’t be the usual run-of-the-mill… second-rate, trying hard, copy cat shows! And with the caliber of writers we have, I’m sure they can unleash their inner-Awoks and knock our socks off…

When I saw an article calling Bianca Guidotti’s non-placement in the Miss International 2014 beauty pageant a ‘stunning’ loss, I shook my head and thought,  what a mean title…  Why use the word stunning? And gosh naman, its like stabbing yourself with a kitchen knife when you kick a kababayan who is down. 
Oh well,  that’s the press for you.  They join you when you win then ditch you when you lose. But that’s not really a complaint from me ; its an acceptance of what just is.

But then it dawned upon me that the Philippines has truly become a pageant powerhouse that our non-inclusion would be called a ‘stunning’ loss. That thought somewhat cheered me up.

Now, Bianca’s much-pilloried gown has become the explanation for her ‘stunning’ loss even if Miss International has always been less about the wardrobe and more about the woman who wears it. This is not Miss Universe.

Then Bianca’s handler, Jonas Gaffud, bless his heart, has taken the blame for her loss. But I am not buying it.  It’s not his fault.  It really isn’t anybody’s fault. Not Bianca’s fault either. And though her gown was indeed unremarkable, I don’t think that piece of cloth blinded the judges. At least not in this case.

Pageants should not be about fault-finding (although I am sometimes guilty of this). Pageants should be about celebrating as a nation when we win and crying together when we ‘lose’. Pageants should be about beauty inside and out. Pageants should inspire us!

The true loss to me are when fingers start pointing and when we can’t graciously accept results.  It’s okay to feel bad and cry and maybe even mourn; and mourn is what I did when Bianca wasn’t called to the Top 10. But to play the blame game? Now THAT is the true stunning loss…

Bb. Pilipinas 2015 hosts Xian Lim and Toni Gonzaga in a gorgeous Cinderella blue Michael Cinco gown

I am beginning to get complaints about Toni Gonzaga’s hosting at the Bb. Pilipinas 2015 beauty pageant last night. Personally, I am a bit clueless because when I watch pageants, I focus so much on observing the contestants, taking photos and blogging on the fly that I don’t really notice the hosts so much.

But one good friend of mine, a writer for a newspaper, had some VERY strong words about her hosting. Since his article is still coming out next week, I won’t preempt it and give his exact words. But to summarize, he said that Toni Gonzaga had this ‘I’m better than you’ attitude and spoke ‘down’ on the girls. He adds that this is a reflection her insecurity and that she should never host another pageant until she matures.

Yes, as I said, they are strong words.

I asked the hubby about it since he was my photographer at the pageant. In his very diplomatic way he gently agreed but said that in fairness, Toni Gonzaga was hilariously entertaining during the break when the judges went into the deliberation room to argue out who the final winners should be.

I must say that that is true. She kept the crowd occupied during the long 30 to 40 minute break.

So, dear readers. What do you think? Was Toni Gonzaga astounding or annoying?

When Hannah Sison was called forward during the Q&A, Toni cracked a joke about Hannah’s earrings having their own theme song – Chandelier. Then she sang a few notes from the song… apparently not everyone found it funny.

Meantime, here’s what Direk Joey Reyes has to say about it:

The role of the host is to make the girls feel comfortable in the most difficult and nerve-shattering portion of contest. Unfortunately, Ms. Gonzaga unwittingly foisted the most unprofessional thing one could fathom. Her attitude was condescending, her stance was belittling — and she humiliated the contestants, turning the segment into a Comedy Bar routine — which befits her look at that moment as a badly dolled up transsexual.

And then here’s another scathing reaction from Bb Pilipinas Universe winner Nina Ricci Adagio:

Dear Readers:

I discovered this morning, March 17, 2015, that a particular article I wrote on Christi McGarry was quoted by Pep heavily in one of their articles. They did not ask for my permission. While I do not normally mind the press quoting me, I do mind it IF I AM HEAVILY QUOTED WITHOUT PERMISSION.

I will state it here clearly – this blog and this author is 100% in support of Christi McGarry and 100% in support of Bb. Pilipinas. I am praying for a win-win solution regarding the confusion over her Intercontinental crown.

To Pep – relationships are key if you want to be a good and respected journalist. And unfortunately you have taken the first step in destroying your relationship with me. Please do not quote me or my blog again unless I give you permission.

Joyce Ann Burton Titular

Toni Gonzaga (right) during the Q&A with contestant Hannah Sison

Okay, okay, I think this is going a little too far. Everybody is jumping on Toni Gonzaga and her fans are fighting back. This is not a healthy situation so I have to speak up.

But first, an apology. When Toni was up there doing the Q&A with a very quiet Xian Lim, I was laughing in the midst of my taking notes for my blog. My seatmates were laughing too and so was the entire Araneta Coliseum.

But now that I have hindsight and now that I have reviewed the videos, I realize that just because an entire Coliseum found it funny, it doesn’t make it right.

Now I feel awful about laughing because it was at the expense of the contestants and I want to tell each one of them that I am sorry.

Just today I passed by a cubicle at an office I was visiting and I heard people laughing about Hannah Sison and her Chandelier earrings because of Toni’s joke. They remember her not for being a beauty queen but for the joke about her earrings. I felt so bad.

It just shows that the things we do and say may seem innocent at the moment but can have hurtful repercussions in the long run. I would never want to be the public butt of someone’s seemingly innocent joke.

Going back to Toni, I think we need to pull back and dial down our criticism of her. Its becoming too personal na rin kasi. She deserves the same respect that our beauty contestants deserve even if some of us feel Toni went a little too far.

Of course it would be good to hear from her as well. Maybe if she could tell us why she took that direction in her hosting style, it would help.

I am also glad that most of the commenters on my blog have tempered their criticism and that the pros and antis aren’t fighting each other. At least dito sa blog ko. I know my world revolves around pageants but I will be the first to say na pageant lang ‘to, let’s not lose our inner beauty queens (and handsome kings) and be gracious to each other and even to those we feel are in the wrong.

There is much to learn from this issue but mud-slinging won’t help. Hinay-hinay lang mga friends!

Photo from this article in Bandera, Inquirer.

With Toni Gonzaga’s apology and clarification reported in the news today, I think it’s a good time to lay this topic to rest.

She is right – there is no point in going back to it over and over again

Unfortunately, humans have the illogical tendency to keep picking at a wound even if it hurts. But fortunately people can also forgive and move on. A path that I will gladly take.

Speaking of which, Toni ended her interview true to herself with a quip suggesting that we all move on for the sake of world peace. A fine idea if you ask me…

Woke up to good news from my favorite pageant blogger Norman at Normannorman.com regarding the confusion over Christi McGarry’s Intercontinental crown!

To refresh your memory, Christi was crowned Bb Pilipinas Intercontinental 2015 last Sunday (March 15) but pageant fans thought she was ineligible for that particular crown because she had already competed in that international pageant in 2010. She even placed in the Top 15 and scored the special award of Queen of Asia and Oceania.

We all naturally thought that she wouldn’t be allowed to compete again in the said international tilt. But after reading Norman’s update,  we now know that she can represent the Philippines again!

I am pleased with this outcome!  At first it seemed like a swap of titles with Supranational winner Rogelie Catacutan was the solution. But after I thought about it,  I realized that that it wouldn’t be fair to Rogelie, her team and her supporters. Unless of course she welcomed it.

Proposals for one of the runners up to compete at Intercontinental in Christi’s place also seemed unfair to me. Then, I starting thinking that perhaps the organizers of Miss Intercontinental had no rules against repeaters. And it seems like that is indeed the case after reading Norman’s blog.

I am relieved indeed! Yahooooo!

Now I’m wondering – will our Christi Mcgarry hold the record of being the only beauty to compete twice in Miss Intercontinental?  Any of you human pageant encyclopedias know?

And wouldn’t it just be fabulous if she beats her own record at Miss Intercontinental by winning the title this time around?  Gosh, I am now soooo excited for the outcome of this pageant!!!

Dressing up for Bb. Pilipinas’ coronation night is always a major production for me! And to me, that means hard work, tiis ganda and a whole lot of FUN!

The very first thing was to find a designer – Marlo Javier was my pick and he had this gorgeous Fuschia gown for me. It had a small train, elegant beadwork and pleats. Scroll down to see it. I am not sure what the tela is called but Marlo says he can no longer find the cloth which is stretchy, satiny and somewhat shiny.

Champagne-colored earrings… by Christopher Munar. The cute cap I’m wearing that says ‘high maintenance’ is courtesy of my friend Sal…

My next step was to find earrings that would complement my gown. I remembered this earring designer – Christopher Munar – whom I met during my stint as mentor in Pinay Beauty Queen Academy. He has beautifully hand-crafted felt-backed earrings and I picked a champagne colored pair from his collection. Do you like them?

Next: choosing a make-up artist. I decided on Sanny Deleva who first fixed me up for Mrs Globe Philippines 2014 when I hosted it last year.

That’s Sanny Deleva, one of my favorite make-up artists…

Then my shoes – I remembered that I had a champagne-colored pair of open toe heels that had stones that matched my earrings. I got them a year ago and decided that they would be perfect for my look. Sorry, don’t have a photo of it…

Apart from my make-up Sanny also helped me choose my hair style – a soft bun on the side with a gentle wave going down one of my temples.

My hair and make-up by Sanny Deleva…

And now, it’s time to put everything together…

Marlo Javier and Sanny Deleva doing some last minute fussing over me. I feel so mothered!

Marlo and Sanny often work together, specially with brides-to-be. If you are looking for a designer for your wedding gown and a make-up artist who can make you look flawless, then consider these two – they are AWESOME and a lot of fun!

Voila! I am pageant-ready…!!!

This collage was made by Marlo Javier… I look suspiciously skinnier here… LOL!

Now it’s time to go to Bb. Pilipinas 2015 coronation night and see how my Marlo Javier gown stacks up against the outfits of my darling beauty queen friends…

Marlo Javier’s gown is wonderful – it doesn’t steal attention and yet it is fabulous!

Can you name the beauties in the photos from left to right? I’m the third from the left and as you can see we all look so lovely in our solid colors!

Here are more photos…  Enjoy!

Lovely queens in Fuschia and Sea Green

With Patti Betita and Desiree Verdaro… my favorite beauty queen friends!

Pamela Bianca Manalo (white) is special to me… I started my blog right before she won Bb. Pilipinas Universe…

Partying with 2nd Runner up Kimverlyn Suiza and Sash Factor blogger Raymond Golez! Dang Cecilio on the far left and Sharon Hughes on the far right

Loving Christi McGarry… look at how she towers over me!

With Janicel Lubina, BB. Pilipinas International 2015!

With the brand new Miss Philippines Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach!

To Rogelie Catacutan fans… I’m sorry but I missed out on getting a solo shot with our new Bb. Pilipinas Supranational 2015 but at the next Binibini event, I’ll make up for it. I am dying to get to know her better! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my ‘kwentong gown’…

MABUHAY!