Christa’s MPUK Experience | Part 2

The Night

This was it. All the hard work counts down to one night. The pressure was kicking in. I remember not getting enough sleep with all the anxiety I was feeling the night before. My mum and my sister kept insisting that all I needed to do was to ‘enjoy’ the moment but it was impossible! I knew I had all these expectations to live up to and I didn’t want to disappoint. I kept reminding myself: ‘Eyes on the prize, you always wanted to be a great role model? This is your chance’. Luckily my very close friend, Tosca Cabatana, was there to support me backstage. She gave me pep talks, helped me out with my hair and coordinated my outfits. She even brought a box of Lola’s cupcakes, which cheered me up instantly.

I was a complete nervous wreck at the dressing room. I was anxious that I might trip, say the wrong words or embarrass myself. But surprisingly, as soon as I got on stage, another persona takes over – a cool, calm and collected Christa. Of course my confidence also came from the loud cheering of my friends and family. Pictures of myself and banners were being waved around. Loud screams of: ‘We love you Christa!’ or ‘Namber Pibe!’ whilst I strut along the stage made me feel so reassured and blessed. Knowing that I had that much support, it was impossible not to smile naturally.

More Than a Beauty Pageant

The experience has taught me more than just holding a smile on stage, walking on heels, fixing my hair & make-up. Through the pageant, I also had the pleasure of meeting a lot of talented individuals. From the singers & dancers; the event organisers; alumni beauty queens and of course the gorgeous/handsome candidates. Furthermore, having spent countless hours of learning the dance routine; I re-discovered my passion for dancing again.

This journey has also been an eye-opening experience. For me, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a positive difference. It helped me discover so many things about myself that I didn’t even knew existed. I learned to be more disciplined and ambitious towards my goals. I realised my self-value and purpose. I learned the importance of taking risks and being able to demonstrate confidence despite of what others may say. I learned that reaching your dreams are always possible especially when you’ve got great support from your family and friends.

Miss & Mr Philippines UK 2015

Prior to the big night, I was able to meet all of the candidates during rehearsals. I helped out with their pageant walks and tried to calm their nerves down. Since I knew how they must be feeling during this time, I really wanted them to relax and have a great night, just like I had!

The Miss and Mr Philippines UK 2015 competition was held at the same location as last year, Camden Centre on Saturday the 12th of September. I was lucky enough to have a spot on the VIP table with my mum and dad, which meant amazing Filipino food and a front row seat. Before the competition started, I went backstage to check up on the candidates and give them my last pieces of advice. Everyone seemed quite relaxed (unlike last year!) so I had a lot of faith in them for an amazing show.

The first time you are on stage is always the most difficult. You are trying to remember all of your steps to the dance and trying to look out for your supporters at the same time, but all of the contestants kept their focus and started the night off with a bang. They also had a casual, swim and formal wear and everyone’s style and confidence was shining throughout.

Since I was the Miss Philippines UK 2014, I was able to do my last walk with the title and also give a little speech towards the end of the night (Charlene, I am sorry I missed your shoutout!) I hope that my words were felt amongst the audience and that some of them are here reading my blog.

At the end of the night, John Paulo Bendana was crowned Mr Philippines UK 2015 and I had the honour of crowning Christa Borja as Miss Philippines UK 2015. I am sure that all of the contestants had a great time on the night and it is an event that will stay with them forever. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the amazing team behind Miss and Mr Philippines UK every year. It continues to get better and better every time, I cannot wait until next year!

OOTN

12th of September
Miss Philippines UK 2015

Dress – ASOS – Not available anymore
Shoulders – Kultura – Bought in the Philippines
Makeup by Chloe

Get Excited!

It is only two weeks until Miss and Mr Philippines UK 2015! I still can not believe how fast this year has gone by and I will soon have to be giving my crown away. The event is being held at the Camden Centre, which is right next to Kings Cross Station on the 12th of September at 6PM. I still have so much to get ready for the night including, most importantly, my speech. If you are interested in attending you can find more details here:

Miss and Mr Philippines UK Website
Tickets

Hope to see some of you there for this great night!

Micah’s MPUK Experience

Hello there everyone!

I’m Micah Lee, Miss Philippines UK Charity Winner 2013. Let me just start of by saying that if you’re thinking of joining, DO IT! Despite your doubts, whatever it may be, the nerves, time or distance, it doesn’t matter. It’s an amazing opportunity, and you’ll come out of it 10x more confident and stronger.

I’ve been there, before the audition nobody knew I was doing it except my family, not even my friends. In fact, I still couldn’t believe I was doing it and I came up with so many reasons why not to do it “I’m not tall enough”, “I’m too young”, “I don’t know what I’m doing” etc. Nevertheless, I managed to gather up the courage after encouragement from my mum. That’s one thing I would advise, if you feel like you’re not brave enough or still have your doubts, bring someone along to support you. It’ll make you feel so much better.

Little did I know that the next two months would be some of the toughest, most exciting, best times of my life.

One crucial thing I learned was confidence; how to walk like a beauty queen, how to stand out and how to talk confidently. My weaknesses became my strengths and I was able to do things I never thought I could do. I learned that it wasn’t about the materialistic things – clothes, shoes, accessories – that mattered so much. Rather it was more about how comfortable you were with yourself and how you flaunt what you have. Because if you’re bold, maybe nervous yet still manage to beam with confidence it’ll be obvious to the judges and the audience.

Most importantly, I met some of the most wonderful people. The organisers and us candidates become one big family. My summer was surrounded by such positive, supportive people which was so refreshing. We all worked through the obstacles together, like a family. Outside rehearsals, we would all hang out and it was exciting getting to know so many people within the Filipino community across the UK. Regardless of the journey from Wales to London almost every weekend, it was worth it. I’m sure that the other candidates, whether they were from London, Manchester, Newcastle or Sunderland would definitely agree with me!

The actual night was crazy! We were all so nervous and excited. Yet all of us presented the audience with all different types of beauty and entertainment. I must say that the scariest parts were swimwear and Q&A. Regardless of my fears, I smiled and enjoyed myself throughout it. If want to have a ‘summer body’ or even better if you’re comfortable with your current body, strut your stuff! Be proud of what you have. Because believe me when I say that not only are you giving people with a show but you’re also a role model to many of those girls and boys. With Q&A, don’t think about who’s watching, perceive it as an opportunity for people to finally hear you out. Though it’s useful to perhaps get an idea of how you’d answer the questions beforehand.

I’m incredibly blessed to have met such wonderful people and receive an astounding amount of support. It was overwhelming in a sense that even after it all finished, it still felt like a dream. This experience taught me to love myself. You may be insecure about whatever flaws you have, but you become great once you learn to accept it and love it.

I highly advise that anyone join. You don’t have to look a particular way in order to be successful in a beauty pageant. Everyone gains something from it – life lessons, wisdom and life long friends. Just smile, be yourself and to be confident. You can do a lot more than you think.

Micah’s Blog

Rafaella’s MPUK Experience

It’s been almost 1 year since my mum and her friends encouraged me to join Miss Philippines UK. It was a very daunting process, as pageantry has always been a foreign concept for me and it still is! Having the right walk, the right sway and the right stature, was confusing and slightly awkward for me. So I met Yulee, maybe 4th week after the auditions. I joined late! Because nursing placement had to be done. Assignments had to be completed, and an extreme increase of self-belief had to be boosted in order for me to even join a beauty pageant!

Luckily, Yulee, the other contestants and the dancers were kind enough to teach me the steps to some of the choreography that I missed during the first few weeks. So there I was dancing to Chris Brown, doing the salsa to Enrique Eglesias and walking to Ed Sheeran. I come home and think, did I really just do that?! Well I did and I sort of performed it to quite a lot of people, actually WE, all the contestants and the dancers performed it exceptionally well in front of our family, our loved ones and to people who just wanted to watch!

Overall, it was an unforgettable, amazing, emotional- slightly cringy experience and I don’t regret it for the world. It gives you a chance to meet other young Filipinos here in the UK, full, half, quarter, three-quarter, one-fifth, two-fifth… Anyway, it was a very good experience to mingle and talk about our Filipinoness and share about what we love about our heritage! Thank you to all the organisers of Miss Philippines UK and the contestants for making it fun and enjoyable!

Rafaella Carreon
2nd Runner Up 2014

Mr&Miss Teen Philippine Islands UK

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of being a judge at the Miss and Mr Teen Philippine Islands UK. The event was being held at Baden Powell House, which is right opposite the Natural History Museum.

Mr and Miss Teen Philippine Island UK is aimed for teenagers aged 13-17, who have a Filipino heritage. This year, there were 6 girls and 3 boys competing for the title and I thought they were all so amazing and had so much more confidence than I had at their age! On the night they had: their casual wear, a talent portion, creative island wear, formal wear and a question and answer. My favourite part of the night was the creative island wear. They had all chosen a region in the Philippines and put together an outfit to best represent that area. I had no idea what to expect but their outfits were so gorgeous and creative, it blew me away!

This was my first time being a judge for anything and it was an honour to be asked, but it was a very difficult job! Mr Malcolm Conlan, Ms Joysel Dizon Livelo, Ms Audrey Horca, Ms Jenny Daquioag and I judged the girls whilst Ms Ela Hidalgo, Miss Jodie Sayson, Mr Ali-Ali Hajj and Ms Catherine Samang judged the boys. We had a range of categories from how photogenic each contestant was, their various outfits and their overall presentation to judge on. I found the job difficult because I thought that everyone did an amazing job. To put themselves on a stage and perform, in front of not only their friends and family but strangers as well, must have been very daunting. I can remember when I did my question and answer for Miss Philippines UK and how nervous I was, I can not imagine doing that 5 years earlier.

The overall winners from the night were Reniel Lewis Bantolino and Arianne Michelle Arcilla with the title of Mr and Miss Teen Philippine Island UK. I wish them all the best of luck with their year to come and a massive congratulations again to all of the contestants – you were all beautiful and every single one of you are a winner!

Mr and Miss Teen Philippine Islands UK
Facebook – Mr and Miss Teen Philippine Islands UK

Charlene’s MPUK Experience

My name is Charlene Foster, candidate of Miss Philippines UK in 2013 and sister of Miss Philippines UK 2014 (and I would like to say personal trainer! *wink*)

The Barrio festival of 2013 (when I was 18) was when I first heard about MPUK. They made the event sound AMAZING and persuaded me to join. However, the thing I was really worried about was being half Filipino…

I don’t look Filipino. I don’t talk Tagalog. And, I was not used to being around Filipino’s (it was only when I was 16 I started going to Filipino events and immersing myself in my Filipino culture.) I was really scared I wouldn’t fit in and that the other candidates wouldn’t accept me because I am not ‘Filipino’ enough (despite my blood being 50% Filipino!) Nonetheless, my mum and the organisers persuaded me to join and I also thought it was an amazing opportunity to discover more about my Filipino culture.

However, I did join quite late. I think I missed the auditions and the first two or three weeks of practice, everybody started to mingle with each other already and I was even more nervous when my mum and me were slightly late for my first ever rehearsal. But once I arrived, I LOVED it! Everybody was really friendly and nice and I definitely did not feel left out. Meeting a group of amazing people who supported each other throughout the experience, not only in the pageant but also through newfound friendships, made my pageant experience particularly memorable.

Although I should be writing “unfortunately, I did not win anything on the night,” I achieved far more than I could have imagined. In particular, I gained a MAJOR CONFIDENCE BOOST (and right before University, there was no better time!) I enjoyed it SO much that I even persuaded my older sister, Yulee, to join! I felt like as I already experienced it, I could give her thorough advice and guide her way through it. And, guess what? SHE WON!

The advice I gave to Yulee and the advice I would give to everyone is, well… I’ll let Yulee pass that advice onto you. I look forward to meeting all you lovely candidates of Miss Philippines UK 2015, despite all your worries, just go for it! I can 100% assure you that you WILL enjoy your experience.

Until then,

Charlene x

Miss NABA

Miss London NABA (National American Basketball Association) is an annual pageant put on by the Filipino-British community. It is part of the wider Miss NABA that is held in Canada and the winner from this pageant goes on to represent London there.

This year, my friend Erika (from Miss Philippines UK 2014) entered the competition so I wanted to go along and support her as much as I could. Micah, another past candidate from MPUK, was also competing so I got to cheer for two people! This was the first pageant that I had been to apart from Miss Philippines UK so it was interesting to see all the similarities and differences. As this was a Filipino event, I saw lots of familiar faces from MPUK and also from the Greenwich Filipino Community, which are always great to see!

On the night the candidates had four different categories to compete in: casual, sports and formal wear and then also a Q&A section. My favourite section was the sports wear since I was really interested to see what everyone was going to wear. I could see that a lot of hard work and effort was put into every outfit, it must have been very hard to judge! But it was Erika’s formal wear dress that stole my heart. It was just perfect. It fit her like a glove and the style was unique yet classic, she really is the queen of formal wear dresses.

By the end of the night, my voice hurt so much from cheering for two people but it was all worth it when Erika won the overall title of Miss London NABA! I know how hard she had worked for the title and I can not wait to see her competing in Canada.

Some photos from Erika and her family
Miss London NABA Beauty Pageant Page
Erika’s Miss Philippines UK Experience

Jasmine’s MPUK Experience

Hey all! I’m Jasmine. Some of you may know me as the Miss Friendship and Miss Charity of Miss and Mr Philippines UK 2014. Before I talk about my experience, I would just like to commend, as a friend and fellow candidate, the lovely Miss Yulee Foster and how she has actively utilised her title as Miss Philippines UK thus far, and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us.

Let me start off by saying, originally the idea of entering MPUK was certainly daunting. Ironically, a few weeks prior to the audition days, I was sure about entering, but on the last week to the actual audition, I seriously thought, “Oh God, what am I doing?” I found it nerve-wracking walking up to the auditions. I had never done anything like this before and had no idea what I had in store. Then I thought to myself, this is going to be an experience if anything – and in the end I was so right. Looking back at the time I had with MPUK, in the summer of 2014, there are so many memories to recount and so many things I gained.

From start to finish, an experience like this helps you grow as an individual. I definitely feel that it strengthened me as a person, as it motivated me to be more confident and it shed light on my strengths and weaknesses. It also provided me with the opportunity to become more in touch with my Filipino roots, having been surrounded by fellow Filipino people, the culture/traditions and occasionally, yummy Filipino food.

I walked into this process an individual and walked out of it with wonderful friends. I genuinely had no idea that I was going to get along with the candidates as well as I did, let alone make real friendships. Seriously, for the most part I had so much fun with these people that you forget that you’re meant to be competing with them. Each person was unique and added something to the experience. They are truly an amazing bunch and I am lucky to be counted as one of them. Belated apologies for all of the selfies that bombarded Facebook news feeds that summer haha.

The night of the pageant was unforgettable and went by so quickly for us candidates. All our hard work was finally showcased and though there were raging nerves, we all pushed through it and I am proud of everyone who participated – as walking on stage in swimwear is not as easy as some may think (note: if you are thinking of joining, please don’t let that unnerve you, as it is so worth it in the end). Let me also point out that the people who worked behind the scenes that night, deserve their own round of applause as you wouldn’t believe how much was going on behind the curtain.

Winning the titles of Miss Friendship and Miss Charity is such an honour. These are awards based on the support of people close to me and I wear the sashes proudly for each person who bought tickets to see me on the night, or for the raffle (for the Miss Charity title) and for each person from my MPUK family who voted for me (for Miss Friendship). I cannot express how grateful I am to every person who was part of me winning both awards. For me, that reminder of unwavering support made the whole experience worth it.

If you are thinking of joining, I really encourage you to do so. There are two things I want you to remember if you do join:

1. You will not be alone through this process.
There are going to be so many people who will have your back. The organisers immediately put you at ease, from the audition and throughout the process and want you to do well. Of course, you never know who you’re going to get in terms of the group of candidates, however remember that you are all in the same boat, all going through the same process. Trust me, making friends in this will make the experience much more fun and enriching. Let’s not forget, that you will have all those people cheering for you on the night who are there for you and believe in you.

2. Be(lieve) in yourself
Be yourself! Believe in yourself! This is how you are going to get through the pageant night with no regrets. Let your clothes be something true to what you want to wear and what makes you comfortable, rather than something that you THINK will win. Believe in how you present yourself. Believe in your introduction and your answers, because if they are true to you, it will come out more naturally. Don’t quote or say something that you don’t believe in. Don’t let any part of this experience be half-hearted. No one can be you, better than you can.

I am excited to see the show this year and all the new candidates that come with it. If you are joining, I wish you the best of luck, but urge you to remember to enjoy it! Can’t wait to meet some of you in the summer!

All the best,
Jasmine xoxo

6 Months After Being Miss Philippines UK

Being Miss Philippines UK 2014 has given me so many opportunities to meet lots of new and wonderful people. Even after winning, I still felt shy with talking to people but now, after attending many events, I feel much more comfortable going up to people and having conversations with them. It also helps that people in the Filipino community are so easy and nice to talk to!

So far, my favourite event has been the ‘Steps To The Future’ event, where other beauty pageant winners and I were the models for the charity fashion show. It was inspiring to meet people that live for beauty pageants and have connections with major pageants such as Miss World. It was also a challenging day for me; I had never participated in a catwalk before and I was really nervous. Overcoming this, as well as having an amazing time doing so, was definitely a highlight of my year and a moment I will remember.

I plan to make the next six months twice as good as the last six months! Going to more Filipino events here in London and meeting more and more people! I am also planning my trip to the Philippines this summer. My mum already has so many ideas of places that we are going to visit and they sound amazing, I just hope that we have time for it all! I also cannot wait for the next Mr and Miss Philippines UK 2015 to start and to hopefully help them make the most out of their experience.

Just incase you have missed anything that I’ve been up to:
Taste of the Philippines #3
Grosvenor Casino Thanks Giving&Fundraiser
World Travel Market
Taste of the Philippines – Charity Fundraiser
PCF Music Quiz
Steps to the Future – Fashion Show
Reception for Filipino Students&Alumni
Santo Niño

Here’s to another 6 months of being Miss Philippines UK!

Erika’s MPUK Experience

Hi everyone!

I’m Erika F. and I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to meet and work with the beautiful Miss Yulee Foster during our journey with Miss and Mr Philippines UK in 2014 and was also lucky enough to have been crowned First Runner Up at this unforgettable event.

I have to say, it’s certainly been an interesting ride from the beginning right to the very end! It was a big decision for me to join MPUK, especially since I live in Exeter, which is really far out from London – it took me 4.5 hours to get to London in fact, getting up at 5am every Saturday (for about 10 weeks) to get to rehearsals was quite the killer! Despite this though, I have had an absolutely incredible time, and met some unforgettable people who will always have a place in my heart.

Joining MPUK has been really fun, and as I’ve said, the individuals that I have met during this journey has certainly made the long journeys absolutely worthwhile! On top of having met these wonderful people, I have taken away invaluable lessons which to me, is worth more than the crown itself. I have learnt a lot about myself and the integrity of my own character and that is something that will remain with me throughout my journey towards self-development.

If you are thinking of joining MPUK, I’m very much excited for you! You’ll meet some great people and take away with you, an experience that you will never forget! It’s always going to be nerve-racking joining something like this, but trust me, it’s so much fun and you’ll be glad you did it! I could ramble on about this experience forever – but why not see it for yourself? You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain 🙂

To top this blog off, I’d just like to leave you guys with some tips and advice, if you do decide to take the plunge and join Miss and Mr Philippines UK this year:

During rehearsals:
1. Don’t be afraid to talk to everyone! Remember, each and every person is on the same boat as you and is probably just as nervous too – it’ll make it a lot less nerve-racking and a lot more fun if you engage with the other candidates!
2. Hang out with your fellow candidates outside of rehearsals! We all did this and we have all gained genuine friendships in the process – it isn’t just about the competition, it’s also about making friends for life!
3. Work hard during rehearsals – the harder you work, the easier it becomes on the night of the pageant!

Pageant night:
1. Pop some Vaseline on the inside of your lips – this stops your lips from sticking to your teeth!
2. For the girls: Invest in some hairspray – nope, not for your hair – for your bikini bottoms… this stops them from riding up!
3. For the boys: Some cheeky bicep curls or ab crunches might do some good right before the swimwear portion to get a bit of a pump going before stepping on stage!
4. Drink plenty of water! The show itself is really fast paced, and you need to be dressed very very quickly, and this can be quite draining. Make sure you keep yourself hydrated throughout!
5. Try and stay calm and enjoy the experience! Remember, your family and friends have all come to see you and I bet you anything, they are already so proud of you just for seeing you on stage!

I hope I’ve somehow managed to convince you to join, and if I have — I look forward to seeing you at Miss and Mr Philippines UK 2015!

Lots of love,
Erika F. xx

Graphic Design ♠ The MPUK Edition

One of my new years resolutions was to be more creative. I love playing around with Photoshop and experimenting with my creative skills, so these are three of the most recent pieces that I have made. They are all Miss and Mr Philippines UK inspired because I miss all of the candidates so much and we took so many photos I HAD to use them!

I am going to try and upload some new pieces of work at least every month, so there is definitely much more to come. For now, I hope you enjoyed these. Also, if you have any ideas of anything you would like me to work on, I would be more than happy to fulfil your requests!

What’s Next

I have never had proper New Years resolutions before, so lets see how this goes…

1. Use My Twitter
I have had Twitter for more than five years and I hardly use it. I am a big believer of, “if you’re not using it, get rid of it!” So, before I delete my Twitter, I shall try to use it and then see if I want to keep it or not. I am going to try to tweet at least 3 times a week – not too sure what about, but we shall see!
My Twitter Account

2. Learn Tagalog
I think this is the HARDEST resolution I am setting myself this year. In the past, I have said that I was going to learn a multitude of other languages but after the basics, I quit and never go back to it. I am hoping with the help of the internet, my mum speaking Tagalog around the house and going to the Philippines this year, that I can have a relatively good conversation in Tagalog by the end of the year. This is a long-lasting goal, not only for 2015!

3. Sort Out My Fashion
I looove to shop. The problem is, half the things I buy, I never end up wearing. So, here is my plan: 1. Stop buying things that I do not 100% love, so I stop wasting money on clothes, 2. Only buy things that look good on me and that will go with things in my wardrobe already. This will hopefully lead me to some personal style that I have and all my ‘I do not have anything to wear!’ fears shall melt away.

4. Get Creative!
Before maths took over my life at University, I did a Graphic Design A-Level. It was so much fun and I achieved a good grade in it despite not taking Art for GCSE’s. I really miss being creative, so this year I am going to try and get my creative juices flowing again. (My sister also really wants me to pick up my graphic design again, so this one is partly for her as well.)

5. Keep Going With My Blog
Last but not least! I want to carry on sharing my Miss Philippines UK 2014 experience and pass on all of my new adventurers to everyone. I will try to post at least once a week so remember to follow my blog to never miss one!

Here’s to 2015!

What I’ve Learnt About My Filipino Culture

After joining Miss Philippines UK, I have had the opportunity to meet so many new people and get to know my Filipino culture. These are just three of the things that I have learnt about Filipino’s that stand out for me.

Family

When I say family, I do not mean in the blood family sense. Yes, in Filipino culture there is a lot of emphasis put on family love, nurture and respect. However, when I say family I mean in the family COMMUNITY sense. The first time I experienced this family-like treatment was at my first Barrio Fiesta. Even though we did not know anyone (and I mean, anyone!) there, everyone was talking to each other and having such a good time (as well as welcoming me and my family.) Then, entering Miss and Mr Philippines UK, all of the contestants and organisers were so fun and welcoming at every rehearsal, I really felt like I had become part of this new family. Now, after becoming Miss Philippines UK 2014, I am meeting more and more new Filipinos everyday and feel like I am belonging more and more into the Filipino community here in the UK. I hope that as I meet new people, I can also expand my personal Filipino family.

Quotes

I only recently gained a substantial amount of Filipinos on my Facebook to realise how much everyone loves a good quote. I have asked my mum to try and explain the fascination with quotes but she could not (even though there are a number of quotes on her own Facebook!) The way I see this is best described in the quote below. Everyday we wake up and have our own hardships. Here in the UK maybe because of stress or pain (or the weather) and especially in the Philippines, people living in less fortunate situations, finding it difficult from day to day, we like these little pick me ups to remind us that God is there and as we share these quotes, through Facebook or Twitter, to remind others that God is there as well. (Maybe that’s why Filipino’s are always so positive!)

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”
Kevyn Aucoin

Photos

I absolutely LOVE taking pictures; whenever a group picture is happening, I always jump in! And there are always more than enough picture taking opportunities when it’s a Filipinos gathering. Where it’s a ‘selfie selfie’ or a ‘wacky wacky’ picture there are always plenty of smiles, winks and crazy faces going around. Filipinos are so addicted to selfies that Makati City and Pasig are number one on the most selfiest city list where there are 258 selfie-takers per 100,000 people. The love for selfies does not even stop there in the Philippines since coming in at number nine is Cebu City: 99 selfie-takers per 100,000 people. Other countries that featured on the top 10 list included USA, Malaysia, Italy and England. At first I was a bit shocked to hear that Manila was number one, but then again, we’re Filipinos and we’re just too good looking not to be taking selfies all the time.
The Guardian – Sexy & Social: Why Manila Is The Selfiest City In The World

Steps To The Future – Fashion Show

The ‘Steps To The Future’ event that was held at the Hurlingham Club was put together by Liz Brewer. Luke Deards, who is a part of Grosvenor Casino (a sponsor on the night), put me forward to be a part of the show since they had asked other beauty pageant winners to join. The fashion show was put together by the Limkokwing University. The event was to raise money for the charities: ‘Walking With The Wounded’, who support wounded ex-servicemen and women that are disadvantaged by mental or physical injury and for; ‘RAFT’ (the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust), who are a medical research charity producing innovated results in the field of wound healing medical research. During the evening there were many different events taking place. There was an auction, professional pole dancing and the fashion show.

Me in full hair, makeup and wardrobe

In the morning, we all met up and I got to meet Miss Birmingham, Miss Russia, Miss Teen International and lots of other beauty queens who were all really friendly and nice. We were then put into our wardrobe that was all made by the Limkokwing University and had our hair and makeup done as well. The makeup was bold eyes and bold lips and I had some EXTREME crimping and backcombing hairstyle to go with my massive cape. I was really nervous to walk down the runway since I had never done anything like this before but with some help from the other girls (and years of watching Americas Next Top Model), I managed to walk down the runway in confidence! This has been the biggest event that I have been a part of so far and it was a night to remember. For everyone that took part in making this event happen, from the students at the Limkokwing University, to the event planners, had come together to support these charities through this spectacular fundraiser and I am so honored that I could also be a part of it.

RAFT
Walking With The Wounded
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Group pictures were not taken by me

Grosvenor Casino Thanks Giving&Charity Fundraiser

I was invited to an event by AyalaLand at Grosvenor Casino to learn more about their business and company. I had only been once to a casino before this event and I had noooooo clue what I was doing / what to do. But this time round, I had the chance to learn how to play roulette. It was so much fun playing that when they invited the whole Miss and Mr Philippines UK Organisation to a thanks giving and charity fundraiser event, I could not say no. It was a great opportunity to support Carers Trust (the charity that Grosvenor Casino had been supporting) and to see some of my friends from Miss Philippines UK. On the night I was able to catch up with some of the contestants, have yummy mini finger food and of course, take lots and lots of pictures.

After learning how to play roulette and blackjack, Matt (Mr Philippines UK) and I went around the casino asking for donations for the Carers Trust charity. Grosvenor Casino was working in partnership with Carers Trust, the UK’s largest charity for carers. They work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring. I want to thank Grosvenor Casino for giving the whole Mr and Miss Philippines UK Organisation a fun night of learning how to play some casino games and especially to Luke Deards, the social media manager at Grosvenor Casino, for organising such a fun event and I hope we will have more in the future!

Grosvenor Casino

MPUK Reunion

Jasmine’s Video

A few weeks after the Miss and Mr Philippines UK Pageant, we had all arranged a day for a reunion for the candidates and to give out all the prizes that were won on the night. We obviously had to have some food at the reunion so my mum made some spring rolls and everyone bought a little something to eat. I was really looking forward to the reunion and getting to see everyone again. It was a weird experience from seeing the same group of people every weekend for more than a month and then suddenly not seeing them at all! We had all planned to meet at 12:30 but of course, Filipino time, everyone was there at around 3. After we all caught up with one another and had enough food to eat, Eva Macadangdang handed out all the prizes for the winners and we all got to say a little speech, filled with happy memories and thank you’s. The special part of the reunion, for me, was finally getting to see a video that Jasmine (Miss Friendship) put together. A montage of pictures and videos from our journey together through Miss & Mr Philippines UK, full of many MANY selfies and loads funny moments that we shared.

A Taste Of The Philippines

↺ Throwback // A Taste of the Philippines #2 ↻

At the end of May, my sister, Charlene, saw on twitter that there was going to be a Filipino pop up restaurant near where we live. Since we never really get to eat much Filipino food at home we thought it would be a great way to learn more about our culture (and who doesn’t love trying out some new food anyways!?) It was a really last minute booking but the people who were part of the pop up were so helpful and managed to squeeze us in a table at 8pm. The atmosphere at the restaurant was lively, welcoming and super friendly. Before this, I had never been to a pop up restaurant so it was a totally different experience. It felt much more relaxed and I felt really comfortable with the waiters and waitresses. My sister and I wanted to try everything on the menu so we decided to order everything and just share it. It was all really good food! My favourite was the desert ‘Leche Flan: Set Caramel Custard with Lime Sorbet.’ I’m not too sure why but I was never a big fan of Leche Flan before but after having this one my opinion on it totally changed and now I LOVE it!

YouTube : A Taste of the Philippines #2 – Highlights

So after going to the previous ‘A Taste of the Philippines’ I was even more excited to go again especially since I was going to represent Miss Philippines UK 2014 (but I probably would have gone either way!) The event was held on the 27th of September and since I was there earlier, I was able to see more people and meet people from the Philippine embassy that attended. The atmosphere this time I felt was more professional, maybe because of all the VIPs from the embassy and because the menu was longer this time they all really wanted to impress everyone. Just like last time, all the food was delicious! My favourite from the night was probably the ‘Escabeche Fillet of Tilapia with Baby Heritage Carrots, Peppers, Daikon Radish & Pea Shoots with a Sweet & Sour Sauce and Shrimps’, I never usually choose a fish dish over a meaty one but I surprisingly really enjoyed the tilapia.

I want to thank the chef that puts this all together: Rex De Guzman. He is introducing Filipino cuisine to loads of new people that would otherwise never be able to try our food. I hope that he continues to spread the awareness about our culture through the amazing food that he cooks and I can’t wait for the next A Taste of The Philippines that will be a special charity fundraiser event for ‘Bantay bata.’

YouTube : A Taste of the Philippines #3 – Highlights

Photos from: Mariusz Gajdzik Photography
Rex De Guzman, Le Happy Chef Facebook Page

Makeup!?

Fun Fact! I don’t wear makeup. No foundation, no mascara, no lipstick, no nothing. I was lucky during my teens with no acne etc, so I never felt the need to put makeup and I still feel that way today. So when I entered the Miss Philippines UK pageant, I was really worried about my makeup for the night because I literally had NO CLUE where to start… I worked out that I had three options to choose from:

1. Go au natural, I never wear makeup anyway, why bother with all the hassle for one night! (I was seriously considering this one, but my sister, Charlene, would kill me if I did because it was a ‘pageant’ at the end of the day)
2. Do it all myself. So I would have to buy all the makeup, spend ages on YouTube trying to teach myself how to apply makeup and then spend days trying to put makeup on myself. I’m learning a life long skill but would I really have the time, patience and skill to do all of that…
3. Find a makeup artist that I liked and was available on the day of the pageant.

So, weighing up the pro’s and con’s, I went with number 3. Luckily, I found my makeup artist after emailing a mass of people for quotes on prices, availability etc. From the first email where I found out she was Filipino, I knew that I had to have her as my makeup artist! Annabelle Lowe have been so nice and helped me throughout with all my makeup needs. She knew exactly what I wanted and had so much knowledge about makeup. I felt 100% confident in her choice of colours for my look. She has asked me for no advertising whatsoever, but I feel the need to mention her because she is truly an amazing make-up artist and a lovely person, I would definitely encourage people to work with her! (I’ve also attached a few photo’s to this post so you could see her work in action with the “before” and “after’s”)

Annabelle Lowe
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