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.

Christa’s MPUK Experience | Part 1

Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Christa Borja, and I have been given the privilege to be crowned as Miss Philippines UK 2015. For the last couple of months, it has been one of the most unforgettable and truly humbling experience that I will forever cherish. Who knew what I initially thought was a ‘silly’ idea turned out to be one of the greatest journey of my life.

Unexpected Entry

It was my older sister, Chriszelle who pushed me to join the competition. In fact, I actually missed the audition and few scheduled rehearsals that made me believe I’ve dodged the pressure bullet. But thanks to sister’s persistence, she was able to get in touch with Yulee Foster, last year’s Miss Philippines UK Winner, and persuade the event organisers to take me in last minute – then boom. Out of nowhere, I received a random text message from sissy confirming: ‘Yahoo! Pasok ka na! Rehearsals starts this Saturday’.

First Day

My first day is a summary of sweaty palms and pits (yes I said it), Not only I made bad impression to Yulee for being 1 hour and 30 minutes late (which btw, I had a valid reason for), but I also sucked at following all choreos for Latin, Hip-Hop and Ethnic. It was interesting to say the least. I’ve always loved dancing since I was a kid, however, the problem lies to the fact that I haven’t danced in a very long time. I haven’t moved a single (dancing) muscle since my cheering days at university. And 2 years worth of unmoved body, I felt stiff, rusty and awkward throughout the practice.

After my torturous first day, I went straight home and asked myself whether I was wasting my time. Contemplations re-occurred and I started to have second thoughts. My schedule was already swamped with 9-5 working hours on weekdays and if I was to join the competition it would mean that my weekends would be filled with rehearsals too, therefore, leaving me no time to rest. I felt stuck so I began to seek advice from other people. While many of my friends/family supported the harmless idea of joining, one opinion struck me the most: ‘Pano kung di ka naman manalo? Edi nasayang lang yung oras mo?’ The doubtful remark fuelled more fire in me. From that moment, I decided to use the negative judgment to pursue the crown and show everyone that I was worthy to be called Miss Philippines UK.

The Journey

One word: Exhausting! I believe most of the candidates (even the previous ones) can agree with me on this. Rehearsals can be draining whether it might be the length of travel that some candidates have to go through; balancing either part-time/full-time work with weekend practices or the endless hours of catwalks and dance routines. Indeed it was exhausting however, the experience was also fun. Never in my life I imagined that pageants could be this tough! And it didn’t take too long until I started to rely on energy drinks and skinny latte’s as if I was back at uni on my last year preparing for exams.

Knowing that I had quite a lot to catch up on, I started my weekend routine strictly at 6:00 am. No excuses. Tired or not, I knew I had to push myself. I practiced the choreos early before the actual rehearsal at 12:30 pm. I even practised the Hip Hop on my head whilst on the way to work and on the way back home.

For a first timer like me, I had no clue on what to wear, how to prepare for Q&As or how to walk on pageant shows. I realised that if I wanted to win this competition, it requires more than just memorising the dance steps. It also involves embodying a mind-set of what a true beauty queen should be. So I researched some of the most iconic Filipino Beauty Queens from the past. From Melanie Marquez, Gloria Diaz, Shamcey Supsup to Megan Young. Believe it or not, I sat in front of my computer for hours! I studied different commentaries about how each stood out from the competition, how they presented themselves and how they delivered their answers effectively. I also took inspiration from MPUK’s beautiful winners: Jacqueline Llaneza (2012), Kallula Dixon (2013) and of course, Yulee Foster (2014). I took notes of what they wore, how they walked, smile and pose. It was all about preparations! As soon as I finished work, I’d go straight home and practice my walk on heels, smiling and posing in front of the mirror while my cat watched me with embarrassment.

The most fun part of this journey (apart from winning the title) was shopping for my outfits and deciding my hair & make-up, after all, it is called a ‘beauty’ pageant for a reason. Luckily, I had great tips from my best friend, Crescent Samaco, who btw has the fiercest catwalk ever. She gave me advice that if you want to stand out, you’ve got to sparkle like a diamond on stage. Not only she taught me how to walk with attitude but she also gave me insights of the ‘pageant must-haves’. For instance, nails must only be red or french tips; dresses has to be sparkly –gold, silver or nude; and accessories have to be bold – the bigger it is, the better. It was like entering a new world and oddly enough, I enjoyed learning these things.

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!

Sept. 30 | BLOG-TEMBER CHALLENGE

Wednesday, Sept. 30: A farewell coffee date. Take some time to breath, sip a warm drink, and share with your new blogging buddies. If you’d like a prompt: how did the Blog-tember Challenge go for you? Any surprises? What was your favourite prompt, or what would you like to see included next time?

WOOO! September is over! I must admit, it was really hard to post something every day and considering that I only missed two days: “Saturday, Sept. 19: Tell us about one of the best days of your life” and “Wednesday, Sept. 23: Grab a guest post. Recruit a friend or fellow blogger to share on your space for the day”, I think I did pretty good! My favourite posts were the creative ones so look out for more of them on my blog, what posts were your favourite?

#blogtemberchallenge

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!

LIKHA Magazine

Marielle Bacarro contacted me in April asking if I wanted to be part of her final major project. She was making a magazine called Likha, celebrating the Philippines, from everything from its fashion to its heritage. I was so honoured to have been asked to be a part of her project but also nervous to take nice pictures. We had decided to meet up in Greenwich to take pictures and for a small interview. Greenwich has some amazing buildings and surroundings so I thought it would be the perfect backdrop for her photos. After going around and taking some shots we had a little interview over lunch at the Pavilion Tea House at the top of the park.

A month or so after our meeting, Marielle invited me to see her work and others from the same school being showcased at the OXO Tower, London. The magazine turned out amazing and it looked so professional, I could imagine it on the shelves! I was also really pleased with the photos that she took of me (luckily, I do not look as cold as I did on the day!) Unfortunately, her magazine was a one off for her project but maybe, you never know, we might see it being sold, which would not only be incredible for her but a fantastic way to promote the Philippines!

http://www.likhamagazine.com

Cebu

After our stay in Boracay our next stop was Cebu. I had never been to Cebu but it is such a talked about city and so close to our hometown that I was looking forward to seeing it. Due to overrunning of flights, we did not arrive in Cebu until night time, which was a shame because it meant less time there. Even though it was night time when we got to Bluewater Resort, it was still amazing and we could not wait to explore in the morning.

I was really excited with the buffet breakfast the next day. They had a good range of food and it all tasted delicious. Since the resort offered a shuttle bus to the SM Mall, we decided to go there to get some lunch. The last time we came to the Philippines in 2011, my sister fell in love with a dish that was something similar to orange chicken that they had at Chowking, but sadly they have discontinued this dish so we went safe with rice and spring rolls. Back at the resort, we had some time to relax and take pictures (we can not go anywhere without taking pictures.) They also had a number of pools so my sister and I spent the rest of they day sitting in the pool (and taking more pictures, obviously!)

The next morning, we checked out and headed to take a boat back home to Leyte. On the boat, we made some great friends that toured us around and made the four hours fly by. Shoutout to Wilson, Jon Neo, Francis and Emerzon and the chief and second engineer. Our stay in Cebu was really too short to visit and look around this amazing and historical city, hopefully we can come back in the future to see more!

Bluewater Maribago

MPUK Photoshoot

When it was time to take the photos for the tickets and programme for the next Miss Philippines UK, I was super excited! We were lucky enough to have been given the White Room at Grosvenor Casino Barracuda to use and it was a gorgeous location to shoot at. On the day, Chloe did my hair and makeup, and I loved the way it looked – especially my hair, it was perfect! Matthew, Mr Philippines UK 2014, also came to have his photo done and we also took some pictures together. Our photographers were Ashley and Sjay. They did an amazing job and the photos all turned out stunning.

My biggest concern beforehand was what I was going to wear. Since I had rented the dress for the pageant night and I do not own any nice fancy gowns, I was struggling. Fortunately, my sister had done Miss Philippines UK the year before and still had her dress. I absolutely love the shade of blue and the subtle sparkles on the neckline but when I tried it on it did not fit too well and the pink from my sash was a total clash. Luckily, I had Chloe to calm me down about the colour clash and with a few clips the dress was ready to go. I had also bought some amazing sparkly new shoes to go with my dress from New Look but sadly they did not make it into the final cut.

I had so much fun and I finally got to wear my crown again. Here are just 12 of my favourite photos taken from the photoshoot, my favourite ones are the three at the top, I hope you like them!

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

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

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

Miss&Mr Philippines UK 2014

13th September 2014 : The Day of the Pageant!
So a month and a half worth of weekends filled with practice all boiled down to a couple of hours of dances, catwalks and lots and lots of smiles. The night went by so quickly, I found it hard to stop and remind myself to relax and just enjoy it. My favorite part of the night had to be the cultural dance we did, it was a mixture of different dances from different parts of the Philippines and I felt so proud to be performing dances that represented who we were and where we come from. As well as this, I have never done anything of a Filipino dance before! So learning it was really special to me (plus, the outfits were so cute!)

Casual Wear
Top: Missguided // Jeans: Topshop // Shoes: Aldo // Jewellery: Topshop
The casual wear was the first time we were on stage on our own. The floor was more slippery than expected! So, just before all the girls went on stage, we were all frantically hair spraying the bottom of our heels so none of us would slip over! My outfit was by far the most casual one. I just wore a pair of high waisted skinny jeans with rips at the knees (my topshop loves), a backless white crop top with a pair of floral-ish heels. I just wanted to look comfortable and more importantly since it was my first time alone on the stage, feel comfortable.

Swim Wear
Bikini: Victoria Secret // Shoes: Topshop // Accessories: H&M & Topshop
Swimwear was the only catwalk section where we could have fun and be a bit cheeky at the same time, so I would have to say that it was the funnest catwalk! My sister and I had put together my ‘routine’ and practiced it a million times so I would be ready for the night (by that, I really do mean a million times.) But I was still so nervous being in front of a ton of people in nothing but my swimwear! Still, it’s impossible not to smile and enjoy yourself whilst walking to the too catchy Wiggle by Jason Derulo

Evening wear
Hired Dress: One Night Stand // Shoes: TK Maxx (Guess) // Jewellery: H&M
By this part of the night, my cheeks had already gone stiff from all the smiling and my legs were aching but I was loving every second of it! My dress in comparison to the other contestants was the most basic. Nonetheless, it was different. It fit me beautifully and had this hook at the back of the mini train it had so I could show off the amazing detail in it. I wish I had bought something for my hair so my hair didn’t look so plain (good thing I had the crown at the end of the night!)

At the end of the night, I was crowned ‘Miss Philippines UK 2014!’ As soon as I saw my family I could have burst into tears, but I had to keep my makeup nice for the photos, so I managed to keep it all in (somehow!) I felt like my mission to learn more about my culture and to become a part of it here in the UK had finally properly begun. Winning the pageant enlightened me to my culture in endless ways; it has also given me the motivation to not let this journey end. I want to end this post with a thank you to not only every single person that helped with this event but also with a personal thank you to my wonderful sister, Charlene. Without her, I seriously don’t think that I would have won. She has been through this whole competition with me and even though not physically, I share my crown with her.

Mr & Miss Philippines UK Facebook Page
All photos on this page from SayCheeseClick
Photos from the night