Ms Teen Earth & Little Ms Earth Philippines 2014

Great things start with small beginnings is my favorite Milo jingle. I longed so much to be a graceful gymnast because of that ad ( I adored Bea Lucero). But some people would argue that nature limits what can be nurtured. That theory somehow comforts me & I can say I've moved on.

Enough of my frustrations in life; there is much reason to celebrate:) 20 kids and 20 teens are participating in this year's Ms Teen and Little Ms Earth Philippines. Almost a thousand kids from all over the country auditioned so these bibo kids are ultimately the cream of the crop. Seeing these kids& teens so enthusiastic and proactive in taking part of the Climate Change Commission's projects makes me reminisce about my brief reign as Little Ms Basilan in Mandaluyong. That title somehow triggered me to plant a lot of monggo, kaimito & mango and dream of having my own junk shop to help save Mother Earth..much to the dismay of my mother who smirked at the general state of my bed filled w/ recycled paper,foil & other treasures I refused to throw. She abruptly stopped that dream when we moved out of my grandparents' house & decided that we'd all live in a condo :/

Back to Ms Teen Earth & Little Ms Earth Philippines, the earth champions seem to have boundless energy. So much so that I think the judges will have a hard time deciding who they would crown tomorrow at the MOA Arena.

Witness the grand spectacle & keep yourselves posted on Sash Factor. If you wouldn't be able to watch live tomorrow, you can catch GMA's exclusive telecast on June 8 (Sunday) for SNBO.

Read More

Pet Chow Gourmet Style

As a child, we adopted askals & stray cats at home. They would comfortably mingle w/ my lolo's chickens & my grandmother's Siamese, Bronson (who had special priviliges the other cats were not able to enjoy i.e. imported cat food & warm milk). They were cute alright, but their reasons for living were to chase rodents & minimize our biodegradable waste. Their visits to the vet were limited to vaccination; most of them have normal births (unlike my tita's Siamese, Cheska who had several C-sections). We celebrated some of their birthdays but we never once thought of feeding them cake; we thought cake & chocolates are bad for them anyway. It was easy to have them in the dirty kitchen as they were trained to look for tools when they are missing & they only eat after we've all eaten. They are no fuss creatures; they inevitably brought us happiness as kids.

It's an entirely new concept for me to see a cafe in San Juan where pets are treated as first class citizens & they are even allowed cakes & other treats! In Whole Pet Kitchen in San Juan, Chef Giannina Gonzales carefully tested all her pet treats w/ the aid of her vet & her lovable companion, Jack. I was surprised the treats are safe for human consumption (just devoid of salt &sugar) & humans actually taste test it first before pets do. I've tried their milk biscuit; it actually tastes similar to (for human) galletas:p

Chef Giannina grew up to love baking &pets; she says it's only but natural for her to think of something that would combine her two interests. Her golden retriever, Jack had quite a number of dietary restrictions so at one point she decided to make nutritional meals for other sensitive pets as well.

Her Bark-ery in San Juan wouldn't make humans feel out of place. After watching your pet enjoy a sumptuous gourmet fare, you can actually opt to try their La La Lasagna (you can hum ala Shakira while you're at it). It's really gooey& cheesy..kids & kids at heart would love it.

Their drinks are truly refreshing too. I enjoyed their citrus cooler :) & for those who also want dessert, their choco chip waffle a la mode is the best

For more info, watch out for our Pet Kitchen feature on Solar Daybreak (channel 9 on free tv)

Read More

PAMANA: a legacy of heroism

Keep yourself alive and happy; others may be looking up to you for inspiration.

Ever since, Papa has always expressed his fear about dying young.  His mom died even before he graduated from college & as a kid I sensed he was scared I might experience the same kind of pain.  He carried and hugged me a lot. He taught me how to sing, whistle, and laugh often. He quit smoking and forced me to eat foods rich in anti-oxidants to help prevent cancer. He allowed me to pretend I was his little assistant in his optical shop and was patient with me even when I learned how to bug him with crazy questions on the phone.

He also directed my boundless energy& my uncanny talent to pry into something positive; he encouraged me to study.  He told me early on that we can't be together forever and education is the only legacy he can pass on effectively.

Because of this, I had different nightmares of him being taken away by Zuma, Valentina, and other evil creatures from Shake, Rattle, and Roll.  In reality, it was his ambition to send us to better schools that took him away from us and made him work far far away until retirement.

He has just turned 60 last month. Instead of throwing a lavish party at Manila Hotel (he always joked about throwing fancy parties for himself but he never did), he declared he wouldn't come home this year. He said we can celebrate his retirement next year after my sister's college grad.

So we celebrated his birthday by watching "PAMANA", the first docu-musical about Ninoy and Cory's sacrifice for our country's democracy.

And I cried all throughout the play. I cried that Edgar had to leave his daughter Trina. I cried that he was not so successful here because of the economic and political climate after the People Power Revolution. I cried over the song about cassette tapes and endless letters. I cried when Trina had to defend her ideals and her decision to stay in spite of her father's request. I cried when Lola Azon died and joined Ninoy and Cory in democratic heaven.

I realized we can all be heroes even if we live for different things and are driven by various desires. Even the most cynical pessimists can help fund and fuel optimism in the country. Heroism is our birthright.

I miss Papa even if I'm now more used to him not being here. He's still my hero.

Read More

Cindy Miranda: Unstoppable in China

Cindy & Ara during their coronation night press con

Ethereal. Evident even during the initial screening, it was inevitable for the gentle and doe-eyed Joana Cindy Miranda to be part of the top 5 in Bb. Pilipinas Gold. 

Prayerful, highly determined, and fueled by the support of her family, friends & fans, Cindy is currently in Xianning, China fighting for her chance in bringing home this year's Miss Tourism Queen International (MTQI) crown.  

Cindy with her parents & her sisters @BPCI

Some stress the fact that she's also a "Joana"..just like Ms. Supranational 2013 Mutya Johanna Datul! Superstitious fans believe this could actually help her bag the MTQI title and do her share in making Bb. Pilipinas Gold's grand slam dream come true.

Cindy & my little sis Aya

Mutya laughs this off saying: "Naku, eh si Cindy nga lang ang nagturo sa kin maging matapang!"  She adds, it's a person's determination and hard work that will make her win. She's confident that if Cindy manages to do and apply everything they've  learned from their training, she will no doubt be crowned  Ms. Tourism Queen International 2013.

Read More

Mutya Datul: Secrets of the Salagubang Walker on the Rise

"Dati sa Isabela, gusto ko lang makarating ng Maynila. Hindi ko akalain na sa pagsakay ko ngayon ng eroplano makaka-labas ako ng bansa..sa Europe pa! With humility, God manages to surprise us by giving us more than what we pray for"

As I'm writing this, Mutya Datul is probably sharing a bit more of Philippine sunshine in cold and intimidating Belarus. Unaffected yet immensely competitive, she's focused on making all of us proud in this year's edition of Ms Supranational with 93 other delegates. She sashays gracefully even in the most uncomfortable outfit; she keeps her answers honest and simple, her smile sweet and genuine. Cheerfully she said she's inspired by the quiet salagubang; and we're all happy with how far she has gone and improved. Not only can she speak Tagalog and English more fluently now, she even managed to learn some Russian phrases!

Here are some tidbits about her (stuff she shared during her send-off party at the airport):

1. Lucky charm- "Rosaries from friends; I can feel their love and support through this."

2. National costume- "It's really unique! It will surprise you all."

3. Her inspiration- the support of her family, friends & fans. "Yung marinig ko lang yun boses nila, nakakatanggal na ng kaba."

4. Gameplan- "I'll enjoy the moment and do my best. Hindi ko na kelangan ng multivitamins; si God ang vitamin ko. Sa kanya walang impossible."

Hopefully the three plane transfers didn't drain her. May God strengthen her to continuously persevere and eventually bring home the crown.

Read More

Cinesthesia: works just like anesthesia in artists' quest to eliminate social cancer

Comfort zones exist to prepare us for greater discomforts in life; a certain level of discontent is essential for society's growth & progress. Yet it takes courage to step out of one's daily routine & explore uncharted seas and some may not be ready.

Most of the time I still get numb & queasy when I watch indi films; they nudge people out of their comfort zones, hoping to awaken positive transformers & philanthropists in their seats.  To achieve this, they tolerate communal meditation, dilly dallying & overt displays of affection..so much so that sometimes watching the characters wallow in pain make me feel guilty.

Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the opportunity to watch several Cinemalaya films this year.

1. Purok 7 by Carlo Obispo

    Diana (Krystle Valentino) and her younger brother (Miggs Cuaderno) hardly look alike, yet their sibling-hood is so realistic it made me wonder how they are related in real life.   Her eyebrows & toothy smile make her even more interesting to watch. It's a feel-good movie that shows how young love can be so uplifting and how the spirit of bayanihan can bring out goodness despite people's flaws.

2. Babagwa (The Spider's Lair) by Jason Paul Laxamana

    Despite having a predictable ending, it's amusing and disturbing at the same time to watch how the characters use and deceive each other.  The sex scenes are quite uncomfortable to watch.  It's cool though how they thoroughly explored the topic and interlaced the fictional/idealized characters into the phone/fb conversations of the real ones.
 
3. Instant Mommy by Leo Abaya

    Eugene Domingo never fails to make me laugh even when she's subtle.

4. Nuwebe

    Watch if you want to groan.  To watch incest & rape unfold is just too much for one night.

5. The Diplomat Hotel

    Watch if you want to groan even more. Reminiscent of grade school indoor horror booths.

6. Quick Change by Eduardo Roy Jr.

    I really love Miggs Cuaderno; he's so cute, he can take on any role.  Their makeup artists are commendable too; even the infection looked real.  All the shots were artistically done & even the bed scenes are interesting to watch. Truly amazing.

7. Sana Dati by Jerrold Tarog

    Tearjerker. The entire cast was superb & I like the ending too.

 I'm really a sucker for good endings..I have trouble with films that leave me hanging. Call me lazy or old fashioned, I don't care.. I want some kind of closure there. Even if its objective is to arouse action for society's reforms, I still feel we deserve to see a good ending.

Read More

Funny how time flies; I can't believe it's been seven years since the last time I was able to attend a Mutya function. It's quite amusing to recall how it started with an ardent desire to gather qualitative data for my thesis.

The suggestion to enter the pageantry came in the form of an innocent UPSA costume fitting in Mama Renee's shop.  Haggard from class, I hitched with my choirmates to have my measurements accurately taken. To my surprise, Mama Renee exclaimed "pwede ka Ineng!" when he found out I had a 24 inch waistline hidden in my baggy clothes. I have to credit Ilang ilang Residence Hall for making me lose so much weight back then due to the limited supply of dorm food.

It's quite embarrassing when people casually blurt out your deepest hidden desires. As a little girl, my mom would tell me it's wrong to expect too much from the world.  It's wrong to think too highly of yourself & it's unwise for young girls to grow their hair long. She said "better study & avoid boys so life would be better when you grow up." She forbid me to join Little Miss Philippines and pursue my dream of becoming like Aiza. Thus, I learned to expect the worst and hope for the best.  I prayed for three meals a day, warm baths at night, and a UP diploma.

Until Mama Renee unleashed the wild dream just like that, like some half-meant joke.

Though it did complicate my life bigtime & I wasn't able to pursue singing with the university choir after that, I'll be eternally grateful.  Mama Renee somehow balanced out my biological mother's precepts so I could be less embarrassed to improve myself and realize my dreams.

This year, I hosted Mutya to express my gratitude to him, my pageant trainor Rodgil Flores, and the institution that allowed me to finish data gathering for my undergrad thesis.

Read More