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Ms. Philippines Finishes Fourth

Image from GlobalBeauties.com

Congratulations, Shamcey Supsup for doing a great job in representing our country and finishing 4th in the recently concluded Miss Universe 2011!

 

If I had to change my religious beliefs, I would not marry the person that I love because the first person that I love is God, who created me. And I have my faith and my priniciples. And this is what makes me who I am. And if that person loves me, [he] should love my God too.

Shamcey Supsup
Miss Universe 2011 3rd Runner-Up

She was asked the most challenging and most controversial question and I think she nailed it by answering it honestly and with conviction. She truly stood up for what she believed in. Besides, she is the only candidate among the five finalists who didn't need an interpreter to express herself. Although she did not bag the most coveted title, it's heart-warming to know that there are people from all over the world who support her and think that she should have been Miss Universe 2011.

I don't know if it's true, but there's news circulating in the internet claiming that even Oprah Winfrey thinks she should have won saying,

I have reservations with the results. If the only basis is the Q and A portion. After having been trimmed down to 5, Ms. Philippines deserved to win. What made her different from the rest is that she had no seconds to rethink of her answer as she had no interpreter to break the ice. The rest had their interpreters and having breaks on seconds to think about their answers. Hands down, Ms. Philippines answered straight to the point.

I tried looking for reputable sources, but I couldn't find one.

Enjoy the rest of the day, guys!

Brazil in my mind...

Not Funny, Willie

I'm at a loss for words. I feel sorry for the kid. First of all, I believe the tita or the guardian of the kid should've done something to save the kid from humiliation and abuse. I hope the parents of the kid take action.

I abhor Willie Revillame. I don't understand why he keeps on getting away with his arrogance and with the way he debases people. Now that a 6-year-old becomes the victim of Willie's offensive acts, someone must take action. And fast. Willie just won't stop.

 

Kaleidoscope World

Had I not seen the Francis Magalona Tribute in Eat Bulaga, I wouldn't have realized that it has been two years since Francis Magalona passed away. Seeing how strong and intact the Magalona family is even after the head of the family's demise is a quality that all families can emulate.

I leave with you my favorite Francis M. song, "Kaleidoscope World."

 

So many faces, so many races
Different voices, different choices
Some are mad, while others laugh
Some live alone with no better half
Others grieve while others curse
And others mourn behind a big black hearse
Some are pure and some half-bred
Some are sober and some are wasted
Some are rich because of fate and
Some are poor with no food on their plate
Some stand out while others blend
Some are fat and stout while some are thin
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most

Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world

Some are great and some are few
Others lie while some tell the truth
Some say poems and some do sing
Others sing through their guitar strings
Some know it all while some act dumb
Let the bassline strum to the bang of the drum
Some can swim while some will sink
And some will find their minds and think
Others walk while others run
You can't talk peace and have a gun
Some are hurt and start to cry
Don't ask me how don't ask me why
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most

Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world 

Skarlet at Boy Katindig Jazz Café

Lately, I've been tagging along with my parents when they go out and have some drinks and listen to live bands. That's how my social life has been the past few days. Hehehe! It can be fun. I just enjoy the free food and drinks! 

Our latest night out was at the opening of Boy Katindig's Jazz Café. We went there in support of my parents' friend Skarlet who was a guest singer that night. She's the front woman of the popular 90's band Put3ska which was known for their song "Manila Girl."

Fortunately I had camera with me. I didn't miss the opportunity to take some pictures of the well-applauded Skarlet.

Click here for more pictures.

Question of The Day: Who was the first musician you saw live?

This is really interesting! And my answer says so much about me being an old soul. As far as I know, the first musician I saw live was Barry Manilow! Hehehehe!

My mom is a fanilow so when she learned that Barry Manilow was going to perform live in Manila, she didn't think twice about getting tickets. She got really good seats for her and dad.

At the day of the concert, she learned that my uncle and aunt were supposed to go too, but had to cancel. So they decided to give us the tickets. My parents had better seats, though. It was my first time to watch a concert and I really didn't get the idea. I was a grade schooler back then. I was annoyed with the people standing on their seats and screaming. I was covering my ears for the whole duration of the concert! Had I known that I would also be a fanilow later on in life, I would've swapped seats with my dad! During the intermission, my mom checked up on us and she found me silly for covering my ears. I'm sure they still remember the story until now.

Bow,

Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing everyone a great year filled with love!

As the new year of the Chinese calendar enters, allow me to share with you the pictures I took during our household's celebration of New Year last January. Hehehe! Shame on me for neglecting to post them on time.

Since we don't have relatives coming to our house during New Year's Eve, we decided to just eat out and join in the official countdown of Quezon City at Eastwood City, Libis. We had dinner at Momo Café as we watched the performances of Kyla, Jett Pangan and The Dawn, and Arnel Pineda of Journey, among others.

Here are the pictures I took of the artists:

And what is a countdown without fireworks to welcome the new year? I still have to learn the art of taking photos of fireworks. Nevertheless, here are the pictures:

  

After going through a month and a half of 2010, I do feel the need start over. May this inspire us to start with a clean slate and push ourselves to do better. There's no turning back.

Click here to see more pictures.

 

Chris Tiu Meet-and-Greet

As a photography enthusiast, I am not really adept at covering events. I am more comfortable taking shots of still objects, capturing scenic views and doing portraiture. Ironically, I've been shooting quite a number of events lately from family affairs to feeding programs, and now, a basketball star's meet-and-greet.

Here it is, my friends. It's the Chris Tiu meet-and-greet-slash-one-day basketball clinic. Just a backgrounder, the winners of a Fanatxt promo were given the opportunity to meet Chris Tiu in person and he taught them basketball basics. Again, I would like to extend a big thank you to Frances for inviting me to do this.

I've learned a lot photography-wise. First, I learned to respect paparazzi and sports photographers even more! To begin with, it is a major workout to lug around camera equipment needed for the job. One of the lenses I used looked like it was ready to shoot ... to kill. Hehehehe! Plus, it is an extreme challenge to capture decent stills of fast moving people. I also found it difficult to take pictures because of the low-light condition. Honestly, I was expecting gym lights to be favorable, but it turns out they weren't. Since I'm not a professional, I had to experiment with the aperture and shutter speed to produce the right exposure. But in the end, I think I did more work with PhotoShop! Hahahaha!

What I really enjoyed about this is I got to feel what it's like to be one of the press. It's pretty cool! If I'm not mistaken, I was the only "professional-looking" person taking photos. The others were understandably video taping the event. I was the official photographer for the day, and it was a BIG responsibility. I hope I did it satisfactorily.

I know you didn't click on this page to read about my experience. You're just here for the pictures, right? Hehehe! So, let me just give you the rest of the set. But first, allow me to share my souvenir photo with Chris Tiu:

Click here here to view the complete set.

I might as well plug: