took a shot of the gorgeous stage set-up while waiting for the show to begin
encased crown replica. ooh la la
press box pass
with the super stunning Kookie Buhain!
gorgeous Cebuana socialites Tess Schaap, Bee Urgello and Mrs. Queenie Ammann
My dates for the night! My Manila friends Neil de Arroz and Taylor Bonostro both in blue
All the candidates during their opening presentation. Taray!
Vanessa's swimsuit segment. I loved the artistic direction of this.
Beautiful Ms. Sheila Paul of TV5 in her embellished gown
Yours truly in a vintage tapestry sheath dress, SM Accessories faux-croc minaudierre, Nava belt, VNC heels and Forever21 gold choker
Despite always feeling like 24 hours is NEVER enough when I'm in Manila, I always manage to bring home wonderful memories with me. Everything and everyone is on the pulse and moving in the big city, and while that may not sound like an ideal idyllic vacation, I always thrive and look forward to my short escapes to Manila.
I luckily got to spend a blissful 48 hours in the city last June 23-25 (late post, I know!) after being picked by TV5 Philippines to be one of their regional blogger correspondents for the Miss World Philippines 2012 competition. To say that I'm grateful for the experience is an understatement--we were housed in style (at Sofitel courtesy of Agoda.com, no less), and on the whole, TV5 spared no expense or effort to ensure that we were taken care of properly from the moment we arrived.
One major highlight of this trip was witnessing firsthand this year's MWPh Pageant and Coronation Night. Set in the legendary Manila Hotel, which has served foreign and local emissaries and other important figures for over 100 years, the pageant was an intimate affair. Since I haven't made an actual Celdran-ish tour around Old Manila, having visited Manila Hotel for the first time was special to me.
Though there was a slight delay at the start, the pageant went through flawlessly. The stage was artfully done, production numbers carefully orchestrated, and costumes were fantastic as well. I saw as other candidates were clear standouts on the onset, among which include Cebu's Vanessa Claudine Ammann. She held her own amidst a sea of cookie-cutter pageant beauties and eventually emerged as not only 2nd Princess but one of this pageant's most memorable beauties.
With a truly engaging program and with my wisecracking friend Taylor making nearly drunk jokes, I had a great time.
Thank you once again to TV5 Philippines and Agoda.com for this experience!
