• In a sea of beautiful women from different parts of the globe that shall set foot in China, what would make you stand out?
I believe my personality, background training, and traveling experience will make me stand out amongst the beautiful women that will be with me in the competition. With my friends I am definitely known for having a very bubbly and energetic personality and have been told countless numbers of times that I'm the life of the party.
My background includes a fairly wide variety of things. I have had years of training in dancing jazz, ballet, hip hop, tap, playing the piano, competed in latin ballroom, in tennis and swimming and I am a black belt in tae kwon do with a mastery of double nun-chucks. I was also asked to become part of the National Association of Collegiate Scholars in the United States under the University of California San Diego for having high academic honors. For the past two years I have been a TV host, actress, singer and dancer for one of the top two rating TV networks in the Philippines.
After winning Miss Philippines International this past March, I was asked be the famous international award winning balladeer singer Julio Iglesias to join him as a special guest on his world tour to sing and dance. Together we traveled to different parts of Australia, Malaysia, Japan, Hawaii, Canada, California, Florida, New York, Indiana, and the Caribbean. I learned and grew so much as a person during the time I was with him.
• If you could trade places with any other famous person for a week, real or fictional, with whom would it be & why?
There are definitely many famous people of whose lives I would be interested in experiencing for a week, but since you include the option of fictional I'd have to say I would love to experience being wonder woman for a week. Having the ability to fly, have the extraordinary ability to save people in a way human ability can not, and look beautiful and sexy while doing it…..count me in! haha!
• What is your worst quality?
What might be my worst quality may very well also be one of my good qualities. I tend to want many things at once. When saying this I mean I don't like to settle. For example, if I have a million dreams, I want to make them all come true. Sometimes this can be a bad thing because I can become lost on what I should focus on first and because I don't enjoy every achievement to the fullest because I'm already thinking of all the other things I want to achieve. But in the end I wouldn't change this quality because it keeps me motivated and challenged, and I love that feeling.
• Describe your fashion sense & style.
Over the years my style has changed a countless number of times. From cutesy girl, to sporty, to sexy, to conservative, to rockish, and lord knows what else in-between. Now I guess I'd describe my fashion sense and style as "sexy with class". I like to show off my natural curves and have a little sex appeal with my outfit, but not overdo it. Enough to be flirty, but also remain respectable and sophisticated.
• What's inside your bag right now?
Right now my purse has these things inside it: my iphone, a coin purse/ I.D. holder from Thailand, cash, lipstick and lipgloss, eye drops, a hair tie, and a sheet of paper with notes of things I am studying.
• Any beauty secrets that you would like to share the readers of Missosology?
I'm sure people have already heard most of these beauty secrets but here are some that I keep in mind when caring for my body.
1. Getting regular facials really does help keep your skin looking young and healthy aside from washing it every night.
2. You shouldn't shampoo your hair everyday because the chemicals can be more damaging than helpful.
3. Keeping your finger and toe nails maintained shouldn't be forgotten.
4. Up to last week I would have said also put lotion on your body right after getting out of the shower. However, recently I have discovered something much better for your skin than lotion…but that's a secret! maybe I'll reveal it after the pageant
5. Lastly, enjoying life, keeping a positive attitude, and being confident are all extremely important factors in being beautiful. This creates a beautiful aura about you that not only others can not ignore, but will you keep you happy and young in spirit forever.
• Who are your favorite beauty queens?
I respect many beauty queens, but if I had to pick a favorite I would have to say Melanie Marquez, Miss international 1979. A large part of why I single her out has to do with the fact that I know her personally and I know many of her personal fights. After hearing her share her life stories I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, this woman is AMAZING." Despite some people seeing her having a different image than the traditional beauty queen because of the classic lines she has said, she is unbelievably wise, strong, and loving. I truly admire and look up to her. Oh, and also because I too have been called "long legged".
• Just a few weeks left and you'll be flown to China to represent all that is beautiful & right in your nation. Known to many, you were chosen by Julio Iglesias to be a part of his world tour. Despite the hectic schedule, how have you been preparing for the Miss International contest.
While I was on tour some of my preparations included the following: I brought DVDs of past Miss International pageants on my tour and would watch, study, and take notes on them. I also had a couple makeup and hair training sessions with my friend Marlou Colina in California along with a couple photo shoots during my down time of the tour. I would take time to look up magazines articles and other information online concerning China to become more familiar with their country and the many contributions they are making to the world. Very importantly, aside from working out I started eating healthier as before the Miss Philippines pageant last March my diet got a bit out of hand from my feeling so pressured to have a certain waistline.
Since I have been back in the Philippines from tour my preparation has included the following: I have been training with BPCI, learning basic Chinese, more in-depth information about Chinese culture, studying in depth all of the Chinese-Philippines relations there are, working out everyday, practicing for the Q & A portion, meeting with former BB Pilipinas Internaitonal winners, and more.
Aside from those things, what I believe was the best training I could ever dream of having was traveling, seeing different parts of the world, experiencing different cultures, meeting such a wide range of people, and having such an intelligent man, Julio Iglesias, as my friend and mentor throughout it all. The knowledge this man has about the world is unbelievable. Our countless number of long talks on his plane and at the dinner table not only taught me about everything we were experiencing and all the places we went, but he put so much drive in me and made me truly believe I could make all of my dreams come true with hard work and determination. I love him for that.
