Stars auction luxury goods for #TyphoonHaiyan victims

It’s a meaningful weekend. Everyone I know is either donating, praying, and volunteering in relief efforts for typhoon Haiyan victims in Tacloban and other ravaged areas. If you find yourself in Manila this weekend, check out the fund-raising bazaars or yard sales that a few celebrities are holding in their neighborhood. A few of the auctions can also be found online.

The husband-and-wife team of Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez are now holding an auction through the Facebook page /RVFriendsOfficial. Some of the items up for bidding are watches, shoes, clothes and the luxury bags of Asia’s songbird which include such brands as Hermes, Celine, LV, and Balenciaga.

regine

Dr. Vicki Belo chose to hold an auction in her Instagram account @victoria_belo. Put on sale were some of her hardly-used Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags, with starting bids from P5,000 to P20,000.

Belo bags

But for those who failed to join the Instagram auction, visit the Belo Clinic at the Greenbelt Residences tomorrow, from 3 to 7pm, for some more stuff donated by the stars in a charity bazaar.

Look out for Jennylyn Mercado’s Prada sling bag and Balenciaga belt.

Jennylyn Mercado

Grace Lee’s clothes, and Derek Ramsay’s polo shirts -

derek ramsay's shirts

For those who have the budget, Red Cross ambassador Angel Locsin donated a vintage 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle V8 and those interested to buy may contact Sagip Kapamilya at 411.4995. Car will go to the highest bidder.

1970 Chevy

Here are the other garage sales happening in the metro this weekend:

via @stephaniezubiri and @xandrarocha. RTW clothes, gowns, bags, shoes and other items will be out on sale here

SanLo sale

Ukay Alalay featuring the accessories of Anne and Jasmine Curtis Smith -

Ukay Alalay

#missuniverse2013 fails to answer the question…and wins!

Congratulations are in order for the Philippines’ very own Ariella Arida for winning 3rd runner-up in the Miss Universe 2013 pageant. It’s quite a feat to be the only Asian in the Top 5, and fourth year in a row that we’ve done it.

Ariella placed first in the swimsuit competition but unfortunately it seems her tacky evening gown did her in. Ara did her best to carry it, but the color and the material was far from queenly. We would have thought it came straight out of the bargain racks of Divisoria.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/MissAArida)

Ariella gown

In the Question and Answer portion, all the other four finalists (Ecuador, Spain, Brazil and Venezuela) needed interpreters. Either the judges weren’t sharp enough or there’s simply too much politics in Miss Universe. But Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler totally missed the answer to her question.

Q. What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it?

A. We should overcome all our fears and this in turn would make us stronger. As soon as we overcome our fears, we can face any challenge.

Huh?

It pays that the new Miss Universe 2013 has the biggest smile and the widest mouth this side of the Amazon River. Maybe Donald Trump likes it that way. Congratulations are still in order and we wish her a fruitful reign!

(Photo courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/MissUniverse)

Miss Universe 2013

P. S.

It remains that Ariella Arida had the best answer in the field of four other Spanish-speaking candidates. But it’s apparent from this experience that being able to think well on the spot isn’t enough.

Asked about “What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their career around the world? “…

Miss Philippines answered: “For the people who have lack of jobs, I do believe that we people should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy, because we all know that if everyone of us is educated and well aware of what we are doing, we could land into jobs and we could land a good career in the future. Education is the primary source and ticket to a better future.”

#missuniverse2013 fails to answer the question…and wins!

Congratulations are in order for the Philippines’ very own Ariella Arida for winning 3rd runner-up in the Miss Universe 2013 pageant. It’s quite a feat to be the only Asian in the Top 5, and fourth year in a row that we’ve done it.

Ariella placed first in the swimsuit competition but unfortunately it seems her tacky evening gown did her in. Ara did her best to carry it, but the color and the material was far from queenly. We would have thought it came straight out of the bargain racks of Divisoria.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/MissAArida)

Ariella gown

In the Question and Answer portion, all the other four finalists (Ecuador, Spain, Brazil and Venezuela) needed interpreters. Either the judges weren’t sharp enough or there’s simply too much politics in Miss Universe. But Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler totally missed the answer to her question.

Q. What is your biggest fear and how do you plan to overcome it?

A. We should overcome all our fears and this in turn would make us stronger. As soon as we overcome our fears, we can face any challenge.

Huh?

It pays that the new Miss Universe 2013 has the biggest smile and the widest mouth this side of the Amazon River. Maybe Donald Trump likes it that way. Congratulations are still in order and we wish her a fruitful reign!

(Photo courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/MissUniverse)

Miss Universe 2013

P. S.

It remains that Ariella Arida had the best answer in the field of four other Spanish-speaking candidates. But it’s apparent from this experience that being able to think well on the spot isn’t enough.

Asked about “What can be done about the lack of jobs for young people starting their career around the world? “…

Miss Philippines answered: “For the people who have lack of jobs, I do believe that we people should invest in education and that is my primary advocacy, because we all know that if everyone of us is educated and well aware of what we are doing, we could land into jobs and we could land a good career in the future. Education is the primary source and ticket to a better future.”

Miss Universe 2013: PHL in beauty grand slam?

And the answer is: we can hope! :)

After the coronation of Mutya Johanna Datul as Miss Supranational 2013 in Belarus, Megan Young as Miss World 2013 in Bali, the pressure is high on the chemist-beauty queen from the province of Laguna, Ariella Arida to bag the Miss Universe crown, something which has eluded the Philippines since 1973.

Reports state that Ariella is a top favorite in a field of 86 equally beautiful candidates from all over the world, and we wish her luck! The live telecast of Miss Universe 2013 from Crocus City Hall in Moscow happens in a few hours!

Beauty Grandslam

My beauty watching friends say the Question and Answer portion of the pageant will be very crucial. I retrieved Ariella’s answer in the Bb. Pilipinas 2013 Q & A and contrary to what some people say, it wasn’t bad at all. I am sure she will do better in Miss Universe 2013 because she had ample time to train for it.

Prior to winning Bb. Pilipinas Universe, Ariella or Ara was a contestant to Binibining Laguna and Miss Philippines Earth 2012. Her parents are both public school teachers and she graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines Los Banos.

We caught Ara during a crying moment with her mom after the winners were announced in the Bb. Pilipinas 2013 pageant.

arielle arida with mom

Miss Universe 2013: our Top 5

Avid beauty watchers can’t wait for the wee hours of Sunday, November 9 (about 2am) when Miss Universe 2013 will be telecast live from Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia. I won’t be up so early to watch the pageant so I will probably just wake up to announcements in my social media feeds about who the winner is :)

The good news is that the Philippines’ very own Ariella Arida is emerging to be a heavy favorite in the world’s most prestigious beauty tilt, even winning the title Ice Princess in a pre-pageant contest. The pressure is up because Venus Raj in 2010, Shamcey Supsup in 2011 and Janine Tugonon in 2012 all landed in the Miss Universe Top 5 and won runners-up titles. So let us wear our colors proud Team Philippines and vote for Ariella using this link

Ariella - Miss Universe 2013

Remember, we also predicted Olivia Culpo to win Miss U 2012 in our fearless forecast here . Here’s our Top 5 bets for Miss Universe 2013: (all photos courtesy of the official pageant site at www.missuniverse.com)

1. Bb. Pilipinas Ariella Arida – for patriotic reasons and because her beauty can stand out with the rest of the 85 world-class contestants ;)

2. Miss USA Erin Brady of Connecticut

Miss USA - Miss Universe 2013

3. Miss Spain Patricia Yurena Rodriguez

Miss Spain - Miss Universe 2013

4. Miss France Hinarani de Longeaux

Miss France - Miss Universe 2013

5. Miss Puerto Rico Monic Perez

Miss Puerto Rico - Miss Universe 2013

The rest of our Magic 14:

6. Miss Colombia Lucia Aldana

7. Miss Dominican Republic Yaritza Reyes

8. Miss Venezuela Gabriel Isler

9. Miss Croatia Melita Fabecic

10. Miss Poland Paulina Kropinska

11. Miss Israel Titi Yitayish

12. Miss Czech Republic Gabriela Kratochvilova

13. Miss Panama Carolina Brid

14. Miss Australia Olivia Wells