I judged the Miss Scuba Philippines Pageant! Cebu beauty queens, ocean conservation.
Why am I waving like a beauty queen? Because I was a judge in the 2014 Miss Scuba Philippines contest, held at Pacific Cebu Resort!
Unlike typical pageants, Miss Scuba has the meaningful goal of promoting marine conservation. All the contestants learn to dive, and are questioned on how they’d preserve the ocean ecosystem.
Let me tell you, it was difficult to crown a winner from the 12 contestants. Read on, and I’ll show you what went down at this unique Filipino beauty pageant.
Hong Kong-based hotel group sáv Hospitality hosted Miss Scuba Philippines at Pacific Cebu Resort. Since the resort is right on the water and home to a diving school, it was a perfect fit.
What I Wore: didn’t plan this outfit in advance, but somehow it came together and fit the ocean-theme of the pageant.
Crop top: Show Me Your Mumu Lil Miss Crop Top in teal green (get it on sale, they also have it in black).
Skirt: The bottom half is actually a scarf with a fish-scale pattern, similar to this tie-dye maxi skirt.
Browse more mermaid-styles by clicking the images below:
Princess Jasmine meets The Little Mermaid. The shell hair accessory is a gift from the Nalusuan Island marine sanctuary that we visited.
Before heading to the pageant, I waded in one of the hotel’s three swimming pools. (There’s one just for the diving school — you can see it in this post.)
Spa treatments are available at all hours — the resort can even send a masseuse to your room. But if you’re a DIY type, there is this self foot massage from smooth white rocks.
To get to the pageant, I walked down a jungle path lit up with torches. At the entrance, I posed for photos with the Miss Scuba backdrop, and left a drawing of my Scottish Fold cat.
My film team and I also posed for a nice souvenir: Polaroid photos to take home. (Images in this post by Eric Bergemann and Melissa Rundle.)
I went to my judge’s head table, and found my place card. The other pageant judges included the mayor of Lapu-Lapu, and sáv Hospitality founder/CEO Edwin Chuang.
The sáv team did an impressive job with the stage design, lighting it up in colors with a big screen in the back.
Here come the Miss Scuba contestants! They wear sashes that indicate their hometown in the Philippines. Amazing how they can walk in those heels, and toss their heads just so.
This contest is held in English, since it’s an international pageant (founded in 2011). The winner of this regional round will go onto the Miss Scuba finals in Kota Kinabulu, Malaysia on November 28.
Between the pageant segments, there were singers and performers, such as this happy number by the University of Cebu Dance Company.
So hard to give a score for each lady! There are typical sections like the swimsuit contest, but the most important criteria is how well the contestant advocates for marine conservation.
Pageants are a huge deal in the Philippines, and many young women spend a year in beauty queen training. They learn how to walk, carry themselves well, and speak eloquently — and all of them do their own hair and makeup.
In the Talent contest, their personalities come out. Some danced, some sang, some drew pictures. This contestant did a theatrical monologue, complete with evil queen cackling!
It was fun to get to know these young ladies during my stay in Cebu. I learned a lot about their daily life and pop culture — such as their love of “chika time” or girl chatting, and karaoke. Celine Dion’s “All Coming Back to Me” was stuck in my head because I heard several people bawl it out!
A quick change, for the evening-wear presentation. Everyone wore long, sparkling dresses that reflected the colors of the ocean.
They make it look easy… but the competition takes a lot of dedication. I was impressed by their unshakable poise. (Love this lady’s long blue ball gown — shop more styles like this below.)
Pick an envelope, and it’s time for the question and answer. Since Miss Scuba is a spokesperson for “saving oceans through beauty,” they were quizzed on how they’d educate the public on marine conservation.
Cebu’s “Prince of Ballad” Philip Mancol serenaded all the contestants, while I handed in my final scores to be tallied up.
Congrats to the winners of Miss Congeniality, Miss Photogenic, Bets Evening Gown and Swimsuit. They received a sash and cash prize.
Confetti rained down for Amanda Arbitrario, winner of Miss Scuba 2014! Last year’s winner, Christine Paula Love Bernasor, gives her the tiara, while the mayor of Lapu-Lapu and Edwin cheer.
Amanda stands with Princess and Reygin, the second and first runner-ups. Congratulations to all!
We ended the night with cocktails at the afterparty by the beach. Fireworks exploded above us — I’ve never seen them from so close.
It was an honor to be a judge in Miss Scuba, a beauty pageant with the goals of protecting the planet’s oceans, promoting safe diving practices, and inspiring the next generations.
Above is a selection of brands and styles featured in this post. Select the images for more details, and to shop.
Does this story make you think differently about beauty queens?
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Loved to Death, Oddities San Francisco antiques shop! Traveling to New Orleans.
I’m thrilled to announce my next TV project: I’ll be a guest on the award-winning late night news program, ABC Nightline! We’ll be shooting a segment in San Francisco about concept cafes and J-pop culture. I can’t reveal all the details yet, but I’ll fill you in before the program airs so that you can watch.
And then, I’ll be in the city of vampires and voodoo: New Orleans! Anne Rice’s home has been on my wish list for a long time, and thanks to NOLA Tourism, I’ll be diving deep into the dark culture.
Got New Orleans travel tips? Leave me a comment, and check out my Instagram to see where I end up. (More photos of the above Killstar outfit here.)
Speaking of dark fashion, Black Friday is one of the best times to pick up Goth, rock and edgy clothing at much lower prices. Above are some of my picks (click the black “+” sign in the top right corner to shop the look). These include a black Shakuhachi Tulip Dress and Blade Runner Shirt Dress.
You can also purchase clothing from my own wardrobe — including Japanese street style brands — at discount prices right here.
Since I’m off to San Francisco, it seems fitting to talk about one of my favorite stores in the city: Loved to Death. Like the name implies, this shop is a lovingly curated collection of morbid art and antiques. Expect to see taxidermy mice, baby coffins and other odds and ends.
Perhaps some of you recognize Loved to Death as the site of the TV show, Oddities San Francisco. It’s a spin-off of the Science / Discovery Channel hit series, Oddities New York. Remember when I appeared on the show, and bought a giant deer? (Here’s my Oddities video clip if you missed it.)
It’s easy to recognize the entrance of Loved to Death, from the swirling Gothic swirling sign. (Address: 1681 Haight St, San Francisco, 94117)
The posterboard invites passersby to come in and browse “creepy little things, as seen on Oddities SF.” (This show is sadly no longer running, but you can watch past episodes here.)
The store window features a two-headed skeleton, which you may have seen on the TV show .
When you enter, look up. There’s a Medusa chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Our friend Trevor put us in touch with Loved to Death owner, Audra Kunkle. She opened this store to share her love of dark, eccentric antiques.
Photography is usually forbidden in Loved to Death, but Audra kindly let us take photos, so that I can share this story with you.
The small store was packed with shoppers. Many are fans of Oddities, and make pilgrimages to San Francisco to see the staff and take home souvenirs like stuffed bats.
No animals were harmed in the making of my tiger-paw scarf (you can get a tiger scarf here). Behind me, there’s a devilish selection of horror art, preserved animals, skeletons and antique teapots.
Not sure if these animals come with the Goth-Rococo black chandelier!
We loved meeting the staff, and chatting about their favorite creepy items.
I’m impressed by the number of rare items. These brown poison jugs are from the 1940s.
Here’s a hat fit for a Civil War military drummer boy, or a pirate in training.
Glass absinthe drips, vintage ouija boards, and skulls intricately carved with floral designs. This is my type of Goth home decor.
This is also a fun place to people-watch, and meet fellow spooks. Outside, we ran into these two ladies in beautiful sugar skull fairy makeup.
It goes without saying, we loved Loved to Death! If you aren’t familiar with this TV show (I appeared in the NY edition), you can watch Oddities NY here.
Loved to Death is on Haight Street, one of my favorite shopping areas in San Francisco. For more tips, check out my guide to SF shopping — including New People World Lolita dresses, future-tribe fashion, and hippie hangouts.
If you could take home one item from the Oddities San Fran shop, what would it be? Don’t forget to let me know your New Orleans, Louisiana suggestions and check out the Black Friday sales!
LA CARMINA
