I wonder so I wander: My Miss Tuburan 2014 Experience

Hi! After the long hold up because of important things that needed my attention, I'll be writing more about the first and (most possibly) only beauty pageant that I joined. Read Beauty that Moves You: On Joining A Beauty Pageant first, if you haven't yet.

I used to believe that preparing for a beauty pageant was a breeze. I mean, they made it look so effortless on stage, so I thought it only took smiling, not tripping on high heels, and waving. Easy peasy... wrong. Little did I know that a two-hour long beauty pageant could take at least around two months of preparation.Suffice to say that I would take the task of suctioning a patient every 30 minutes in an 8-hour shift than duck walk and dance on four-inch high heels for four hours straight any day. Maybe it was not that bad for other ladies, but it was definitely not a cup of tea for everyone's abilities. Exhibit A, myself. Still, since my word was my bond, I did not quit. I had to double my efforts to learn how to dance gracefully with stilettos, smile as if my feet didn't hurt, and project as much as I could.

This is the part where I describe the pageant proper. However, everything felt like a dream. The lights, the people, every detail that night was surreal to me. So for the rest of this blog post, I'll let the photos and my captions do the talking instead of the usual paragraphs.

Presentation of Candidates on the 4th of June 2014

During this event, we had a three-minute dance number in front of the townspeople. All I had in my mind during those three minutes was "don't trip! don't trip! DON'T TRRRIIIPPP!!!"

There were eleven candidates of Miss Tuburan 2014 (all wearing the skimpy blue dress), seen here with the 2014 Festival Queen

These girls were all nice, sexy and pretty. It was no surprise that they were heartthrobs in their schools and cliques. Nobody had the cut throat competitive vibes so it was fun getting to know them.

Miss Tuburan 2014 Pageant Night on the 11th of June 2014

The pageant was the highlight of Tuburan's festivities for the annual fiesta of San Antonio de Padua. It was a comeback from the four-year hiatus of the pageant and the organizers wanted it to be excellently executed from the planning stage down to the execution. I would have to give my virtual applause and shout out to everyone who organized the pageant because as one of the candidates, I felt well taken care of; everything was sponsored and all I had to do was come on time for practices and do what I could to perform to the best of my ability.

The Opening Salvo: Welcome to the Celebration

The opening salvo was a carnival-inspired dance number. We had red skimpy dresses this time and huge head dresses. It was overwhelming to have that "this is it!" moment, with the blinding spotlight and deafening cheers from the crowd.

Dena Mae Amor Naingue Desabille from Poblacion Barangay Dos!

Swimsuit Competition

I emphasized earlier that I had no experience with beauty pageants, right. Aside from that, I never tried wearing a two-piece swimsuit prior to this pageant (well, OK, prior to the pictorial for the pageant). My reasons for not doing so included feeling really awkward and vulnerable with being almost naked, beach or not. So, yeah, parading on-stage with swimsuit was indeed pushing the limit for me. *pats self on the back*

For the swimsuit competition, one had to establish the 'S' pose to emphasize the curves of the body, stand confidently to add the illusion of height, and most importantly, suck in one's tummy while trying to maintain breathing.

The one in the pictorial was technically a monokini. All the same, I have never worn a swimsuit since I entered adolescence.

Long Gown Competition

The evening gowns by Roy Erwin Tizon that we wore that night were all lovely! I'm amazed at the speed of changing clothes at the backstage of a beauty pageant. One moment you're in a swimsuit, the next you're in an evening gown with a different hairstyle to boot.

Photo with some of the fabulous makeup artists and hairstylists of the Makeup Artists Association of Cebu. They were really professional with handling the candidates and when they worked on my face, I felt that they knew well what they were doing.

Question and Answer Portion

Unlike most beauty pageants, Miss Tuburan 2014 had two Q & A segments. The first one was the preliminary interview to select the top 5 and the second one was for the selection of winners. The scoring system was cumulative (scores were not reset back to zero for the top five) all throughout the pageant.

Miss Tuburan 2014's Top 5 (L-R): Mary Bay Maxilom, Christel Diamante, Monique Acha, Ethel Abellanosa, and Dena Mae Amor Desabille

While waiting to be called for the Q&A. I remember telling myself this; "smile lang, Dena, try not to cough" --I had acute bronchitis during the pageant night.

I'm tempted to write that I was singing when this photo was taken. Haha. Nah, this was during the Q&A. Smiling while formulating an answer in your head? Challenge completed.

In the top 5, it is important for me to note that all the other four candidates bagged multiple special awards. They were all stunning that night! As for me, I had to think of my "edge" from them. When the pageant night started, I told myself that since I already agreed to do this, I might as well do my best to win. I knew that in terms of physical beauty, I wasn't much of a standout. I had to "bring out the big guns" and hopefully outwit the rest of the candidates during the Q&A. Fortunately, my panicky self did not take over and I was able to answer two questions about the importance of education in my life. Below is the transcript of the second round of Q&A:

Question (from Jonas Borces): "What is the significance of education in your life?"

My Answer: "For more than one and a half decades now, education has been a very important part of my life. As you can see, it has honed me to become a better person with the right knowledge, good heart and hands to help others. Also, my heart has been used to inspire others and my mind to instill wisdom for the future generation. That would be all, thank you."

And the winner is...

I joined the pageant all for fun, without any expectation whatsoever. It's what my "yes year" is all about, after all. Imagine my surprise when the winners were announced.

While waiting for the announcement of the winner. Smile and project but deep inside: "AAAHHH!!! Is this happening for real?!"

Ethel Abellanosa won the title. I would have to say that the win was well-deserved :-) She was Best in Swimsuit, was a 5'8" stunner, and had extensive experience with beauty pageants.