A Different Miss Asia Pacific International This Year

 

Certainly, this year's Miss Asia Pacific International pageant felt so different. Last October 8th, Cebu Coliseum became the venue for the crowning of this year's queen, Isabela Fernandes of Brazil. Her advocacy on education and sustainability proved to be a huge factor in her gaining the crown. 

1st Runner Up went to the Philippines very own Anita Rose Gomez while 2nd, 3rd and 4th Runner Up posts went to Bowomrat Maneerat of Thailand, Jana Jannsens of Belgium and Delilah Almira Wildboer of the Netherlands. These ladies showcased not just their culture, but the individual causes they support in line with their own stories and the event's theme #HERStoryAblaze. These ladies also competed for their National Costume, Swimsuit and Evening Gowns. The special awards went to Bowomorat Maneerat representing Thailand for the National Costume, Anita Rose Gomez of the Philippines for the Best in Swimsuit and Isabela Fernandes of Brazil for the Evening Gown. They gave the Miss Photogenic award to Danube Kangjam of India and the Peoples Choice to UK's Anne Gomes.

This year also marks a new set of women representing the best of the regions, they're named Continental Queens. For the Americas, Michelle Whilar Lazarte of Peru won it. For Asia Aisyah Amini of Indonesia got it. For Europe Delilah Elmira Wildeboer of the Netherlands got the crown. For Africa, it went to South Africa's Bejandri Lourens while for Oceania was awarded to New Zealand's Hannah Leigh Cross. 

A Heartfelt Advocacy

All 43 delegates have experienced the 6.9 magnitude earthquake in the province of Cebu (Bogo City). Instead of the usual fanfare, the queens took part in relief efforts and took to streets and shelters, joined several partner NGO's, private entities to make sure they got to comfort those ravaged by the calamity. They were also in the Operation Smile gala when it happened, and it was heartwarming to see them helping during that time. They're definitely beauty queens with compassion, took their gloves off and cared for those in need. That made it all different this year, the pageant had lux and elegance, but it was being human that mattered most. Seeing that was certainly precious!

GARY V Ready to INSPIRE on his US Tour!

There's no stopping Gary Valenciano as he takes on his "Gary V Inspired US Tour 2025" forward this month. After finishing his judge duties in the recent IDOL Kids season, he's ready to take the experience in 5 US cities particularly Temecula Pechanga on October 12th, Cache Creek Resort on the 17th, Cypress Texas CFSID Visual Performing Arts Center on the 19th, Hilton Hawaiian Village on the 26th in Honolulu, and Dale Halton Theater in Charlotte NC on November 2nd, a really hectic month for Mr. Pure Energy. 

He's already done sold out concerts in New Zealand, several cities in Australia, and he's taking the inspirational music in other countries toon. Mind you, he's been in the industry for a little over 40 years and people continue to love his songs, its message and how exciting it is to see him perform on stage.

 

Philippine Airlines has been flying him non stop to these destinations and fans are expected to flock down these venues as tickets become sold out quite early. If you want to be part of it, take the trip down memory lane and visit his website garyv.com/tour to know more about his performances. He's as excited as you are because he wants to reconnect with those who are in the US, and honestly I've seen him perform at a recent event, he's just on a different level!

Take the chance to see him now!

Baron and Jake Star in Netflix's DELIVERY RIDER!

When you're tired and hungry from work or have an online shopping order coming from Timbuktu, you only have one man for the job, the DELIVERY RIDER. This is the same title of a new action drama movie starring Baron Geisler, Euwenn Mikaell and Jake Cuenca. They held a press conference for it a few days ago in Dean and Deluca in Quezon City so we had the pleasure of talking with the cast and its director Lester Pimentel Ong. For those who don't know, he's the same guy who did hit series Incognito. This just means we're going to have a lot of expectations which I'm quite sure he'll deliver because he's that good. 

Baron plays a man in the autism spectrum, brought up and trained with martial arts, whilst having innate fighting skills. He also wishes for independence and inclusion just like those in his condition, in hopes to stay away from usual stereotypes. He says "This is sort of a gift for those who are under the spectrum, made meticulously for their parents and those who love them. Santo is certainly mad at the world he lives in but always seem to be kind. This is his strength and you'll see that in every delivery he does in the film."

Playing the role of his son is Euwenn Mikaell, who's had a fruitful 2023 when he won Best Child Actor at MMFF. Jake Cuenca on the other hand will play a gang leader's son. He says "I immediately said yes to this project because it was an opportunity to work with a talented actor Baron and one of my favorite directors Direk Lester. When we finished filming, we had a sense of respect with each other's work especially since we had a ringside experience where we spent most of the day talking with each other." 

He's certainly excited to see this on the platform and shares you should be too because they are also doing this with Jennica Garcia, Malou De Guzman, Soliman Cruz, Joem Bascon, Richard Quan and JC Alcantara who's got real skills when it comes to these type of shows. Make sure you subscribe!

iStudio Plus Starts Coffee Sessions: More Products In Store!

Just attended the coffee session of iStudio Plus at their 3rd Floor Gateway Mall branch in Quezon City. It's a venue to collaborate, talk amongst tech brands at their space in the mall. For starters, we got to know the folks from Insta360 and Ecoflow power stations (under Enabled). We also talked to the folks from DIVOOM speakers. 

 

EcoFlow is the number one power station brand in the world. They are tech driven and eco friendly made for individuals, family and those who need them. They are present in tech conventions around the world and has impressed award giving bodies for design and tech. Their prime products include the EcoFlow River 3, which is a ups and takes an hour to charge. It's also waterproof and very compact, perfect for travels. They are 30 percent smaller than competitors. They also have River 3 Max Plus which can be stacked, if you need double the capacity then this is perfect for you because it is modular. They also have the bigger EcoFlow DELTA 3 Series, a bit bigger and has bigger output of 1800W. Products cost 35-69K. They have bigger ones for homes that have 4000W. It can also be expanded, best for homes if you want something off the grid. They also have the EcoFlow Trail 300+ to launch in the PH soon (November), which you can use in camping trips. Costs 10-15K.

The best 360 camera in the world is also available in iStudio Plus, the Insta360. It's got all day and all night angles, very good in low light. It has enhanced replaceable lenses, can do 8K videos, 208 minute battery life, waterproof at 15m. The Ace Pro 2 on the other hand has AI capability, better quality videos and can be used for filming. It's more of an action camera than a vlogging one. The battery also lasts 180mins but can be charged fast. Their flagship camera is the Insta360 GO ULTRA. It's got Ultra HD videos for day and night shots, magnetic mounts, longer battery life at 200 minutes, do underwater shots, and fast charging for 12 minutes. It also has AI editing and cloud so you can edit while traveling. Even if you are not a pro it can do the legwork and make it for you. They also have the devices packaged for creators with sticks and mounts for motorcycles too.

Divoom speakers are quite different because it's made with art and pixels in mind. Their newest one is the Times Frame, a digital picture frame that also displays video done through the Divoom app. It also has clocks, widgets, customized edge lights so it can be the star of your show (in the bedroom or elsewhere). They also have retro speakers like the Ditoo 5M which can be displayed with pixel art. It also has Karaoke mode so you can take it out on parties. If you want something cute, the Dipow 65 would fit you, it has an LED screen and can stand like a character, or the DIPOW 35 if you want something smaller that you can attach to a phone or power plug. They also have a Times Gate model which has a larger display, something fancy for rooms or decor. They have the very popular Cyberbag that has displays on the back, I've seen that in motorcyclists. It's super cool! If you want something smaller, they also have the Cyberbag M or the Pixoo Sling Bags that you can pair with your phone app and use for display. The Spark Pro on the other hand can be the Karaoke arsenal to have, it's got superb audio and very portable. If you need something smaller,  they have the Fairy or Spark Pop (which I personally use in the shower to enjoy hours of music!).

Here's a tour of the place, enjoy! 

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Now if you need Apple or non Apple products, you can go to iStudio Plus branches near you. You can also inquire on their Facebook page if you need more information about these devices too.