I guess everyone knows by now that Miss Philippines was crowned Miss World 2013 at the recent competition held in Indonesia – the first time ever for a representative from that country (even though two others had won the Miss Universe pageant before) and the first ASEAN beauty queen to bring home the coveted title.
I love the Philippines, the beautiful and friendly people…and I love how talented these musically-inclined people are and that was why I was following every round in the Voice Philippines 2013 that had just ended. Here in this video clip, you can see the winner, Mitoy Yunting, singing with his mentor, Lea Salonga and Vice Ganda at the grand finale last Saturday night. He was the favourite all the way, though not necessarily mine, so it came as no surprise when he emerged the winner. Some of you would know Lea from her Broadway hit, “Miss Saigon” and Vice is a popular transvestite entertainer from the Philippines.
What we call the Philippine pork leg…
…or the crispy pata is a very popular dish here but I can’t say I remember much of what I ate there. It has always been the music that appeals to me most of all and it has always been a joy to watch the singers at the music entertainment joints in cities all over the country like this guy who has been around performing in our country for a very very long time…
I saw him once in Kuching and again, in KL at the Holiday Villa Subang…and he was really funny and a joy to watch.
I was there a long time ago when my missus and I went to the Philippines on our honeymoon…
*The jeepneys of the Philippines*
…and I really enjoyed the bands at the hotel where we were staying in Manila like this one that was really very good with their renditions of songs like Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration”, ABBA’s “On and on and on” and the very beautiful duet by Billy Preston & Syreeta, “Love” that I heard for the very first time there and fell in love with instantly…
…and of course, there was music too when we went to Baguio…
We stayed at the Hyatt Terraces Plaza there but it was completely destroyed in a devastating earthquake in 1990 so I’m not sure whether there is a hotel there now or not.
I can’t say I can remember much of the places we visited at the time when the country was under the infamous Marcos rule but I do recall how virtually everything was accredited to his wife, Imelda…
…and we did go on a boat ride through the rapids to some waterfalls while in Baguio…
I have always wanted to go back and visit that country again but after the People’s Power Revolution in 1986, there followed a time of political turmoil and instability and I was not sure whether it was all that safe at the time. I guess now it is perfectly all right to visit the country again and I am sure it is very different from what it was like so many years ago but I don’t know if I ever will…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Lea Salonga. That powerful and talented vocalist!
She’s a really good singer.
Can’t agree with you more. And even more beautiful when they’re mixed with other races. And I heard Chinese_Melanau mix is equally beautiful, or should I say, equally handsome! Nice pics, Arthur!
Like me, eh? Too bad I’m the exception to the rule… Muahahahahaha!!!! 😉
I have never been to Philippines yet… but they are well known for their singing! Hope one day I will be able to make a trip there..
Come, plan a trip and we’ll all go there together. That would be fun!
they are good singers. I had a Philippine lecturer during college and that time we could not help but making fun of her pronounciation of certain words especially with letter ‘R’. Very strong!
A cousin graduated as doctor there and he commented Philippines is a beautiful country irregardless of the political turmoil. few friends been there also commented same thing.
Pooh, you were very slim when you were young. 😉
Aiyor…wanted to get married, had to starve lor…so as to look nice and slim. Hehehehehehe!!!!!
Yeah, I love the Philipinos as well. They’re very friendly and their language is quite similar with Melanau and Iban dialect.
Ya, I know manok…and others. 😀
Wow, so handsome…
Thank you, thank you.
U show us your honeymoon pictures, what about showing us your wedding pictures? hehe….
You look back at my old post lah…got already: https://suituapui.wordpress.com/2009/03/12/your-song
best thing about anything related to philippines, those porkk!
You have? Over in KL? The other day, I told my KL friends that these pork legs are very popular here but they said they never heard about it. Too bad we did not have time to take them to go and try – will have to wait till their next trip here.
Yeah, they can sing! Dont know why, I associate the country with powerful voice singers, just as one would normally associate Venezuela with beauty queens!
I’ve only been to Cebu about 7 years ago. The place was beautiful!
Yes, Cebu’s beautiful too…and Boracay, wherever that is. Never gone to check it out.
They are talented & good singers. Owh, the Philippine pork leg looks too good to resist. Phewittt!!!..the slim & handsome young man.
Now still handsome leh…ummmm….but maybe not so slim anymore lah. Hehehehehehe!!!!!
Did you scan those photos in? Very nice wor! No, no thanks for the pork, i don’t eat pork :p
Nope. Yahor…I could have scanned them. Hehehehehe!!!! Old man mah! I retook them using my camera. 😦
didn’t know Miss Philippines is Miss World 2013 until you mentioned, haha.. yeah, i like Megan Young, she is very beautiful.. and i have not been to the Philippines before too, our Food Mayor of Sibu was so handsome back then, so slim (half the size of now at least??) and such a hunk!! phweet phweet~~ :p
You didn’t know and yet you seem familiar with Megan Young? You’ve seen “her pictures” or what? 😀 Not really half lah, two-thirds maybe. Hehehehehe!!!!
you gave the link to youtube mah, so i clicked and watched the crowning moment.. hey, two thirds only?? i don’t believe that, muahahahaha!! 😀
I see. I thought you saw those photos of hers that stirred up some controversy while she was in the running for the crown. 😉 True lah…who says photos don’t lie? 😉
everyone but me….didn’t now about that. Didn’t even know that it’s being held in Indon LOL…but if give me the oink oink i sure know it’s very sedap
You didn’t? There was some hitch over it being held in that country…yunno why lah…so there were warnings, people were asked to be prepared…but thankfully, everything went on smoothly. Next time you come, we MUST go and have the oink oink!!! Nice!!!!!
I think Philipines has produced Miss World a few times already kan?
Sorry Arthur, been v busy,not able to drop comment,, will be back visiting ya
Eugene
Nope, 1st time Miss World…but twice, Miss Universe. One of them was Gloria Diaz, dunno the name of the other. Finally managed to grab the elusive title.
Ya, welcome back! Long time no see, nice to have you back! Hope you and your missus and sons are doing well. Stay in touch.
hey! looking good when you were young. Hope i can be like you, cool and still looking good so many years down the road 😀
Thank you, thank you… Wah!!! This must be the return of the Penang-nangs day… Hehehehehehe!!!! 😉
Phillipines is definitely a beautiful country to be, with beautiful beaches and their diverse culture and heritage. Well, you can come and join me in my next trip. I will be there again for 2 weeks, starting Oct 8. I can share you half of my bed if you are willing…haha
Oooo…thanks for the offer. I’d certainly love to share, will save a bundle on hotel but you wouldn’t want to sleep with a steam roller, a choo choo train and a jet airliner all rolled into one. I’m sure you would not be able to sleep a wink all night and will not be able to work the next day. LOL!!! 😀
Hi handsome..waaahhh lang chai woh…never had a chance to go Philippines. That time about to be assigned there but was called off when some big gun got shot down.
Oh? The day they gunned down Aquino. Really not a good time to visit the country then. 😦
Ah Ba Ko in Hokkien we say ‘ann tao ba’ *handsome*
You mean ian tao? Ann tao sounds like red beans. 😀
Watched Fredo & yabadabadoo once he is real good
He is. Not really a great singer but so very entertaining, never a dull moment. If I’m not mistaken, he was once with the Flybaits. You know “Kenangan Lalu”?
Everything is beautiful in it’s own way.
Like the starry summer night, or a snow-covered winter’s day.
And everybody’s beautiful in their own way.
Under God’s heaven, the world’s gonna find the way. ~ Ray Stevens
Go on, go on… “There is none so blind as he who will not see…” Can describe many people around today.
You look so handsome.
Thank you.
Never been to Philippine though..I guess it has changes a lot through the years. It seems that back then you travel quite a lot. That’s nice!
Honeymoon mah…and then, no kid yet, so very free. Every year must go somewhere…and spend every sen, came home pok kai!!! 😦
Wow! Nice to see photos from your days of traveling! I like the one taken from the rapids, I didn’t know they had waterproof ones in those days!
Nope. Just had to be careful, keep it safe and dry especially when the boat went near the waterfalls!
Philippine pork leg, i like, love the sauce, very nice. i think i had it twice only.
In Sibu? Must be at Hong Fu. True that you can’t get it in KL? My friends who came said they never heard of it.
Woooaaahhh !! I like that pic of yours !!!! The one you and the cars !!! My Papa has similar attire too.. i think his was taken in Sibu !! 😀 😀
LOL!!! Looks like your father’s time & my time the same lah…same fashion, same style. I’m so old liao. 😦
So nostalgic… those pics!
So Melissa was “Made in The Philippines! 😀
No, she came very much later. We spent the early years working and travelling every year end…and coming home totally broke. 😦 Eventually, it dawned on me that I could do a lot of things with all that money spent on our overseas trip for two…so we stopped going abroad and started to settle down. 😉
Oh ok… That was nice anyway… 😀
Ya, at least we had our share of fun. Some people never did – college, job, marriage, family….one following the other in that order with nothing in between.
The Filipinos are very musically inclined. I remember there are many Filipino bands that perform at nightspots over here. I think they still do. Maybe one day you will go back there again. I was told there are many pretty girls there 🙂
Hmmm…too bad. At my age, I wouldn’t say that’s a main attraction, not anymore. Muahahahahaha!!!!
great post… nice music very relax… can drink tiger beer while listening to their music.
Used to, not anymore…triggers a gout attack. 😦
Oh, you’ve been to Baguio? Cool! Air Asia flies to Clark now so going there would be more convenient instead of having to fly to Manila and then taking another 6- or 7-hour roadtrip there and at the mercy of the weather somemore. Nice pictures and you were so slim then. ;p
Not too sure where Clark is, I hear it’s quite a distance to Manila. So it probably is somewhere after Manila on the way to Baguio then?
Totally LOVE the old-timey photos you posted! So cool! Neat vehicles back then, too!
🙂
YES…I’m catching up on your blog! So sorry for the massive addition of comments from me on your past blog posts! Last week was a ‘bear’ but I’m getting back into the swing of things, I think LOL
Those vehicles? They’re jeepneys. A tourist attraction. I think they still have those to this day…like the tuk-tuk in Thailand. It’s ok, drop by whenever you’re free. Always welcome, love the company. 😉