DON?T WE ALL HAVE A renewed sense of Pinoy Pride? I sure felt it at the electrically charged Inauguration of our new President Noynoy Aquino. It?s incredible how our political scene has been so colorful since our automated polls last May.

Should we spell it as PNoy, P-Noy, P.Noy or P?Noy? I pondered this as I read my precious invitation to the historic event. And what does one wear to history?

I decided to wear my Kris Aquino terno, which I bought at a charity bazaar and had fashion godmother Rajo Laurel reconstruct into a ?new? gown with added detailing. It was the same gown I wore when I went to cast my vote last May. For the Quirino Grandstand, I added a couple of fascinators by my favorite milliner, Marilou Laurena of Hat Momma.

Just the day before, I bumped into newly elected VP Jejomar Binay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I was happy to congratulate him as he rushed off to a no doubt highly secret meeting. Meanwhile, I was going to no doubt highly social ones, first with Dubai-based designer Furne One to discuss the upcoming Makati Red Cross Ball, and then followed by the media launch of the Smart Infinity-Standard Chartered Bank MasterCard credit card.

Little did I know that I would receive a call from the Inquirer later that afternoon that I had a coveted ticket to the Quirino Grandstand. Too bad! If I had known earlier, the VP and I could?ve exchanged fashion tips, or I might have told him about the new MasterCard with its incredible perks for Infinity subscribers. Surely, the VP is an Infinity subscriber, isn?t he?

The Inauguration featured so many musical numbers by quite a number of show biz stars that for a second, I thought I might be watching ?Asap? on ABS-CBN, now also known as the fourth government channel. The half million of us present roared and waved yellow flags as Noy took his oath to become P-Noy.

As this is a social column, the big news is, of course, that P-Noy?s barong Tagalog was designed by Paul Cabral. In other news, the president vowed to eradicate poverty and end corruption.

Seriously though, I am glad that Noynoy, the son of two of the country?s most famous icons of democracy and hope, has attained the presidency. He has big shoes to fill, but his commanding presence on stage clearly shows that the position has made the man.

It rained yellow confetti after the oath-taking of our country?s 15th president. Despite cloudy skies and the occasional rain showers the day before, the weather on June 30 was perfect.

Bench ?Uncut? show

Speaking of highly coveted tickets, some of the scarcest available were for the front row seats at the Bench ?Uncut? show in Araneta Coliseum last Friday. The Bench biennial is a sellout perennial.

The much-awaited event featured top Pinoy designers who have made an incredible fashion impact in the Middle East. Conceptualized by edgy fashion director Ariel Lozada, retail king Ben Chan put together Dubai-based designers Michael Cinco, Furne One, Val Taguba and Ezra Santos and integrated them into the cutting-edge underwear show.

At an intimate get-together dinner at his beautiful home, Ben had the LA dancers do some teaser dances to delight the guests and get us even more excited about the show. I heard some of the dancers that flew in are backup dancers of Lady Gaga.

To my surprise, I bumped into TV game show king Willie Revillame at the dinner. He is looking great, we are all looking forward to his next project, and I am hoping that he will need a co-host.

Willie shared how his life has gone through so many phases, making it interesting and ever exciting. So, just like Willie, the entire country can look forward to exciting new beginnings as we get into P-Noy mode.

Wellness destination

One area where we are already great is in the spa industry. AsiaSpa magazine?s May-June issue recognizes this as it has a supplement all about the Philippines. Editor at large Catharine Nicol calls our country one of Asia?s hottest new destinations.

Editor in chief Rebecca Walker says our country is a first-rate wellness destination, with our traditional healing methods having morphed into sophisticated, five-star spa treatments. Hilot has become hip. In my own little spa, Urban Spa, at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, we are happy to be riding the medispa boom.

Fun runs

Even in the running world, the Philippines has become a fitness destination. My latest race was the Team Woman Run 2010 by Lactacyd. It was so much fun racing in costume.

Another major race to look forward to is the upcoming Camsur Marathon 2010 happening on Sept. 26. Sport Coach Rio de la Cruz and Gov. Lray Villafuerte invite all to run amidst the beauty of nature in Camarines Sur, all for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga Foundation. Check http://camsurmarathon.com or e-mail secretariat@camsurmarathon.com for details.

On a smaller scale, the Dasmariñas Village and Forbes Park Associations, together with Waffle Marketing, forge an alliance in the ?Run Dasma/Forbes Run? slated July 18. Presented by Planet Sports, the event promises to be a fun yet competitive run, which aims to promote fitness, health and camaraderie among the homeowners and their guests. For more details, visit the village offices.

Artistry foundation

In all these races, I am glad I am using the new Artistry Hydrating Foundation for my dry skin. The new liquid foundation has SPF 20 PA Triple Plus that is higher than the other products.

Artistry Balancing Foundation and Artistry Hydrating Foundation were recently launched by Amway for its massive dealer network. Artistry makeup guru Victor Ortega demonstrated how light and easy it blends with the skin without that mask feeling.

For the launch, I felt so radiant wearing a beautiful wedding gown by fab designer Francis Libiran, who did the fashion show as well. For more information about Artistry products, call Amway at 8148181. Indeed, Artistry is the perfect foundation, whether one is running a race or participating in history, standing under the sun at the Quirino Grandstand.

E-mail the author at seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph.