Hey, dahlings, let’s talk about sports. Renowned Italian brand Fila’s partnership with the Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) as host of the recent Asian Under 19s Division 2 Championships was a laudable effort.

The two-day, four-nation tournament featured the Philippine Volcanoes Under-19s along with the respective teams of Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Before the tourney kicked off, Fila Philippines’ Cris Albert hosted a festive dinner in honor of the Volcanoes and presented their official Fila jerseys.

It was an emotional moment for her, because her son Carlo was playing with the team.

PRFU director Matt Cullen said, “We’re very happy to be with Fila and to be given the chance to host this tournament… It’s been three years since we fielded an Under 19s team and we’re excited to give our young Volcanoes a chance to go head to head with our neighbors from Southeast Asia.”

The Under-19s, much like the Volcanoes men’s team, is a mix of homegrown talent and overseas-based players with Filipino lineage.

Fila, which recently launched its L’arte Nello Sport (The Art of Sport) campaign, is dedicated to supporting sports and the arts.

The Volcanoes may have lost, but the crowd cheered them on with a standing ovation for the effort and energy.

Cheers to that, palangga!

‘Cuisinera’ challenge

Nonprofessional chefs from all over the country took part in Solane LPG’s “Cuisinera Challenge,” a competition that required the tastiest homemade dishes in just 30 minutes. That was quite stressful, ’di bala?

Twenty-two finalists with no professional background at all in cooking gave their best shot during the cook-off event held recently at The Cookery Place in Bonifacio Global City.

Solane general manager for supply and operations Jaypee Gonzales said, “Solane goes beyond providing safe LPG tanks by helping budding cooks in their journey to concoct the most delicious homemade dishes. It is admirable that the finalists made it this far, using technique and imagination to create wonderful dishes.”

The panel of judges was composed of Solane marketing manager Carisse Vendiola, promotions and research manager Valeri Batenga, and chefs Edith Singian and Nancy Reyes-Lumen, no less.

Maridel Pacleb’s original recipes emerged as the most outstanding in the finals. She presented two original creations: Buttered Pork Tenderloin Adobo in Parsley Garlic Cream Sauce, and Chicken Roulade with Spicy Tablea Chocolate Sauce. Now that’s what fab cooking is all about, dahlings!

She won Best in Regional Recipe, Best in Presentation (Market Basket), and the grand prize, which included P30,000 and a year-long supply of Solane LPG.

Other winners were Fe Merluza (Best in Market Basket Recipe) and Joy Marie Crabajal (Best in Presentation, Regional Recipe).

The rest of the finalists—John Paul Lumiguen, Jac Abadia, Honeylyn Bonagua-Agulto, Leonides Manayaga, Jelanie Tamayo, Denise Christine Gonzales-Bernardo, Maria Luisa Juanson, Perly Antido and Joemar Ray Castro—took home gift packs from Solane.

This is the kind of competition that should stir more interest among budding chefs.

Music and makeup

Music and makeup made an awesome combination at the Asian PAC Beauty Awards (International Makeup Competition), with a special performance by British singer-songwriter and model Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

This annual event had Indonesian beauty brand Martha Tilaar hosting 30 talented makeup artists from Asia, après competing in their respective countries for a slot in the international category.

The makeup artists headed to Jakarta for professional training and exposure before competing in the theme of Color Olympic.

The Philippine team, headed by Godiva Inc. COO Edwina G. Guiyab and makeup artists Zoie Santos, Jason de los Reyes and Judi Carnable, earned praises during the training workshops with renowned fashion makeup artists from the United Kingdom and Australia.

The top three winners in the International Creative Makeup category were Carnable, Wan Aida (Malaysia) and Michelle Allen (Indonesia). As grand prize winners, they each took home cash prizes, overseas training either in Paris or Tokyo, and PAC products.

This a first win for the Philippines since the country joined the PAC Asian Beauty Awards. Notable national winners included Muriel Vega Perez, now a sought-after fashion and entertainment makeup artist in Asia.

This year’s Asian PAC Beauty Awards, in fact, gave the finalists a chance to attend the beauty workshops.

Justin Henry shared knowledge, tips and trick relating to contouring technique, while Merton Muaremi focused on makeup technique for fashion vs runway.

Henry and Muaremi both have remarkable reputations and achievements in the international scene.

Henry, a renowned makeup artist from the UK, is now based in Melbourne and has worked with many big names in international show business.

Muaremi has been involved in runway shows including those by Gucci, Versace and Chanel.