Venus Raj; 4th Runner Up of Miss Universe

Congratulations to the Miss Venus Raj for winning 4th runner up of Miss Universe 2010.

All the 83 contestants were beautiful and it's a great pride to have a filipina be part of top 5 finalist.
here are the other winners:

miss congeniality: miss Australia
Most photogenic: Miss Thailand
Best in National Costume: Miss Thailand
4th runner up: Miss Philippines: Venus Raj
3rd runner up: Miss Ukraine
2nd runner up: Miss Australia
1st runner up: Miss Jamaica
Miss universe 2010: Miss Mexico

They all deserve the title! =)

UST Singers win in Europe Choir Contest

Inquirer.net

The University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Singers continues to win in choir contests in Europe, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Following their recent victories this year in international choral competitions in Wales, Ireland and Poland, the UST Singers secured the top prizes in the choir competition at the 28th International Music Festival which was held on July 16-18 in Cantonigròs in Catalonia, Spain. Cantonigròs is a small rural town situated around 150 kilometers north of Barcelona.

The UST Singers obtained the top prizes in both the Mixed Choir and Folk Song categories of the competition, which was participated in this year by 33 choirs and dance groups representing 22 countries plus the Catalan and Basque regions of Spain. Choirs from Slovenia and Indonesia finished second and third, respectively, in the same categories of the competition.

The UST Singers choir was tasked to open the festival with a rendition of various folk and popular songs on the evening of July 16. Their performance was met with a rousing standing ovation from the audience, including mayors of Catalan towns in the area and members of the consular corps in Barcelona, including Philippine Consul General in Barcelona Eduardo de Vega.

The last Philippine choir to participate in Cantonigròs was the Philippine Normal University Choir, which gathered first place in the Folk Song Category and tied for third place in the Mixed Choir category during the 2008 edition of the festival.

Aside from the consul general, a number of Filipino supporters from Barcelona were present to render moral support for the UST Singers, and met with members of the choir and their director, Professor Fidel G. Calalang, Jr., before their opening number.

Professor Calalang expressed the choir's appreciation for the support provided by the Filipinos who came to watch them perform, while Consul General de Vega told the group that their successive victories in European competitions are being followed with much excitement in the Philippines and continue to be a source of great pride for the Filipino nation.

___________

Filipinos are truly gifted musicians.

I wish I could see them perform. =)