Raymond Galang

All posts tagged Raymond Galang

The new Aces & Queens

Posted by Norman on January 21, 2020
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Ever wondered about the individuals behind Aces & Queens now?

Well, the group photo below should answer your question.

Front row, sitting (l-r): Ian Mendajar, Raymond Galang and Mikee Andrei;

Middle row, standing (l-r): Dave Grona, John Jay Graciano Cuay, Cesar Evangelista, Gerry Diaz, Jim Ryan Ros and Maui Kline Potente;

Third row, standing (l-r): Direk Jeffrey Jeturian and Dave Ocampo.

Missing but part of the group: Carissa Cielo Medved, Albert Kurniawan and Atty JV Salud (Q&A mentor)

Photo credit: Dion Besa

#acesandqueens

ACES & QUEENS 2020
Passion. Mission. Vision
Passion
– for Beauties and Pageants.
Mission
– to help beauty queen wannabes.
Vision
-to produce national and International winners

Beauty and serenity become Nicole Guerrero

Posted by Norman on May 19, 2019
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , .


There is something about a woman when she is photographed on the steps of and around a beautiful old church that gives the vibe of beauty and serenity combined.

Nicole Guerrero, Binibining Pilipinas Ilocos Sur, exudes just that in a Mikee Andrei Bride ethereal design and shot in the province’s majestic church.

Location: Santa Maria Church, Ilocos Sur
Photography: Ernie Mangoba
Post Process: Carti Jays
Logistics: Dan August Guerrero BLorraine Vaq
Hair and Makeup: Raymond Galang

#NicoleGuerrero
#IlocosSur
#BbPilipinas2019
#BeyondBeauty

Pauline Amelinckx: She’s not like everyone else

Posted by Norman on September 14, 2018
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .


She’s not like everyone else. Her unique personality quirks are a joy to watch such that one can’t help but find her beautifully endearing. And if that’s not enough, she has a heartwarming nature that will never go unnoticed. Truth be told, I like Pauline Amelinckx for the entirety of who she is, and not just the polished facade most everyone adopts in their best behavior.

Your Mutya ng Bohol in the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas got her good share of ups throughout the pre-pageant competition. She was named Best in Modern Terno last Tuesday with her Mikee Andrei garb cited as one of the Top 5 creations for the event. She also copped three important Special Awards from the sponsors – Mutya ng Camera Club of the Philippines, Mutya ng Mags Clothing and one of the five Sol Y Viento Ambassadors. And people are just continuously charmed with her grace and humility that were consistently observed these past two weeks.

Now watch my ambush interview with Pauline earlier this week. You can really sense the kind quality in her character. And I can go as far as saying that she will do the entire Bohol Province, even the Visayas Region, proud this coming Sunday night.

May the stars align in her favor!

Photo credits: Mark Ryan Alvarez for the swimwear shots and Joy Arguil for the Modern Terno.
Swimwear and Styling by Mikee Andrei
Makeup by Raymond Galang
Hair by Donna Abitria

Pauline Amelinckx: Behold the Boholana Beauty for the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas

Posted by Norman on August 31, 2018
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

There are fifty (50) Official Candidates in the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas. And to stand out in this large group of assembled beautiful ladies may seem to be a tall order for some. The pageant’s niche is a truly beautiful face. But to match that with brains and wit that somehow take half the place of the “X” factor quality we all are looking for, then the field gets narrowed to a more manageable number that serves the purpose of coming up with a more confident assessment of the contenders.

One such beauty for serious consideration is 23 year-old Pauline Amelinckx, Mutya ng Bohol for sash purposes and looking so gorgeous in the “Something Gold” photoshoot in this entry. This half-Filipina, half-Belgian was raised in the province and a well-loved native in the eyes of all Boholanos. Prior to winning the title of Miss Bohol last year, she was a Tourism Officer in the Municipality of Tubigon. And she is tailor-made for tasks that involve promotion of the tourist spots beyond Chocolate Hills and the Tarsiers. She articulates herself well, and in an engaging manner at that.

Credits: Mark Ryan Alvarez/Photographer, Mikee Andrei/Wardrobe&Styling, Raymond Galang/Makeup and Donna Abitria/Hair

Personally, your blogger has already spent time talking to Pauline and she is more than just a sweet lady to converse with. Her heart is in the right place and the kindness/sincerity in her overall disposition can be felt in an instant. It will only take a short time before people in the national pageant will appreciate her true beauty, inside and out.

In the upcoming Press Presentation of the 50th Mutya ng Pilipinas this September 3, I trust Pauline to be one of those who will catch the attention of many. She is a Mutya not just to serve a personal goal of winning a good crown, but also to give back pride to the Province of Bohol which has supported her every step of the way.

Aces & Queens | Starting with the Face (and Personality)

Posted by Norman on November 7, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Make-up Class by A&Q for Class of 2017


It’s true that beautiful luscious hair is a beautiful girl’s crowning glory. But an attractive face with properly-aligned features is the beginning of the story.

And that is where members of the Aces & Queens’ Class of 2017 started their training. Of course, all of them were properly assessed before plunging into the important session. And with the likes of Carissa Cielo Medved, Dave Grona, Raymond Galang and Jim Ryan Ros giving them more than just quick tutorials, it only takes a fast learner to easily stand out. Otherwise, it will be a rewarding uphill battle for a good number of them, especially the relative diamonds in the rough who need to be given extra doses of patience and understanding to learn the tricks of the trade.

Raymond, Carissa, Dave and Jim in action


I know all of their “teachers” and they are individually excellent in what they do on the face. And the young ladies should consider themselves very lucky to undergo the session under their masterful eye and hands.

What could be the next stop? The back-breaking pasarela and posing sessions with a “delightfully terrorizing” Jonas Gaffud? That should really set apart the innately graceful from the awkwardly painful (to watch). And I am pretty sure the original number will start getting smaller when the genuine stand-outs start blossoming one by one.

But wait! Before that happens, the Personality Development sessions should happen first. It started yesterday (photo below) with a few of the seniors (Ces Evangelista, Gerry Diaz and the lovable Head Facilitator Arnold Mercado along with guest speaker Bianca Guidotti) for the wide-eyed dreamers.

Mama Ru (Arnold Mercado) facilitated the Personality Development Workshop

Left to right: Gerry Diaz, Caloy Buendia, Ces Evangelista, Arnold Mercado, Bianca Guidotti and Pao Baysa


More days of polish (and updates) to follow!

Photo Blog | The Aces & Queens Final Screening for Class of 2017

Posted by Norman on October 10, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

A family photo of Aces & Queens (Photo credit: Gerry Diaz)

The final screening stage

The venue of the screening was at The Theatre at Solaire

A good enough view of the proceedings from the stage (Photo credit: Gerry Diaz)

Aces & Queens’ Gerry Diaz and Cesar Evangelista manning the registration (Photo credit: Gerry Diaz)

Apriel Smith and Arienne Calingo helped out in the screening (Photo credit: Apriel Smith)

Arienne Calingo speaking in front of the hopefuls (Photo credit: Apriel Smith)


You will understand why there are no clear or close-up photos of the ladies who showed up for the Final Screening of Aces & Queens for the Class of 2017. There are around ninety-nine (99) who arrived (filtered from the 267 online applicants) with more than a few qualifiers who did not make it for personal reasons (but they will show up eventually for sure!).

This is the biggest final screening of applicants the beauty camp has conducted to date. And the main man himself, Jonas Gaffud, is so pleased with how the group has grown by leaps and bounds through the years. The hard-earned efforts are paying off. The process has leveled up real nicely. And everyone is accounted for – Arnold Mercado, Bessie Besana, Atty. Nad Bronce, Gerry Diaz, Cesar Evangelista, Direk Jeff Jeturian, Boyet Blas, Albert Kurniawan, Caloy Buendia, Pao Baysa, Jim Ryan Ros, Dave Grona, Raymond Galang, Carissa Medved and more! Let’s throw in my favorite shoemaker, Jojo Bragais, as well. And what’s a final screening without BQs? Hillarie Parungao, Christi McGarry, Arienne Calingo, Angelica Alita, Jehza Huelar, Kimverlyn Suiza and Apriel Smith all clocked in.

I am certain that Aces & Queens will come up with another exciting batch of ladies who will vie for Bb. Pilipinas 2017. Watch out for the hidden gems because they will surprise you! 😉

UPDATE from Arnold Mercado himself:
“The results are in… After tabulating all the members’ votes, 33 made it to the A&Q training pool. 9 more applicants will have a special screening next week. To the Class of 2017, welcome to ACES and Queens. You will receive an advice for the general orientation.”


A Photoshoot to Remember for Aces & Queens

Posted by Norman on January 15, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Photographer Dix Perez took charge of shooting the successful group that brought us the Philippines' 3rd Miss Universe and 1st Miss World crowns

Photographer Dix Perez took charge of shooting the successful group that brought us the Philippines’ 3rd Miss Universe and 1st Miss World crowns

FB_IMG_1451826161606 As far back as I can remember, Aces & Queens has never had a pictorial of the whole team that was as properly set up as this. So when the lovely photographs taken by Dix Perez started showing up in the Facebook accounts of both Jonas Gaffud and Arnold Mercado, I said “Finally!” It could perhaps be the best time to do so after the camp has successfully helped in getting the 3rd Miss Universe crown (via Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach) for the country that matched well with our 1st Miss World victory (courtesy of Megan Young) for which they also got significant credits for.

So without further ado, let me just give you a quick rundown of the members in their grouped and family portraits.

The starting pillars of Aces&Queens (left-to-right): Arnold Mercado, Jonas Gaffud and Atty. Nad Bronce

The starting pillars of Aces&Queens (left-to-right): Arnold Mercado, Jonas Gaffud and Atty. Nad Bronce

From wardrobe to styling to fitness to scheduling (left-to-right): Bessie Besana, John Cuay and Pao Baysa

From wardrobe to styling to fitness to scheduling (left-to-right): Bessie Besana, John Cuay and Pao Baysa

The Wisdom of the Senior Advisers (left-to-right): Cesar Evangelista, Boyet Blas and Gerry Diaz

The Wisdom of the Senior Advisers (left-to-right): Cesar Evangelista, Boyet Blas and Gerry Diaz

The hair and makeup artists/stylists (left-to-right): Gery Penaso, Carissa Cielo Medved, Jim Ryan Ros and Raymond Galang

The hair and makeup artists/stylists (left-to-right): Gery Penaso, Carissa Cielo Medved, Jim Ryan Ros and Raymond Galang

An almost complete family portrait for Aces&Queens

An almost complete family portrait for Aces&Queens

Note: There were four important members who missed the photoshoot so let me just cite the following individuals as well: Carlos Buendia, Jr. (for wardrobe/dancing/choreography), Yuventus Albert Kurniawan (for make-up), Dave Grona (for hair) and Film Director Jeffrey Jeturian (Senior Adviser).

I doff my hat to all of you! 🙂