Roomies Riza and Ariella

Miss Universe 2013 roommates Miss Philippines Ariella Arida and Miss Canada Riza Santos are practically over the honeymoon stage of their sharing a hotel room together. So are they getting along well?

If we go by the text message Ariella sent to A&Q’s Arnold Mercado last night, she claims that everything’s alright between the two of them. It really helped that they got to know each other during the short period that Riza trained locally prior to arriving in Moscow. While their individual preferences would be to spread themselves among the other delegates to gain more friends, they still talk at the end of the day to share experiences/impressions – both good and not-so-good.

Hopefully, they continue to do swimmingly well inspite of the increasing pressure in the competition. 😉

Ariella and Riza: in one room together until November 10.

After learning that Misses Philippines and Canada will be rooming together for the entirety of Miss Universe 2013, several thoughts played in my mind. With two (2) 100% full-blooded Filipinas sharing a room, it led me into contemplating about the advantages and disadvantages of the same.

Ariella (L) and Riza upon their respective arrivals at the airport in Moscow.

Pluses:
– their common roots should help in communicating and understanding each other more easily
– Riza will benefit from the several photo ops with Ariella and vice versa
– Riza will also have some share in the popularity of Ariella. I don’t mean that Miss Canada has no support. It’s just that Filipinos are distinctively more demonstrative and all-out in cheering for Ariella.
– Ariella could learn a thing or two from Riza without the element of competition hanging over their heads all the time.
– they both speak Tagalog

Minuses:
– the competition could take a toll in the mid-term, especially when one of them is zooming ahead of the other. Of course, it is a natural occurrence among roommates, but with two Filipinas, the effect could be more sharp in a way.
– there were reports in the past that Riza is not the type who would vie for Miss Congeniality. And that she can be kind of difficult at times. But hopefully, Ariella’s humility and good nature will rub off on her.
– I read somewhere the first impressions of Riza (by someone who tried greeting her at the airport) being snobbish. I don’t want to read too much into this, so make your own small conclusions.

Weighed together, the pluses should still take the upper hand. And all things being equal, both ladies are expected to be proud of their origins inspite of representing two different nations.

Here’s hoping that Ariella and Riza will blend well, regardless of my fleeting reservations. 😉