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Miss Colombia Diana Ortegon--Oh No!! What Downtown L.A. dress shop did Diana get this from? I think she is so beautiful, why did she go there with this Cray-Cray gown? There's just too mucheey and too tacky-licious. Scheherazade Reno Vegas Casino Review Called...and they want their costume back.




Miss Germany Caroline Noeding--On the opposite end of Too Mucheey is this: Miss Germany. Caroline looks like a very pristine and precious Paris Hilton; before the fame and craziness. She could have done much better but somehow, she went the 1986 Prom Dress route. This, simply, is a NO.





Miss Israel Maria Abboud--Maria's evening gown choice was perplexing to me; it looks more like a negligee--or a maxi dress to be worn at a Cabo vaca dinner at "Señor Frog's" with strappy sandals.  I just don't get it.




Miss South Africa Gloria Karsis--Gloria wore a pink strapless gown with a high side opening/slit, uneven tulle gathering at the torso and shredded organza and feathers (I think) at the skirt. It's messy, a bit cheap-looking, and too much like something that should be at the top of a cheesy wedding cake.




Miss Bahamas Vandia Sands--This gown choice would have been fine if...it didn't have all the exposed cut-outs and the slit and the straps galore...and if she would not have worn it with those Lucite gold "Stripper" platform heels. I love the multicolored sequin work, but that's about it.




Miss Wales Angharad James--Angharad (love her name!) wore a white gown with nude illusion torso section with silver "Christmas-like" icicle accents. let me repeat: Christmas Icicles. Uh Oh!




Miss Ecuador Ana Maria Weir--Ana Maria wore a coral colored hi-lo strapless gown that was all things (slightly) cheap and (slightly) tacky. The "hi" part was too high, the fabric looks like polyester and she styles it with those silver "Stripper" platform heels. Two words: No Mija!




Miss Sierra Leone Mariatu Dukuray--Oh Mariatu, I really want to like you...however, this gown choice is one of the most tasteless things I have ever seen. The style, the cheap red lace, the white lace, the exposed body...the crystal-encrusted platform heels. Imagine an actress at the Academy awards wearing this. Yep, that's right, it would not be a good day. On a good note: that hair is so "Princess Amidala Star Wars" Fab!




Miss Chinese Taipei Lyu Ying Li--God Bless Lyu Ying Li for A) Wearing a tiara crown even though she hasn't been crowned the winner of anything yet; B) Wearing a teal strapless Prom Dress from 1989; C) Featuring black platform heels that do not go with this dress; and D) Smiling thought it all.




Miss Indonesia Nita Sofiani--Nita gets the prize for most "unique" evening gown--her look featured a sequined-and-chiffon overdress with one long sleeve, sculptured shoulder and high neck. Oh and yes, then there were stretch sequined leggings. With CAMELTOE. And finally, those too-high golden platform shoes. Where do I begin? On a good note, she's so pretty. And on a similar note: why did she need to wear this mess?

The Gold Medal Evening Gown Winner: Miss Venezuela Alyz Henrich--Alyz won last night for her silver strapless gown featuring a heavily pailletted design with gold/silver waist-defining belt. It was a nice gown and I can see why it received top honors. The big ol' earrings are a big much, especially with what's already going on with the gown, but yes, she's from Venezuela, those girls can't resist big ol' earrings!




Silver Medal, Evening Gown: Miss Nepal Rojisha Shahi Thakuri--Rijisha received the 2nd place  from judges with this baby blue mermaid shaped gown featuring silver and gold embroidered/lace crystals, long sleeves and plunging v-neckline. From head to toe, it was impacting but rather "Pageant Betty" for my taste; it looked a little dated (1990s). But in terms of a "total look", it was a nice presentation.




Bronze Medal, Evening Gown; Miss Philippines Angelee delos Reyes--Angelee got third place with this ivory gown that had a plain flared floor-length skirt attached to a lace-and-sequined mock-neck top with long sleeves. The top had a lot going on (were those silver mirrored sequins really necessary at the neckband?) and I am always cautious (and uncomfortable) of dresses that encircle the woman's breast area--such as this. But oh well, what do I know, those judges thought this was third best!



Here are ACTUALLY some of MY Favorites:


Miss Kosovo Donika Emini--I loved Donika's gown. It was classic, elegant and styled correctly--from her hair, delicate earrings and makeup. The gown featured a sheer netting neck and 3/4 sleeve section highlighted by silver sequined accents and a full gathered skirt with slit and ruched bodice. One of my faves.




Miss Mexico Kristal Silva--Wow! Kristal wore a one-shoulder gown with multicolored paillettes in a very "Water Theme" color combination of teal, algae green, lilac, purple, turquoise and baby blues. Her hair, makeup and accessories were DIVINE. Exquisite Miss Earth Mexico!




Miss Trinidad and Tobago Ariana Rampersad--Ariana's gown was very similar to Miss Mexico's in its multicolored paillette fabrication. But in terms of silhouette, hers was a halter neckline and did not have side cut out's. I liked it--it was impacting, had the right amount of stage presence "sparkle" and fit her beautifully.




Miss Belize Amber Rivero--Amber may be only 5' 5" tall but she looks very statuesque in this elegant and very red carpet perfect gown. The strapless gown, features a light blue color, metallic lace applique and sequined-and-shirred bodice. Her hair, makeup and jewels are just right. Good job Amber--and your "Miss Earth Belize" Glam Team (if there is one!).




Miss Zambia Winnie Fredah-Kabwe--Winnie looks gorgeous in this strapless white sequined gown with silver jeweled bustline edge. It is simple yet still packs a "Gown punch". I love that it is the perfect length and I don't see any tacky platform "Stripper" heels...and her hair and accessories are almost non-existent (good styling choice Winnie!).




Miss Brazil Priscilla Martins--Priscilla wore a halter style gold sequined "mermaid lite" style gown. it was not "Earth-shaking" in terms of design but it fit nicely and she looked "Pageant Right". I am frightened by the shoes she wore with this, however--they are poking out very little and I just hope they stay hidden!

Miss Gabon Filiane Mayombo Koundi--Kudos to Filiane who looked beautiful in this ivory v-neck sleeveless metallic lace gown. The length is perfect, the color is just right and her hair and earrings worked. Congrats darling on this!




Miss Romania Ioana Mihalache--Ioana wore this gold lame gown that was simple yet impacting. the fit was perfect and so was the length. Her straight modern hair also mirrored the clean simple lines of this gown. This look would definitely be a Red Carpet "Yes!".

Miss Poland Aleksandra Szczęsna--Aleksandra also wore a very simple clean gown and I was a fan. Her choice as a light golden colored boat-neck sheath gown with fit-and-flared silhouette. Her hair was modern and chic...like the gown.





Miss Switzerland Djoa Strassbourg--Djoa brightened up the Evening Gown Final Competition in this strapless magenta pink gown with silver sequined bust and multi-layered below-the-knee detail. The whole head-to-toe look is A LOT and rather "Pageant Betty" but maybe I've been seeing one too many pageant gowns because I kinda like it!




Miss Russia Olesya Bosloviak--Olesya's red-over-nude gown was unusual and leaned more toward the "couture"-like quality. I appreciated all the sequin and applique work as well as the directional shoulder detail. Very editorial and runway.




Miss China PR Lisa Xiang--Lisa's gown would not be one of my favorites on any other day but here, it's a standout for being "unusual" and in a good, creative--and cultural way. I even like the styling and that headband. Yes, she's two minutes from looking a bit "Cray-Cray" and National Costume-y but...I likey!



***NEXT UP: The "Uh Oh's!" of the Miss Earth Evening Gown Final Competition--Wait until you see these gowns!!

The Google+ notifications box has a few keyboard shortcuts you might find helpful. Here are some of them:

* up/down arrow keys help you select a notification from the list. Notice the blue line, which shows the currently selected notification. After opening a notification, use the same arrow keys to scroll.

* Enter (Return for Mac) opens the notification you've selected. You can also use o

* press the down arrow key after the last notification and then press Enter to open the list of previously read notifications

* right/left arrow keys let you go to the next/previous notification. You can also use j/k

* u - go back to the list of notifications or to the main screen

* d - mark as read the notification you've selected

* Esc closes the notifications box.

Unfortunately, there's no shortcut that opens the Google+ Notifications box, so you still need to click the bell icon. How to quickly read your notifications? Press the down arrow key, then press Enter and go to the next notification using the right arrow key.

Sometimes Page Up/Page Down and Space/Shift+Space work, but only after you use the arrow keys. If you find other keyboard shortcuts, please let me know in the comments.

Google+ also has a list of keyboard shortcuts.

Google shows a lot of festive doodles, Easter Eggs and special decoration. Here are some of them:

- The Thanksgiving doodle is actually a video



Here's the video:


"Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year."

- Mr. Jingles is hungry


Here's the animation:


- Hanukkah search results


Here's the mobile Safari version:


... and the mobile Chrome version:


"Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights and Feast of Dedication, is an eight-day Jewish holiday."

- Festivus search results include the aluminum Festivus pole


"Festivus, a well-celebrated parody, has become a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 which serves as an alternative to participating in the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas and holiday season. Originally a family tradition of a scriptwriter working on the American sitcom Seinfeld, the holiday entered popular culture after it was made the focus of a 1997 episode of the program."

As Google says, "it's all about Thanksgivukkah in 2013. This overlap of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah won't happen again for another 70,000+ years, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event".

Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays!

{ Thanks, Mukil, Emanuele, Camilo and Florian. }

This month was a big pageant month being that the "Miss Universe 2013" pageant occurred earlier on November 9th. In all the excitement of the pageant and spending a lot of time writing fun blog postings about it; including the winner and the gowns...another beauty pageant that occurred just days afterward, escaped me: the "Señorita Colombia"/"Miss Universe Colombia 2013-2014". A couple of weeks ago, the 79th(!) edition of this national beauty contest happened, in the Colombian city of Cartagena de Indias on November 11th. The winner was Paulina Vega Dieppa. Paulina represented the coastal state of Atlantico.















A native of Barranquilla--a Caribbean port city less than an hour’s drive from Cartagena--Vega won with 9.9 scoring performances on both the gown and swimsuit competitions.The new "Miss Universe Colombia" is 20 years old, and stands 1, 77 m (about 5' 10"). She will represent her country at next year's "Miss Universe 2014".















WINNER: "Miss Atlantico" Paulina Vega Dieppa--the eventual winner got the highest gown competition score of 9.9 wearing this Alfredo Barraza-designed gown. The gown was a nude-backed column dress featuring jeweled sequins in a diagonal pattern, a plunging neckline and shoulder "hanging" arm accent. It was THE PERFECT GOWN! It fit Paulina beautifully, showed off her figure and the styling--including side-swept hair and only earrings as accessories were on-point. I would have also give her a 9.9.



FIRST RUNNER-UP: "Miss San Andres and Providencia" Zuleika Kiara Suárez Torrenegra-- Zuleika wore a golden fitted sheer gown featuring gold and silver sequin applique. The look was finished off with a very "Cleopatra"-like neckpiece. It was a dramatic look but I admit there were too many things going on in this total gown look and it wasn't one of my favorites; mainly that neckpiece had NOTHING to do with the gown--at least in my eyes. The judges scored her in 3rd place in terms of Evening Gown Scores..so, shows you what I know! I also was not a fan of  her hairstyle: I feel it could have been a little more "Diva"-like--maybe a high bun like...







Other Gowns:


Miss Arauca Paola Ruiz Quiroga--Paola wore a baby blue iridescent gown with sequined torso section. She looked quite pretty but the gown was nothing spectacular; we've seen this before, many, many times. It was nothing "Beauty Pageant Gown" earth-shaking but...it was nice and safe. Her gown was designed by Diego Fernando Marin.




Miss Bogota Jennifer Uscategui--Oh Jennifer!! What were you thinking?? This gown--designed by Rafael Paez--is is a HOT MESS! This emerald green organza and sequined gown with gathered hip detail was straight out of a beauty pageant from 1995. And the dated hairstyle did not help. Oh, and then there were those shoes! Definitely an "Ayyy Mija!".




Miss Bolivar Geraldine Alvarez Hernandez--Wow!! Big Bird called and it wants it's big ol' taffeta gown...from 1987! This dress is just SOOOO MUCHEEEY that well, I was not surprised when I saw that she got one of the lowest gown scores of the night, an 8.4 (which by the way, I think was very generous).




Miss Quindio Daniella Jhoana Calderón Novoa--Miss Quindio was one of the semi-finalists of the pageant and she scored a 9.2 from the judges with this gown. The gown was a skin-and-golden colored tulle/netting backed dress with gold sequin applique. The dress was designed by Alfredo Barraza and compared to some of the others, this was a good gown. Personally, I would have wished that her legs weren't exposed and were covered with the elaborate golden applique. This would have made the gown a little more "tasteful". And on a styling note, she did not need those big ol' earrings.




Miss Tolima Sandra Paola Arias Muñoz--Miss Tolima received the lowest gown score of the night with this pink strapless dress. And I can see why: I have seen this dress hanging on a plastic mannequin in Downtown LA "Fashion District". Been There/Done That. And that hair and those earrings...are we in 1992? Ayyyy Mija!!!




Miss Choco Yesuli Londoño Mosquera--One word: GURL!!!! I have to give "Miss Choco" points for being so daring as to wear this ivory fringed and sequined Alfredo Barraza-designed gown that looked as if it was attacked by a trim store. On the other hand...she looked as if she was attacked by a trim store!