Miss Universe 2005: Natalie Glebova's

A whirlwind visit it was, but the visitor certainly left a lasting impression. The 5'11 Russian-Canadian stunner Natalie Glebova spent three days in Cebu, packed with media interviews, radio pluggings, charity work and a taste of the Sinulog festivities by sitting as chair of the judging panel of this year's Miss Cebu pageant.

While it was her first time in the Philippines, the country is not exactly a stranger to her.

Apart from claiming that she immediately felt the warmth of the people following her touchdown Wednesday afternoon, she said that her Filipino connection goes a long way back.

The 25-year-old admitted that after migrating at the age of 12 to Toronto, Canada from a small town called Tuapse in Russia, she made friends with a lot of Filipinos. "I grew up in a very multi-racial neighborhood and I studied in a very multi-racial school, and my friends were mostly Filipinos, who told me about your country," she said in a one-on-one interview with The Freeman Entertainment during the welcome cocktails sponsored by Shangri-La Mactan at their picturesque seafront resto-bar, Cowrie Cove.

"In fact, you could say my very first crush was a Filipino," she revealed.

The beauty queen's visit was made possible by Thai-Phil Intertrade's head honchos-Pongpot Hiranpruck, Jim Hiranpruck and Anthony Ballreich-owners of the widely popular Thai restaurant chain Krua Thai and the country's sole distributor of Singha Beer.

Ballreich revealed that her coming is part of efforts, including the Coyote Night event 9pm tonight at Marco Polo Plaza Hotel featuring Marlon Wafer models, to strengthen Singha beer's presence in the local market since its introduction late last year.

Since May of last year, Glebova has actually been the image ambassador of the Thailand-based beer brewers Singha Corp., along with golfer Vijay Singh and pro tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan.

As image ambassador, she has moved around the world helping promote this uniquely Thai product-from the US to other Southeast Asian countries. She said that, hopefully, it will bring her to the land of her roots-Russia.

"I agreed to be its 'image' endorser since it coincides with my personality, and it's a very prestigious product," said Glebova, who's actually a classical pianist and former competitive gymnast back in Canada.

Later, during a presscon at Krua Thai in Banilad Town Center, Singha Corp.'s Deputy CEO Chaiyapat Chaturongkul said that the reason why they picked her as endorser is because "she's probably a Thai in her past life; she eats Thai food everyday, and that's something unique for a foreigner."

Glebova, who for six months now has chosen to be based in Thailand where she won the coveted Miss U title, has also found love in a Thai guy. "Yes, I'm single, but no longer available," she said.

Glebova is evidently no mere pretty face, as she's armed with a degree in Information Technology Management and Marketing at Ryerson University and has, in fact, been consistently tapped as motivational speaker for grade school and high school students. Her education and Miss Universe experience, among others, combined are being put into worthwhile use as she now runs a company of her own, Fah Glebova, which will soon launch health and beauty products, plus she's coming out with a book next month on Health, Happiness and Beauty.

"My book is going to be about real beauty-and that's beauty inside out. My philosophy's simple, when you're healthy, you're happy. And when you're happy, it translates to the outside," she shared.

To budding beauty queens or pageant contestants, her advice is not to be "overly-rehearsed, just be natural." She also stressed that they should also define what they want to glean out of the experience. "In my case, I wanted to learn something out of it, and then made sure that I made the best out it." - Nathalie M. Tomada