Megan Young's victory as Miss World 2013 could not have come at a better time. It's a welcome adrenaline shot for the image of our beleaguered country abroad.

Never mind that CNN flashed a report saying Megan "hails from the United States." Megan is more Pinay than American. The last time I saw her was on a location shoot in Albay for TV5's recently concluded miniseries, "Misibis Bay."

We teased her about rumored boyfriend Mikael Daez. She neither confirmed nor denied anything. But her girlish blush and giggles said it all.

Here are some Bali anecdotes about Megan shared by her mentor Jonas Gaffud, head of Aces and Queens, with the Inquirer. Jonas also mentored beauty queens Shamcey Supsup, Janine Tugonon and Venus Raj, among others. (He really has an eye for winners!)

Megan was one of the last candidates to arrive in Bali, Indonesia, where the competition was held last Saturday. Her arrival was not covered by media because she planed in at around 2 a.m.

Before her flight, she got to practice her "singkil" dance for only five hours, yet she was able to join the "Dances of the World" number.

She did not go on a strict diet in Bali. She simply picked the right kinds of food. Her close friends during the pageant were Malene from Denmark and Michiko from Japan. The three of them are called "3M." She also became close to Miss Guyana.

As her first Miss World function, Megan had a photo shoot with Garuda Indonesia (counterpart of Philippine Airlines).

She was pulled out halfway through the ceremonial ball because the UK press wanted to interview her.

Congrats, Megan! Change everyone's "world" for the better!