It was my nth birthday last July 11.

How did I spend my special day? By working!

Good thing what I do for a living is fun.

I attended the press con for Nicki Minaj’s one-night-only concert in the Philippines, as part of her Pink Friday Tour, and boy was it an experience.

For starters, I got to see the international pop star up close. Nicki’s such a stunner. She wasn’t wearing one of her more eye-catching outfits—she was garbed in a tank top, a pair of tights, and a studded baseball cap—but she still looked beautiful. Her hair was platinum blonde, and certain parts were dyed pink. And oh, let’s not forget her big behind! How can anyone ignore it, really?

Her press con was also the strictest one that I’ve ever attended. We were not allowed to take a photo whenever we wanted to, and when some people tried to take a shot using their cameraphone, one of the many bodyguards would approach them and try to stop them from taking some more. Scary! There was also this Akon/Brian McKnight lookalike who shushed the noisy ones, ordered people to sit down, and facilitated the Q&A like it was an interview with the president!

Nicki first did her TV interviews, and then answered questions from the press.

When asked for the artists she sang along to while growing up, Nicki enumerated artists like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, and Diana Ross.

The rapper/singer was also asked if she had any knowledge of the Filipino culture or if she knew any Filipino personally. “This is really my first time having any impression of the Filipino culture,” admitted Nicki, who added that she says “Filipino” in some of her songs, but that she was “just saying it.”

What does she think of Filipinos? “So far, the people seem really, really warm and welcoming. The people are just so sweet and warm and friendly and everyone is really, really nice.”

I wasn’t able to have a photo taken with Nicki Minaj, but that’s all right. Being in the same room with the international pop star was good enough. It was also nice to hear her answer questions from the press. I was actually impressed with her answer when asked for self-esteem/beauty advice for young girls: “There is always someone out there that finds you attractive and most importantly, you have to find yourself attractive and you have to have confidence. And also to the younger girls, definitely 18 and younger, I don’t think that you should be trying to be attractive anyway. I think you should be going to school and getting your minds right and going to college. I love girls that are ambitious. I hate lazy people. I always give that advice to my Barbs. Focus on your future and all the beauty and all that stuff will come eventually and you’ll meet the right person.”