LIFE IS all about embracing fears, conquering challenges and fulfilling dreams. We may not be able to achieve these all at one time but it?s the little triumphs that make life much sweeter.

One of my fears as a child was spelling. I remember having to spell the word ?tomorrow? and misspelling it in front of the class. That memory flashed back as I watched the musical comedy ?The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee? at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, recently.

Atlantis Productions kicks off its 10th-anniversary season with the Tony Award-winning musical comedy ?Spelling Bee,? which runs until April 4. It is a hilarious tale of overachievers? angst, as six adolescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Call 8927078 or 8401187 for tickets.

As a cool twist, each night two volunteer audience members and celebrity guest spellers will be invited to join the stellar cast of Joel Trinidad, Cathy Azanza-Dy and Carla Guevarra-Laforteza. Direk Bobby Garcia has asked me to be guest speller. Yikes! This is really not for me. Fave designer friend Rajo Laurel has agreed to embrace his fears and conquer the challenge of being on stage. I will have to watch that show to see if he can spell ?tomorrow.?

Bike festival

Speaking of challenges, my latest is biking. On April 2-5, the 7th Terry Larrazabal Bike Festival (TLBF) kicks off in Subic. The TLBF is a unique 15-race bike-athon, featuring mountain bike, cross country, dirt jumping, etc., etc., and this year, a standard distance triathlon. Everyone who likes to have fun between his legs will be there. See www.tlbf.org or call 3872173 for details.

Of course, this also meant a visit to Bike Town Cyclery, where I had myself custom-fitted for a neon-pink bike. I had no idea that designer bikes can cost as much as designer bags and shoes!

The TLBF is the biggest biking promotional event in the country, possibly in Asia. It was started by the family of Terry Larrazabal, principally his son Goyo, with a two-race circuit in 2002 and it has grown steadily since.

Filbike, the country?s biggest bike show, will display their latest models as well. For kids, there will be workshops, fun rides, night rides and proper bike fitting. Han Rey of Wheels 4 Life Charity will promote their program to give away bikes to the less fortunate. TLBF is sponsored by Bike Town Cyclery, Gatorade, Jagermeister, Rudy Project and Smart Communications, as well as Inquirer.net and Yehey.com.

To prepare for the TLBF triathlon, I?ve started training with Kona Ironman finisher Ani de Leon for this 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run event. One of my dreams is to have Ani?s stamina combined with the curves of Angelina Jolie. The former is achievable but the latter might only be obtained with the magic of Photoshop.

Never mind! It all starts with the genius of a master photographer who can instantly create an image of curves and drama.

Nicdao exhibit

For the new campaign of Viva! Mineralized Water, renowned photographer Mark Nicdao launched his first solo exhibit, ?Alive.?

Don?t tell my hubby but I got to pose for Mark, draped with just a voluminous jacket by talented designer Jan Garcia. The session took less than an hour, but it was great to watch him work his dramatic angles and lighting.

All of Mark?s gigantic and dramatic black-and-white photos depicting the beauty of the human form in raw strength and balance were displayed in Greenbelt 5?s Fashion Walk Area. Events PR Keren Pascual really knows how to continually impress us all with his creative ideas.

At the launch, executives of The Coca-Cola Corporation, like Jenny Cinco, Diggy Dey and Roki Ferrer, were present, along with celebrity subjects like Richard Gomez, Phoemela Baranda, Carlene Aguilar and Enchong Dee. It was all quite an unveiling for Viva, clearly the best option for refreshment with its zero calories and added vital minerals.

Greenbelt is a great place to have events, because it is so easy for me to attend two in one evening. From GB5, I just crossed the garden to People?s Palace, for the launch of the Summer Fashion Collection of Penshoppe. Party maiden Cacay Moras made sure all the guests enjoyed the wonderful array of cocktails and food whilst toasting the arrival of summer.

Penshoppe?s Summer 2009 Collection is all about fun and bright colors, ranging from nautical-preppy to folksy vibe looks. Donning these vestments were the fresh new faces of Penshoppe: Bea Soriano, JC Tiuseco, Matteo Guidicelli, Melissa Ricks, Solenn Heusaff and Victor Basa. Check out the bright colors of summer in all the Penshoppe boutiques nationwide. Their clothes will make you feel 10 years younger.

To cap off the evening, we headed to Aquaknox Restaurant for some Thanh Long Crab. This Vietnamese crab recipe that became famous amongst San Francisco-based Pinoys is now in town, thanks to Danny Vu and Natasha Morse, two entrepreneurs who started Aquaknox. Check out the restaurant at 800 Arnaiz Ave., near Amorsolo St. in Makati, or call 3798820 for reservations.

Just imagine if we could eat all we want and bike all we like and still look good enough to be in photo exhibits. Would life still have challenges?

E-mail the author at seaprincess@inquirer.com.ph