Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

The 25 finalists in the Pulse International Limited's Miss Jamaica Universe 2008 eliminations. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Luvs, it's the age of the beautiful people, and no surprises here that they are celebrating birthdays aplenty!

First, however, belated happy birthday wishes to the absolutely stunning Michelle La Porte, who celebrated her birthday earlier last month. Many happy returns, and then some! Belated wishes also to social empress Thalia Lyn, who celebrated her birthday yesterday. Here, the celebrations were of an intimate nature, restricted to immediate family.

On Wednesday, however, it was Janet Farrow who was blowing out the candles on her birthday cake as she celebrated her special day. Also celebrating on Wednesday was the lovely Joan Clarke-Ford, who saw in her birthday at her New York home.

On Tuesday the 11th, however, it was Robert Stephenson who celebrated his birthday, but international duties saw him heading off to Valencia, Spain, last Saturday, for the World Indoor Athletic Championships, as the team leader with the legendary Donald Quarrie as the team's technical leader. The celebrations here in Kingston were put on hold, as there was a stop in London on the 10th, and he will be in St Kitts on the 17th of March at the invitation of the country's track association, to assist with that country's hosting of the Carifta Games and the naming of the new stadium in honour of their athlete, Kim Collins. So it will be some time before the celebrations here are well and truly enjoined.

Toast and treats

Well, many happy returns all around, with champagne toasts and Beluga treats!

Then, my dears, it was one very pulsating weekend as it was all about Pulse and its glamour brand, as it was a two-day celebration of beauty, haute-style and pizzazz, as the world's acknowledged leading talent-spotting agency in the Caribbean was in the throes of prepping its finalists in this year's staging of the prestigious Miss Jamaica Universe contest.

To kick off the weekend, a number of Kingston's leading personalities were invited to join the Pulse team at the entertainment group's Trafalgar Road headquarters, private penthouse suite and poolside, for the launch party and reception to announce the who, where and when of this year's staging of the world's premier beauty pageant.

Well, me daahlings, it was the purr-fect opening for the beauty contest season as the fab were out, as were the chic, the celebrated and, of course, Pulse's latest discoveries and fashion hopefuls.

Luvs, there's nothing like this beauty pageant that brings out the beauty contest aficionados and fashion bessies, and last Saturday night was no different from any other.

And with Kingsley Cooper and his lady love Romae Gordon being the perfect hosts, y'all know that