Philippines' bet for Miss Universe Ariella Arida is off to Russia today to get ready for the world's most prestigious pageant to be held on Nov. 9. But before she said goodbye, the Laguna-bred stunner sat down with Rappler in a fashion and beauty photoshoot to give her supporters a glimpse of who is Ariella Arida.

The 24-year-old beauty queen is still a mystery but as the days of the Miss Universe pageant nears Arida is slowly coming out of her shell and tells the world that she is a force to reckon with. Here are the 5 things you don't know about Miss Philippines Ariella Arida as she opens up with Kai Magsanoc of Rappler.

1. "It's a calling. It's a passion. It's my dream." - Representing her country Philippines is always a dream for the young Ara and now that it's a reality, her passion to be Miss Universe is what drives her to be on top of her game.

2. How she deals with criticisms - Winning the Miss Universe Philippines crown is not a joke for Arida. Although many people supports her quest for the elusive Miss Universe crown, many are also criticizing her capabilities to represent her country. There are people who wishes that she can get pregnant and give up her crown, and she doesn't think that there's anything constructive about it. But still, she kept her cool and used these negative energy to fuel her for the upcoming beauty contest and to become worthy of the crown and prove her adversaries wrong.

3. Her first winter - "I'm so excited to go to Russia and to experience what's it like to be there, especially winter. It's my first time to experience cold weather and I heard it's really going to be cold in Russia, especially in November. I'm really excited, " she revealed in an interview with Rappler.

4. She had to gain weight - Arida is now on a great shape but she worked doubly hard to get the hot body that she have now. Slim is not enough for the pageant, her body needed to be toned down and she needed to gain weight under a strict training with Aces and Queens. The training group trained Arida everything she needs to know to get herself ready, from perfecting her "ariba" walk down to her socials skills.

5. She was boyish growing up - Arida never wore heels until she was 21. Growing up, she was more into sports than make-up but it was always her dream to be a beauty queen.

To follow Ariella Arida's journey to Miss Universe, you can check her out in her Twitter and Instagram accounts @araarida, and her Facebook fan page, Ariella Arida.