Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.
This quote from Mother Teresa, spoken beautifully by Miss Lynn Tan, was what won her the crown at the Miss Universe Singapore(MUS) finals on Sunday.
And it wasn’t just the way the FHM Model Of The Year 2011 eloquently delivered it that impressed, it was how she used it to answer the question that was posed to her after she made it to the top seven that clinched her the title. The former Raffles Junior College student had found the quote online that morning.
A set of 25 questions were given to the contestants a few days in advance.
Said judge and MUS chief executive officer Errol Pang: “We have done it every year so that the girls can practise for the answers, as the question they get asked in the end is based on the luck of the draw.
“Although questions won’t be given beforehand at the international finals, I’m not worried for Lynn as we intend to prepare hundreds of questions for her so she’ll be well-prepared for it (the international finals in December).
“Lynn was the hot favourite and the perfect contestant to take the crown.”
Modern Singapore woman
When a judge, local actress Rebecca Lim, asked her what her strongest selling point was as Singapore’s ambassador, Miss Tan said: “I will be the modern Singapore woman, beautiful, strong and ready to stand for what I believe in.
“Yet, I will hold on to my values that have brought me here.”
She ended her answer with the quote from Mother Teresa.
Miss Tan, 24, an associate with accounting firm Deloitte, told The New Paper: “I am very inspired by Mother Teresa and Gandhi, so using a quote from her was apt.
“Actually I had a different answer but the coach had advisedmeotherwise. “To be honest, I only thought up some of the answers to my questions today.”
Students Nowreen Khan, 24, and Louissa Thomas, 23, were first and second runners-up respectively. Incidentally, Miss Khan had taken part in The New Paper New Face contest in 2009 and 2011 but didn’t makeit past the second round.
Miss Thomas, on the other hand, was a New Face finalist in 2009.
Said Miss Khan: “I have to credit The New Paper for scouting me in 2009 as that was how my beauty pageant journey started.
“I was completely demoralised when I didn’t make it those two times but look where I am now.
“It’s important not to give up your dreams.”
In the question-and-answer round, when asked what was the one thing she would change about Singapore, she said nothing.
“Look how far Singapore has come from its humble beginnings,” she said.
Miss Thomas chose Vogue when asked which magazine’s cover she would like to grace.
And it wasn’t just the winners who were the centre of attention. Spotted in the crowd was royalty – Princess Aminah of Johor dazzled in her figure-hugging black dress and charmed with her sweet smile.
Princess Aminah, 26, who owns her own line of skincare products Luvins, told TNP: “What I’m impressed by in the girls is good posture, great skin and charming personality.
“As for allowing transgender women to compete in Miss Universe next year, I think that would be very interesting to watch.”
The 14 finalists were vying for the top prize of $5,000 cash and more than $20,000 in prizes, which Ms Tan was ecstatic to walk away with.
Apart from Ms Rebecca Lim, the nine judges included Class 95FM deejay Glenn Ong.
Celebrity couple Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang and local actor Alaric Tay were also spotted enjoying the glitzy event at the Shangri-La Hotel ballroom.
Miss Tan was a clear favourite with the judges and sponsors and walked away with the most number of subsidiary awards – Miss Body Beautiful, Miss Lumiere International 2012 and Miss Sensational Smile.
The other awards went to Miss Jody Liu (Miss Crowning Glory), Miss Louissa Thomas (Best Legs), Miss Catherine Chua (Miss Photogenic), Miss Michelle Qiu (Miss MZ Visionary) and Miss Goh Yi Ling (Miss Personality).
The night started off on a light-hearted note when hosts Class 95FM deejays Jean Danker and Mike Kasem took the mickey out of themselves, prompting laughter from the audience.
When Ms Danker emerged on stage, she was dressed in a purple evening gown and had the MUS crown on her head. Pretending to be an obsessive beauty queen, she refused to take off the crown and threatened to run out of the ballroom with it. The amused crowd watched as she handed over the tiara reluctantly.
Kasem, on the other hand, who has a self-confessed Rebecca Lim obsession, went up to the actress at the judges table to “talk” to her.
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