Sunday, April 24, 2011

PART 1---MISS INTERNATIONAL 2010/11 AT CHENGDU, CHINA

kee@fswmag.com
PART 1; THIS EVENT OCCURRED ON 7 NOVEMBER 2010 IN CHENGDU, CHINA
Below is the new and current Miss International 2010/11 Miss Venezuela who could not speak English and Miss Malaysia International Chantelle Chuah who speaks English beautifully!
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THE 50TH MISS INTERNATIONAL PAGEANT WAS REPRESENTED BY MISS MALAYSIA CHANTELLE CHUAH, A DAZZLINGLY BEAUTIFUL, GRACIOUS AND ELEGANT BEAUTY QUEEN WHO DESERVED TO WIN!

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Kee Hua Chee, that's me, with new Miss International 2010/11 Miss Venezuela. She admired my jacket and asked her interpreter to ask what label and where I got it. It is from TANGOO at Pavilion and OneUtama! Made for me by Moses Law and Eric Yeong! Wa, even Miss International like it!
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My complexion looked rosier and pinkier here, could not believe how tall these girls are! OK they in high heels but still...
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Snuggling up to the new Miss International
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Chantelle Chuah Miss Malaysia International, Kee Hua Chee and Miss International 2nd
runner-up Miss China

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Two Chinese beauties
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Also two Chinese beauties
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This was taken after the contest was over so I removed my TANGOO jacket
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Taken inside the lift of the hotel as they were returning to their rooms
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Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah with new friends
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Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah with Miss International 1st runner-up Miss Thailand
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Miss Thailand was first runner-up
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Her tiny crown appeared to be perched precariously but it never toppled
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Miss Thailand blinked and lost the crown which went to Miss Venezuela!

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The outgoing Miss International 2010 Miss Mexico Anagabriela Espinoza
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Miss International 2010 really towered over me I can't believe it
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Yup is true, second photo also confirmed she was taller than moi

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The top 3 winners; 1st runner up, Miss International and 2nd runner-up
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Winsome threesome!
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So pretty!
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Can such beauty be quantified?
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The media interview
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Standing tall and lovely
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Two beauties; Kee Hua Chee and Chantelle Chuah
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Two beauties; Miss Philippines and Miss Malaysia.Notice the thigh show.

IMG_6059.jpgThree beauties; Notice my face on my groin. I couldn't compete with their legs so I placed my face where it counted.

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5 Beauties

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Other beauties.


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Winners of subsidiary titles. I could not believe Miss Malaysia did not win a subsidiary title! Shocking!


Also for the first time in the world finals of Miss International in Chengdu, China, there were one and half Miss Malaysias taking part!

Allow me to explain this delightful enigma.

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Lanky Miss Denmark at the dress rehearsal.

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Miss Denmark Nadia Pedersen

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Miss Denmark Nadia Pedersen at extreme left at dress rehearsal the day before the finals.


At the full dress rehearsal a day before the grand finals of the 50th Miss International pageant in Sichuan Province Gymnasium last month in Chengdu, China, I was gawking at Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah practising her salutary wave in case she won the crown. Then I heard “Dia hanya main bola sepak macam mana dia tahu model?” (‘She only plays football so how does she know how to model?”)

Well, considering Chantelle Chuah, 24, not only won Miss Malaysia/Model of the Year 2007 but also Miss Malaysia/International Model 2007, I felt compelled to defend her reputation as one of Malaysia’s leading models. After all, she was in the top 15 finalists out of 78 contestants in Model of the Year 2007 so she should jolly well know how to traipse up and down the catwalk. And one can certainly play football and still model on and off the field!

So I turned to glare at a pleasant looking Malay lady surrounded obviously by members of her family. “Eh, excuse me but she memang (definitely) expert model la!” I said indignantly. “She is famous as a model so you really don’t know what you are talking about!”

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Miss Denmark with her mother Bibi Pedersen

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Miss Denmark, her mother and Miss Malaysia.


The lady and her clan stared flabbergasted and the lady said sternly, “What do you mean I don’t know? Of course I know what I am saying!”

“No you don’t and you shouldn’t make ridiculous remarks like that!” I replied heatedly.

“Hey, she is my daughter and I raised her so I know what I am talking about! You can even ask my brother standing next to me!” retorted the dame as her relatives nodded vigorously.

I was near speechless, a rare occurrence. She and her brother did not look remotely Chinese. Chantelle Chuah can be mistaken for Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Manchurian or even Thai but even by a long stretch of imagination she cannot be mistaken for a Malay or Indian Muslim. Maybe Chantelle was adopted!

I pointed at her on the stage. “So you adopted her is it?”

The mother almost fainted. “I delivered her from my womb!” Just as well she was stabbing the air and pointing towards a ravishing, exotic, dusky beauty wearing the sash that proclaimed ‘Miss Denmark’!

MISS DENMARK IS HALF MALAYSIAN, HALF DANISH!

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One and half Miss Malaysias!

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We have all heard of 1Malaysia, here are 1 and half Miss Malaysias!

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Now here are two and half Malaysians!

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Another take on us.

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I thought the stage would never be ready on time but within hours all was ready for the grand finals.


We had a good laugh as the confusion cleared. Bibi Abdul Jalil Pederson met her husband 28 years ago in Kuala Lumpur and married 21 years ago. Nadia Pedersen is thus 50% Malaysian though she grew up in Copenhagen, visiting Malaysia during summer holidays.

With stunning figure and athletic built, it was easy to visualise her playing football! Indeed she is in Denmark’s national football team for women! Despite her stellar looks, modelling was never in her agenda.

Just as supermodel Naomi Campbell was spotted strolling along Covent Garden aged 16, Nadia Pedersen was at Fisketorvet shopping mall in Copenhagen when a talent agent approached her. “It was a classic opener as he asked if I was a model,” grinned Nadia Pedersen, 20. “I said no. He asked if I would be interested to join Miss Denmark pageant. I thought he was joking but he gave me his card and the address and company seemed genuine. I was more amused than anything though my friends said I should model as I am 174cm.

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“I modelled once or twice aged 17 but that was it. I don’t think I am ugly but to compete for Miss Denmark title seemed fat fetched as I am not blonde. Then I remembered Miss Denmark 2009 was half Danish, half Thai! So maybe exotic Eurasians were fashionable in Scandinavia so I decided to give it a go.”

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Miss Denmark at rehearsal


Just as well. At the finals in April 2010, the 20 year old footballer beat 29 others to clinch the Miss Denmark International crown.

Participating in beauty contests is no bed of roses. Miss Malaysia International Nancie Foo actually fainted during the finals in Tokyo back and Nadia was so exhausted she overslept and missed her flight from Shanghai to Copenhagen the next day! Nadia is currently a university student and will graduate in Psychology while doting mum Bibi Abdul Jalil works in an old folks home.

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So lovely our Miss Malaysia!

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Again and I know you love drooling over her so here are more of the same!

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Miss Malaysia holding the special pull-out by a local Chengdu newspaper with her big photo.

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Just in case you missed it

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Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah showing her gambar

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I asked for an autograph

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Yes, right there!

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Kee Hua CHhee pointing to his candidate

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Miss Malaysia, me and Red Riding Hood ala Miss Philippines. I am a lion, not a wolf.

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See my lion? And my leopard jacket? I am a Big Cat, not a pussy!

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Kee Hua Chee with Miss China

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Miss Denmark at rehearsal.


Both Miss Malaysia and Miss Denmark did not win as to have one win Miss International and the other first runner-up will need divine intervention.

As Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah was not made of stone, she was disappointed she was not among the Top 15. Both also did not win the subsidiary titles of Miss Goodwill (Miss Mauritius), Miss Friendship (Indonesia), Miss Photogenic (Miss Mexico), Miss Internet (China), Miss Active (Miss Mongolia), Miss Expressive (Miss Philippines), Miss Stature (Miss Lithuania), Miss Elegance (Miss Japan), Miss National Costume (Miss Brazil) and the strangely named Miss Garden (Miss Ukraine).

Amazingly or perhaps fittingly, the main sponsor was a cosmetic surgery hospital by the somewhat bizarre name of ‘She Says’ and the tagline ‘Smiling for Tomorrow’ which seems better suited for an orthodontic dental surgery.

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Natural beauties; Miss International 2008/9 Miss Spain Alejandra Andreu and Miss Malaysia Chantelle Chuah. They did not undergo any cosmetic surgery!

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I also never did plastic surgery

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3 natural beauties!

Amitted Miss Malaysia International 2010, “After assessing my chances earlier, I thought I deserved to be in the Top 15 so I am sad but what to do? However, this is the 50th Miss International and very historic so I am glad to be part of that. With 70 nations participating, this is the largest ever in the pageant’s history and so my chances are lower.

“As the main sponsor is a plastic surgery company, perhaps they were looking for a perfect face with perfectly spaced eyes, well proportioned nose, balanced lips and nicely shaped oval face with good cheekbones! Well, I am pretty but I am not perfect! Oh, actually I am perfect----perfectly natural! I am proud to say I have not done any plastic surgery to any part of my face and body. I am not against it but I think one shouldn’t overdo cosmetic surgery. But I better shut up as I don’t want to sound like the fox and sour grapes!”

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Outgoing Miss International 2009/10 Miss Mexico Anagrabriela Espinoza is also a Natural Beauty!

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Taken at dress rehearsal

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The Sichuan Province Gymnasium could be chilly which was why we were all wrapped up.

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Look at Miss Inyernational 2009/10! No wonder she won!

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Still gorgeous!


Hot favourites Miss Japan Etsuko Kanagae and Miss Philippines Krista Kleiner did not win though they were in the top 5. Second runner-up was Miss China Yuan Siyi as expected since we were in China though she deserved to win regardless. First runner-up was Miss Thailand Piyaporn Deejing which none can grudge since she was lovely to a fault. But loud gasps were heard when Miss International 2010/11 was announced; Miss Venezuela.

Sure Miss Venezuela Elizabeth Mosquera, 19, was undeniably beautiful at a towering 177cm and a body to die for. Still, many shook their heads in disbelief as she did not speak English! She needed a translator during the Q & A which left her a lame duck. At the press conference she spoke excitedly and entirely in Spanish which will be a major handicap when she travels the globe extolling the pageant’s slogan of ‘Love, Peace and Excitement to the World’.

First runner-up Miss Thailand spoke beautiful English and even second runner-up Miss China could squeak through but Miss Venezuela could not muster a single English syllable. Which beggars the question; why select a non-English speaking winner when the remaining four converse in English? At this stage each of the top five finalists deserved to win. No one expected the victor to explain Unified Field Theory or have an IQ of 200 but with wafer thin marks separating the winner and runners-up, it should be assumed the one who could speak English should win.

As English is the undisputed international language there is no excuse for a reigning Miss International not to be able to speak the international language! Future press conferences and interviews will now be doubly long unless she is in Spanish-speaking nations and the impact of her speech is lost if the audience do not comprehend anything more than ‘Hola Senorita’. Having to listen to the translator is time consuming, waste of effort and ridiculous in this time and age.

I congratulated her and was rewarded with a torrent of Spanish so I gave up and replied in Hokkien which she mistook for English and nodded animatedly.

MISS MALAYSIA NOW COO OF LEJADI FOUNDATION

Miss Malaysia International Chantelle Chuah is now COO of Lejadi Foundation founded by Tan Sri Lim Ewe Jin, president of Lejadi Group. Says Chantelle, “Since 2005, Tan Sri Lim Ewe Jin’s Socially Responsible Charity Galas have raised over RM 1 million for charity which has been given away. Tan Sri Lim will now match ringgit for ringgit from his own pocket as capital for Lejadi Foundation.

“Lejadi Foundation helps liver and kidney patients through Yayasan SSL Haemolysis which charges only RM 10 compared to RM 300 at some private hospitals. Each filter alone costs RM 90! We also help bright students from poor families.”

She is also a partner with Dato’ Anna Lim for Beauty & Fashion Studio Sdn Bhd which offers leadership courses conducted by power speakers. Since she is such a sweetie, who should run Zessie Chantelle Premium Chocolates but her! In addition, this sweetheart donates 5% of all sales to Lejadi Foundation too!

THE END

1 comment:

Jim Thomson said...

Nice Coverage!!

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