Celebrity Edmund Chen, graced the event and was chief judge for the pageant. Radio personality Jasper Lai and homegrown singer Alex Wang were just some of the names that evaluated the finalists’ performances. The finalists will be judged based on their wit, talent and whether they have caring hearts for the community.
Before the pageant started, the audience were patiently waiting and enthusiastically screaming to show their support every time the screen displayed the finalist of their choice. The highlight of the pageant was definitely the performances by the finalists. Everyone tried to channel his or her best talent. There were dance performances, singing and even a cello performance.
As with all pageants, contestants are required to participate in a Question & Answer (Q & A) segment. The finalists had a minute to answer questions like, “What is your purpose in life?” and “What are the two things that motivate you?”. Then, the finalists donned traditional outfits and danced together with their partners under the spotlight.
The pageant lasted for two hours and we enjoyed the brilliant showcase by all finalists. Finally, we were given the results…
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| Claire Teo (left) and Leonard Chew are awarded Ms and Mr NYP! |
In the Q & A segment, Leonard asserted that the most important value in life is responsibility. He believes that there are no short cuts to achieving his goals and he always strives to do his best. He received the loudest cheers and had standing ovations from his friends when he was announced the winner.
Miss NYP 2012 was awarded to Claire Teo! She plays the cello and gave a remarkable performance by playing the opening song of the mega hit series, Harry Potter. She is 1.8 metres tall and is taking her Diploma in Marketing.
When asked what is her driving force, money or glamour, she answered glamour. “It might just be a few seconds on stage but with glamour, I will have the power to influence. I love dogs and with glamour, I can build a dog shelter and influence other people to love dogs too,” she said.
I managed to get an interview with the both of them a few days after the pageant was over. Here’s what they had to say:
1. What made you want to join GeneratioNYP?
Leonard: I initially joined GeneratioNYP just for the fun of it, to gain new experience and maybe learn something from it (which I did).
I am a very shy person but I decided to step out of my comfort zone to challenge myself. I strongly encourage students to take part in GeneratioNYP or any other school-organised events!
Claire: Hmm the reason why I want to join GeneratioNYP is firstly, to gain experience and exposure. I am always interested in modeling and pageants are a kind of modeling experience too. I’m a person who always strives for perfection. So I want to be someone who is all rounded. By joining this pageant, I hoped that it would help me to build confidence, improve my emotional intelligence, and most importantly to make new friends!
2. How did you prepare yourself for the pageant? Was there any beauty regime that you followed religiously or any general rule that you abide by like drinking at least 8 cups of water a day or sleeping for at least 8 hours a day?
Leonard: Haha, I just do what I always do which is to keep fit by regular exercise. For me, that should be enough to keep myself healthy for school and also the pageant.
Claire: To be honest, I did not tie myself down to a regime. I just drank a lot of water and ate lots of fruits to ensure I would not fall sick before the pageant. Weeks before the pageant, we had rehearsals almost every day and started doing my projects only from 12am onwards. Then I had to wake up at 6am for school. If I did not consume sufficient water, I’m pretty sure I will fall sick very easily! I don’t believe in doing additional preparation for school pageants because I’m sure what the school wants is someone natural. So I guess being myself is the best.
3. Were there any difficulties that you faced before and during the pageant itself?
Leonard: Of course, the contestants had to go for intensive rehearsals before the final performance, which took up all my time and energy. But it also taught us how to manage our time and also channel our energy correctly.
The main challenge I faced during the pageant was the lack of confidence in myself. But talking to my best friend helped a lot.
Claire: There are definitely difficulties along the way. For me, it’s time management. Like I said, I am striving to be an all rounder. I participate in two CCAs - Track and Field as well as SBM Club. Apart from that, studies are my priority so I have to make sure I do well for exams! I also need to spend time with my family & friends. So during rehearsals, I had to struggle to manage my time and try to understand that I can’t have the best of both worlds. Sacrifices had to be made.
4. How was the situation like in the dressing room, when other contestants were on stage performing/question and answer segment?
Leonard: It was frantic. We had to travel to the dressing room in an orderly manner and change for our next performance in less than 5mins. Once we’ve reached our changing room, we literally stripped ourselves immediately because there was no time to waste! I’m thankful to the efficient volunteer dressers from NYP who talked to us and helped us calm our nerves.
Claire: Hmm, nothing much actually. Just that the theatre was really cold and I was praying that the event would go smoothly. I was just hoping that everyone would be able to do their best including myself.
5. How did you feel when you were up on stage waiting for the results? Did you tell yourself, "Nah, it's okay if I didn't win, I did this just for the fun of it." or "I really hope I'll win!"
Leonard: Yeah, I was thinking that it's ok if I didn't win. However, I always believe that all contestants are winners and that they have already won something much more valuable than any prize or title, which is friendship!
Claire: Honestly I wasn’t nervous at all because winning or losing doesn’t matter to me since my initial intention was to join this pageant so as to gain experience. I have already gained good experiences from there and also good friends! So actually, I already feel that I have 'earned' more than what I have given for this contest. At the same time, before the finals, the contestants keep reminding each other that we are all winners after going through so much.
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| All winners in our hearts! |
Leonard: I don't think I have fans because I haven't seen any! Haha. The fans you saw are all my close friends, and all seven of them bought tickets just to support me.
The other winners include:
1st runner up (male): Amirul B. Pa'at
1st runner up (female): Grace Ng
Most popular: Leonard Leslie
Most talented: Leonard Chew
Congratulations to all!
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