Miss Chinese International 2016 (Final Predictions)

The quality of this year's contestants is exceptionally high with some clear standouts. However, before I get into what my prediction is, I would really need to comment on the judging panel this year. What's the point of having all celebrities into the judging panel while this should be an "international pageant"? (Note the quotation marks coz the size of the pageant cannot be considered so). There is one thing that I like about MCI since that Miss Chan Chan messed MHK and MCI up is that the judging panel of MCI still remains to be quite professional. TVB would invite at least two public figure, e.g. BBS, into the panel. However, this year, it seems that it is simply a freak show trying to showcast their celebrities instead of the girls. I am reli disappointed.

On a positive note, it seems that the girls are still enjoying themselves in HK, having got more media exposure this year than previous years. My predictions, as usual would list out the potential champions, then the top-shots, followed by one or two contestants that I believe would be black-horses. To be honest, it is very hard to pick this year's top 3 as almost all of the contestants are very strong. It would pretty much depends on how they flare on the final night. But here is my fearful prediction:

Champion Contender
14) Jennifer Coosemans - Vancouver

Jennifer remains strong and stunning since day 1 and I would be thrilled to see her crowned as the Champion. As mentioned, her Chinese is extremely limited but hopefully the 26 judges (I felt so dumb typing this number) can look pass this and can see that she did indeed try hard to learn Chinese and she is the most stunning among the group. If Vancouver wins again, this would be their 7th MCI and 3rd MCI since the 2010s.

12) Tiana Luan - Sydney

Another strong candidate from Sydney. I would say look-wise, she is even better than Mandy Chai last year as she is not only pretty but she is also quite tall. She have the goods to be the Champion although she seems a bit reserved. If she can shine in the question and answer portion tomorrow, she would be definitely up there.

Top Shots
3) Louisa Mak - Hong Kong

Louisa is still sharp but she is just not on the same bar with the Champion materials mentioned above, especially when it is so obviously that she is much shorter than the other contestants. However, since the judging panel consists of SO MANY Miss Hong Kong-s, she would definitely be up there... This is so not fair to the other candidates. In terms of speaking, she is eloquent but I still prefer the way Grace Chan speaks.. that is how a Champion should sound like.. natural and to-the-point.

4) Sophia Wu - Nanjing

Sophia is cute and has been consistent throughout the week. She is one of the stronger mainland Chinese representatives in recent years. She has the teenage-aura of last year's 2nd runner-up Catherine. Even better, she seems more natural when delivering her words. She could be up there.

9) Mary Chen - New York

Well she is one of the favourites of the former MHKs and MCIs, along with her great body figure and eloquence, she would be strong tomorrow night. I think she has a shot in the top 5 but I would be a bit disappointed if she is in the top 3 because look-wise, she is not the strongest in the group. Her look does demand attention though.

Black-horses
11) Sherry Wang - Johannesburg

I originally would like to put her among the Top Shots, but she does not seem to be in the media's attention. There is something appealling about her. Maybe it is her refreshing aura with a sweet-looking face. I would not be surprised if she is in the Top 5, or even the Top 3 if she manages to shine in the final night.

If this is her styling tmr, she would be up there.

1) Maggie Zhang - Auckland

This profile pic of hers doesn't do her justice. She has that sheer elegance in her. With a bit of luck and a good interview, she could be a top contender.

12) Karinne Legare - Montreal

Based on looks alone, she should be at the very top along with Jennifer. However, her styling and body shape is not good enough... I would be thrilled if she could be in the Top 3. She is even more gorgeous than the 2nd runner up in MCI 2014.

5) Janice Choong - KL

I'm putting Janice here as I believe she would be strong in areas such as Q&A and modelling, as can be found in KL representatives. She is the weakest girl from KL since Lenna Lim. Look-wise, she is just average among all of this year's stunning contestants, especially with such a poor styling from TVB. Hope she can crack into the top 10 by utilising her skills well.

My Wish-list / Prediction

Champion: Jennifer Coosemans - Vancuover 

1st Runner-up: Louisa Mak - HK

2nd Runner-up: Tiana Luan - Sydney

Top 5: Mary Chen - New York / Sherry Wong - Johannesburg

Miss Chinese International (1st Review)

This year's Miss Chinese International pageant is disappointing in one way... there are only 14 candidates in this year's pageant... the least in the pageant's history. Not only is TVB not allowing other candidates come and show off their potential, the number 14 is also not very fortunate in Chinese terms, considering that this is a pageant celebrating our Chinese heritage. I think they should have at least included Seattle and San Francisco. It is also interesting that they decided to include South Africa this year which is a pleasant surprise. However, regardless of this, the quality of this year's candidates seemed to be quite high, with clearly one or two stand-outs in the group, plus a number of potential black horses.

Today is the official press conference of the pageant and the following can be observed:

Kelly is stunning! If she were to compete this year, she could easily win again!

Top Contender
14) Jennifer Coosemans 朱亞琳 - Vancouver
She must be the strongest candidate in MCI in recent years. It is true that she resembles Michelle Reis, Miss MCI 1989. Not only is she stunning, she also has the height, unlike Grace Chan in 2013. Based on look itself, Jennifer can definitely win the whole thing. The only thing that I think would stop her from winning the crown is her language issue.. she can barely speak Cantonese. This has always been the issue barring stunning contenders to be crowned as in Miss New York in MCI 2012 and Miss Bangkok in MCI 2013. I just hope she has the personality and at least the Cantonese skill of Eliza Sam. This is the only way that she can win the whole pageant.


12) Tiana Tay 欒添 - Sydney
Haha i thought she is representing Melbourne in the Miss Australia Chinese 2015, how is she representing Sydney in MCI this year? Regardless, she is tall and pretty, and seems to have a very nice skin-tone. She also have the opportunity to try on the MCI crown. She seems a bit timid when she is answering the press but still she is calm. I would not be disappointed if she wins on Saturday. On a side note, I guess she is good artiste material and would fit in TVB greatly.


4) Lousia Mak - Hong Kong
She is the only standout in this year's Miss Hong Kong but when it comes to MCI, she seems to be overshadowed by a number of the candidates. Standing between two of the tallest girls in the pageant, she looks like a dwarf hahaha. I still think Lousia would put up a good fight although I always thought Lousia is more photogenic than telegenic. If she can look as stunning as when she was in the Miss Hong Kong finals, plus retaining her eloquence, she will definitely be up there.


Strong Contenders
9) Mary Chan - New York City
One of the media favourites mainly due to her good figure, I find her quite captivating since her crowning in New York. She seems to be very well-rounded and really bubbly to do well. However, she is still a downgrade from last year's stunner.


4) Sophia Mo - Nanjing
Although I'm usually not a fan of mainland contenders, Sophia is actually one that caught my eye and I think she is gonna do well. She has that youthful actress vibe. Hopefully, she would be given a youthful looking make-up and styling during the final night.


Black-horses
1) Maggie Zhang - Auckland
She is one of the best representatives from Auckland in recent years. However, if so many well-rounded candidates this year, it seems that she is over-shadowed and appeared plain. Hopefully, better styling and a good interview can help her shine.


8) Karinne Tse - Montreal
She is a mixed-beauty but it seems that she is a bit reserved and not catching the media's attention. If she wanna do well she would have to treasure some opportunity to shine. In a less competitive year, she would have been a strong contender.


7) Helen Chan - Melbourne
She is not the prettiest of the pack but it seems that she has the personality to do well. I actually think she looks like a downgraded version of Sarah Song and Kelly Cheung.


11) Cherry Wong - South Africa
The candidate that no one was expecting but it is a pleasant surprise. She is kind of middle of the pack right now but there is sth appealing about her. Maybe it is the youthful and friendly vibe that she exerts. Her face is on the bigger size so hopefully she knows her angle well.


5) Janice Choong - KL
Janice is definitely the weakest KL representative since Lenna Lim in 2011. But never count KL out, they are usually very good speakers.

Short Review of Miss World and Miss Universe 2015

Have been quite busy these two months that I did not have time to cover both the Miss Universe and Miss World pageant. So before I dealt with my first review of MCI, I would make a brief recap of the two most anticipated pageants of the world.

Since Miss World is not broadcast live on the Internet, I had to rely on a Chinese blog to keep myself updated of the final. I was thrilled that Lebanon made it to the top in the interview but yet I am extremely nervous that what happened to France would happen to Valarie this year. Luckily, they changed the scoring system this year by making interview having more substantive marks, Valarie managed to make it to the Top 5. Once in the top 5, I thought that it would be a battle between Lebanon and Russia, who is very strong in the Fast-tracks events and seems to be a strong and deserving candidate. Right before they announced the winner, my internet crashed and I am damn sure that Lebanon would emerged as the winner.... After 5 minutes, when i saw a pic with Spain wearing the crown... i was so shocked that i actually feel so bad for Lebanon. Spain seemed to be the weakest Miss World since 2010.. and yes .. even worse than Alexandria Mills as I find Alexandria quite appealing. I am definitely sure that the Miss World's winning streak in Global Beauties Miss Grand Slam would be broken unfortunately... very sad..

I think this is one of her better candid.

After watching the telecast, I must say, it seems that the organisation loves Miss Spain.. this can be seen in her Top 5 interview video. The video reli shows the genuine side of her.. while for Lebanon.. the video only shows her having fun.. having parties with the other candidates BUT fails to show the fact that she is a loving person as well especially knowing that she was inspired by her sister, who was injured in a car accident, to take part in Miss Lebanon and Miss World. It was a bit unfair.

Lebanon and Russia does shine the brightest in the Top 5.

BUT what is done is done and nobody can do anything about it. I am happy that Lebanon has been such a great game-player by keeping a positive outlook and a bright smile even though she could have been the more derserving winner.

Talking about Miss Spain Mieria Lalaguna Rozo. To be fair, I could see the appeal in her.. but her styling for the finals was just off. There is no denying that she looked gorgeous in the Top Model Competition, even more gorgeous than Lebanon. Her make-up and hair-style for the final made her look old. Alongside Miss Venezuela, Miss Austria and Miss France, to name a few, I believe Miss Spain has the model vibe and the most delicate features. If she would need to prove her critics wrong, she would need to make sure she has an appropriate styling.. i.e. fresh, model looking make-up and hair. Her beauty is actually self-evident in her recent photoshoot for a Spanish magazine. She looks extremely gorgeous in here and looks like a blonde goddess. If she keeps this up, I would not mind her win.

Gorgeous Miss World 

Regarding Miss Universe, I must say the production is much better than Miss World! The stage, the energy.. Miss World definitely needa step up a notch. But even a greater production cannot be a reason to forgive the wrong announcement of the winner!! Oh my god!! I feel so bad for Miss Columbia and I would actually like to see her as the new Miss Universe rather than Philippines. Her evening gown looked was superb and it fitted her like a glove. Philippines no doubt should be on top due to her strong question and answer portion and a strong performance. Although, I would reli like it if Miss France is in the top 3 instead of Philippines. I find Miss France more appealing.

This has to be one of the strongest years for Miss Universe. Apart from Japan and Indonesia, the rest of the Top 15 were all gorgeous. I am saddened by the fact that Miss Georgia, Miss Italy, Miss India, Miss Poland and Miss Vietnam failed to make it to the top 15 but I am pleasantly happy that they decided to let Miss Belgium and Miss South Africa advance. I am a bit sad that Belgium and Brazil did not advance to the top 10 as they are stunning and fit. For the evening gown portion, I think the strongest were are USA, Columbia, Dominion Republic and France. Miss Philippines and Miss Australia were also strong. Japan just looked out of place completely here with that hideous design.

Goddess Miss USA 

The Shimmering Miss Columbia

The results of Miss Universe is within expectation as although I do not reli find Philippines the best, she definitely deserved the placement as she worked hard for it and is extremely well-spoken.

Miss World 2015 Final Prediction

Just a short post about my final prediction.. will fill more in later:
Top favourites:
- Lebanon
- France
- Venezuela
- Vietnam

Strong candidates:
- Australia (very strong)
- Brazil
- India
- Jamaica (in fact very strong)
- Philippines

Potential Finalists:
- Poland
- Russia
- Samoa
- South Sudan

Disappointed:
- Ukraine
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Hungary

Miss World 2015 - Early Favourites

Miss World 2015 - Early Favourites 
It's the time of year of the major pageants, Miss World and Miss Universe. Although the fact that the production and show put by the Miss Universe Organisation is much more entertaining, one cannot deny the fact that Miss World is a pageant which is great to follow because of all the pre-final events, such as top model and talent.

This year in Miss World, there seems to be a lot of beauties. The judges would definitely have a hard job picking the winner. In which case, may the most deserving girl takes the crown and the streak of stunning winners can continue - Ivian Sacros (2011); Wenxia Yu (2012); Megan Young (2013); Rolene Strauss (2014) - the contestants which I find strong at this stage is as follows:

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Marijana Markovic

Last year's representative did an amazing job in securing the Top Model award for the country. This year's young lady, in my opinion, looks even prettier than last year's winner in the sense that she has that sweet look that suits Miss World. Let's hope that she would perform well in the different segments and the organisation would look past the fact that she is very young.

Brazil - Catherine Choi

Half-Brazilian and Half-Korean - with light make-up, she looks Asian - with thicker make-up, she looks exotic - she seems to be a versatile beauty which would benefit in events such as Top Model. Personally I find that she is not the strongest Brazil had sent, comparing to the representatives in 2012 and 2013, but she is definitely strong enough to get into the semifinals or even the finals.

England - Natasha Hemmings

Facially stronger than last year's Carina Tyrrell but I'm not sure whether she is as strong as Carina intellectual speaking. She is definitely stunning though with great singing skills, which is a plus in the talent portion. I see her as the strongest in the UK.

France - Hinarere Taputu

From Tahiti, this lady who is the 1st Runner-up to Miss France 2015, is an exotic and sunshine beauty. I have high hopes for her but I reli wish she will flare in all segments and will not be eaten alive by the others as she has that timid look. She should learn a thing or two from the failure of last year's Miss France who failed to get into the top 30 albeit placing 1st in interviews.

Hungary - Daniella Kiss

Love her name hahaha! I find her facially more attractive than last year's representative who finished as 1st runner-up, though she can look a bit inconsistent. I'm sure part of the reason of that high placement is because of her personality. If Daniella want to equal or even exceed her placement, she would need to shine in all areas possible, personality-wise and performance-wise.

India - Aditi Arya

I'm actually pleasantly surprised by her transformation. At first I thought she is a huge down-grade from Koyal Rana. She looks very polished and pretty at the same time. However, she must make sure her styling is good coz her good looks are very dependent on the styling. On top of that, it seems that her communication skills are very strong. Combined with a strong BAP, this could definitely propel her to the top.

Indonesia - Maria Harfanti

She seems like a contender for the top 30 because she has the cute look and the communication skills, with a strong BAP to be expected from Indonesia. I see her among the the semi-finalists but not in the finalists cateogory.

Lebanon - Valerie Abou Chacra

I would not mind if she wins! She is gorgeous! Just hope that she can perform well in all parts and she has the desire to win.

Mexico - Yamelin Ramireze Cota

To be honest, I prefer more sweet looking beauties and thus, Yamelin may not be my cup of tea. However, Mexico would definitely be going strong and extremely prepared this year as always, coupled with the Miss Universe controversy earlier this year that made the Miss Mexico organisation really supportive of Miss World.

Philippines - Hillarie Parungao

She definitely resembles Megan Young from some angles. However, I dun find her as pleasant looking as Megan and she definitely sounds much uptight than Megan.

Russia - Sofia Nikitchuk

I love pronouncing her name haha Sofia Nikit-Chuk - it's fun to pronounce.  Sofia has that regal, classy European aura in her but she has to make sure that her personality need to shine as well in order to do well in Miss World. I would be thrilled if she could be at the top.

South Africa - Lisel Laurie

I realised that I have not chosen any Africans in my list up till now. I guess Lisel would be the strongest among them, although I won't be surprised if Kenya and Tunisia would perform well as well. To be honest, I don't reli get the hype of Lisel because I don't find her that facially attractive, especially comparing her to Rolene. However, she definitely has the confidence and the personality to back her up so she can do well.

Ukraine - Kristina Stoloka

Oh my god I am in love with the beauty of the girl, she is just gorgeous, yet sweet at the same time. I really hope she will do (really) well in Miss World. However, I have a feeling that I would be left disappointed, as in the case of her predecessor in 2013, where she seemingly lack personality albeit being a stunner. I would be thrilled if she will be Miss World 2015!

Isn't she just gorgeous?!?

United States - Victoria Mendoza

She is much prettier than last year's representative who went on to become 2nd runner. She also seems to have the charisma and eloquence as well so I expect her to be the one to beat in the Americas, just like her predecessor, outperforming beauties from Brazil and Mexico

Uruguay - Sherika De Armas Elias

Stunner alert - not much is known about her but it would great if she can be the one to bring her South American country on the map. For a country with a weak sash, Sherika must make sure that she perform well in some segments and place high in the interview to guarantee a place in the top 30.

Vietnam - Tran Ngoc Lan Khue

There is something appealing and attractive about this girl that you can't get your eyes out of her photos. Just hope she can sustain this impression when we see her in candids, where her looks may come off as unconventional and harsh. She seems elegant though from her photos.

So that's it - my pre-arrival favourites - below are the ones that I think are strong in their respective regions

• Africa
• South Africa; Kenya; Tunisia
• Americas
• United States; Brazil; Mexico
• Asia
• India; Lebanon; China (obviously but not included in the list above); Philippines; Indonesia
• Caribbean
• None in my list but I guess it would be Guadeloupe; Jamaica 
• Europe
• A lot omg
• Ukraine; England; France; Russia; Hungary; Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Oceania
• Australia

Getting positive

I have found a slight cure for my random negativeness recently. Yes!! After reading several articles on the internet, I have come up with several methods. To start off though, it would be best to point out some of the causes of my problems. One of the major issues is that I feel lonely at times because I felt that people do not understand me.

A very simple method to deal with this is to actually think of the stuff you have in common with your friends, e.g. traits, hobbies, personalities. When you start to look at things from this perspective, you will start to notice that we actually have a lot in common with the people we often hang out with. For this reason, the people around you do understand you. Although we do in fact have some difference, this is normal as everyone is unique.

Another method is to recall the time you spent with your friends. This may seem very normal but one will actually forget about this easily. Try to think of the time you guys had good times together or even have a fight and the recovery process. This would lead to the thinking that you are very fortunate to have people that are around you no matter what.

These methods help me and I hope this would also help people like me out there.

Cheers~

Summer Mid-Way

After yet another relaxing and fun-filled travel, I am trying to gather my thoughts and start to prepare for my final year. There are actually quite a number of stuff to prepare: getting my way around what are the electives next year are about; seeking for more internships and training contract opportunities; researching for potential dissertation topics.

Concerning the first one, there's actually not much that I can do as some of the modules that the uni is offering are not offered in other uni as an LLB module, e.g. private international law. So, the small number of copycats in my uni who always copy other people's choices, please give it a break!! Even the people that you are copying are not sure about their choices.

Concerning the second one, it's damn hard. Such opportunities are very hard to get. The best way is most probably to try my best in my third year.

Concerning the third one, I am currently finding out which area of law is quickly developing. Hope I could find an area which is good to conduct research in.