Fairest of them all

NEWLY crowned beauty queen, Melissa Seow, 34, won the hearts of many at the recently ended Mrs Borneo World 2017 beauty pageant. Besides securing the main title, she also bagged three other titles, namely Best Catwalk of the Year, Mrs Talent Queen and Mrs Charity. Seow will represent Borneo at the Mrs World 2017 beauty pageant in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec 16.

How does it feel to win the Mrs Borneo World 2017 title?
Well, when they first announced my name I had a mixture of feelings. One part of me was so happy that after this nine-month journey, I've finally won the title. The preparation wasn't easy. It's not what everyone thinks – dressing up, looking pretty and standing on stage for people to see. It's a lot of work in terms of grooming and how you present yourself.
One of my biggest achievements is playing the Chinese Zita and I've had this talent since young. Due to this pageant, I started taking classes again and it took me six months to be able to perform on stage. It was also my first time performing solo as I've always performed in groups back in my school days.
Now I feel a sense of responsibility to work even harder to make our country proud at the Mrs World 2017 grand finale.
Is your training for Mrs World 2017 going to be any different?
The training is not going to be the same as it is an entirely different ball game altogether. I have been working hard to improve my communication skills to answer questions with confidence.
Currently, I'm working on a few charity projects. Prior to this, I didn't have the 'power' or resources to do so. I am also the co-founder of BloodGo.com, a platform that connects people-in-need for specialty blood with blood donation event organisers and blood donors, by matching and notifying the blood donors based on their ABO blood group and preferred notification location.
As a mother of three, how do you manage your time?
I think timing is everything and family support is extremely important. If my girls were much younger, I wouldn't have pursued this. But they are now at an age where they understand what is going on and my daughters actually gave me the motivation to do this. They love what I'm doing and it inspired me to be the best version of myself on stage.
Due to your busy schedule, is it hard being away from your family and loved ones?
It's definitely hard because I do miss them so much. But sometimes I tell myself to stay focused in order to achieve my goals in life and be a role model to my daughters.
Lastly, do you have any beauty tips you'd like to share?
Many have asked me what is the secret. To be perfectly honest, there is no shortcut to maintaining one's beauty. We have to take care of ourselves first: Drink plenty of water every day and get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Beauty or facial treatments can only help so much if we don't get enough sleep. It is also essential to have a proper daily skincare routine at home.