My Mrs Singapore World 2016/2017 Pageantry Journey

Hey readers, it has been a while isn't it? Many things have been going on in my life and I guess it is the time to revive this blog again with an entry of my recent pageant journey. Many have knew that I was one of the twenty finalist selected for Mrs Singapore World 2016\2017 pageant. So if you are really interested to see some snippets from behind the scene, or you are already a finalist ( or preparing to go for the audition) or happen to chance upon my blog while searching for more info on this pageant... you are truly at the right place.. 

Why I joined Mrs Singapore World 2016/2017

Initially I was invited by ERM company to help them blog for their events on Mrs Singapore & Mrs Classic Singapore held earlier this year. You can check out the entry on the previous pageant which I blogged HERE. 

 ERM is the leader of the most reputed pageant organisation in Singapore and they are the pioneers of beauty pageants cater for married women which gives them the opportunity to discover their hidden potential and to realize their dreams on an international platform. 

And because I had the chance to blog for their previous pageant , I witnessed the fun experience, the friendship, the exposures that I'll never get if I'm still a stay-home-mom,  and the chance to learn new self-development skills and explore challenges that I can never imagined. All these got me really interested in participating for the next pageant, which happened to be Mrs Singapore World 2016\2017. 

The Audition

The audition was a breeze because I was very prepared for the questions that I've expected them to ask , such as "Why do you want to join?", "Tell us more about yourself?" "What do you think of pageants?"etc etc. It didn't take long for them to invite us down to the office for our first briefing as the official finalists and to fill us up on the coming events we need to attend and what to prepare for the pageant. 

(First photo of the finalists taken by our Mrs Singapore Classic 2016, and our last year Mrs Singapore World 2015 winner Meena, during our first briefing at ERM's office.) 

Press Conference

We had our press conference at Orchard Ion where we received our number tags and pageant sash. I was praying not to be assigned as the first number because I thought it'll be rather nerve wrecking to be the very first contestant to begin all the segments. In the end I got assigned as contestant number 2, doesn't make much difference haha! It was later on then  I realised that the numbers were according to our age, which means the smaller the number , the younger your age is among all the other contestants. Mine is number 2, which means I was the 2nd youngest among all the other ladies.

During the press conference, we all had our chance to do a self-introduction and answer some questions on stage. I didn't expect to be intimidated by this first stage experience! Stage fright was the last thing on my mind. I had overestimated myself because i I realised that I was not as confident as I thought myself to be haha. My stage presence was insignificant and I felt the urge to get off the stage fast when I faced the audience below. And when I was off the stage, I immediately regretted not doing better. 

The two contestants beside me, number 1 the gorgeous looking Vanny and number 3 , Hannee the sweet as honey. These two ladies were the first two "allies" I made that day lol. We hit it off very quickly and I was looking forward to see them again for our next event.

Swimwear Photoshoot in Bintan

(Warmly welcome by Bintan Agro Beach Resort & Spa)

Our supporting sponsors ; makeup by THE MAKEOVER INC hair by VINTAGE STUDIO and swimwear by AIMER.

My pageant BFF Vanny in her bikini which was the same design as my one-piece swimwear. People got the body to flaunt ok..I almost drooled on her whaahha. And here is Hannee in her sexy tribal swimsuit and she has this tiny Barbie doll waistline to die for! 

By the way, all married liao, MRS already ok haha!

We are also the very first batch of MRS Singapore World to strut in our swimwear... no fear, bring it on man!

(Doing a shout-out for one of our sponsors, Vita CoCo.)

That night we had an awesome Halloween party planned by the ERM team and once again I really appreciate their effort in organizing this party for us, which was also one of the highlights for this trip. 

(From the left we have our Hello Kitty who looks cute than scary, our fiesty diva-devil, I'm supposed to be dressed as the Queen of Hearts, and lastly our dear Vanny who cant wait for Christmas to arrive)

We were so damn good with dress ups and of course I remembered all the selfies and photo-takings that flood our entire groupchat that night lol!

On the last night was our Black Dress event and here is me and Vanny again...

she's officially my we-fie partner now. 

This is one of my roommates, Raquel contestant number 5! Her craziness is absolutely contagious! And seriously I tried to find a good photo of both of us but this photo below is already the most decent one I can find HAHA! I really cherished and missed the time we spent entertaining each other!

I know the girls probably kill me for posting this but I got to say that I love this photo the most because it brought back so much awesome and crazy memories from our Bintan trip!
Damn it...I'm starting to miss you babes again....

Talent Show
It took me a while to think what I want to do for the talent segment. I cant decide between singing and dancing so I decided to do both, half singing and the other half a hiphop dance routine.
After I watched the hiphop dance routine performed by my roomie number 5, I admitted my defeat hands down, legs down and even head down haha! In fact there were many great talented dancers from this batch and I can see competition is getting stiff!

(The talented ladies....we are so damn good at posing man..)

(The hiphop duo. One day I like to do a dance with her haha)

After the show I realised I'm probably neither good at singing nor dancing lol. And since everyone has been saying that I speak like a bullet train, if I've a another chance to do a talent show again, damn hell I'm gonna do a RAP instead...lol!

(A group photo with the judges)

Charity: Society for the Aged Sick
Unfortunately I had to miss this event because of my overseas trip made way before my decision to join this pageant. However it certainly made my day to see the photos updates of my fellow pageant sisters who had spent a meaningful day with the elderly at the Society for the Aged Sick.

Bionn Visitation
Bionn is our official sponsor for this year and so we can all enjoy a pampering facial during our visit.

 This giant stand-up poster of us was the first thing that greeted us at the doorstep. Honestly I feel my photo on the poster doesn't do me enough justice lol! Or probably I'm stucked in between number 1 and number 3, and both have the perfect small egg face...but mine is the face of a potato...HAHA

The Prejudging
Before the grand finals, there is a prejudging segment which is done behind closed door. Every contestant have to get ready their own makeup, hair and gown and go through a one to one interview with ten tables of judges, as well as displaying our catwalk in our swimwear and gown. This segment is the most important one because it make up the most points at 50%.

(My shimmering gown rented from my mentor Betty)

(Another groupfie inside our changing room)

We each received a trophy and certificate to motivate us for making this far in becoming the finalist of Mrs Singapore World. 

Fitness Test

Two months ago, we were asked to record our weigh-in,check our fats analysis and practice some exercises routines at GYMNTONIC. The day after our prejudging, we have to return back to the gym to have our weight and fats measured again and to test whether how much we have improved in our workout routines like planking, push ups and squats etc.

After our test, we completed a mannequin challenge at the gym too!

Grand Final

After months of hard work we finally reached the night we've all been waiting for....one last best shot for our last performance together!

(Hair sponsored by Vintage Studio and makeup by The School Of Makeup)

(Waiting behind the stage for our first opening dance to begin..)

(Swimwear catwalk)

The Coronation

Newly crowned winners of Mrs Singapore World 2016/17!

Mrs Singapore World 2016/17 - Yusnimah Bousigues

Mrs Singapore World 2016/17 1st Runner Up - Anu Alex

Mrs Singapore World 2016/17 2nd Runner Up - Josephine Lee

Mrs Singapore World 2016/17 3rd Runner Up - Celine Fang 

Mrs Singapore World 2016/17 4th Runner Up - Adeline Lee

I'm still extremely overwhelmed and truly honored to be crowned as the 4th runner up of Mrs Singapore World 2016/2017. Thank you to those who have supported me throughout this entire journey. I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in this pageant and to meet so many wonderful people along the way.  This pageantry journey plays a big role in forming the new beliefs I have today and changed the way how I used to view the world and myself. 

(It was difficult to get any clear shots that night,and this is already the best one I had with my hubby, taken by my bestie after the coronation.)

Presenting Sponsor: Bionn International

Swimwear by Aimer Singapore
Gowns by Beautiful Love Wedding
Heels by Riccino Shoes
Hair Styling by Vintage Studio & Vitas Pro
Makeup by The School of Make-up

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. I'm wonderfully blessed with the privilege to embrace this opportunity that has came forth. Although my pageant journey with Mrs Singapore World 2017/2017 has come to an end....I'm pretty sure the next journey I'm going to embark has only just begun..........

Letters to my happy suns - August is all about the fun with friends!

August has been an exciting month for you boys, with playdates and activities all lined up!

With most parents' busy schedules, playdates are not really the easiest thing to plan but your mummy is so blessed to have really good friends who also have kids at your age. And that means there's "instant" play-mates for you guys haha!

 I never fail to emphasize the importance of having regular play-dates and the numerous benefits reflected on a child's growing up, either by exposing them to new environments or encouraging them to build relationship with people outside the family. Children can learn so much through play. It gives them the opportunity to be themselves, to imagine ,and to improve their social and communication skill when they learn to cooperate or collaborate in a game. And because children always learn from one and another, their imagination grow to include other imagination from their friends and that promotes a higher level of creativity for them to think out of their box. I simply enjoy watching my boys at play with their friends and listening to their funny conversations that usually cracks me up most of the time!

So let's playback our August, the month of fun with friends!

On the first week of August, we spent a day at Sentosa, taking the monorail tram , cable car and basically just loitering around the Island with your friends. There's always so much fun, joy and laughter during every kids gathering.

Playing with the mist fountain

Beautiful view from the cable car

The following week we had our favorite activity of all time again... picnic at Marina Barage! We love the breeze, the good weather and the huge open space for you boys to drain away all your energy!

Kyrian, as usual you amused me so much when you approached other strangers for their picnic food! I think generally Singaporeans are pretty nice and friendly as they're willing to entertain you. A few times I spot you eating together with strangers on their picnic mat and I've to apologize and carry you away, kind of embarrassing though haha!

Once again Reagan, you and your best friend Ean enjoys each other company so much. Both of you are just like superglue when you guys meet, totally inseparable ! May your friendship remains as close as this even after you both grow up and enter the next phase of life. 

August is also a month of birthday parties!

At your friend Gwen's birthday party, you still remember the rainbow jelly pop that she offered you.

 Also, I noticed that you were more initiative this time and automatically called your friends to join you at the pool. You even agree with me now that having friends is so much fun!

Next is our gathering on National Day 2016. We made you guys dress all in red and prepared a cake to sing a birthday song for Singapore together!

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Coincidentally, you guys also happened to be wearing MAN-U jerseys so Uncle Des was very thrilled to have a photo taken together with you boys. Hopefully years down the road, you boys can mimic this photo again with old uncle Des.

Near to mid-august, you boys were invited to Imm's 5th birthday bread-making party where you guys get to learn how to make your own bread. Reagan you were so interested in the activity and stayed throughout from the start of the session to the end. You even constantly remind Aunty Addy to check on your bread and asked her repeatedly if your bread is ready to eat. I knew you cannot wait to eat the bread you made because you've added lots and lots of chocolate chips in yours!

Dear Kyrian, during the birthday song session I've to stop you many times from blowing out the candles! We've to repeat the birthday song a few times so Imm has a chance to blow his birthday candles instead of you !

Lastly is Aunty Annette's birthday gathering! Once we reached her place, you were whining non-stop for us to open the chocolate cake from Chocolate Origin , which is also one of your favorite brands.

(a grainy low-quality photo of you happily singing the birthday song loudly for Aunty Annette)

Lastly a group photo with mummy and dada's friends!

Above I've mentioned about the benefits of children having friends and playdates, at the same time, parents also do need the same stimulation as the children too! We too really need a break from everyday life and the fastest and most convenient way of de-stressing is definitely a fulfilling gathering with friends. While the kids at play, the adults get their well-deserved quality time with friends too. We do treasure the time spent with our friends and each meet up does rejuvenates us for the week. I'm also pretty sure that we make better parents if we're having fun as well! In this way, we also show our kids how we foster good relationship with our friends and this indirectly teaches them to value personal relationship beyond their family too. 

 I truly believe that happiness is relatively linked to social connections. Therefore I shall end this post with an interesting article written by a handsome fellow, on the fastest way to make new friends in Singapore. Do check it out :P

Kyrian's 2 Years old Birthday Party - MINIONS theme

Minions is one of the cartoon characters that I thought I'll never expose my kids to. I don't find them educational, they speak gibberish and they look more weird than cute. Despite that, I swallowed back my words on the day I witnessed a Minion advertisement made my younger baby boy laughed so hysterically tat he almost choked on his banana. And that's the beginning of his love for Minions. It then brings us so much joy to watch him dance or listen to him blabber after the Minion's tune, especially that "bababa..banana~" song.

So when he turned two, we knew the theme to select for his birthday party.

MINIONS THEME!

All the kids were invited to the party dressed in yellow and blue to fit the theme too. Yes, all the little minions are going to assemble here !

These are the minions party props (hats and goggles) for the kids and my customised table-top name display.

 Pre-packed party bags for the guests (Assorted Minions theme stationary).

 Simple decoration as our photo backdrop

Balloons decorations + Customised name table display + Party bags + Party Props + Pinata are all ordered online from TAOBAO.

Minions is a common birthday theme, so I managed to grab quite a lot of interesting loots from there.

As for the words pasted on the wall "Kyrian is two", I made them myself using coloured and glittered paper.

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Bouncy castle that Hubs arranged to bring back from his previous trip from China,. He got it at a good deal at around $200.

On the side note, most of the little guests asked if there was going to be a magician once they arrived at our place. They love the magic show at Reagan's birthday party which they attended the month before and was hoping to see it again at Kyrian's birthday. The kids have pretty good memory.

But the new bouncy castle didn't disappoint them either!

The party was held on Vesak's day, so we catered vegetarian food from Lion Kitchen, which was pretty good in my opinion, especially the yam paste , also the first to be finished up.

The kids took turns to hit the Minion pinata but it was not as easy to do so for their age. The parents were like yelling at the kids to "hit harder hit harder!" It was quite amusing actually, until babyK dropped the stick and went over to hug and "sayang" the Minion pinata~ !
I was taken by surprise. My innocent babyK must be wondering why everyone is being so mean, forcing the kids to hit his beloved Minion ! Aww...

Anyway with some help from the adults, the minion finally got ripped apart and all the goodies rained down on all the excited little sugar-craving scavengers.

The next surprise was the special appearance of the Minion mascot! 

What is a minion party without a minion?!

And yes that's my husband inside haha! He actually rehearsed a special birthday dance for BabyK but at the last minute he was too shy to perform in front of all the guests . So instead, he promised the boys to dance with them after the party. 

Our Minion distributed the goody bags to the kids and have a photo taken with them one by one.

Next our babyK's birthday cake is  from Nana Bakes , the same bakery that I bought Reagan 's train cake from. They managed to quote me a reasonable price for a 3D minion character cream cake in fruity lychee flavour. 

 Thanks to one of our lovely guests who managed to help us get these special fire-sparks candles at the very last minute again!

And lastly thanks to all who came to share this memorable day and got charmed by him at the party. 

Is hard to believe my darling baby superstar has reached the number TWO ! Where has the time gone seriously?!