Tiong Li San, who was recently crowned Miss Malaysia Tourism Metropolitan, remains down to earth and aspires to be a role model for young girls who wish to be pageant queens. Not only that, she also wants to be a successful woman regardless of the number of failures made along the way. In a recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, she talks about her influences, experiences, accomplishments, and what she defines as true beauty.
Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Tiong Li San attributes her mother as the most influential person in her life. She talks about how her mother has been there for her throughout her life by keeping her on the right track and always dishes out good advice. “It was certainly the thought of her that kept me going throughout the pageant week,” she says. She also expresses that ever since she was a little girl, she would watch beauty queens on television and would always want to be like them.
To Tiong, true beauty comes from within. “Self confidence is enough to win the hearts of others. It’s also about having the right combination of intelligence, compassion and honesty,” she claims. According to her, inner beauty is what stands the test of time.
Despite having strong contenders as the other finalists, Tiong’s confidence is what she believes made her a winner in this pageant. “I knew I just had to have confidence in myself and do the best that I can. I also did a lot of research for a better understanding of Malaysia. Perhaps it was this combined with a friendly smile that I was crowned as one of the three winners,” she says.
Besides winning this pageant, Tiong says that the most rewarding experience from this was the opportunity to meet new people. “I’ve made amazing friends that have exposed me to the various cultures from all over Malaysia and taught me what it means to be a true Malaysian.” She learned that harmony comes from compromise and respect, and that’s what everyone was educated on. She also progressed into a more confident person during the pageant, and she cites her perseverance and independence gained during the pageant week as her greatest accomplishment besides winning.
Tiong encourages young girls wanting to join a pageant to always do immense preparation by researching so that they can have much more confidence. She also advises young girls to never give up on their dreams. “Remember that sometimes you need to fall before you can rise to success.”
