By VIVIENNE PAL
Photos by UU BAN LEONG
vivienne@thestar.com.my
It had been a gruelling 10 days for Levy Li Su Lin; gruelling enough to keep the newly-crowned Miss Malaysia Universe 2008 somewhat trapped in the inertia of the pageant’s rigorous schedule.
By the time I arrived for our 10am breakfast interview at the Gardens Hotel, the 20-year-old was already more than halfway through dessert.
“I’ve been quite the morning person, especially in the last 10 days,” she says, looking fabulous in a daring, low-cut, short, black denim spaghetti-strap dress which she played down with a white pashmina.
Standing at 170cm tall, Levy is slim, bordering on waif-ish at a mere 48kg. She is flawlessly made up, speaks slowly in well-modulated tones, and her posture is ramrod straight when she sits, stands and walks.
It’s as if she hasn’t quite shaken off the sense that she is being watched – the way it’s been throughout the pageant.
She admits to having not quite gotten over the shock of her victory although she appears to have taken to her title very quickly and naturally.
But, that might have to do with her general view of the pageant, and state of mind when she submitted her application.
“Yes, I had thought about joining a beauty pageant, but I wanted to reach a certain age first, to be more mature before joining the contest. For me, it’s important to do something well and be able to achieve something out of it.
“I didn’t expect to win, but I joined with the hopes of winning. And, yes, I am very happy that I did,” says the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman broadcasting student, who also has five subsidiary titles under her belt.
“This could open doors for me, it could be a springboard to a career in entertainment and TV hosting. That I had fun during the competition and the fact that the contestants were my friends was a bonus.”
Family comes first
As far as stereotypes go, Levy is not given to monosyllabic conversation (“I love to talk and meet people,” she says), does not have a plastered smile, nor does she dole out “I-want-world-peace” statements, thank God.
But, what makes talking to the KL-born especially interesting are the flashes of the real girl that appear in the brief moments that she is relaxed and forgets herself.
For instance, talk about Chinese superstar Jay Chou and her face instantly lights up.
“I love Jay Chou. I’ve gone for two of his concerts; I’m even a Jay Chou Malaysian Fan Club member!” she almost squeals, before suddenly feeling self-conscious again.
“Oh my god, I’m so embarrassed,” she mumbles, looking mortified.
When she regains her composure, we move on to less “excitable” topics.“I love to eat,” she pipes up unabashedly with a grin. Her affinity for food (quite a shocker, considering how thin she is) is the main reason she carries eyeliner and blusher everywhere she goes instead of lipstick or lip-gloss.
“It’s pointless to carry lipstick; I’m always eating and that defeats the purpose of wearing any lipstick because it will come off anyway.”
Levy confesses to a deep love for both consuming and making desserts (Oreo cheesecakes and cupcakes are her specialty), and how a lot of her free time is spent trying out new restaurants and a variety of foods.
She particularly enjoys spicy food.
“I’m addicted to it. I remember having to hunt for cili padi visiting my brother in Australia, so that I could have it with my food. You know, there’s this purple coloured one that is really spicy?” she gushes, getting excited again.
Aside from an excellent metabolic rate – a blessing that falls only on a favoured few – there is no shortcut; Levy keeps her weight in check through regular exercise.
The part-time model was an athlete and basketball player in school, but these days, she keeps fit by jogging and swimming, and rewards herself by relaxing in the sauna after every exercise session.
She loves dancing to R&B music too, and easily picks up steps from various music videos.
Weekend “workouts” revolve around golf, a sport she is trying to pick up from her avid golfer dad. “He’s quite strict lah, won’t let me practise hitting the ball until I perfect my swing,” she mock-laments.
Levy speaks of her family with obvious devotion. While most people her age would be raring to move out of the family home, Levy cannot imagine leaving her parents alone, especially now that her 24-year-old brother has moved to Australia.
“My mum and I talk about girly stuff, and dad, well, he sayang me a lot, and he usually updates me on what’s happening in the world. I don’t need to read the newspapers at all,” she quips, adding that she called home from the hotel every night during the pageant.
“We do a lot of things together, like watching late night movies because all of us are night birds, we hang out at No Black Tie sometimes, and we usually have one meal together each day. Even my friends are friends with my parents.
Red letter day: Levy Li Su Lin is hoping to make a splash at the Miss Universe pageant on June 17 at Nha Trang, Vietnam.
“I’ve always had an open communication with my parents; they are like my friends. I enjoy being with them. They taught me a lot and exposed me to a lot of things which have shaped my approach to life.”
Family aside, Levy is really a typical outgoing girl who loves travelling, Korean dramas, fashion, blogging, surfing the Internet and spending time at the mall. She would certainly be the first to admit to having “too many shoes”.
Her propensity for shopping and fashion is justified, however. After all, she owns an online fashion business and, therefore, needs to keep abreast of the latest fashion trends.
“I’ve had www.sisterlyvintage.com for the last six months. Online business is pretty lucrative these days. I think I am quite the trendsetter and I hope to venture into my own fashion line someday,” she muses.
Back to the future
For one so young, Levy has pretty much sketched out her plans for the future, starting with what she would do with her newly won title.
“I want to leave a remarkable footprint in this society, be a real ambassador and make our country proud,” she says.
Upon graduating with a degree in Broadcasting, Levy hopes to gain some working experience in the United States before continuing with a Masters in Business Administration.
She hopes to take up diving, and learn Japanese and French, while perfecting her Mandarin which she picked up recently through listening to Chinese songs.
“I am also looking forward to learning sky diving, snowboarding and conquering Mount Kinabalu. And a random, exciting task that I hope to accomplish in my life is to direct or produce a movie.”
But all that would have to take a backseat as she sets off for the Miss Universe 2008 pageant in Nha Trang, Vietnam come June 17.
“I’m really excited and looking forward to it,” she says. “It’s going to be a great experience.”
Facts that figure
Name: Levy Li Su Lin
Age: 20
Horoscope: Libra
Height: 170cm
Weight: 48kg
Vital statistics: 34”-25”-35”
Beauty regime: Enough rest, eat fruits, drink milk, daily exercise
Status: Single
Educational background: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, SM Subang Utama, SK Subang Jaya
Spoken languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, and a smattering of Hokkien and Mandarin.
Favourite colour: Gold
Hobbies: Travelling, reading horror novels (Christopher Pike is one of her favourite authors), blogging
Places she has been to: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Singapore
Places she hopes to visit: United States, Japan, Italy
Most exciting experience: Shooting using live bullets at the China Gun Club shooting range in Kowloon, Hong Kong
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