Source : AllMalaysia.info
Angela Gan's new-found confidence
By ALLAN KOAY
She was wholly dependent on her family. Everything was always taken care of, from food to transportation.
Then, one day, she had to go abroad to further her studies and was forced to live on her own. She overcame the challenges and found her independence to the point where she even found the confidence to compete for the Miss Malaysia/Universe 2005 title.
And she won it.
Newly-crowned Angela Gan stunned everyone with her answer to the question posed to the five finalists: “Would you be satisfied if you were chosen as the first runner-up in this year’s competition? And tell us why.”
The 23-year-old Sabahan simply said that she wouldn’t settle for second best. She felt she had the confidence, intelligence and personality to be Miss Malaysia/Universe 2005. Gan added that she values her experience of having studied abroad, which not only helped to build character, but also her communication skills.
“The experience of living in England for three years has taught me how to communicate with people from all over the world,” said Gan, who graduated from the University of Leeds.
“I was the only Asian in my class. During the first two to three months, I had difficulty communicating with people because I couldn’t speak English well and the people there have a very strong accent. But I gradually learned and mingled with others, building up my confidence and communication skills.”
Gan had a Chinese education during her primary school years, then attended a national school for her secondary education, after which she took her A-Levels at a private college and proceeded to England to obtain a degree in Childhood Studies.
“It is a degree that covers psychology as well as education for pre-schoolers,” Gan explained.
“I love children very much; it is as simple as that. I find them to be very honest, and whether they like you or not, they will show it and not pretend otherwise. But adults sometimes have to pretend to be somebody else.”
Her long-term ambition is to be a child psychologist and run her own childcare centre.
“I hope to achieve this in five to 10 years’ time,” said Gan.
“It takes time and it is a big responsibility to have a childcare centre because we are not dealing with objects but with children who represent the future.”
She said that winning the title does not mean she would put aside her career for the moment. Rather, she will continue to pursue her long-term goal while taking on her responsibilities as a beauty queen.
Asked if she plans to have children of her own, Gan replied: “Not so soon, because it is also another big responsibility. You have to be physically, mentally and financially ready for it, if you want to bring up children in a proper way. So, I have no plans yet.”
Does she have someone in her life right now?
“I have plenty of ‘boy friends’,” she said and laughed. “We are all close friends and we can really communicate with each other.”
But no serious relationship?
“As Miss Malaysia/Universe now, I’m going to have a lot of things to accomplish, and I would not want to have any distractions,” Gan explained. “I really want to concentrate on this. It is only for one year, and after that, the responsibility will be passed on to somebody else. So, I want to make full use of the time.”
On whether she is a person who puts career first before everything else, Gan said that it is true at this point in time. But she does not dare predict the future.
“I don’t know what is going to happen when I am 30 or 40,” she said. “By then, family might come first. I am a family-oriented person; I love my mom a lot and my family means a lot to me. But for now, career comes first.”
Gan has three younger sisters, two of whom are twins. Her father is a businessman and her mother is a housewife. Gan still lives with her family in her hometown of Tawau. She said her family has been very supportive of her pursuit of the title which was something she had been dreaming of since she was a child.
“I was a fan of Hong Kong serials, and I never missed a Miss Hong Kong pageant,” she said. “I used to tell myself, maybe one day I could be like them, but never did I imagine I would be able to go this far. I feel really blessed.”
The 1.7m-tall Gan loves travelling and she had the opportunity to traverse Europe during her studies abroad. She has been to countries like France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. She will be adding Bangkok, Thailand, to the list when she goes there for the beauty pageant finals on May 31.
“If I had not been sent to England to study, I would not have had the chance to travel much,” she said. “I love meeting people, seeing new places, experiencing different ways of life and getting to know different cultures.”
She also loves reading gossip and fashion magazines (to keep up with the latest trends, of course) and romance novels, especially those by a writer named Ching Kai Lun, because her novels have happy endings. Life is too short to be sad, said Gan.
“I am 23 years old right now,” she added. “I have about 50 or 60 more years to go if I’m lucky. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So, we should just appreciate and cherish what we have. And I want every day to be happy.”
Originally published in The Star on Monday April 4, 2005
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