I can believe that the show is in 2 days! It is very exciting because we finally get to show the community what we have been practising for the last 2 months! Through talking to friends and people from FTV, I’ve had a chance to reflect on the last two months.
When I joined this pageant, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know that many people have different opinions on what a pageant is, and I wanted to find out for myself. The last two months were preparation for the big show on Dec 4th. Here is an idea of what we did:
· Hair appointments - this is other people’s talent, not ours! (This is Lin, she has done my hair for the last 2 months =), Thanks Lin!)
· Teeth whitening - this takes discipline and routine effort for it to work!
· Scheduled professional facials and following skincare routines at home -you can’t be lazy here, otherwise it will show in your face.
· Fitness classes with Corinna (she was in Miss Asia Fitness pageants before!), and exercising at home on our days off.
· Catwalk training - this is where people like me who were not models before this pageant learn how to pose and walk, and move like a model. It is a little uncomfortable in the beginning and takes commitment, but a lot of fun when you get more comfortable.
· Meetings with the Production people to talk about filming promos, themes, etc. - it is really cool to hear about their ideas and then see them come alive into t.v. promos and posters.
· Stage training with Didi- this was by far one of my biggest challenges since I have no dance background, I struggled with it first, but once I started to practise more often and get comfortable with the moves, it was very enjoyable and even relaxing.
· Photo shoots- in FTV’s quiet studio and also in public for over 100 photographers; this was one of my favourite parts
· TV shooting for promos and interviews- I think this part was most exciting for my family and friends to see; I made sure to say hi to mom and dad when I could sneak it in!
· Fittings for clothes- there were countless fittings where had had to try on clothes to make sure we had the right looks and outfits everything. Most people have trouble deciding what they have to wear each morning. I can’t imagine what Betty, the stylish had to go through these last 2 months! Thanks Betty, you’re GREAT!
· Visiting the Canadian Cancer Society and Fundraiser Fashion Show – One of my passions is being able to work with charities and the community. Congratulations to the Fairchild and CCS partnership on a great show and raising $188,000 for the charity!!
· Visiting the S.U.C.C.E.S.S Nursing Home- We had the opportunity to put on talent show for seniors in our community. It was such a privilege to perform for the older generation that has paved so many paths and given the younger generations so much knowledge and experience.
I hope this gives you an idea of what types of activities we 10 girls did in the last few months. And this is not even including all the planning and execution that all the FTV do in order to make this all possible! I hope you can watch the Performance on the December 4th with some more insight and knowledge of how we got to where we are. Please enjoy The Show! =)
All the Best,
Eliza, #7
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November 29th- Congratulations Photo Contest Winners!
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Congratulations to all the participants and winners of the Miss Chinese Vancouver 2009 Photo Contest!
A few weeks ago we were practising our stage training at the studio and the power went out and all the lights were out. We all thought we would just go home at that point, but… we had to practice our routines so we lit candles and played the music on Didi’s (the Stage Director) phone. It was a tough day!
Yesterday, we were practising at the studio again and during the lunch-break, the lights went out again. My immediate reaction was: Oh no. Lights are out again?! I don’t want to practise in the dark again! Then from the corner of my eye, I saw a candle flickering and everyone started to sing Happy Birthday! I was so happy because they surprised me with a little cake and a card that everyone signed, and we also didn’t have to practise in the dark again! They are such thoughtful people. I was smiling for the rest of the day. =)
When I got home, I found the best birthday card ever on my desk. My 9 year old cousin drew a card for me. I included a picture to show you how cute it is =) Thank you
By the way, if you are wondering why the card is for “Lisa” and not “Eliza”, it is because my name is so hard for so many people to pronounce, that ever since I was a little girl, my family has made the nickname “Lisa” and has been calling me that because it is easier for them! Maybe I should tell that to all the FTV people so they can have an easier time figuring out my name too!
Kristen!
Today we went to the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Nursing Home to visit and also perform for the seniors. It was very nice to meet them all. I think for most of us girls, it made us think of our own grandparents and the things they have taught us in our lives. Seniors have such an important role in our lives and community because they have so much life experience, knowledge and skills and love to share.
We really enjoyed being able to put on a talent show for them. All the girls had so many talents. Jinting performed a beautiful European dance, Kelly and Alice played a popular song on piano, Jessica gracefully danced ballet, Vicki sang a very popular Chinese song, Jenny (she’s an awesome model)modeled for Pacifica to draw a picture of her, Carat performed some impressive magic tricks, Sara rocked the guitar, and I played my violin.
I had not played the violin in almost 10 years so I practised a lot these few weeks and played one of my favourite childhood songs called “Long, Long Ago”. Playing the violin was something I really enjoyed and this pageant encouraged me to start again. After this pageant, I really hope to continue to practising more and maybe even taking a few more lessons to improve!
I hope everyone at S.U.C.C.E.S.S. enjoyed our talent show as much as we liked performing for them. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to play for them again!
Tonight, I met some very important people involved in the pageant. I was very relaxed at first, but for some reason, when I went into the meeting room and gave my self-introduction, I kind of froze up. Mainly because I got a little emotional because this pageant has meant a lot to me for many reasons:
· It was something I have thought about ever since I was little.
· I have learnt to do a lot of things I never imagine, such as dancing, speaking my heart in Chinese
· I feel the MCVP name has great potential in helping create awareness for great causes in the community (such as this year with the Canadian Cancer Society)
· I have so much Chinese Vancouver Pride and would love to be a representative and show the world what Vancouver is made of!
· It has let me sample the dream of being in the entertainment industry.
Although that meeting was not my best, I learnt a lot from it. I realized that letting your fears and emotions get the best of you will get you nowhere. You have to be fearless and let your true self shine through. That is when you will feel the most confident and proud.
I believe that people are not perfect, and mistakes happen, but it is how you react to them, learn from them, and apply it to your future, which shows your true character.
I want to extend a big “thank you” to the 5 people who were kind enough to help me re-focus on my attitude and goals.
Today we were models for a photo contest held at Aberdeen Centre. Basically, it was a contest for about 100photographers to take great pictures, and we 10 ladies had the privilege of being the models! It was really cool because usually we take pictures in a studio with one photographer, but this time, it was in an open space with about 50 photographers at a time calling your name to look over! It was great because there was so much positive energy in the air, that you would just want to want to smile, embrace the moment and have fun! I think one of my favourite parts of being in this contest is being able to meet and interact with new people all the time.
After the photo contest, we all met up in the Fairchild TV conference room. We were busy chatting and looking at the freshly printed MCVP poster, and suddenly, everyone started singing “Happy Birthday!” Everyone was so sweet to remember that Alice Birthday was on November 4th, and mine is coming up on the 17th and they got us a delicious cake! It was such a pleasant surprise! I feel so lucky because this pageant has let me meet and work with so many wonderful, hardworking, and talented people. Even I just a month and a half, it is like we’ve become a “pageant family!” It meant a lot to me to have been able to celebrate together J.
The MCVP involves a lot of performance and dancing. Never did I think that this pageant would involve pole-dancing! But this year, it did. To be honest, in the beginning I wasn’t 100% comfortable pole-dancing because I didn’t know how my mom and dad would react! But we took a few lessons, and our choreographer put together a really cool dance and also, solo parts for each of us. Some of the movements demand so much athletic ability, and trust in ourselves. Pole-dancing really is an art requires a lot of passion, and strength. I had one dance move where I had to hang upside-down and fall down slowly with my arms free! The first few times I tried, I was so scared that I was going to crash head-first to the floor, but the instructors told me to just trust myself, my movements, and to not be afraid to fall. I had to practise that dance-move a lot, but I finally got it! In the end, I think it looked pretty artistic and athletic. Through this pole-dancing experience, I learned that you should stay open-minded to new things, and no matter what you do, you should trust in yourself and your potential.
Today was the press conference and the unveiling of 2009’s Miss Chinese Vancouver pageant contestants! We all finally got a chance to introduce ourselves to the community. I was nervous because my Chinese language skills are not the best, but it was really important to me to put in my best effort. I am very thankful to the other 9 girls, Kelly the pageant-mama, and her assistant Mayanne because they were all so kind to would help me with translating my thoughts into Chinese and correcting me on proper pronunciations and grammar. It might take time, but I am committed to improving!
The conference was really fun! First, we did a catwalk with our trench coats and umbrellas, just as we practise before in rehearsals. But this time, on stage, my bracelet got caught in the coat sleeve a bit when I was taking the coat off! But just as Jessica (our catwalk instructor) taught us, I had to work with it as if it was supposed to happen. And I managed to get it loose and take the coat off, so it was okay J (you can see it in the picture!).
Afterwards, we all stepped up to the microphone and shared a little story about water. My story was about how I used to be afraid of deep water ever since I was a kid, but this year, when I was on a tropical vacation, I decided to get over that fear by joining a snorkelling trip. When I saw all the colourful fish and beautiful corals, it wasn’t so scary anymore J. It relates to my current adventure of competing in this pageant because both are about letting go of your fears, and pushing yourself to learn something new and exciting.
Last week, we did a lot of stage training, dancing and fitness classes. It is really fun to learn with all the girls, and exciting to know that we will perform it all together on stage very soon! The classes are hard work and my muscles are still sore! But I like it because it is fun and keeps us healthy and active.
This week we did the first promo shootings and photo shoots for the pageant. It was really fun to get dressed up! And it was so nice that all the girls and everybody else at the shoot would cheer for each girl when it was their turn with the camera. Everyone worked together as a team and helped each other to get the best photos and videos possible. I’m excited to see it!
