Category: Miss Taiwanese World

Wow! Has it been a year already? It seems like it was only yesterday when I was getting trying on gowns and heels to prep for the pageant. In about a month we will be crowning a new class of young men and women and as I wrap up my year of service I hope that the new royal court will take advantage of every opportunity given to them. Here’s my advice for the new 2016-2017 class.

BEAUTY AND FASHION

Pageant Gowns: Give yourself plenty of time to shop for two long evening gowns and a short cocktail dress. I highly recommend going to Santee Alley, a two block area in downtown LA’s Fashion District that sells both apparel, cosmetics, and everything fashion related.

Shop in June/July as it’s after Prom season and shops want to move their inventory.

Noell is a very popular store among pageant girls as they sell super glamorous gowns with extensive beading and elaborate designs. The showroom is an enormous two floor building and it’s definitely a splurge should you pay them a visit. If memory serves me right I think dresses start at around $400, but can go upwards to $1000 of dollars. Also do make an appointment as other customers have commented on being turned away even during business hours.

Personally, I purchased all my gowns at Atria Couture as they were more in my price-range. I budgeted about $200  a gown and while the designs weren’t as loud, the quality of the cloth material was thick and the stitching and design was cohesive. I definitely bartered with them so work on your negotiating skills.

There are many stores that sell gowns at different price-points; however, I’ve noticed that the dresses that were less than a $100 tended to be a thinner fabric and the sequences were glued on as opposed to sewn. To each his own, but I felt that if these were dresses that I would wear throughout the year, I’d chose to invest in pieces that I could wear multiple times.

Jewelry: Buy costume jewelry while you shop for your dress. It helps when you have your dress with you so you can see if certain earrings and necklaces match. Also, large dangling earrings look wonderful on stage. Silver crystals type of jewelry matched pretty much all of my outfits, but

Shoes: Wear heels that have a platform at the front and pick either clear or a nude color. It will help elongate your figure.

Hair and Makeup: I chose to do my own hair and makeup as it was an additional expense that I did not want to take into account, but I would recommend buying fake eyelashes to make your eye makeup more dramatic. I randomly stumbled upon this shop called The Makeup Shake, and they have some really great products including their own 3D silk eyelashes. “Eye Poppin” and “Mad Eye” are two of my favorite lashes to wear, and I always get compliments on how pretty my eyes look. They also carry some professional makeup supplies that I see at the Annual International Makeup Artists Tradeshow (IMATs), so it’s great that I can get some of my favorite products without having to wait until the tradeshow.

At the time I chopped off 8 inches of my hair, so I had no idea how to style a short cut. I practiced with my curling iron and do a classic french twist (with a ton of bobby pins) to give the allusion that I had more hair. Ha!

PUBLIC SPEAKING

The dreaded Fish Bowl Question: You never know what type of question you’ll get, but I thought of it as I would prepare for a job interview. I wrote down my answers and practiced in front of the mirror my responses. Practice makes perfect. Sometimes I’ll even practice my answers in the car as I’m driving. 🙂

Additionally, since this was a Taiwanese pageant I made sure to have responses in regards to Taiwan current events and learned about different government officials locally and abroad.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think like anything you do you get out what you put in. Some contestants were very casual and didn’t prepare as aggressively as others, whereas others were diligent and gave it their all. I always give everything I do my 100% and as Miss Taiwanese World I had the opportunity to meet multiple government officials, celebrate community milestones, and use this as a platform with my family and friends to talk about Taiwan and build community relations. You can see a few of my cool adventures here (10/10 Black Tie Event, Monterey Park parade, Lunar New Year Celebration at TECO)

Whether you’re a natural on stage or someone who wants to try something outside your comfort zone the competition part was a great opportunity to improve my posture, poise, and speech. It’s definitely something I can check mark off my bucket list and I can say that I have some incredible memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Good luck!

XOXO,

Rockstar

Some of my fondest memories as a child were performing on stage. One moment I was a graceful fish from the Dai Tribe and the next I was the rambunctious Monkey King from the Chinese legend, Journey to the West. Sometimes I played as humans *grins mischievously* like a country girl picking rice or a warrior prepping for battle, but it was always wonderful to depict a character from a different time periods. So when I was invited to attend “Splendor of Taiwan” dance performance at my alma mater, I couldn’t have been more excited.

Scenes from different dance numbers plus me ready to present flowers 🙂

The dance performance from the National Taiwan University of Arts Dance Department in Taiwan was spectacular at the very least. There were dynamic acrobatics as well as cohesive partner-work. I knew that all the dancers trained intensely; however, their movements were so effortless and graceful. My favorite piece was definitely the last number, which featured traditional Taiwanese tribal wear (red outfits).

The event welcomed over 900 guests to the Chapman Auditorium and at the finale, I presented the Artistic Director with a bouquet of flowers. Leaders from the Taiwanese community congratulated the dancers on their excellent performance and we all wished them great success on their upcoming tour for Taiwanese Heritage Week.

How do you celebrate your culture with others?

XOXO,

Rockstar

Birthdays are one of the best days of the year and with Monterey Park recently celebrating it’s 101st, you know a landmark date like that warrants an enormous celebration. To no surprise, Monterey Park dedicated four “Play Days” to capture the magnitude of this milestone. The royal court was invited to join the Play Day Parade on Day 3 and we couldn’t have been more excited.

Bright and early on Saturday morning the royal court along with local government officials, volunteers, and other parade participants met at the Monterey Park City Hall for a briefing and instructions on the day ahead. Journalists and local media stations also interviewed us to comment on the festivities.

After snacking on healthy breakfast treats provided by the Women’s Club and taking multiple photo shoots we loaded up on the shuttle bus and headed towards the beginning point of the parade.

Many different organizations including several community service organizations, middle and high school bands, as well as after-school programs and local businesses were preparing for the landmark occasion.

There were several vintage vehicles parked along the road and we were lucky to ride on a classic white 1958 Ford decorated with mini American flags. Guests were standing and sitting on both sides of the street taking selfies and videos. My favorite part of the parade seeing the face of small children light up when I waved at them. Some of them blushed while others waved with great zeal. It was adorable.

After we finished our route, we all headed towards Barnes Memorial Park to pose for photos and enjoy carnival games and rides. It was a bright and sunny day making it perfect for everyone to enjoy this beautiful and diverse city.

What do you look forward to seeing most on a parade? High School Bands? Cheerleaders? Floats?

XOXO,

Rockstar

One of the best things about serving as Miss Taiwanese World is the opportunity to connect with people of all backgrounds and learning about their culture and customs. The royal court was invited to the 35th Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration at Monterey Park earlier this month to enjoy this yearly event.

The day was a brisk and chilly one; however, considering the weather conditions and high chance of rain the festival attracted a diverse group of Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian enthusiasts. Performers sang in Spanish and some audience members got up and danced allow to the melodious beats. It was really beautiful to see how regardless of language, music and the arts can really bring us all together.

As goodwill ambassadors the royal court presented Friendship flags to the event Chairman Jesus Ortiz and Monterey Park Mayor Teresa Real Sebastian to continue relationships and support the City of Monterey Park. Photos were taken and we enjoyed the good company and energetic entertainment for the remainder of the afternoon. In addition to performances they also raffled off some cool prizes which included giftcards to haircuts, restaurants, and other local businesses.

How did you spend your Cinco De Mayo?

XOXO,

Rockstar