Katrina Kayora Ong is Malaysia’s Most Colorful Young Woman - The FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015

The 30 most colorful young women in Malaysia shortlisted from 2,221 entries in the FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015 with judges

Kuala Lumpur, 10 December 2015; In an intimate and vibrant event, some of Malaysia’s most colorful young ladies showcased themselves at the FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015 Finale. 

FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015 Grand Prize Winner Katrina Kayora Ong

The 30 ladies that took to the stage were actually shortlisted from a whopping 2,221 young Malaysian ladies who registered through the official contest site freshfaces.my. 100 participants were selected based on the result of the largest InterUniversity search held this year, involving over 26 Universities, six university Prom Nights, and eight universities’ “classroom curriculum” engagements.

Katrina Kayora Ong is a 19 year old girl from Sandakan, Sabah who is an American Degree Transfer Program student at INTI International University, Nilai.

The objective of FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search was to find one young woman who is determined to inspire and make an impact on her generation. The search, initiated by Alcon’s FreshLook® color contact lenses, which provides a natural tint to the windows of the soul, aims to support young women in their choice to lead an interesting and expressive lifestyle.

The FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015 was conducted in collaboration with the Malaysian Youth Community (MYC!) in conjunction with their annual FreshFaces Cover Girl search. The Search was also supported by Zalora, GoPro, Kiss Me, and Amber Chia Studios.

The Fiery Nicole Sheila Nagalingam, an 18 year old studying A-levels at Brickfields Asia College 

Katrina Kayora Ong was selected the winner from a rigorous process that involved participation in workshops namely Color Etiquette and Grooming by Michelle Lim, Corporate Grooming Consultant; Poise & Posture by Amber Chia, International Celebrity Model, and Social Media Etiquette by Jason Ko, Chief Executive Officer of MYC!. The screening process did not stop there. The girls were required to demonstrate the application of the ‘colors’ into their everyday life and post those stories in their respective social media platforms. 

21 year old songstress Lydia Charmaine Lourdes, HELP University Bachelor of Communication

"I colour my day by looking for new adventures everyday. Along with new adventures come new colour that I discover along the way. I also colour my day by surrounding myself with all my colourful friends letting them colour my life and also to colour them with my randomness." - Katrina Kayora Ong, Winner of FreshLook FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015.

Tall & poised 20 year old Bella Chee Yuen Chi studying Bachelor of Communication at Monash University Malaysia

The 30 semi finalist described by Jason Ko, CEO of MYC! as “...bright and articulate students in Medicine, Engineering, Sciences, Arts. The next generation of Malaysia is indeed in the good hands of these young colorful women” paraded both in casual and dressy outfits of their choice and were free to show off their colourful personality in the way they dressed, the colour of lenses they chose and most importantly their short speech on how they choose to colour their world. Albeit each lady was unique in her own right, I noticed that they all shared one thing in common - Confidence. Just like what Mr. Sandeep Tewari, Country General Manager, Alcon Laboratories (M) Sdn. Bhd. had mentioned in his welcome speech.

The elegant and bold 21 year old Arinna Erin binti Wira Izran Mass Comm student from HELP University

"Our approach to the FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search 2015 is to empower young women to live their lives colorfully. Color can be expressed in everything that you do; and in everything that defines you. Having the courage and confidence to be yourself encourages a positive mindset, thus helping one to improve the quality of life,” - Mr. Sandeep Tewari, Country General Manager, Alcon Laboratories (M) Sdn. Bhd.

The search culminated with the finalists vying for the top 12 spots as the 12 monthly university spokespersons of MYC! magazine for 2016. The winner, Katrina Kayora Ong will attend a photoshoot in New York sponsored by MYC! She will also represent FreshLook® as the official ColorGirl for the year in their consumer engagements.

The 19 year old from Sandakan, Sabah who is a student in INTI International University expressed, “I truly did not expect this, and I am just so blessed and grateful for this opportunity and experience. I made it to the Top 30 of FreshLook® FreshFaces ColorGirl Search and was so honored to have won".

The other girls that caught my attention that day included Nicole Sheila Nagalingam, a fiery young woman with a determined walk, Lydia Charmaine Lourdes a fairy like petite girl with an evident passion for singing, Chee Yuen Chi with her model like figure and runway walk and last but not least Arinna Erin binti Wira Izran who was a sight to behold in her Muslim attire on point. 

Themodelmom with the lovely Katrina Kayora

I managed to catch hold of her after the announcement and asked her a few (mom-related) questions:

Themodelmom: What do you think about women with higher education that choose to stay at home to take care of their children?

Katrina Kayora: It is really their individual choice. I have no strong feelings for or against it.

Themodelmom: What is the right time to have children?

Katrina Kayora: When you are ready. You have to be ready. There is no right age but when you feel stable and you will know it yourself. It may be getting a house, stable career and emotionally but the individual will know when it's time.

Themodelmom: Were your parents supportive in you joining this contest?

Katrina Kayora: Yes. Very supportive. They bought me a ticket to come down for this event. I am very thankful.

Themodelmom: Do they know yet that you have won?

Katrina Kayora: Oh my god, No! I have to call them.

While I was talking to her I noticed that she had naturally brown eyes and that classic bee stung lips. Personality wise, she was very calm and humble.

Katrina also told me that she was very excited about going to New York. She added that winning has not set in yet and she still felt very much in shock. And with that I wished her all the best and bid farewell.

All the best to all contestants! All you girls have the power to spread positivity and colour our future.

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About FreshLook® Color Contact Lenses 

FreshLook® color contact lenses is Alcon’s most established range of color contact lenses, boasting a unique 3-in-1 Color Technology, which helps the lenses to blend with the user’s natural eye colors, resulting in a stunning natural eye color change. FreshLook® ColorBlends® is available as a monthly disposable lens in a range of twelve colors – gray, green, blue, brown, honey, turquoise, 4/4 amethyst, true sapphire, pure hazel, gemstone green, sterling gray and brilliant blue - providing plenty of options for the color-savvy people. For users who prefer a daily disposable option, they can select from the FreshLook® One-Day® or FreshLook® Illuminate range of color contact lenses. 

About Alcon 

Alcon®, the global leader in eye care, provides innovative products that enhance quality of life by helping people see better. Alcon’s three businesses, Surgical, Pharmaceutical and Vision Care, offer the widest spectrum of eye care products in the world. Alcon is a division of the Novartis Group, with pro-forma sales of USD 10.8 billion in 2014. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, Alcon has more than 25,000 employees worldwide, operations in 75 countries and products available in 180 markets. For more information, visit www.alcon.com. 

Celebrity Fitness - 20th Club Launch with 20 Celebrities doing a 20 min Workout

3 November 2015, Celebrity Fitness proudly opened it's 20th club in Malaysia and this time in Quill City Mall. What better way to celebrate the opening then to invite 20 celebrities and media and challenge them in a 20 minute Celebrity Fast Fit workout?!

I need to tone up. My goal is Victoria Secret Model body hehe

I was very excited to get invited and at the same time a bit nervous. Nervous because I wasn't sure if I will make it through the challenge but I gave myself a pep talk and told my self that I'm gonna win it! Yes, I am!

Killer motivation

I set out early as hadn't been to this mall before. It was actually pretty easy to get to and located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur's business district. I suppose it is very convenient for those who want to work out before and after office. There are also 'ladies parking' bays with guards constantly walking about, so although I reached early it did feel safe.

PT Area - Set Up and ready for the Fast Fit Challenge to begin

Once I reached the centre which is located on the 4th floor, I had to chill out for a bit while I waited for the others to arrive. I silently wished in my heart they would give me a prize for being early =p

I was then handed a white t-shirt with the hashtag #everydayIgetBETTER which somehow made me feel better already. As I sat there waiting eagerly, I watched the trainers setting up the Fast Fit stations for the challenge that included Dynamax Ball Burpee, the Kettlebell Swing, the classic RMT Squat among others.

Hooi Mei Sim on Bosu Lateral Plyo Jump

Once everyone arrived the highly qualified and experienced abang sado instructors and personal trainers were at hand to guide us. We got to try out, practice and ask questions about Fast Fit. I learned that Fast Fit is a full-body functional training workout that improves stamina, muscle strength and helps to tone. That means it makes sure you use every function that your body was designed to do. Meaning as a human you were designed to more that just walk or do jumping jacks right? So through this training you will work every muscle in your body.

Frederick Lee doing the RMT Squat

We then gathered back for the official launch by Celebrity Fitness Vice President, Ryan Cheal. “Celebrity Fitness constantly works to improve our quality of services, in line with our philosophy #everydayIgetBETTER,” said Ryan. “This year, we had the founder of ViPR, Michol Dalcourt and  MMA champion, Martjin de Jong visit us to share their fitness knowledge and expertise with our Celebrity Fitness trainers. November is also a month with much to rejoice as we are celebrating the 11^th anniversary of Celebrity Fitness’s first club in Malaysia at 1 Utama on 11 November as well as the anniversaries of three other clubs, Celebrity Fitness, Nu Sentral, Celebrity Fitness, Wangsa Walk and Celebrity Fitness, Endah Parade.”

The humble and friendly Amaris on ViPR Ice Skater

We were divided to 2 groups for the challenge and took turns to have a go at the stations. Before that we did a group warm up session. One of the trainers by the name of Ratnam gave me a very good analogy about warming up before a workout. He described the body like pasta, "cooked pasta is very flexible whilst uncooked pasta easily snaps," he said while holding out his hand in two fists and mimicking pasta snapping.

Vinodh and Yours Truly doing the Kettlebell Swing

Fast Fit is actually quite fun, especially if you have a short attention span and despise doing the same action over and over again for a long time. Through the Fast Fit workout, your body continues to burn fat even the day after! So running on the treadmill for hours on end is quite a waste of time if your goal is weight loss.

Themodelmom doing the Dynamax Ball Burpee. Honestly the reason why the instructor is doing it with me is because he was motivating me to do it as I really sucked at it haha

The challenge that was judged based on form, technique and performance was won by Hansen Lee who is no noob to fitness (he even has his own workout TV show) and blogger Elana Khong who really stood out among the girls and was better then some of the guys too! 

Hansen Lee, Challenge Winner - Male

Selfie with Female Challenge Winner - Elana Khong

If you are interested to try out this workout or get Celebrity treatment checkout the centre in Quill City Mall or log on to www.celebrityfitness.com or http://facebook.com/CelebrityFitnessMalaysia.

Since we all shed sweat and tears and completed the challenge, we are all winners! Yeay!

Malaysia Urban Retreat Festival - 13 to 15 November 2015

Are you a Fitness Freak? Do you Eat Clean? Do you like to Dance? How about some Music? Yes to any one of those? MURFEST may pique your interest.

BREATHE.CONNECT.MOVE

MURFEST is the first Malaysian Wellness Festival and pegged to be Top 5 in South East Asia. Over the span of 3 days, there will be more than 80 classes and workshops to choose from. Among which are yoga, aqua yoga, zumba, capoeira, motivational speakers, sound healers. 

Get Jiggy to the beat!

Learn to Sway your Hips

Hop on one foot on a tight rope?

According to Festival Founder & Director Shobie Malani, "The main aim of MURFEST is to educate the young and invigorate the souls of our seniors to embrace a wellness or fitness practice that they can adapt into their lifestyles." She acknowledges that most people have been exposed to at least one of these workshops. MURFEST aims to bring communities together to gain knowledge, change mindsets whilst cultivating a mindful and healthy society.

Simon Borg Olivier in his element

Yoga enthusiast? You will be thrilled to know that Simon Borg Olivier, Melissa Smith and Kosta Miachin are part of the line up along side our very own Singing Tinkerbell cum Yoga Fairy, Ms. Atilia Haron who is also the ambassador of MURFEST.

Atilia Haron - MURFEST Ambassador

The newly launched JUST BE Market sounds quite interesting too. Apparently it is a niche place where communities get to connect and network with wellness experts and artisans from all walks of life. Expect to be sipping on organic coffee, meet natural healers and check out semi-precious healing jewels. You can also look forward to getting pampered with an Ayurvedic massage, sample essential oils, explore raw food delicacies, cool off with cold pressed organic juices and shop for unique trinkets and brick a bracts. 

The URBANITE Concert is for all ages and all walks of life

The signature event of MURFEST is the URBANITE Concert that will be happening on 13 November 2015 at the Grand Ballroom, Hotel Pulman Kuala Lumpur. It aims to bring people together with the power of music and dance. Expect to be moved by Artists & Bands performing world music, reggae and fusion while sitting on sustainable up-cycled furniture and bean bags, Expect relaxed, traditional and healing music while you mingle with others.

Bhangra Workshop - No wonder Bollywood actors are so fit ey?

Move to the pumping beat

Some Interesting Workshops I extracted from the 3 Day Schedule:

- Active Movements From Your Core: How to get in to a Posture 

- Masala Bhangra Dance Workout 

- Everything You Need to Know about going Vegan

- Qi Qong Therapy

- Constellation Workshop

- Capoeira

- Living Your Dreams

- Bellydance

- Raggeathon

- How to Speak and Understand "Man Language" (For WOMEN ONLY)

You can see the full schedule here. Seriously! It's packed with awesome workshops and can be so much fun for the family or like minded friends.The cool thing about the schedule on their website is you can bookmark your favorites and sync them to your phone or calendar.That's neat!

Excited yet? Here are the deets:

Venue : Pullman Hotel, Kuala Lumpur - Bangsar

Date : 13 to 15 November 2015

Website : www.murfest.com

BREATHE.CONNECT.MOVE

UPDATE

From left to right : Shobie (Director of MURFEST), me, Atilia Haron (Ambassador of MURFEST), Jojo Struys (Ambassador of MURFEST)

I attended the Press Conference on 16 October and found out a few new things:

- This festival is an ideal Urban Retreat. To fully enjoy the workshops and concert, you can book yourself in at Hotel Pullman Kuala Lumpur where all events will be held or other nearby hotels (5 to 10 mins away) at special negotiated rates. Checkout their website for special packages,

- If you can't find a baby sitter don't worry as there are many activities for the kids as well. In fact you can even bring them to the Urbanite Concert! It will make a great family outing.

- Expect a very relaxed atmosphere and positive vibes during the Urbanite Concert where everyone is encouraged to dress in something white and comfy.

- Aseana Percussion Unit is definitely not to be missed!

- This festival is for anyone and everyone regardless of fitness level. 

Raffles College KL Fashion Show 2015

Last Friday night,  25 September, I was invited to attend the Raffles College of Higher Education Graduation Fashion Show 2015 at JW Marriot, KL.

Raffles College of Higher Education Kuala Lumpur (RCHEKL) was established in 1994 and is part of Raffles Education Corporation - the largest private education group in Asia-Pacific. Since establishing their first college in Singapore in 1990, the Group has grown to operate 3 universities and 34 colleges across 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Here is the best part, students have the flexibility to start their course in one city and transfer to another location to complete their qualification!

The graduation fashion show was an extra special event for the students as for many of them, it was their first time showcasing their work in full fledged fashion runway style with professional models, professional hair and make up in front of their family, friends and fashion industry.

With fellow bloggers at the front row

The best part about watching young designers is to look back in a few years when they have 'arrived' and have that moment where you reminisce about their fresh and raw beginnings. You sort of celebrate the journey together and feel proud of them. Well that's just me, the mama me =)

Just as I arrived I bumped in to an old friend Mr. Syomir Izwa Sen Gupta. I was very excited and approached him eagerly. He gave me a hug and asked me if I was pregnant again. 'Whaaaat? I just fell from walking on air'. "What?" and I began to rant about how I just had a baby and bla bla bla.I made it a point to gather my shattered ego and talk to him again after the show because I know it must have been pretty awkward for him as well. He probably didn't realize that baby girl had popped out already. Yes. I am thaaat positive! It's okay babe, I forgive you.. It's probably because I was glowing that you thought I was still preggers :p

Anyway, Syomir was there as a judge alongside Fashion Designer, Silas Liew and Fashion Editor, Kathryn Rao.

The judges getting ready to judge

The event opened with Paradoxical by Nana Ooi from Malaysia. The collection had an undeniably Japanese influence. Colours were electric blue, black, gold and white and design was kept neat and structured. It had a very distinguish regal feel to it.

Paradoxical by Nana Ooi

The second designer to show was Erica Lim. Her collection called Senshi saw models in all black warrior style clothing with belt embellishments. The uniqueness of the collection was that it was tailored with soft flowy material contradictory to its theme.

Senshi by Erica Lim

The next collection by Tania Saraswati called Psychedelic State was a stark contrast to the former collection we had seen. Bright bold colors and geometric patterns adorned this wearable collection.

Psychedelic State by Tania Saraswati 

Next we saw Marie Nardelli's collection called La Belle Epoque. Colours were deep bronze and black and fabric used was luxurious. The silhouette of the collection emphasized the female body reflecting the La Belle Epoque period in Western European history that was characterised by peace, prosperity, scientific innovations and saw the flourishing of theater and the arts.

 La Belle Epoque by Marie Nardelli

Quek Sh'un-Liann's collection titled Where Are You, Papa? Was a very melancholic. The theme was inspired by a daughter missing her father and creating paper versions of him. Colours were basic black and white with light weight fabric suitable for our local weather. The cuts were fitted on the shoulder but flared from waist down. One of my favourite outfits was from this collection. It was a white asymmetrical cut shift shirt dress

 Where Are You, Papa by Sh'un-Liann

Aneesa Alsagoff's collection was very sporty. It was called Inferno and inspired by Moritz Waldemeyer's 1000 Flames which is an art installation that reflects digital flames from a hexagonal surface.

Inferno by Aneesa Alsagoff

1000 Flames. Picture from www.weldemeyer.com

The following collection we saw was the most unconventional. It was by En Chi Koo who took inspiration from Frank Gehry's Dancing House to produce this geometric and asymmetric ensembles.

Moving The Lifeless by En Chi Koo

Dancing House. Picture From Hanim Zafar's Flickr Photostream

Distorted Reality by Lee Hui Mein was showcased next. The collection saw contrasting monochromatic shapes and colours brought together. It had a Korean girl group vibe to it.

Distorted Reality by Lee Hui Mein 

The SmoG of all the collections showed that day may have been the most relevant as we are being suffocated by the haze more and more. This was my favourite collection because of the theme and how the designer, Ng Jin Ying translated it to reality through her menswear collection. The signature piece of this collection was the windbreaker style jacket with a built in backpack. I can see many man's man nodding to this collection for sure!

The SmoG by Ng Jin Ying

Next we had another melancholic showcase through Reiko Poon Shi Hui's Painful Happiness. The material used resembled tissue where I thought symbolized the Pain part of the theme and the design element on the outfits seemed to be like sparkles on Happiness.

Painful Happiness by Reiko Poon Shi Hui 

When Niki Tan's collection 'Untamed' started to show, from the first piece itself my thoughts were retro, biker and wearable. The big umbrella cut skirt really honestly put a smile on my face when it bobbed up and down the runway.

Untamed by Niki Tan

The second last collection was a very romantic one by Lee Huei Wen titled Eternity. It was white, soft, flowy  and sensual. It was a matured look with a regal feel.

Eternity by Lee Huei Wen 

Last but not least, was 'Mama, I can't Sleep' by Michelle Li Yuan Ting. I wonder if it was purposely put right at the end to remind us that it is the end of the show so please go back and sleep. Colours were pastel pink and blue, grey and white. There was a lot of emphasis on woolly materials as scarfs. The cutest thing about the show was this model dressed up like Noddy. Well I know that using cute in a fashion review is a big no-no but come on..just look at the picture and tell me..so Noddy right?

Mama, I can't Sleep by Michelle Li Yuan Ting

The show ended with prize giving...drum roll please..here are the winners in pictures...

Second Runner Up.... Quek Sh'un Lian

First Runner Up ....Ng Jin Ying

And Numero Uno ! En Chi Koo

I applaud Raffles College of Higher Education Kuala Lumpur for putting on a show that was crisp and well organized with a high level of professionalism on par with industry standards.

With fellow bloggers

With Fashion Designer, judge and ol fren - Syomir Izwa

If you are are interested to find out more about studying at Raffles College of Higher Education or know anyone who would be do register to go to their 'UN:LOCK your creative future 2015' event.

Below are the event details:

Date : 19 - 20 December 20115
Time: 1pm - 5pm
Venue: Raffles College, KL

Featured Courses:
- Fashion Design
- Fashion Marketing
- Interior Design
- Jewellery Design
- Visual Communication
- Digital Media Design
- Psychology
- Business

Register Here or Call +603 2164 1059

First 100 registered early birds will receive a Special Gift