Having lots of fun cruising airwaves - New Straits Times

fun - Google News Google News

Having lots of fun cruising airwaves - New Straits Times Mar 18th 2012, 01:12    GORGEOUS and eloquent, Charlene Cynthia Wong, of Chinese and Sinhalese parentage, should be on television. Instead, the former beauty contest finalist has opted for a behind-the-camera career. As a MixFM radio presenter, Wong is having lots of fun working on radio although the majority of the listeners who call in might not know they are talking to a real beauty. The 28-year-old lass who was born in Kuala Lumpur, but grew up in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, said that she joined the station not to become famous. "Working as a radio presenter is so much fun. It's a dream job. Before I go to work, I read up on celebrity news to find out what's happening. "Some people have commented that working on radio will not get me anywhere but I love the job. I've only been working for two months and been on air for just over a month. "So, yes, it is still all very new to me. But getting calls from listeners is one of the things I look forward to when I'm on the job," said Wong, who now works at the station full time. Standing at 1.68m, Wong enjoys the fact that she doesn't have to dress up to go to work. "Although I love dressing up, you can't expect me to go to work in heels. I'm comfortable in my hoodies and sneakers. "It's easy especially since this job requires me to move like an octopus!" said Wong, who is on daily from 8pm till midnight handling the Mix Top 40. She also does one weekend shift. With her gorgeous looks, why is she not on television? Well, she did apply for a job as a news reader. However, after giving it some thought, she realised that working on radio suits her personality. "I'm very music-driven. If I'm down, music can lift me up. "There is no better place to get that than on radio," she said. Growing up, Wong attended both private and government schools. She admits that there is a huge difference in styles between the two schools. "For instance, at private schools, you talk about getting some friend's driver to come and fetch us and drop us off at a golf club. "When I joined a government school in Form 6, hanging out with friends meant catching a bus together to chill out at the mall. "Students from private schools tend to be a bit more snobbish, too, but having said that, I still enjoyed attending both schools for different reasons," she explained. After completing her Form 6, Wong took a degree course to teach English as a second language at Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. One of the course requirements was for her to do practical training for three months. She did hers at La Salle Brickfields. Hmm... the students must have been over the moon to get a pretty English teacher to teach them, huh? "Well, when you teach boys in Form One or Two, you get a lot of naughty ones. When they go overboard, I draw a bubble on the blackboard that says "I must be quiet!" and make them stand next to it. "Yes, I used to punish them but I had so much fun," she said, adding that she is currently reading for her master's degree. Now, why did a teacher enter a beauty contest? "I have always loved fashion and beauty. When I joined the Miss Malaysia/Universe pageant, I was so chubby. I was kutuked' by so many people online. "How could that girl join, they said. But I managed to lose weight and I had hoped to be able to make it to the top 18. "Being in the top 18 would give you the chance to attend the whole grooming thing for free. You get to attend workshops on hair, make-up, catwalk and other beauty stuff." But Wong did better than make the top 18. She was among the top five in a contest that was eventually won by Nadine Ann Thomas. "Taking part in a beauty contest is very stressful. There is so much drama. "People talk about your looks and all as though you are not there but the truth is, you wear your heart on your sleeves. So like it or not, you will have to develop a tough skin but you will still get affected a bit by those harsh comments. "When we try on dresses and they don't fit, we go to one corner and cry. When you know you don't look good, you feel sad. After all, you are showcasing yourself," she said. But surely mum and dad were there to comfort her? "I didn't tell them that I had entered the pageant. But I told mum during the gala night. "You see, my family is conservative but my parents gave me the green light because when I entered, I was already an adult," said Wong, who comes from a big family with 11 siblings. Other than radio, Wong dabbled in the arts, too, where she had done some theatre work like Kaki Blue The Musical, a Joe Hasham-directed production, working alongside Arja Lee of ... Dalam Botol fame. She did a string of TV commercials like Dutch Lady alongside Sazzy Falak and Stretching Your Ringgit. She also appeared in Meet Uncle Hussain's music video called Pokok and did a short film for BMW shorties. Mind you, this beautiful lass also sings. She's done some back-up vocals for Toy AF and Narmi of One Buck Short. Indeed, Wong is more than a triple threat.    Charlene trivia • Favourite international actor? Matt Damon. • Favourite international actresses?   Charlize Theron and Meryl Streep. • Favourite international movie? Schindler's List • Favourite foreign singer/band?  Dream Theatre and Adele. • Favourite local singer/band?  Pop Shuvit, Bunkface and Meet   Uncle Hussain. •  Favourite song of all time? Titanium • Favourite international beauty queen? The beautiful and intelligent Aishwarya Rai. • Favourite local beauty queen? Datuk Michelle Yeoh. She is such  an inspiration. • Favourite book?   Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Sense and Sensibility. • Favourite radio presenter?   Rick Dees. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions