Miss Malaysia Kebaya auditions get hopefuls all fired up

There was much excitement for Nurul Shaqierin, 22, and Alya Iman Abdul, 26, when they showed up for the auditions to select the next Miss and Mrs Malaysia Kebaya, a beauty pageant that showcases the national tradition and rich heritage culture through the kebaya.

The two girls were all fired up hoping to be chosen Miss Malaysia Kebaya finalists and the chance of winning the Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2018 title.

While speaking to Citizen Journalists Malaysia (CJMY), Nurul Shaqierin from Seri Kembangan, Selangor said she has the confidence to take part in the pageant and will give her best shot.

“I am confident of my chances and will do my best to wow the judges. I believe this pageant is the best platform for me to represent myself, to show others what I can do and what talent I have. I personally have a passion where I like to challenge myself by doing new things in order to gain new experiences in life, because we just live once, so let’s enjoy every moment,” she said.

The Bachelor of Horticulture Science final year student at UPM said this was the second time she had participated in a pageant. She had competed in Pencarian Wanita Melayu 2018 and ended as semi finalist.

“If i were to win the Miss Malaysia Kebaya title, I would promote the kebaya through social media such as Instagram and Facebook. I would take good #ootd Instagram pictures of me wearing the kebaya. And through the pictures I can describe about the kebaya and also encourage teenagers to wear and know about the traditional kebaya.

“I have a collection of kebaya in my wardrobe, such as kebaya nyonya, kebaya labuh and the modern kebaya peplum. It’s my favourite traditional wear and I usually wear the kebaya during special occasions such as Hari Raya, wedding and annual dinner.

“As a traditional dancer, i would choose the kebaya, especially the one made from songket, when performing,” said Nurul.

Dancing has been Nurul’s hobby since young and a passion that she can’t live without.

“I have always loved to dance. I would say I am talented in dancing especially the traditional dances such as zapin, joget and inang, besides Zumba. I have also participated in many dance competitions. I hope to have the opportunity to show off my dancing skills, maybe a Javanese dance Asmaradana as my talent performance,” she said.

Nurul said Zumba and healthy snacks are her secret to staying fit and healthy.

“I stay fit by doing Zumba. Other than that, I always remind myself to stay well hydrated by drinking a lot of water and eating plenty of vegetables and fruits for great skin and good health,” she said.

Nurul’s dream job is to be a successful woman in farming as she is pursuing a career in agriculture.

“My ambition is to be a successful woman working in the agriculture sector. I wanted to prove that even women can be successful and able to do what men can do. And through that I wanted to be an idol able to inspire and motivate other girls out there that women can do everything just like men,” she said

For 26-year old Alya Iman Abdul, 26, a medical business executive from Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, she had a wide experience in pageants, two of her previous titles being first runner-up of Miss University 2018 and second runner-up of Pencarian Wanita Melayu 2018. She was also a finalist at Miss Cosmoworld Malaysia 2018 and Miss Raya 2018.

“What attracts me most about Miss Malaysia Kebaya is the element of tradition and the way they carry the event in a very professional manner. Typically, in most beauty pageants that I participated, you would be asked to wear a glam-theme ball gown during the coronation night. However, in this Miss Malaysia Kebaya competition, you are asked to put on our traditional Malaysian kebaya and I would be very proud and honour to be able to wear our traditional outfit on the stage and help promote our culture to the entire world.

“If I win the Miss Malaysia Kebaya title I would do my bit to promote the kebaya by wearing the outfit when traveling abroad. I love traveling around and exploring new places. During my trip to Europe, believe me, I could not count how many people had actually stopped me to ask where I got my outfit from. I would simply smile and proudly say “It’s kebaya, our Malaysian traditional outfit.”

“What makes our Malaysian kebaya more unique as compared to our neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand or even Singapore is the floral patterns that are embedded in our batik designs. By joining this competition, I believe I could increase my knowledge of our traditional kebaya,” said Alya.

Asked what talent she has, Alya said: “I find myself singing many times in my bathroom. So I guess that’s my talent, of course I can sing but to be honest with you, I enjoy every traditional poem, like syair, sajak and pantun. I actively participated in poetry competitions in boarding schools back then. For my talent  show I would do a traditional dance with a little bit of singing. I would still need to think of the choreography and choice of song.”

Alya knows her own body and prioritize her health and fitness.

“Usually I would go to the gym at least twice a week. But now with the crazy hectic lifestyle, I might just sweat it out to the salsa and Zumba dance,” she said

Alya hopes to further her studies to pursue a PhD or EngD. She dreams of opening her own beauty and fashion business one day and perhaps creating her own clothing label with traditional kebaya fusion.

Alya enjoys hobbies such as fencing and swimming. She first learned fencing when she was studying in UK and is still looking for a good fencing association to join in Malaysia.