Neesa’s routines that keep her feeling great

Neesa Sodirman, 29, from Malacca, is the first runner-up of the recently concluded Miss Harmony World 2020 with the crown going to France’s Anastassia Laurencin.

The pageant was held virtually without a live audience at Twenty20Two, an event and performance theatre, in Petaling Jaya on Dec 10, 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Standing at 172 cm (5’ 7.7”) tall, Neesa also clinched the Oilum ambassador award.

She is a fitness enthusiast, enjoying her everyday life in all things healthy-living related. Her toned and curvy body are the fruitful outcomes of her fitness journey.

F45 Training, a gym and fitness centre, has signed her as their brand ambassador for the Mont Kiara and Desa Parkcity outlets.

Neesa does a wide variety of routines. She’s not just a model and content creator, she’s also an enterprising food entrepreneur with her home-based business venture.

Neesa graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in communication with honours. She shares her thoughts and feelings in an interview with Citizens Journal Malaysia (CJMY)

How do you feel as the first runner-up?
“Four years ago, I made it to the Top 15 at Miss Malaysia Kebaya 2016. This is my second attempt at a pageant title. Personally, I’m just proud of the fact that I succeeded to win a place in the top three, not bad at all. I feel grateful to have been given a chance to represent Malaysia, our beloved country, at the international stage. I had the opportunity to not only be in the finals, but heck yeah, I won the first runner-up title! Malaysia Masih Boleh!”

Would you consider competing again?
“I entered this pageant to learn more about who I was. Without knowing your true self, your strengths and charms, it is difficult to choose a life path that brings you lasting happiness and fulfillment. Practice makes perfect so I will keep going and keep practicing to become the happiest version of me.”

How was the online pageant experience?
“It’s something very new to me. I felt super different as I never get to face an audience. Anyway, we tried to adapt to the current situation when the show must go on without a physical audience present. It’s still very glamorous, the only thing is I missed the real excitement of an audience in the room but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience.”

How did your passion for health and fitness get started?
“It happened two years ago, when I did not notice at all that I had gained some weight because I have been staying slim and eating normal my entire life without any consequences. So it came as a shock when I couldn’t fit in my attire for a fashion show and it was really humiliating. 

“A dear friend made me realised that I need to change my appearance before things got even worse and due to her inspiration that I became interested in going to the gym. I had never workout before but I soon enjoyed the gruelling work-out session knowing that it burnt a lot of calories and help me lose weight and get fit. Now I have never skipped a gym session, as I loved every minute of my workout because it not only gets me in shape but also keeps me healthy.”

Any gym routine / regimens you want to share?
“I make morning gym as a routine doing my favourite circuit and weight training at F45 Desapark or Mont Kiara as I’m the ambassador for the gym. I usually try to make it for double classes, around two hours.”

What’s your take on a healthy diet?
“If you want to get skinny, you only need to eat healthy foods. No, I don’t think that would slim you down. You can eat anything but moderately. Balance is really important. I love food and I often eat at Fahrenheit 600 in Publika as their foods and ingredients are healthy and delicious. Since I can always feel hungry after eating, I need to snack as well. I’m very picky with what I consume but Greenday snacks are my favourite because they are made from dried fruits and vegetables that are kind of uncommon here but taste delicious which I enjoy very much without feeling guilty.” 

How did you get yourself into modelling?
“I think it was just luck. I got dragged into joining my friends to attend the casting and got selected to walk on the runway. Can I do it? I don’t’ see why not. It can be a good side income. So I worked part-time as runway model while completing my bachelor’s degree. The brands I walked for before were Aldo, Melinda Looi, Lazada, Triumph and much more. My last runway show was for Romyda KL before the MCO was announced on March this year.”

What kind of content creation do you do?
“I create content for social media campaigns for brands. I’m engaged with several brands such as Oh Cha Matcha, Fahrenheit 600, Greenday Malaysia, Le Classic Hair Salon and many others, and we’ve have been working together ever since.  It’s an intense and competitive field so I have to continuously finds inspiration and get myself inspired because that’s how being creative works. It’s hard for me to explain on how-to content but usually when I faced an obstacle, it is when my creative juice runs dry and when I’m having art block.”

What or who made you decide to start your ‘kerepek’ business?
“I’ve always loved to eat snack. It started off as a little experiment with my friends. We love to munch on anything. My best friend is a great cook. So, one day we were munching on the kerepek pedas she made, it was very delicious, and we thought maybe we could start a side hustle for a try just for fun. So we gave it to our friends and family members to try out first. We were surprised our trial pack was well received. They really loved our snack. From there onwards, we had to continue to try our best to fulfil the orders since customers keep asking for it.”

Do you find prospects for your business?
“Our business is still very new.  We are always trying to improve, and we hope that we could expand more and soon to have stockists and agents nationwide if the demands are starting to get huge. Three of us, the other two being co-partners, are looking forward to that.” 

What inspires you and who are your biggest motivation?
“My family lives far away from me, so I have my own “mini-family” here who are my closest friends. They are super hardworking, inspiring and my greatest motivator and I am grateful for that. We share a relatively high body awareness and even the littlest things can affect me entirely as I’m very sensitive about anything concerning them.”

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
“I really like reading a lot and spend as much time as I can. I have a particularly deep interest in ancient history and foreign languages. I often read and absorb information related to history. Through history, we can learn from the past, and from it, we can have a better understanding and appreciation of the world we live in. I’d love to become a historian. I enjoy learning foreign languages and brushing up some of them. I also enjoy playing console games in my free time like evenings and my breaks off when I can.”

How would you describe your ambition?
“I love animals generally. When I was young, I really want to be a veterinarian or marine biologist but, I couldn’t make it into science stream class. My passion leaned towards art stream later on. Well, a dream is just a dream. I really want to be a part of any organisation on animal or sea life conservation. Maybe someday.”