Okay, guilty as charged. We admit that we were expecting high-pitched giggles, not very intelligent answers and lots of eyelid battling. After all, how much brain does it take to be a pageant regular? Probably just enough to ask for a Clinique concealer brush from the make-up counter and say "World peace," with a winning smile at the Q & A. Or so we thought. NTU Communication Studies undergraduate Destiny Ong, 22, sets us straight on the perils of being in the limelight and how she works her way out of the 'bimbo' label.

BY: YEO XIN YI

Funkygrad: You look great! Quite different from the last time we saw you during Miss Singapore Universe 2005, have you lost weight?
Destiny: No, in fact I've gained weight! (laughs) But thank you.

Okay, first up, something easy. We're curious about the name Destiny.
(Laughs) I know, I get asked about that a lot. There isn't exactly a story behind it. My parents simply wanted something that is very unique for their firstborn. It's so unique that sometimes I find it difficult to break it to people that my name's Destiny. They think that it's Daphne or Stephanie, nobody really expects it to be Destiny.

We think that it's a lovely name though. You're a pro at this pageant thing, having won your school pageants (she was crowned Hall Queen and Miss NTU) and then gone to Miss Singapore Universe. Is it an interest?

Well, I started to realise that I enjoy being in the competitions during my Temasek Polytechnic days. I was nominated for Prom Queen that year and usually they'd select five candidates. I happened to be the sixth, it was really quite a bit of luck.

And you won.
(Hesitates) Um, yeah. (Nervous laughter)

You don't have to be humble with us.
I think I was really lucky in the sense that during the Q & A, the other contestants got questions like "Which celebrity would you want for a husband?" and stuff like that, but my question was, and I remember this vividly, "What do you term as 'prosperous'?" It's the sort question that you can actually give a good answer to and I simply said, "To be happy, to be loved and to be able to do what I want to do in life." I suppose the audience liked the straightforwardness and simplicity in my answer.

So the interest started to grow from there?
Actually my first ever experience was the Roxy Girl competition when I was 18. I was dragged there by my friend who wanted to join and I got selected instead. Oh no, I know it's the same old story but it's true. We weren't even interested in the competition itself, we were eyeing the free makeovers and goodie bags! The funny thing is, during the semis every girl was wearing a bikini and I refused to wear one, so I wore a tank top and Roxy shorts. No ice cream for anybody's eyes!

Nice attitude.
(Laughs) I suppose my height gave me an advantage over some of the girls and eventually I came up as second runner-up in the finals. That was my first pageant experience. After that competition there were offers from modeling agencies but I was too skeptical about the industry back then. But now [that I'm in the industry], I rather I'd started younger.

With this poise and confidence, we reckon you have the makings of a media personality. Other than the fact that you are a Communications student, the pageant experiences definitely played a part, no?
I guess so. It helps you to make more effort in looking after your appearances and because of the grooming classes, it makes you present yourself better.

If you would allow us to be bitter, we're sure limelight's not a bed of roses. What are some of the changes that you could do without?
People seem to think that there's this barrier, even my close friends, that because I'm "somewhere there already", it's difficult for them to open their hearts to me. They don't knock on my dorm door just to have a chat anymore. Having to juggle part-time modeling and school also leaves me less time. On the other hand, I've made many great friends in the media industry. They are people who have gone through what I have and we click really well. It's a give and take thing.

Models and beauty queens are often victims of unfair stereotyping. Defend yourself.
The common perception is that we are bimbotic, materialistic and two-faced. When people outside the industry make assumptions like that, they allow themselves to be convinced that they can't relate to us. Like, in school, many people don't make the effort to get close to me because they're afraid of people saying that they 'try too hard' to be friends with the popular people. My friends tell me they can't treat me normally anymore. They think that I'm too busy to listen to their problems but that's really not true.

We hope hall life makes things better, it does give you more time to spend with your friends, Miss President … of Hall 11. We'll be kind and give you half a minute to promote the NTU hall.
(Laughs) Hall life is very vibrant. Every hall has its unique identity but we also come together as the Presidents' committee to organize events and stuff. Currently, NTU is all about promoting hall residential life and we do have a great environment. There are 16 halls in total, including a new one that they just built. We don't have an extremely strict criterion for applicants and usually as long as you apply for it you'd get in. More than half of the NTU population stays in hall. We organise many ad-hoc events like the Freshmen Orientation, cheerleading, the hall pageant, theatre productions. There's a great variety of events for you to find your interest.

You seem to be involved in many things with work and school. Plus your long list of interests that go from belly dancing to hockey to song writing to yoga. How do you find time for all ?
Sacrifice a lot of sleep! (laughs) It was quite bad when I was in the Miss Singapore Universe pageant, having to go to and fro between school and Mediacorp. I had practically no time for family and friends.

Affected your studies much?
Fortunately I have really nice professors who understood why I had to miss some classes. Well, some professors understood. I'll be really honest. Some of the professors think that if I think I'm a superwoman [to take up so many things] and my grades suffer, it's my problem. But I try my best to juggle and take it positively. I'm quite ambitious when it comes to grades, so I make sure I don't do too bad.

You've said before that you aspire to be a magazine editor. Joanne Peh (Mediacorp artiste and fellow NTU Communication Studies undergraduate) once commented that she thinks the local publishing industry is kind of small to make a career out of it. Your take on this?
Sorry, I beg to differ. (laughs) It depends on how you look at it, really. I guess if you have the passion and you keep striving, you can succeed. That's my philosophy. The industry is small, but instead of giving the 'forget it' attitude, I'd rather face the problem and do something about it.

More photos at the Funkygrad Gallery.