From hustling as a ASNTM S1 finalist, tennis coach, emcee to radio announcer on HitzFM, Melissa Th’ng has it all! Today, we got the chance to talk to the ever bubbly Melissa about her passion for everything in life.
Hi Melissa! Tell our readers more about yourself!
I’m cheerful, hungry most of the time, I’m passionate about my work, and I really, really care about the people around me.
How was your journey as a finalist in AsNTM S1?
So if you didn’t watch the series, I was the underdog the entire time, I was smaller than all the models, and they kept calling me “plus-sized”, since I couldn’t fit into the clothes. But I fought hard for Malaysia, and lucky me, got to stay through top 7.
The journey was tough, because models get judged from their appearances. So even if I have a good heart and a witty brain, they don’t really care, because I’m not 6 feet tall! But as a whole, I’m honestly happy I kept my positive attitude even though so many things were going against me. I feel like it showed me how I would deal with difficult times in life. AsNTM was crazy and intense, but one of the best opportunities I’ve been blessed with.
Tell us more about your hosting and modeling duties!
I was an emcee first, before joining AsNTM. I’ve always been in choral speaking, public speaking, debate, Model United Nations Conferences, and from there, I hosted events in university. Surprise! :p
To all aspiring models and hosts out there, share with us some tips!
Modeling – Know your body type and what looks good on YOUR body. No point copying blindly, everyone has their own strengths.
Hosting – Always do your homework. A lot of (unseen) work goes behind preparing to host an event. It’s not glamourous, but you need to do it if you want to be a fantastic host.
How do you juggle work by multitasking as a freelance host/model/emcee?
What is sleep? Aahaha! I stick with my planner in my phone, and balance my work. And tbh, I also have to give up a lot of social time. But that’s just me, I’m a little crazy, I give up what I have to, in order to chase my dreams 😀
Any advice for young people out there?
Social media gives the illusion that things come in glam, posh packages most of the time. But let me assure you, it’s not. I’ve seen these influencers/celebrities in person,and I can promise you, they work really, REALLY hard to make things happen. So my advice is that good things don’t just fall onto your lap. You’ll need to put in the hard work.
Do you have any life mottos?
A couple, but on the top of my head, “Do it, and do it well”, and I’ve been trying to live by “Love God, love others”, because a lot of times, I find myself so focused on my work, I need to remind myself to pause, and take time to take care of other people too.
Tell us how is a day in your life like?
Yesterday I woke up, I headed to my radio work at HitzFM, and after that, I went to Puma for an emcee briefing, and I took my best friend out for her birthday dinner. And came home, and did my prep for my radio show the next day.
You have the bubbliest personality! How do you stay positive and cheerful all the time?
Aww thank you so much! I wear rose tinted glasses. I really do. I selectively choose to see the wonderful things that happen everyday, the good deeds that people around me do. I don’t know if it’s entirely a good thing, because I deliberately block out negative things. I don’t dabble into gossip, I actually will physically move myself away because I don’t wanna know. And I think you attract what you put out. So when you’re positive and genuine, then positive and genuine people tend to flock to you. And we add to each other’s happiness, so it’s really a cool cycle!
Who inspires you?
This might be so biased but my friends are pretty inspiring. Like for reals, (And I know she probably will hit me for saying this – I don’t care, I’m going to say it because it’s true), Adele is honestly someone who really inspires me to have a standard of excellence. Her level of work is extremely professional, and she does this to shine for a greater purpose. She stands to make a change in the crazy industry that we’re in, and she wants to lead by example, which is amazing. So watching her do her thing, inspires me more than she knows.
Where do you see yourself in 2 years?
I don’t even know what I’m doing for tomorrow man! But mm, I’m pretty much doing everything I want to do. So hopefully still hosting full time, events and radio. And hopefully be earning enough so I can belanja at least 3 friends buffet dinner, every single week. That would be nice!
What is the ideal weekend for you?
Waking up next to Arthur Nory (HAHAHA), either by the beach, or sleeping in. And watching comedies, while sipping hot tea. Getting a massage maybe. And I wouldn’t complain if I had a salmon buffet for dinner.
Tell us what makes you smile the most? 🙂
Food. And family. Omg I said food first. Okay lah, change that to family first, then food HAHAHAHHAHAHA!
