Miss Singapore World finds Mr Right
by Benson Ang
SHE has finally found her man, though he is a bit coy.
Miss Faraliza Tan, 22, had problems finding Mr Right despite her proven beauty - she is the reigning Miss Singapore World - and personality.
Her plight was featured in The New Paper about two months ago.
Now, she is happy that she's finally found Mr Right.
He's an Englishman named James Dickinson, 29, who has only been in Singapore since August.
Over coffee with The New Paper, the couple revealed, between guffaws and giggles, that things only got serious on her 22nd birthday on 23 Sep.
They met online, in a random Yahoo! chat room and soon began chatting, sometimes for up to four hours.
Both, they said, have a shared interest in 'lazing around'. A week after talking online, they decided to meet for a movie.
Said Miss Tan: 'I was a little scared about meeting him. But he turned out to be everything he said he was, and we hit it off.'
Humorous
What clicked? Miss Tan replied: 'I think he's humorous, and crazy.'
And yes, the 1.85m tall business development manager, with brown eyes and short brown hair, meets the criteria which she had previously set in The New Paper interview.
She said then that her standards aren't particularly unusual or high - he has to be taller than her (1.75m), doesn't have to be on the Dean's List, must be able to 'carry a conversation' with her, and must be able to make her smile.
The report also quoted several of her peers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) as saying that they found her intimidating, because she is both beautiful and smart, having been on the Dean's List for three consecutive years.
But not Mr Dickinson, it seems.
She's very approachable, he said, and added that he felt 'privileged' to date Singapore's reigning beauty queen.
He said: 'I'd find it a shame if I didn't talk to her.'
Also, he can do something she can't: Cook.
'So what if women can't cook?' she chimed in with a smile.
Before moving to Singapore, Mr Dickinson, who has an honours degree from the University of Wolverhampton, majoring in business and economics, ran a business in Paris for nine years.
He said that his sister, who lives in Singapore, gave birth to a son in May and he came over to be part of his nephew's life 'for the first year or so'.
Also, he added, he wanted a change of scene.
He lives in Chinatown, with his sister and her son.
Said Miss Tan, who lives in a five-room flat in Tampines: 'It's half-way between my home and my school (in Boon Lay) so I'm usually at their place.'
Is Mr Dickinson your typical articulate and bold Caucasian?
Hardly. He was very reluctant to talk about himself and even more insistent that we do not photograph him.
At first, he said he 'didn't want any attention taken away from her (Miss Tan)'.
Then, he said he was 'a private person'.
Later, he added: 'I don't want my professional life to be about people coming up to me and saying: 'Oh, so you're dating Miss Singapore'.
'I just don't want to answer personal questions in my place of work.'
Here's what we managed to squeeze out:
Who's the boss in this relationship?
FT: There's no boss.
JD: That's what I let her think.
FT: That's what I choose to believe.
Do your parents know?
JD: I met her entire family during Hari Raya Aidilfitri last month.
FT: They were very welcoming. They took a lot of photos.
My family members have married from different cultures, so we're very multi-cultural.
During the Miss World competition, what will James be doing?
JD: At first, she wanted me to go visit her. Then, I asked: 'Do you want me to be in the same room with 300 other Miss Worlds?' After that, she said she didn't want me to go.
FT: I did not say that! That didn't happen. You just put words into my mouth!
Miss Tan left for Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, to join the Miss World 2008 contest.
The final will be on 13 Dec.
As part of her preparations, Miss Tan said the organisers also told her to stay out of the sun to avoid getting tanned, and not to eat fried food.
Mr Dickinson joked: 'It just means she's a cheap date.'
On the competition, Miss Tan said: 'I'm going there with no expectations, really. I just want to enjoy myself.'
She added: 'And since Miss China won last year, I doubt they will crown another Asian queen.'
The full-time NTU student said she was allowed to sit for her end-of-semester exams a week earlier, using a different exam paper.
Miss Tan returns on 15 Dec, in time to start on her final-year project.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 19, 200
by Benson Ang
SHE has finally found her man, though he is a bit coy.
Miss Faraliza Tan, 22, had problems finding Mr Right despite her proven beauty - she is the reigning Miss Singapore World - and personality.
Her plight was featured in The New Paper about two months ago.
Now, she is happy that she's finally found Mr Right.
He's an Englishman named James Dickinson, 29, who has only been in Singapore since August.
Over coffee with The New Paper, the couple revealed, between guffaws and giggles, that things only got serious on her 22nd birthday on 23 Sep.
They met online, in a random Yahoo! chat room and soon began chatting, sometimes for up to four hours.
Both, they said, have a shared interest in 'lazing around'. A week after talking online, they decided to meet for a movie.
Said Miss Tan: 'I was a little scared about meeting him. But he turned out to be everything he said he was, and we hit it off.'
Humorous
What clicked? Miss Tan replied: 'I think he's humorous, and crazy.'
And yes, the 1.85m tall business development manager, with brown eyes and short brown hair, meets the criteria which she had previously set in The New Paper interview.
She said then that her standards aren't particularly unusual or high - he has to be taller than her (1.75m), doesn't have to be on the Dean's List, must be able to 'carry a conversation' with her, and must be able to make her smile.
The report also quoted several of her peers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) as saying that they found her intimidating, because she is both beautiful and smart, having been on the Dean's List for three consecutive years.
But not Mr Dickinson, it seems.
She's very approachable, he said, and added that he felt 'privileged' to date Singapore's reigning beauty queen.
He said: 'I'd find it a shame if I didn't talk to her.'
Also, he can do something she can't: Cook.
'So what if women can't cook?' she chimed in with a smile.
Before moving to Singapore, Mr Dickinson, who has an honours degree from the University of Wolverhampton, majoring in business and economics, ran a business in Paris for nine years.
He said that his sister, who lives in Singapore, gave birth to a son in May and he came over to be part of his nephew's life 'for the first year or so'.
Also, he added, he wanted a change of scene.
He lives in Chinatown, with his sister and her son.
Said Miss Tan, who lives in a five-room flat in Tampines: 'It's half-way between my home and my school (in Boon Lay) so I'm usually at their place.'
Is Mr Dickinson your typical articulate and bold Caucasian?
Hardly. He was very reluctant to talk about himself and even more insistent that we do not photograph him.
At first, he said he 'didn't want any attention taken away from her (Miss Tan)'.
Then, he said he was 'a private person'.
Later, he added: 'I don't want my professional life to be about people coming up to me and saying: 'Oh, so you're dating Miss Singapore'.
'I just don't want to answer personal questions in my place of work.'
Here's what we managed to squeeze out:
Who's the boss in this relationship?
FT: There's no boss.
JD: That's what I let her think.
FT: That's what I choose to believe.
Do your parents know?
JD: I met her entire family during Hari Raya Aidilfitri last month.
FT: They were very welcoming. They took a lot of photos.
My family members have married from different cultures, so we're very multi-cultural.
During the Miss World competition, what will James be doing?
JD: At first, she wanted me to go visit her. Then, I asked: 'Do you want me to be in the same room with 300 other Miss Worlds?' After that, she said she didn't want me to go.
FT: I did not say that! That didn't happen. You just put words into my mouth!
Miss Tan left for Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, to join the Miss World 2008 contest.
The final will be on 13 Dec.
As part of her preparations, Miss Tan said the organisers also told her to stay out of the sun to avoid getting tanned, and not to eat fried food.
Mr Dickinson joked: 'It just means she's a cheap date.'
On the competition, Miss Tan said: 'I'm going there with no expectations, really. I just want to enjoy myself.'
She added: 'And since Miss China won last year, I doubt they will crown another Asian queen.'
The full-time NTU student said she was allowed to sit for her end-of-semester exams a week earlier, using a different exam paper.
Miss Tan returns on 15 Dec, in time to start on her final-year project.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 19, 200
