Mohanaapriya or Mohana for short was the winner of Miss MalaysiaIndia 2000 and currently a newscaster on prime time. We played catch up with the leggy beauty and found out beauty pageants do serve a purpose.

Khaw Chia Hui

What phone do you own?
I need a phone that is practical and tough. And by ‘tough’, I ACTUALLY mean ‘able to withstand being accidentally dropped’. Cringe. I am currently using a Sony Ericsson K700i phone. It’s been with me for more than a year and a half now.

Do you still like it?
Love it! But due to the overuse of the SMS function, I think I have worn the keypad out quite a bit, so me thinks its time for an upgrade. : )

Which phone are you eyeing next?
I am a loyalist, so if a brand serves me well, I stick to it. The Sony Ericsson W810i and the K800i look REALLY nice. Hint hint.

You indicated that you are a pro at dropping phones. What was the damage?
My current Sony Ericsson phone has been dropped 6 times. BUT every time I think I outdid myself, the phone proves me wrong and still works smoothly! Tough as nails, that one!

How important is your mobile phone?
I am constantly on the move, both at my broadcasting work and in my  charity work. I can’t answer my phone all the time, especially when I am about to go on air or during meetings. So EE friends (extremely exasperated friends) know better now, and they leave a message on my phone or use the SMS instead. Besides that, I key in tasks for the day as I hate carrying bulky organisers around. I also use the phone for emergency picture  taking as well. I am often around kids, and from past experience, kids just love the video function!

Are you into mobile games?
Nope. To the gaming aficionados, sorry! But I really don’t have the time for that.

What other gadgets do you own?
I have an Olympus digital camera, and am currently considering getting a notebook.

Do you give out your mobile numbers to eager fans?
Ha ha. I don’t, but due to the nature of my work, my phone number is fairly accessible. I however rarely (READ: Never!) answer calls from numbers I don’t recognise.

Tell us a bit about the Miss MalaysiaIndia Care Association.
MMICA was registered in 2002 as a non-profit body by the winners of the Miss MalaysiaIndian pageant in 2001. That would be myself , 1st runner up Divya Nambiar and 2nd runner up Bavani Nesamany. We wanted to carry on the pageant’s non –profit community work started by founder/ principal Pushparani Thilaganathan. Our community work goes into areas of health, education and sports, mainly benefiting women and children.

How do you see this association contributing to the society?
We run several sustainable annual projects, namely the ‘Gift Mum with Life’ Cancer Screen Campaign with the National Cancer Society, which subsidises mammograms for women. And the National Inter- Charities Futsal Tournament for kids from shelters across the country. For 2007, we recently kick- started the Get Real – Lets Chat HIV Campaign which focuses on increasing awareness of  HIV/AIDs among women and youths nationwide.

How did winning the pageant change your life?
180 degrees! As a pageant finalist, I benefited in personal and professional development during the training. Plus the women who run it changed my perspective about things and encouraged me to challenge my limits. Winning it was a bonus, as the experience during my reign was something I could never learn anywhere else.



How do you feel being a sex symbol?
SEX SYMBOL?! Swoon . Faint.

ny experiences with stalkers?
No major ones. I get the occasional prankster on the phone, but that’s pretty much it, thank god.

What is the weirdest encounter you had with a fan?
This strange man tailed me three floors up a shopping mall and pestered me for my phone number recently. Not quite weird, I guess. But trust me; it’s more scary than romantic.

Is there anything else you are currently engaged in?
Well, I am a newscaster/ broadcast journalist. Got into journalism accidentally (I have a degree in Biomedical Science) as a radio news writer/ presenter while doing my Masters in Business Admin. After 3 years, I gave TV a shot, and haven’t looked back since. With the experiences from my passion in fashion ( I did catwalk for 7 years ) and the work I do with the pageant, I am now doing personal image consulting. What to wear, what NOT to wear, colours and grooming etc.

What do you look forward to do in the future?
Personally- I look forward to maintaining good health and good relationships with family and friends.  Socially- help create awareness of the issues that are crucial today.

Let’s talk about Internet lifestyle for a while. Are you a keen user?
Emails: definitely. I think if one is not there already, something is SERIOUSLY wrong. Wake up! Thanks to my younger brother, I have just discovered blogs, and am keenly following several interesting ones.

Do you have a website?
Not a personal one, not yet! But it’s in my to-do list for 2007, so watch out for it! MMICA has a website though: www.mmica.com

What do you think about the new media, e.g. blogs, Youtube and such?
Blogs are something else, aren’t they? Well, I think new media has its pros and cons, but it’s definitely an uphill battle not be part of it someway or another. The world is getting smaller by the day. Will be interesting to watch how it unfolds and plays a bigger role in our lives.

Lastly, how do you unwind after a long day at work?
As cliché as it sounds, in this order: A warm bath, listening to some light music and then curling up with a book and a hot mocha.