PETALING JAYA, Aug 30 — Waking up to a new week after being crowned Miss Malaysia World 2016, Tatiana Kumar knows her life will never be the same again.
The 18-year-old’s phone had been constantly buzzing since she won the pageant in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
“From Saturday night until this morning, my phone has been constantly buzzing with social media notifications and congratulatory text messages,” she said.
If there is one thing Tatiana, who is of Indian and French parentage, would want to do, it is to get a good night’s sleep, after the hustle and bustle of the pageant.
“I only had five hours of sleep the past two nights, as there were events and interviews I had to attend,” she said.
Tatiana said she now needed to be well-dressed every time she left her house, to uphold her image.
“From head to toe and even with some light make-up, I can’t be seen wearing shorts and slippers,” she said in jest.
Tatiana has not seen her family since Saturday night and would do so in the coming week.
“My dad is planning to organise a small celebration this week with the rest of the contestants and that would be the day I would see them. I really do miss my mum and my sister,” she said.
For today and tomorrow, Tatiana’s schedule will be packed with interviews and events.
“I did an interview with Fly FM this morning, now I am heading to get some copies of the newspapers to have a look at the stories,” she said
“Tomorrow, I am going to Wacoal (a manufacturer of women’s lingerie and underwear) to sign a contract as their spokesperson and then, hopefully, I will be able to get some rest.”
The part-time model had mixed feelings before winning the crown as she never expected the judges to see her potential.
“We have become close friends, especially during the pageant week,” she said.
Runner up Dr Ranmeet Jassal, 24, is happy for the new Miss Malaysia World.
“We had a small celebration after the pageant as we were all hungry,” she said.
Dr Ranmeet said the result of the pageant would not stop her doing what she had planned.
“I will still go on to get my advance level scuba diving licence and also be a marine ambassador,” she said.
Unlike Tatiana, Dr Ranmeet managed to catch up with her family and had some rest.
“I followed my parents to some relatives’ house (on Sunday) and we had a small celebration there as well,” she said.
“However, I have yet to find the time to scroll through social media and see what’s trending.”
