She pretty meh ?

It's an annual affair. Families gather around the TV, from the 12 year old pubescent kid to the 80 year old grandfather. It's an event where everybody wants to play judge and critique. Yes, it's the Miss Singapore Universe finals on TV. I guess it's human to judge people by their looks; it's like an innate ability, an instinct to assess skin deep beauty and categorize people into the beautiful and the ugly.

Well I'm sure there were the all-too familiar comments heard around the country tonight, such as these,

"Wah, like that also can enter Miss Universe pageant ah?

and the variation

"Singapore don't have pretty girls meh ??" (yes, I'm sure you have heard those a million times before)

and the curious

"Eh, where's the 18th contestant ah? Only 17 tonight leh... her plane delayed ah?" (she happens to be a stewardess)

and from the 'experts' during the swinsuit round

"She will surely get less than 8 for that."

and from the wives testing their husbands

"Darling, if I got a slim body like her, you think how much I will get in the swimsuit round?"

and from the punters

"I told you she will win from the start,right? I always got an eye for the right horse one, I mean beauty. Should have bet with you all..."

Well, in the end, Jesicca Tan took the crown. Wasn't much of a surprise considering that she was among the prettiest in the lot. There that's me judging. Let's just hope this year they'll stitch together a better looking national costume for her at the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Singapore at the Miss Universe Pageant 2006