Angel Chan On-kei, 31, was a contestant in the 1996 Miss Hong Kong Pageant and was a contract actor for TVB for five years. She is now a full-time housewife and mother.
I joined the Miss Hong Kong Pageant because I was competing with a friend back in the US who was prettier. I wanted to join and win an award. But my friend backed out. My goal was to be the prettiest girl and hers was to marry a rich guy.
It was fun because I got to learn a lot of things, like people skills. I became a better person through that.
Before, I wouldn't normally talk to strangers, but I became more sociable and less shy. The change was automatic. It also helped build my confidence because people would say I was a pretty girl when I went to parties.
They also taught me to smile at people. In the past when strangers smiled at me, I wouldn't smile back. On the surface, I had to be nicer.
Every time there was a press conference, I would become totally exhausted after an hour because I had to smile the whole time.
