THIS year, the annual fashion and model contest organised by Myanmar People Magazine was held on October 11 at The Strand Hotel.

Time out spoke with the winner of the Miss People award May Thu Aung, a young girl with beautiful wide eyes who always wears a smile. Time out is not surprised that this seventeen-year-old won Miss People 2008 over 38 competitors.

Time out: Congratulations, May Thu Aung! You’ve made quite a name for yourself.
May Thu Aung: I’m very happy about that. It’s unbelievable.

How did you join the contest?
It’s one of the big contests in the country so I wanted to compete when I saw the announcement. When my designer Sai Latt said he would join with me to make the costumes, I was sure about everything and ready for the contest.

Your dresses really match you. You have a great designer.
Yes, I wore a casual and an evening gown. As he [Sai Latt] noticed that I don’t really suit intricate designs, he made very plain and simple dresses for me. He knows me well.

Was the contest your first experience on the catwalk?
No, it wasn’t. I’ve been on the catwalk before when I won second prize in this year’s Miss Now How contest. But I was excited because it wasn’t just walking down a catwalk like the other shows I’ve been in before, everyone had a hope of winning.

What were your expectations of the contest?
I didn’t expect to win because everyone was so beautiful and their designs were outlandish as well. But I didn’t feel down about that because even if I wouldn’t be Miss People I was contributing to the event by being one of the models. I tried to think of it like a show rather than a contest.

When you actually became a winner…
I was so happy because I didn’t expect to win. It might be because I’m very religious. I prayed a lot before the contest.

You won K600,000 for the prize, how will you spend it?
The prize is for both the designer and the model so I got half of it. I paid some to my parents and I treated my friends. I now have nothing left.

Most of the young women do modelling as a stepping stone to getting into the film world, do you have the same idea?
Yes, I’ve dreamt of being a successful actress since childhood. But it is very difficult for a fresh face to get a place in acting so I think modelling is the first step and I’m taking it.

So will acting be your future career?
I will do both modelling and acting. I love the job because it always makes me look beauti-ful and smart, like the airhost-esses I once dreamt about as a teenager.

Miss People, we heard you often oversleep, is this true?
How do you know that? Yeah, it’s been since my high school years. Every weekend, I had tuition and there was a rule that those who were late had to pay a fine. I always paid fines because I wanted to sleep longer at home.

Did you also wake up late on the day Miss People was held?
Why not? I did like usual. My designer was really surprised about that because I only got up when he called me up.

How different do you find yourself before and after becoming Miss People?
Nothing’s changed for me inside. But I hope I’ll get more opportunities in the future like the other Miss People’s to show my talents. I’ll prove what I can do.