Being named Miss Malaysia only happens to a select few (well, one person once a year to be exact!), who for the remainder of time have the privledge of saying ‘Hey, I was once Miss Malaysia!’. Once your crown is passed on to the next girl, life takes a different turn. For some, they make it big and become full-fledged celebrities, others enjoy their 15 minutes of fame and fade away. Miss Malaysia World 2003, Wong Sze Zen, decided to opt for the life less ordinary – and despite starring in her first film (”Seed of Darkness” that also starred Amber Chia), said goodbye to the entertainment scene and took up a job offer with World Vision Singapore.

Nowadays she travels to the likes of India, Cambodia and Africa; changing lives if far more instrumental ways then she once did on covers of magazines. They say god rewards the diligent, so perhaps thats why this princess met her prince charming. Here’s an inspiring lil chat I had with Zen about her recent engagement with her partner, Lawrence Adam.

Zen: At Siem Reap. This was our first photo together!

How did you guys meet?

We met totally by chance. He was in town from Singapore and tagged along with a friend to singer Camelia’s birthday party. I had already left the party but my car would not start for no apparent reason. So, while waiting for a dear friend to come save the day, I decided to pop back into the party. I saw you (Steph) and you were talking to Lawrence. I was thinking in my head, “Ooh, hello there!”. And as fate would have it, you introduced us. We had a fantastic first conversation. And then guess what? When I went back to my car, it started up just fine.

Lawrence and I believe that it was divine intervention, for sure! Sade’s “kiss of life” tells our story quite perfectly.

Single girls in K.L often lament, “There are no guys in this town!”. When you met Lawrence, you were single – was he a pleasant surprise?

Yes, I heard myself saying that over used phrase, quite often in fact, esp when I’m with my girl friends (and you Steph had to endure it!). However, a few things happened in my life during that singlehood period – having time to reflect honestly to myself, I also realised it wasn’t so much that ‘there were no guys here, there or anywhere’, it was more so that I didn’t really know myself enough yet to be ready to find the so-called right guy.

So, it was a good time for me to “fix” myself for future things to flow.

And how long have you been dating now?

Since mid 2007.

Zen: Lawrence and I in paradise Maldives

Was it ‘love at first sight’? Be honest!

Not LOVE, but definitely like-a-lot at first sight. He told me later that he noticed me before we met but didn’t know how to be properly introduced. And till now, I still believe I had seen him a few months earlier at another party… but that he had disappeared before I could make my move. Hahahahaha!

Initially, it was a long distance affair – was this difficult?

Not exactly pros or cons, the way we approached whatever that came with having a long distance relationship was the building blocks of our relationship. We made the effort to see each other often on weekends but it was very sad as before we knew it, we had to part again. Sometimes, I did wonder if we were presenting only the best of each other because of the limited time together. However after a year, professional and personal circumstances brought me to Singapore and we’re both gladly assured that we are who we are and our love continues to grow.

I ‘hear’ that Lawrence is a romantic? What has he done for you lately?

If I may gloat, too many to name- yes, i know I’m blessed! Hahaha… I suppose it’s also because we are very compatible and drawn towards the same romantic things. Even with his crazy work schedule, he still puts time aside to travel together… so it’s really the little things that count. Quite often, he surprises me with little gifts that shows he notices the things I like from our random conversations. It can be a box of hand-picked chocolate, to the upteeth Entourage season box set (Yay for Ari Gold!!), to a simple note with excerpts of Neruda poetry. He appreciates the photo journals that I put together with captions that only we understand.

How did you know you’d met the ‘one’?

When the love between us grows too naturally.

And how did Lawrence propose?

We often play Scrabble and on that special holiday, he made the words “marry me”.

What do you think is the secret to a happy relationship?

Always look to God to guide us. Also, have an open, appreciative and loving heart and communicate honestly.