Former Miss Malaysia Gurdev Kaur Sarpal has turned her back on the spotlight to care for her baby.
SELDOM does an interview turn into a window shopping expedition but tell me what woman can resist the glitter of diamonds?
Such was the case with Miss Malaysia 2005 Gurdev Kaur Sarpal. Upon spotting the beautiful rocks at Habib Jewels in Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur, this fun-loving Johorean decided that some retail therapy would be a good ice-breaker for this interview.
The simple life: Gurdev digging into her favourite mee mamak. And to the amusement of sales assistants at the outlet, the writer and this 27-year-old spent a good 30 minutes trying on one luxurious ornament after another.
It was in this mode that Gurdev, now an English lecturer at a language centre in Muar, Johor, spoke about her life after winning her title.
Marriage, she revealed, came a year after a chance meeting with Bobinder Jeet Singh, 30, at a Vaisakhi do. The couple tied the knot on April 30, 2006. According to Gurdev’s mum, Pritam Kaur, 62, it was “a match made in heaven”.
Gurdev confessed that thanking the heavens is what she has been doing following the birth of her lovely daughter, four-month old Brienda.
“The moment I look at her, all my problems disappear,” said Gurdev.
One for the album: Gurdev with her mother, Pritam, and baby Brienda.
And like all first-time mums, Gurdev cannot stop talking about her first child.
“I was eating a lot of chocolate during my pregnancy. As a result, not only did I put on weight but so did the baby.
“When Brienda was born, the doctors nicknamed her Chocolate Kaur,” said Gurdev.
Having spent her confinement in Muar, this protective mum decided that it would be best to raise Brienda in a small town and that was how this beauty queen became a lecturer. Little Brienda is under granny’s care while Gurdev, who lectures on Sundays, is at work.
“My mother is the secret to my success,” said Gurdev.
Gurdev spends her free time with mum, baby and husband, who commutes from Kuala Lumpur to be with the family every weekend.
This slim beauty’s favourite dish is mee goreng which she has for dinner most nights.
In fact, when Gurdev came down to KL for this interview, she headed straight for Devi’s Corner in Bangsar for her favourite mee mamak.
But if the reader should visit Muar, Gurdev recommends the tom yam and ikan bakar at the Thai Fish Restaurant in Jalan Junid.
But ask Gurdev where her passion lies, and this Punjabi beauty is quick to say that she has always had her eye on the entertainment industry.
“I still view it as a hobby, something I can do on a part-time basis. My first priority is Brienda,” she said.
Gurdev questioned the opinion of those who presume that this was an industry for airheads.
“True, being an actress does not require the academic qualifications of a doctor or lawyer. But don’t you think intelligence is required to portray a role? You need to take time to get into character and to learn about it.
“Being in the entertainment line, like being a model, for example, is not only about intellectualism. You need to be street-smart and be able to think on your feet,” she said.
Quoting as an example a fashion show she had done with a peer, whose shoe heel broke while walking down a runway in front of hundreds of people and flashing cameras, Gurdev said her stalwart colleague kicked off her shoes, slung them on her shoulder and carried on, to a huge round of applause.
Confidence is a must to save the day, she added.
“Someone else may not have known what to do and they might just have stood there and looked stunned,” said Gurdev, flashing a bright smile to match the diamond necklace she was trying on.
She pointed out that being in this field also meant having a high level of tolerance.
“You have no idea how ridiculous a hairstylist or make-up artist can make you look at times!
“You can complain, but the end result is you’ll only look worse. But no matter how they have made you look, you still have to put your best foot forward and act as if you are feeling great and looking your best. That is one of the greatest challenges of being a model,” she added.
And true, there have been times when models, beauty queens and even actresses have been thought of as dumb. Gurdev admited that she had on occasion resorted to “acting dumb” in order to save the other person’s dignity.
“Sometimes, people go on and on and just for the fun of it, I have acted ‘dumb’ to see whether they know as much as they claim. But at times, I cannot help but come up with a really smart retort and you should see their jaws drop,” she added.
All in all, Gurdev said she prefers to keep the peace instead of getting into an argument to prove her point.
“The role of beauty queens is to act as ambassadors for the country and, in my opinion, it is better to make people feel good about themselves. It is more beneficial in the long run,” she said.
But for now, Gurdev has chosen to stay out of the limelight as she has her hands full with her students whom she confessed were a little on the “naughty” side.
“When they found out that I was a former beauty queen, they resorted to calling me ‘Miss’ although I am married. And they seem to watch what I wear all the time. Just the other day, someone complemented me on how nice my skirt looked,” she said with a laugh.
But teaching adults, she added, was a pleasant experience because it was like talking to a friend.
SELDOM does an interview turn into a window shopping expedition but tell me what woman can resist the glitter of diamonds?
Such was the case with Miss Malaysia 2005 Gurdev Kaur Sarpal. Upon spotting the beautiful rocks at Habib Jewels in Bangsar Village, Kuala Lumpur, this fun-loving Johorean decided that some retail therapy would be a good ice-breaker for this interview.
The simple life: Gurdev digging into her favourite mee mamak. It was in this mode that Gurdev, now an English lecturer at a language centre in Muar, Johor, spoke about her life after winning her title.
Marriage, she revealed, came a year after a chance meeting with Bobinder Jeet Singh, 30, at a Vaisakhi do. The couple tied the knot on April 30, 2006. According to Gurdev’s mum, Pritam Kaur, 62, it was “a match made in heaven”.
Gurdev confessed that thanking the heavens is what she has been doing following the birth of her lovely daughter, four-month old Brienda.
“The moment I look at her, all my problems disappear,” said Gurdev.
One for the album: Gurdev with her mother, Pritam, and baby Brienda. And like all first-time mums, Gurdev cannot stop talking about her first child.
“I was eating a lot of chocolate during my pregnancy. As a result, not only did I put on weight but so did the baby.
“When Brienda was born, the doctors nicknamed her Chocolate Kaur,” said Gurdev.
Having spent her confinement in Muar, this protective mum decided that it would be best to raise Brienda in a small town and that was how this beauty queen became a lecturer. Little Brienda is under granny’s care while Gurdev, who lectures on Sundays, is at work.
“My mother is the secret to my success,” said Gurdev.
Gurdev spends her free time with mum, baby and husband, who commutes from Kuala Lumpur to be with the family every weekend.
This slim beauty’s favourite dish is mee goreng which she has for dinner most nights.
In fact, when Gurdev came down to KL for this interview, she headed straight for Devi’s Corner in Bangsar for her favourite mee mamak.
But if the reader should visit Muar, Gurdev recommends the tom yam and ikan bakar at the Thai Fish Restaurant in Jalan Junid.
But ask Gurdev where her passion lies, and this Punjabi beauty is quick to say that she has always had her eye on the entertainment industry.
“I still view it as a hobby, something I can do on a part-time basis. My first priority is Brienda,” she said.
Gurdev questioned the opinion of those who presume that this was an industry for airheads.
“True, being an actress does not require the academic qualifications of a doctor or lawyer. But don’t you think intelligence is required to portray a role? You need to take time to get into character and to learn about it.
“Being in the entertainment line, like being a model, for example, is not only about intellectualism. You need to be street-smart and be able to think on your feet,” she said.
Quoting as an example a fashion show she had done with a peer, whose shoe heel broke while walking down a runway in front of hundreds of people and flashing cameras, Gurdev said her stalwart colleague kicked off her shoes, slung them on her shoulder and carried on, to a huge round of applause.
Confidence is a must to save the day, she added.
“Someone else may not have known what to do and they might just have stood there and looked stunned,” said Gurdev, flashing a bright smile to match the diamond necklace she was trying on.
She pointed out that being in this field also meant having a high level of tolerance.
“You have no idea how ridiculous a hairstylist or make-up artist can make you look at times!
“You can complain, but the end result is you’ll only look worse. But no matter how they have made you look, you still have to put your best foot forward and act as if you are feeling great and looking your best. That is one of the greatest challenges of being a model,” she added.
And true, there have been times when models, beauty queens and even actresses have been thought of as dumb. Gurdev admited that she had on occasion resorted to “acting dumb” in order to save the other person’s dignity.
“Sometimes, people go on and on and just for the fun of it, I have acted ‘dumb’ to see whether they know as much as they claim. But at times, I cannot help but come up with a really smart retort and you should see their jaws drop,” she added.
All in all, Gurdev said she prefers to keep the peace instead of getting into an argument to prove her point.
“The role of beauty queens is to act as ambassadors for the country and, in my opinion, it is better to make people feel good about themselves. It is more beneficial in the long run,” she said.
But for now, Gurdev has chosen to stay out of the limelight as she has her hands full with her students whom she confessed were a little on the “naughty” side.
“When they found out that I was a former beauty queen, they resorted to calling me ‘Miss’ although I am married. And they seem to watch what I wear all the time. Just the other day, someone complemented me on how nice my skirt looked,” she said with a laugh.
But teaching adults, she added, was a pleasant experience because it was like talking to a friend.
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