Living the Fabulous Life

BETWEEN riding a horse and driving a car, there are no guesses as to which Datuk Anna Lim, 40, prefers.

"Most people can drive a car but not all can ride a horse! Though I will not deny that a car is an essential mode of transport, I must admit that driving a car is monotonous compared with riding a horse," says the two-time beauty queen who was crowned Miss Malaysia in 1990 and then Mrs Malaysia in 2004.

"With a car, as long as you have the basic driving skills, you are set to handle almost any car. A horse however, is different as you can never predict how it will behave every time you sit on its back. For the rider, this means being in a constant state of alertness and to me, that makes it challenging and satisfying."

As a dressage rider who has committed herself to the sport for the past four years, Anna speaks the fondest of Sorento, a 14-year-old chestnut thoroughbred Gelding owned by the Selangor Equestrian Club.

She also rides on Jimmy, a 16-year-old Warm Blood from New Zealand that had made an appearance at the SEA Games in 2001.

Riding, says Lim, is her way of beating stress and having gone as far as England and New Zealand to hack, it is a sport that runs deep in her blood as her cousin brother, Benny Woodworth, is a champion jockey while another one of her cousins, Joe Lau, is a horse trainer in Macau.

"Iím planning to buy a horse with a view of training it for the race tracks very soon but I'm still at the stage of talking to some breeders,"says Anna.

Despite her preference for horse riding, it has not stopped Anna and husband Datuk Jeffrey Lim, who is also the president of the Rolls Royce Enthusiasts' Club, from being proud owners of a fleet of luxury cars.

To begin with, the Lims have no less than seven Rolls Royces parked in various private garages which include classic beauties such as the Corniche, Wraith and the Cloud.

The couple's present favourite is a red Silver Spur, a 6.75l V8, which has a beautiful beige interior with a luxurious wood paneling finish. However, it is a golden Wraith which holds the fondest memories for Anna as it had been the Lims' wedding car when they wed in 1995.

"It was wonderful feeling to be sitting in a Rolls Royce at that time because it meant that Jeffrey wanted the best for me," recalls Anna.

Little has changed for this couple who now have three children. At the time of this interview, it was Jeffrey who came to Anna's rescue after she found that a nail had punctured a rear tyre of her Mercedes Sport CLK. Gamely switching his BMW 5 series with her, Jeffrey gamely proceeded to pump up the back tyre with a foot pump before proceeding to the nearest repair facility while Anna continued with the question and answer session.

Just like horses, Anna reveals that luxury cars have always been a predominant feature in her life. Both her grandfathers had a collection of Cadillacs and Mercedes in the 1950s.

Anna herself would own a BMW when she turned 21 while still working as a stewardess with MAS in 1986. After sustaining a fractured ankle during an emergency exercise, Anna then took on a safer but more challenging role as Miss Malaysia in 1990, after which she became a stockbroker, which put her smack in the middle of the 1993 bull run and made her a proud owner of a 2-door Mercedes Sports.

Later, she would go on to a 190E and subsequently, a chauffeur driven S-class.

ìI have always been an advocate of the fabulous life in terms of living well, eating well and looking well. I cannot stand the idea of poverty as it depresses me,î admits Anna, who does not smoke.

This is a philosophy that Anna, who practises yoga and swims no less than 55 laps a week, imbues into her work.

Her latest projects includes the launching of her book called Magical Moments which will take place this 10th of July at The Club Saujana with Casa Vino and Trinidad Tobacco as her sponsors.

An elegant coffee table hard copy which highlights the luxury resorts in Malaysia, it had taken Anna two years of hard travelling and research.

Before this, she has also authored two other books, Beauty and Beyond which details her experiences as a beauty queen and Children-The Future of Tomorrow, a book on parenting.

In line with her role as a former beauty queen, she is also the founder of Beauty and Fashion Studio with Amber Chia and come this August 7th and 8th, the pair will be presenting a grooming workshop in PJ Hilton. This star-studded event will be graced by the presence of Datin Josephine Fonseka, who was Miss Malaysia Universe 1970, and Miss Malaysia International 1979 Nancie Foo.

. For more information, call 012-331`6257 or visit www.beautyfashionstudio.info

Story and pictures by Grace Chen