April 3, 2005
Cleo's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors contest
Who will mum pick for daughter?
Cleo magazine has picked its most eligible bachelor for 2005, and it's technical consultant Brendan Lim. But when Renee Tan asked a heartland mum to pick a guy for her 21-year-old daughter, she made a surprising choice
HER daughter is just 21 years old, but Madam Chua Eng Keow thinks 36-year-old Shawn Smith is the perfect date for her daughter, undergraduate Ng Bao Ying.
The 52-year-old housewife picked the IT consultant from the magazine's list of 50 Most Eligible Bachelors, and was unfazed by the 15-year age difference.
Madam Chua chose Mr Smith because she believes that, at 36, he would be more accommodating than a younger man.
'At present, my daughter may want a younger boyfriend who can have fun with her, but I think when she grows older she'll change her mind and prefer a more mature partner,' she added.
Ms Ng, who studies at the School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University, did indeed prefer someone closer to her own age.
She chose Mr Lionel Sing, 23, a national floorball player and part-time floorball coach. The sport is similar to hockey, but is played indoors with plastic balls and sticks.
'We're much more compatible age-wise,' she said. 'He seems to be very dedicated to sports, which probably means he's very disciplined. I like that, because then I could be certain that his fundamental values would not change.'
Ms Ng, who is a regular runner and gym-goer, wants a boyfriend as passionate about sports as she is.
Mr Sing, who is looking for an active girlfriend, seems to fit the bill - he's got self-discipline. 'I am never late for my floorball training. I'm the kind of person who would rather be early than late, even if it's just meeting my friends,' he said.
But when the 50 men were paraded in front of the judges at the Singapore Fashion Festival at Ngee Ann City on Thursday, the latter didn't share Ms Ng's opinion. The prize went to 28-year-old technical consultant Brendan Lim instead.
The contest is now in its 10th year. And according to editor Corinne Ng, this year's crop - including musicians, athletes and pilots - are the most gorgeous and talented the magazine has ever collected.
'It has been increasingly difficult to compile the list because the expectations of the average female in Singapore have gone up. They don't just want them to be good-looking and have a stable career, but also to be personable and confident, yet humble. That's a tall order,' she said.
