not gonna lie, still ridin’ that high
Xiayi Shirley
Is that REALLY me? Funny thing is, in ALL the pictures I've seen so far, I can't see my eyes. HAHA, note to self, keep eyes open when smiling in the future!
Late Saturday night, Jan. 29th, is probably one of those nights that I will remember for the rest of my life, barring amnesia or Alzheimer’s… Despite getting home past 3am Saturday night/Sunday morning, I managed to pop awake at 7:30am the next morning and for the next two hours, bounce around my apartment double checking that the Crown was not just a dream. Miss LA Chinatown!? I felt more like a 7 year-old on Christmas morning!! No, make that, a 7 year-old living in Florida waking up to a WHITE Christmas morning!!
Still in a daze, I can’t believe that ME, Xiayi Shirley Zhang, that I am QUEEN! To have the honor of holding the same title as Jani Wang, Lynn Liou, Tiffany Liu, Priscilla Tijo, Jessica Feng, Laurel Chung, and scores of amazing women in the past 46 years… oh my GOSH those are high heels to step into!
I was the first court member announced that night for Miss Friendship, and as they started announcing the other members of court, I was all excited, nervous, anxious, and giddy at the same time!The second award announced was Miss Photogenic and I was so happy for my good friend Bing Bing! We already hang out at least once a week outside of practice so knowing that we would be on court together, and spending lots and lots of time together, was fantastic!
Fourth Princess was the next award presented, and it went to Miss Alysha Chan! I was ecstatic! Alysha and I both share a passion for the environment, she is an Environmental Engineer and I WAS studying to be one before I switched majors to Applied Mathematics. Alysha did NOT have a sponsor and the fact that she was still able to nab on tiara on her performance and merit speaks volumes about the integrity of the Pageant and the Board. Previously, I had participated in another pageant which I can honestly say made me feel robbed. Not only did it have high entrance fees (hundreds and hundreds) and mandatory sponsorship fees (thousands), contestants were also scored based upon the NUMBER OF ATTENDEES as well as the DOLLAR AMOUNT OF SPONSORSHIP…. One of the reasons I decided to compete in Miss Los Angeles Chinatown was because of its history as a fair and highly respected Pageant. That moment, as the glittering tiara floated itself onto Alysha’s cloud of pinned up curls, really made me proud to be a part of this production.
Third Princess was the BEAUTIFUL Miss Ashley Fong! That girl is so sweet and looked so amazing in her gorgeous qipao. I was so happy for her! At this point, the wheels in my brain were really turning as I tried to predict who the next girls called up would be.
Second Princess, my dear friend Miss Jane Sha. This was especially poignant. Jane was one of the girls who really encouraged me to apply, and who I have seen grow SO MUCH from this experience. She has found the poise and confidence that was always within herself, and I cannot be more proud!!
First Princess, AGAIN my dearest Bing Bing!! HAPPINESS^2!!! =) (haha Bing^2 = Happiness^2) At this point, as she was getting her crown we heard an explosion and a rainbow of confetti and streamers floated down… The witty Ms. Lynn then proceeded to make a joke about premature ahem. Ooops!!!
Next, after much hem-hawing and drum-rolling and build-up… They were about to announce the Queen. I was so nervous, there was a girl (not myself) that I was really really rooting for and hoping they would call. I looked at the video footage that my friend recorded… and wow, I am so embarrassed. The other girls were so poised, staring ahead and calm, and I was looking left and right and… 东张西望 sigh. (note to self, work on being elegant, remember what Miss Tina taught you!) when they announced my name I practically MELTED!! In retrospect, I’m really glad they accidentally fired off the confetti cannon early, I think I would’ve had a heart attack! Ha!! It seemed like forever as Jani passed on her cape and scepter and then finally, presented me with my crown. As I bent my knees to allow her to secure the crown, my patellas seemingly about to crack, I secretly wondered if this was a Miss Chinatown hazing rite to see how long the new Queen could squat for… in heels… (Just Kidding!) The moment was magical and seemed to last forever as a glitter of cameras flashed before me… although I really wish I had a picture where my eyes were open. I think I was smiling so much they got lost between my cheeks and eyebrows!!!
However, the fact that I was the girl with the crown also meant that the young lady I was rooting for was… not. This made the moment bittersweet. I really really had hoped that… sigh… We had come to be close friends and I was so sure she would make court with her killer combinations of brains and beauty and wealth of life experiences. I even felt a little guilty inside, it didn’t seem very “Miss Friendship” of me to be greedy with two sashes. But when all is said and done, the court is the court and the judges have made the decision. (By the way, we had NINE judges from JDs to MDs, representing Corporations and Non-Profits, can you say… WOW?) They bestowed me with the honor of Queen and
I
WILL
NOT
DISAPPOINT!
I am totally excited for this next year, let’s make this the BEST year of the Rabbit EVER!