[PART 3] Mr World Singapore 2022: Q&A with Aidid Haidil, Clemens Harry and Alfie Aiden Tjen
Following part 1 and part 2 of our media interviews, Part 3 features three more contestants who are contesting in Mr World Singapore 2022. We speak to Aidid Haidil. Clemens Harry and Alfie Aiden Tjen.
Aidid Haidil Age: 26 Height: 171 cm Weight: 72 kg Occupation: Fitness Trainer
Instagram: instagram.com/aiaiaidid
Aidid’s main purpose for participating in Mr World Singapore 2022 is to show the audience that everyone can be the best version of themselves, despite facing adversities in life.
In his youth, Aidid had always played football. Football was everything to him. However, reality bit when he received his GCE O Levels results. Looking at his poor results, he felt like a failure to his family and most importantly, to himself.
He knew that he needed to make a change and enrolled in the Higher Nitec for the Sports Management Program. Although he excelled both in football and his studies there, the two aspects of his life drained him both physically and mentally. Furthermore, it affected his relationships with his loved ones. It was inevitable that he had to sacrifice one - football or academics. Not wanting to let himself or his family down again, he chose to focus on his studies.
At this point, it felt like he had finally gotten himself on the path to a better life. However, a major road accident days before enlistment into National Service stopped him in his tracks. He woke up the day after, and noticed that he had several bone fractures, and underwent an operation that involved inserting 20 metal implants into his body. It left him physically challenged and still affects his life today. More than the physical pain, it was the emotional pain that left him feeling destroyed.
He could have given up, but it was then that he realised that the trials he experienced contained lessons that strengthened him. Instead of giving up, he was determined to let his story inspire others, and most importantly, inspire himself. He told himself, “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg”. For him to succeed, he should not let the accident stop him from being successful. Even with metal implants in his body, he was determined to succeed.
By seizing the opportunity to participate in Mr World Singapore 2022, he hopes that he can use it as a platform to reach out to everyone who faces life challenges to inspire them to get back up on their feet and succeed together with him.
Share with us one interesting fun fact about yourself
Fun fact: I almost lost my life due to a head-on collision with a lorry and because of that, I have 20 metal implants in my body!
Complete this sentence.. 2022 is a year…
for me to stand up back on both feet, grasp all the opportunities and prove to myself that I can do it!
What do you hope to achieve by joining Mr World Singapore 2022
I hope to inspire those who had similar adversities in their life as me and get them back up on both feet to achieve what they have been wanting to achieve. I want to be the reason why they crawl out of their hiding places and achieve success as well.
Share with us a secret weapon which might help you in this competition.
My secret weapon is to be sincere in everything that I do throughout this competition and never to forget the intention I had which is to change the lives of those who gave up on their dreams.
Complete this sentence, mental health is…
REAL. Mental health is the core of everything. Never, ever, neglect it. Whenever you feel like giving up with your life (for eg. Myself after the accident), keep this in your head. “When your dream is lost, god has more light for you in” - Adriano Moraes/ Brazilian mixed martial artist of ONE Championship.
If there’s one thing that you could change, what would that be ?
The views people who have flaws. Quite a number of people came up to me to ask me how I’m still confident in myself when most of the time, people are looking for perfection. My only answer is, “Your imperfections are the factors that make you perfect. Turn those ‘flaws’ into an advantage. You’re different in your own ways. Everyone lived their life perfectly and nobody’s perfect. Keep your head up high and grasp every opportunity! Even if you think you’re not fit to be one. You’ll never know the outcome if you never try.”
Share with us one influencer whom you look up to and why?
Cristiano Ronaldo. He has always been my idol. He has a chronic knee condition, which is Tendinosis which gets worse over time. Despite him having this injury, he still managed to break records and maintain his body in top shape and perform at the highest level.
In relation to me, I have a permanent physical disability which is my right wrist and it also gets worse over time but I still push and fight my way through the sweat, pain, and tears to reach to the best shape I’ve ever been.
Do you think social media is good or bad for society?
Honestly, social media is both good and bad. It’s good because it helps thousands of companies get known and it aids in their marketing and profits. Apart from that, it's good because we could share our wonderful moments and achievements with our friends to get that ‘validation’ and it makes people happy and being happy in life is important 😂
It's also bad as I don’t remember myself having a bunch of social media platforms when I’m in primary school. The younger generations may be too influenced by social media and they are prone to see things that are not meant to be seen before they turn into an adult. And in fact, we could all see that kids nowadays are so into social media that they do not experience childhood like how they supposed to be. Which is to be outdoors and do activities as simple as playing ‘catching’.
But then again, as I said, it depends; who knows they might mature faster and that's good for some people? But definitely not me. You gotta live the moments when you’re young before adulting hits you.
What would be your strategy in winning Mr Would Singapore 2022?
To take all the negative comments for naysayers and take them as challenges to push myself to better even further. Apart from that, my other strategy is to just show the world my sweet smile 😉
Clemens Harry Age: 28 Height: 186 cm Weight: 93 kg Occupation: Personal Trainer Instagram: instagram.com/harrytanujaya
Harry was a Flight Engineer with the Air Force for 7 years. He is highly motivated and competent in his job and he is always enthusiastic to take on any task assigned to him with a smile. Furthermore, he takes pride in maintaining his chiseled physique through a very high level of fitness.
As a person who is disciplined in physical training. Harry motivates his friends and colleagues to work out by coaching them through their exercise routines and giving them tips on simple dietary guidelines. He has been instrumental in inspiring several individuals to lose a decent amount of weight.
In fact, Harry has been a physically active individual since young, taking up sports like taekwondo, athletics and even cheerleading. Being involved in sports has made him prone to many injuries, from ligament tears to shoulder tendinitis. The nature of his previous job as a Flight Engineer has brought on more injuries, not only to himself but to his peers as well.
Over the years, Harry developed a greater interest in fitness and became more proficient in strengthening and conditioning techniques which helped in tackling the discomfort that he was experiencing. As a result, he has found his passion and has decided to pursue a career in fitness. He is currently a freelance personal trainer and a coach.
In his free time, Harry reads about human anatomy and likes discovering how certain types of movement can aid injuries. Besides reading and spending time in the gym, Harry enjoys time at the beach getting a good even tan.
Given the opportunity to be part of Mr World 2022, Harry looks forward to influencing individuals to live a healthier lifestyle as well as to inspire and motivate others to bring out the best in themselves.
Share with us one interesting fun fact about yourself
I love a good even tan at the beach
Complete this sentence.. 2022 is a year…
A year of opportunities and fun!
What do you hope to achieve by joining Mr World Singapore 2022
Enlighten the world (coz it's Mr World)
Share with us a secret weapon which might help you in this competition.
There's no secret weapon, just be you.
Complete this sentence, mental health is…
The essence of human being.
If there’s one thing that you could change, what would that be ?
I wish that the world would be free of sickness and poverty.
Share with us one influencer whom you look up to and why?
Dwyane Johnson, he started from 0 to hero.
Do you think social media is good or bad for society ?
Overall is a good thing for society as facts are readily available however, too much social media also caused a disconnect between people even though they are physically beside one another.
What would be your strategy in winning Mr Would Singapore 2022?
Sometimes no plan is the best plan
Alfie Aiden Tjen Age: 40 Height: 171 cm Weight: 72 kg Occupation: Asst Marketing Manager
Instagram: instagram.com/tj3n10
Alfie considers himself a late bloomer who does things on his own terms and measures success in terms of life experiences over material things.
As a child, he struggled with a dysfluent speech in the form of stuttering which made him occasionally depressed due to the teasing by those around him. It caused him to be an introvert as a result. This also affected his confidence and he struggled to fit in. Menial tasks such as ordering food or speaking to strangers could be arduous and cause intense anxiety.
During this time, he also realized that he had developed an attraction toward his own gender which exacerbated his feelings of not fitting in. However, he refused to acknowledge it, well into his adult life.
Upon graduation from Temasek Polytechnic, he signed on to the Police Force. The job was a real eye-opener, exposing him to everyday adventures. However, one incident prompted him to leave the force. He had almost lost his life during the course of duty. While doing an overnight stake-out of an ongoing investigation, he gave chase to a suspect at the back alley (which makes up the landscape of Little India). When he caught the subject, the subject struggled and there was an ensuing scuffle. During the process, his revolver holster fell from his person and dropped on the ground, between him and the subject. Thankfully, the subject didn’t act on it but decided to keep running. He tendered his resignation on the very month that he got promoted to Staff Sergeant.
He left without a concrete plan until he saw an ad for a cabin crew interview with Singapore Airlines and aced in all the rounds and found himself there for a fruitful 5 years. He enjoyed the jet-setting lifestyle which afforded him to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing programme part-time at SIM-RMIT. Finally in his early 30s, he embraced his sexuality and had his first romantic relationship.
Fast forward to 2022, he believes his life has only started and really truly enjoys what he does (both for work and leisure)! It is also an irony that although he still stammers from time to time, he functions relatively well in a Marketing Communications role for a hospitality group. He also established a company, “True Abilities Centre” with his child-hood friend in intensive intervention for parents who have children with academic and/or socio-emotional issues.
Share with us one interesting fun fact about yourself
Not everyone knows this but I've a congenital condition of stuttering. Simple things like putting words together in a conversational sentence is a constant struggle for me. It is exacerbated (in two poles) by either in a stressful or a casual condition.
This is something that I've been coping with since young and even get teased at and made fun of by certain family members and select of friends. Causing me to be a reserved person and don’t typically like to interact with others for fear of embarrassing myself. This is why I was misconstrued as being snobbish and arrogant in school. If only they knew the reason why.
What's ironic now is that my field of work is in Marcom which requires me to converse and engage with various stakeholders frequently.
However, I’ve learned to manage this later on in my adulthood through my current professional setting (since 2017). To be honest, I still do stutter from time to time but it’s manageable now through practicing in my daily interaction.
In fact, I’m also leveraging on the exposure I had as part of the Shopee LIVE KOL programme (since 2021), which requires me to host on livestream talking about a subject matter at length (between 45 to 60 mins).
Unleashing my entrepreneurship side, I’ve founded a company in 2021 - True Abilities Centre - with a childhood friend to provide intensive interventions to children who are having trouble coping academically due to learning needs and social-emotional issues.
Complete this sentence.. 2022 is a year…
..of many firsts for me. Earlier this year, I've gotten my Personal Trainer certification which aids me in my journey as a fitness aficionado. And I'm not stopping there either, as I'm looking into enrolling in a food and nutrition course in the near future to further broaden my knowledge on the subject matter.
Few months ago, I’ve started a Post-grad diploma in Communications at SMU Academy to harness new communications and personal branding skills which I hope to graduate later this year.
Moreover, I’m also excited to be a finalist of MWS 2022 (unexpected but a pleasant surprise) to further push and put myself beyond my comfort zone.
What do you hope to achieve by joining Mr World Singapore 2022
Firstly to create positive representation in the community with anyone (especially children/teenagers and young adults) who has the same condition as me. To show them it is going to be okay and not let it impede the quality of our lives.
Secondly to inspire others to make wiser food decisions and know that healthy food can be tasty too.
Thirdly to encourage myself to be in the best version/shape of my life. For the past month, I’ve tweaked my workout and diet routine and have finally seen changes such as bringing my body fat percentage to 9.5% - the first time ever that I’ve achieved this in my life!
Share with us a secret weapon which might help you in this competition.
I was told by some people that I’ve a captivating smile so I’ve been practicing that each time I looked into the mirror. :)
On a more serious note, I’m leveraging on my professional skills to make myself marketable. Through my postgrad programme, I’ve learned how to better brand myself. I’m also aiming to be multifaceted especially online and be familiar with other topics beyond fitness and someone who walks the talk in my everyday life.
Something that I’ve been working on right now is to create more fitness/wellness/skincare/fashion content on my social pages. On weekends or whenever I’m available, I’m learning to create alternative recipes for fast food that is healthier.
Complete this sentence, mental health is…
.. as important as physical health. Essentially, a healthy mind is an inherent part of a healthy body. In these couple of years, there are more awareness of the matter and changed how businesses operate too. e.g Who would have thought hybrid working arrangement would work before Covid-19?
Because of this, people are more aware of their mental health. For some, this take precedence in their decisions. Citing a recent example is the ‘Mass Resignation’ phenomenon where people are putting more focus on themselves above everything else. This is something I can relate to personally as I’m part of the statistic - having joined my existing employer mid-last year.
If there’s one thing that you could change, what would that be ?
I would like to change people’s perception of food choices. That is to make healthier decisions, be when dining out or cooking at home.
Share with us one influencer whom you look up to and why?
I’ve been following fitness influencers such as @bretmossing and @ryanspiteri for their body goals and workout tips and bookmarked them for my next gym sesh. Reading their life stories, I can draw some parallels on my personal experiences and realise we share the same values too.
Do you think social media is good or bad for the society?
Social media has definitely changed how we view life in general and makes us more connected than previous generations before us.
Personally, I feel it has done the world a lot of good more than bad. For one, it allow us to share ideas, making and engaging in meaningful conversations or interact with someone across the pond much easier.
I also feel that we’ve evolved on how we consumed news/media. Traditionally, we would have the standard news outlets that gives us one narrative of an occurrence/happening. However with social media, we are exposed to different angles to a story.
Having said that, in the early days social media used to be just a tool to create connections. However, with advancement in technology, it has developed into different forms and we’re now feed with information more fluidly.
What would be your strategy in winning Mr Would Singapore 2022?
I believe the title is not about the most good looking or biggest/rippest in terms of physique. It’s about having the whole package, someone who has evolved and benefited the most since joining the competition and able to make positive changes to the community at large.
Personally, in terms of physique, to carry on what works for me as I’ve already seen changes especially these few months and will use this knowledge to inspire others.
I also hope to learn as much as I can through the various acting and dancing classes Beam Artistes has put me through and to commit nothing less than 100% on each challenges and lessons.
Finally to add value to the kind sponsors who I had the privilege to work with together in this journey.
Readers can follow the finalists on social media and get the latest profiles, news and videos on Mr World Singapore’s official Facebook Page and Instagram account.