“Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true, with all your heart.” To quote this inspirational monologue from the concluding scene in the ninth and final season of American teen drama series “One Tree Hill”, the possibilities are limitless as to what you can achieve, as long as you have the courage to dream big and the conviction to follow through with the pursuit of your dreams.
Intent on transforming himself from his former skinny lanky secondary schoolboy self and realize his lifelong wish to join Manhunt Singapore, Contestant No. 7 Syakir Rusydi set the wheels of his plan in motion five years ago when he chose to create his email address with the user id “man_hunt”, setting it as his goal to motivate himself in working towards it. And even though his lofty ambition then only invited endlessly teasing by his peers, he never gave up; and now with his new and improved physique of 1.8m with 60kgs of solid muscles, the 22 years old Republic Polytechnic Diploma in Sonic Arts student’s dreams are finally coming true as he proudly join the ranks as one to the Top 20 finalists in Manhunt Singapore 2012!
Congratulations on making it to the Top 20 in Manhunt Singapore 2012! What would you like to say to your fans for their support and Facebook “Likes” that helped you make it to the finals?
Unlike most of the other current Top 20 finalists, I was not amongst the 20 original shortlisted contestants in the first round of the competition this year. Sahil, Benjamin, Sha, and I were actually introduced later on as PK (Player Kill) contenders, in a fresh new spin on the event by the organizers, to “shake things up” via an elimination voting second round that narrowed the newly increased group of 24 guys down to an all-new rearranged Top 20 line-up. Hence, I was not present for the awesome Emily Hill photo shoot, and admittedly I didn’t think my photo that was posted up on the Facebook album for the elimination voting second round looked as fantastic as the rest did in their professional shots. So when the results were announced, and I found out that I made it to the new Top 20, I was ecstatic beyond belief! 
Credit definitely goes to my family, friends as well as all my #sexifulovers fans and supporter for their unbelievable dedication and each and every one of the “Likes” they clicked for me! Thank you for making my dream of becoming a Manhunt Singapore finalist come true!!!! I would also like to give a special shout out to thank my girlfriend. Since we first got to know each other back in our secondary school days, she’s always been there for me, motivating and supporting me. She truly is my No. 1 fan!!!
In this present day and age, with the gradual acceptance and integration of the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community into our society, how do you personally feel about having GLBT fans amongst your fans and supporters?
Putting aside the age-old question of nature versus nurture, whether it is by personal choice or that they were born this way, it is my personal view that it is not up to us to pass judgement on others, much less to do so based solely on their sexual orientation. And when it comes to my fans, why would I want to categorize them based on whether they are straight or not right? They’re all equally fantastic in my eyes and I am happy and honoured to receive their support! 
I’m sure your fans and supporters would definitely like to get to know you a little better on a more personal level. Can you share with us some of your favourite things?
i) What do you enjoy doing most in your spare time (and no, gym doesn’t count, ha ha ha…)?
One of my greatest passions in life is singing. It all started back when I was in Secondary 2, when I sang on stage at a Teachers’ Day school performance and received quite a few compliments on having a good voice. Encouraged by the positive feedback, I decided to further explore my interest in singing by joining “Show Choir”, which was ITE Simei’s pioneer vocal group! So what initially began as a personal hobby of singing my heart out in the privacy of my home soon evolved into an invaluable experience of performing `live’ with my fellow vocal group members in front of massive, enthusiastic crowds at events, concerts and charity shows, and even led us to take the stage at exciting venues such as the Esplanade Concourse, as well as the Singapore Indoor Stadium where we provided back-up vocals for the Singapore Idol Season 3 finale concert in 2009!
I also auditioned for “Anugerah 2011” and even though I was eliminated in the second round of auditions, I still had a blast going through the process!
In addition, a couple of my personal friends and I had also banded together to form our very own group called “One Heart, One Voice” and so far, even though we’re not strictly an official band or group, we’ve still managed to score quite a few gigs, and were even talent spotted and invited to perform at a number of events!
ii) Any fave TV shows?
I’m currently quite hooked on the Roman gladiator drama series “Spartacus”. The storyline involving how Spartacus battles for his rights and true love is extremely engaging and the cinematography is spectacular!
iii) Any fave movies?
“The Pursuit of Happyness” was the first movie that touched my heart so deeply that it brought tears to my eyes when I watched it. I highly recommend it so do catch it if you have not done so already!
iv) What are you currently playing on your iPod/playlist?
Uh oh, I’m not sure if I should be admitting this, but it’s actually Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me”. Ha, ha, ha…
v) Any fave recipes or food? Would you say you’re a good cook?
Ayam Lemak Chilli Padi is my favourite dish! I hope to learn how to cook it one day!
vi) What are some of your fave hangouts?
I don’t really have any spot in particular that I would regard as a favourite hangout.
vii) Any fave gadgets? What is it about this gadget/s that appeals to you?
I’m very much into capturing precious moments with my family, friends and loved ones on photos, so it is crucial that my phone comes with good camera features. That’s why I think that the iPhone is the ideal hand phone for me, because it’s an all-in-one hand phone that not only comes with entertainment portals and social network applications, but most importantly, it can shoot stunning photos too!
viii) Could you share with us a lesser-known interesting fact about yourself?
You know those guys who love to dance, but are just not born to dance? Well, I’m one of those guys!!! Ha, ha, ha!!! I also used to hate getting haircuts, because no matter how specific I am with describing the hairstyle I have in mind, the hairstylist never seem to be able to produce the exact result that I want! It wasn’t until later when I stumbled upon some photos via Facebook of the specific hairstyles I had envisioned that I was finally able to achieve my desired look! And ever since then, as you might have guessed from the multiple Facebook profile shots of my ever-changing hairdos, I’ve become quite an enthusiast in changing my hairstyle! 
You look rather familiar. Might we have seen you anywhere before?
Chances are you might have spotted me amongst the top 20 finalists of “8 Days Shirtless Guys Search 2012”. As it was my very first time joining a male pageant competition, you could say it was my “virgin” attempt, ha, ha, ha… and it turned out to be a great experience! I learned a lot about all the hard work that goes into the preparation, publicity and production of a male pageant competition, so you could say that it helped prepare me mentally and physically as well as boosted my confidence to take the step in joining Manhunt Singapore. 
Coincidentally, fellow Manhunt Singapore finalist Faiz and I were first acquainted on the “8 Days Shirtless Guys Search 2012” competition. We’ve become quite close buddies since then, and it’s always nice having a friend to support as well as spur each other on to achieve greater heights in the course of the competition.
Oh yeah, and I recently took part in “Sasuke Singapore”, so if you follow the show, you might catch me on one of the episodes battling the gruelling obstacle course! Spoiler Alert!!! Ha, ha, ha… I managed to conquer the trials and was one of the fastest 50 to make the cut for the obstacle round. The obstacle course was tough! I was defeated by the trampoline and fell into the water! Ha, ha, ha!!! But it really was a great experience and as in recognition of my attempt, I was awarded with a certificate for participation. Good memories!
Ever since I was in secondary school, it has always been my wish to join Manhunt Singapore. To inspire and motivate myself to work towards this goal back then, I decided to personalize my email account with the user id “man_hunt”. However, when my friends found out about this, they couldn’t help laughing and poking fun at me, because being the skinny, bony dude that I was at that time, the thought of me ever being qualified as a Manhunt Singapore contestant was simply a huge joke to them! However, I didn’t let any of that get me down, but instead worked very hard to transform my physique into what it is today and now I am happy and proud to have made my dream of becoming a Manhunt Singapore finalist come true!
Before enrolling in this competition, what was your impression of Manhunt Singapore 2012 like? Now that you’re a finalist, has that impression changed?
My personal sentiments before and after joining the competition can be best summed up in one sentence – “What used to be a fantasy has now become a reality.” Yeah!!!
Up until I was 18, I had always been a skinny kid with an inferiority complex arising from poor self-image. Fuelled by my determination to prove my friends wrong and beat the odds to become someone worthy of joining Manhunt Singapore, I started hitting the gym with a vengeance. With lots of perseverance and plenty of hard work, my efforts slowly began paying off as I began seeing my muscles emerging and my physique buffing up. Never before had I thought this would be possible in the past! With my confidence boosted upon seeing the results, I continued in my pursuit of my ideal physique and now, 5 years on, as we’re fast approaching the Manhunt Singapore finals, not only am I in the best possible shape ever, I am also a much more confident person too!
There is often the impression that good looking individuals tend to shun or discriminate against others who may not be as aesthetically pleasing in looks and physique. To what extent would you agree with this statement? What is your personal stance on this issue?
Unfortunately, this is one of the harsh realities of life, and having been in those shoes personally, I know first-hand just how awful and demoralizing it felt to be judged based solely on one’s appearance. So even though I may have come a long way since my days as a skinny kid, there’s absolutely no way that I would now judge a book by its cover and treat someone else badly as such. Instead, I would much rather offer my encouragement and motivation to help others get a step closer to fulfilling their dream of attaining their ideal physique, because I know how tough it can get to go the distance alone like I did back then. Who knows? Maybe I could pay it forward and become the catalyst behind the emergence of some of the next generation of Manhunt Singapore finalists in the near future! Ha, ha, ha…
On the Miss Universe and Miss World annual competitions, emphasis is often placed on promoting world peace and helping the needy who are facing issues such as hunger, poverty and sickness. If given the choice to make a difference, what social cause would you want to champion? Why?
I think that there should be cause for concern that in recent years not only has reports of cases of teenage bullying in schools been on the rise globally, its severity has even escalated to the extent of suicide in some instances! The emotional trauma and aftermath brought on by psychological and verbal abuse in this day and age could be even said to be more damaging than physical violence at times. Bullies thrive on their victims’ personal insecurities and fears, so it is crucial that more awareness should be created to highlight these situations in schools and to let possible victims know that they have someone or somewhere to turn to, and that there is no shame in seeking help if faced with such predicaments.
On a closing note, were you surprised when you first learnt of this Manhunt Singapore Alumni group and were invited to join it in Facebook? How do you think the group is working out so far? Do you have any suggestion on how we can make both the alumni group as well as this blog better in time to come?
I recall how surprised I was at being invited to join the alumni barely moments after being introduced as a PK contender to the competition! Talk about super efficiency! Ha, ha, ha… It also goes to show the inclusivity of the alumni group, as it reaches out not just to contestants in the grand finals but also the preliminary competitors as well, which I think is a great thing! I am honoured to be part of the alumni and applaud the thought and efforts that goes into the creation and running of this alumni group. It’s really great that Manhunt Singapore fans can receive regular updates on upcoming promotional and competition events, as well as get to know past and present finalists and winners on a more personal level through personal interview write-ups and check out the wide array of competition and personal photos of us alumni members over the years!
Nobody ever said that following your heart was easy, but as Syakir’s personal journey from scrawny schoolboy to brawny heartthrob proves, with a bit of faith and lots of hard work, dreams really do come true. So don’t let those naysayers get you down. We hope Syakir’s success story would inspire you to set your sights high, focus on your goals and go the distance. Who knows? If you too secretly hope to someday take to the glamorous stage of the Manhunt Singapore competition, it just might come true for you as it did for Syakir!
Photos Credit:
Beam Artistes Pte Ltd (www.beam.com.sg)Marcus Mok Photography (http://www.marcusart.net/),
Dennis Chong Fotocology (http://www.fotocology.com/),
Milk Photographie (http://www.milkphotographie.com/index.php),
TRQ Irfaan Photography (http://www.trqirfaan.com/),
MMohawk. (http://mmohawk.wordpress.com/),
Mohamed Irwan Photography
(http://www.facebook.com/mohamedirwan.photography),
and Syakir’s Personal Photos
