DARK, RED, COMPLEX AND ADDICTIVE

As the popular saying goes, men like fine wine often get better as they mature. And nobody knows this better than Manhunt Singapore 2013 contestant Andrew Chua, who moonlights as a part-time server at The Wine Loft in Holland Village by night, and skilfully juggles schoolwork as a final year Sports and Wellness Management student in Nanyang Polytechnic by day.

 

Drawing parallels with a full bodied red wine, the strapping young lad who stands at 1.73m with an awe-inspiring 71kg physique, describes himself as an energetic guy who loves taking the lead, hence like red wine which tends to come off as rather strong on some palates, similarly not everyone may be able to accept him for his ways at times. But we here at ManSA thinks that just as wine connoisseurs know to appreciate fine wine, Andrew most definitely deserves to be recognized and applauded for being the fine young man that he has grown up to become today!

Congratulations on making it as a finalist on Manhunt Singapore 2013! What was your first reaction when you found out the good news?

I was definitely excited! Even though this is not my first time in a pageant, having taken part in a campus pageant previously, it's really different from Manhunt Singapore, which most definitely is on a whole other platform! It's on a way bigger scale, being that it's competing at a national level, so it's truly a thrill to have been shortlisted as a contestant for this year’s competition!

What inspired you to take part in Manhunt Singapore this year? Do you have any friends from this year's or past years' competition?
I would be graduating later this year in October, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to  strive and achieve something of myself through the course of this competition before I enlist in National Service soon after. Last year’s finalist Chen Haoran and I knew each other since secondary school, but unfortunately we’ve since lost contact after graduating from school back then. Recently though, we’ve chanced upon and added each other on Facebook, but he’s been really busy with his personal commitments, so we’ve not had the chance to properly catch up yet. Also, I got acquainted with and befriended Manhunt Singapore 2010 alumni Que Andrea Kasbani at a gym where we both train at. Talk about coincidences right?

 

What do you hope to achieve through your journey on Manhunt Singapore?

Ever since I was young, it has always been a long-time dream of mine to become a model and actor, so I hope that through joining Manhunt Singapore, it might open doors for me to venture into fitness modelling and perhaps even try my hand at acting too! And of course, it’s always great to make more new friends along the way too!

 

Besides Manhunt Singapore 2013, have you any other claims to fame?
I’m pretty actively involved in campus activities. Besides being a contestant on our school pageant “Generation NYP”, where I made it into the Top 5 Men’s Finals, I was also president of the Nanyang Polytechnic water sports club from 2010 to 2012, as well as represented my school in the Nanyang Dragonboat Team, which recently competed at the 2012 Singapore Dragon Boat Festival in the POL-ITE category, where we placed second in a neck to neck race to the end against Singapore Polytechnic.

 

In your opinion, what qualities do you think a Manhunt Singapore winner should possess as a positive male role model? And do you think you have these qualities?

Two key qualities that come to mind would be humility and open-mindedness. We should always be humble about our accomplishments, eager and willing to learn, as well as be open-minded to making friends with everyone regardless of gender and other differences. And yes, I personally believe that I do have these qualities.

 

When did you first started getting interested in fitness and could you describe your fitness journey so far?
I used to be a really skinny guy during my younger days. It wasn’t until my upper secondary school years, when I started becoming interested and began working hard towards achieving a muscular physique. I remember buying Men’s Health magazines every month, being inspired by the fitness models that were featured on the cover and inside the magazine, researching on fitness and training, and working hard using that knowledge to get to my current physical form today. I wouldn’t say my body is at its best possible shape yet right now, but I am constantly challenging myself to reach greater heights in fitness. To me, fitness is a form of discipline. In order to get to where I am today physically, I made it a point to train five days a week and that meant that during my schooldays, I would have to wake up especially early so as to go for my training before my classes. I’ll admit, it was tough, but I never gave up. And I continued that same mind-set when it came to my studies as well, which I believe would also continue to serve me well in my future career.

Having achieved your current state of physical fitness, does it bother you if you see your family or friends who may not be as physically fit and eating unhealthily or not exercising?

I definitely do have some friends who eat junk food and aren’t really that into the healthy lifestyle. But the key here is moderation. It is my opinion that while cultivating good, healthy eating habits, there isn’t a need to ban all sinful food, so every once in a while it’s still all right to cheat and indulge in moderation. When it comes to health and fitness, I’m always willing and happy to share what I’ve learnt with the people around me. In fact, I’ve already been sharing tips with my parents and a few of my friends, who have approached me for advice, and they’re currently seeing some good results, which really motivates me to want to share more with others!

Besides working out in the gym, what would you say are some of your other hobbies or talents?

I love singing and going to KTV with my friends. But to be honest, I’m not an outstanding singer. At least that’s my parents’ opinion, because every time I sing in the shower, they would always yell at me to stop, saying that I sound awful. Ha, ha, ha… 

How strict are you when it comes to your personal diet? What would you say are some of your "weaknesses" when it comes to sinful food cravings?
I’m pretty flexible with what I eat, because I base my daily diet on calorie count, so that gives me freedom with my food choices as long as it is within my designated calorie intake. Dark chocolate cupcakes, macaroons, cakes, pizzas and seafood are just a few of my personal favourite food indulgences. I also love buffets!

 

Which music artist or bands and songs would you regard as your personal favourites?
My interest in music covers quite a wide range, inclusive of both English and Mandarin songs. If I had to pick, Maroon 5, The Script and Muse would definitely be at the top of my list for bands that I love. As for songs, I’d have to say “Supremacy” by Muse. I’m also learning how to play the guitar, under the guidance of my friends. But I’m only a novice right now, so I can only play just a little bit.

 

What kind of movies or TV shows do you enjoy?
Honestly speaking, I don’t really watch TV, but every once in a while I do get hooked on a drama series if it’s really good! I’m currently a fan of “The Walking Dead” and I also enjoy watching Korean and Taiwanese comedy series and romance dramas too. Another of my recent favourites is “The Fierce Wife” (犀利人妻). As for whether I’m supporting Wen Ruifan 温瑞凡 (played by James Wen 温昇豪) or Lan Tianwei 蓝天蔚 (played by Chris Wang 王宥胜), I’d say the former because I’d prefer if the female lead character Xie Anzhen 谢安真 (played by Sonia Sui 隋棠) returned to her husband, as I feel that the other guy is too young for her.

 

If you were granted a wish to swap bodies, brains or lives with any famous personality or celebrity for a day, who would it be and why?
I would have to say Bill Gates. In our present society, which is very competitive in nature, in order to be successful I personally feel that besides having the right attitude, you really also need good business brains as well as luck by your side. Without business smarts or luck, even with a really good attitude, some may not go far. In my opinion, Bill Gates possesses all three of these things, and I really look up to him, so he’d be my choice if I were to swap lives with anyone for a day.

 

In your life thus far, what would you say was the biggest or toughest obstacle or challenge you have faced? How did you overcome this obstacle and how would you say this experience affected you?
It would have to be during my days as a team leader and sports player both in secondary school and polytechnic. Alike school campuses and workplaces, politics exists in team sports as well. Situations do arise when people dislike each other or opinions clashes, therefore it’s really important for me as the group leader to manage and boost everyone’s morale in spite of personal differences or misunderstandings. So I’d often take the initiative to organize events or outings for my teammates, as an effort to encourage and foster a closer bond amongst our team. I later realized that this mind-set and initiative also continued onto my school life, where I’d often assume the leadership role and took initiative in coordinating the roles and tasks to be done in class presentations or project groups.
 

Being that you're an attractive guy, you must have your fair share of fans. How comfortable are you having not only female fans but male fans as well?
Personally, I think it’s an achievement if I’m able to attract fans of the same gender, so basically I’m comfortable with having guys as my fans. Quite a lot of them actually approach me for training and fitness advice and I’m more than willing to share what I know with them.

As seen on the "Next Top Model" reality series, there seem to be an unspoken expectation that models, both male and female, should be willing to accept the challenge of baring themselves in photo-shoots in the spirit of professionalism. How far would you say your personal limits are when it comes to nudity on a commercial or artistic photo-shoot? Or onscreen if you go into acting?

I believe the choice of whether to bare and how much to bare is subjective and comes down to personal preferences. At the moment, I’ve not considered doing any photo-shoots or acting involving nudity, but who knows, perhaps in the future if I intend to pursue a full-time career into acting, I may consider it?

Many attractive male celebrities often challenge themselves to gain or lose a drastic amount of weight or even "uglify" themselves to prove they have more than just good looks and physique to succeed in the entertainment industry. If you were to venture into acting, how necessary do you think and how willing will you be to sacrifice your personal physique (which you've evidently trained hard to achieve) and/or appearance for credibility?

As my views were earlier on with regards to the nudity issue, here again I feel that the question of whether or not to make this sacrifice really depends on the choice of career direction, if it would be towards fitness or acting. If I am to pursue a career in acting, I would definitely give it my 100%, and gladly accept any challenge, even if it requires me to change my physical appearance for the sake of a role.

There have been many male and female models and beauty pageant contestants who have gone on to become stars in the acting world both locally and internationally. In your personal opinion, do you think models without proper acting training should take the brave leap into acting based on just their good looks?
Acting skills can be developed or improved through training, so if they already have the good looks, I think it’s really an added bonus for them to get a head start into the acting industry, so they should grab the opportunity to do so.

Could you share with us a lesser-known fact that most others would not have known about you?
When I was 12, a bee flew into my shirt, and although I was lucky enough not to be stung being quick handed enough to remove it, but ever since then I’ve a phobia of bugs, with the exception of ants. So whenever I see bugs, I won’t kill them, I’d just run away. Yeah, I know it’s weird. Ha, ha, ha…

And on an ending note, what would you like to say to your fans for their support of you?
I hope that people who are aware of me and actually supporting me now will continue to do so and I promise I’ll give my 100% and very best every step of the way throughout this competition!