Lin Chiling Tells Us She Wants To Be In Love Before It’s Too Late
The Longines ambassador, who was in town recently for the opening of the luxury watch brand's Wisma Atria boutique, spoke to 8 DAYS about time, aging and being in love (nope, not with Jerry Yan).
We’ve met many celebrities over the course of our career but there are very few, almost none in fact, whose beauty in real life astounded us as much as Lin Chiling’s. In fact, we have to say that photos just don’t do her justice — and she’s someone who looks great in photos as it is — because she looks so much better in person.
[Photos: Kelvin Chia]
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While we can wax lyrical all day about Lin Chiling’s physical beauty, it’s imperative that everyone knows that the 44-year-old’s attractiveness also stems from her being so darn nice. She puts you at ease right from the get-go, thanks to her warm smile and gentle demeanour and her girlish giggles which makes you feel as if everything you say is so intelligent and funny. (News alert: It’s not).
Yes, her voice sounds like what we assume Hello Kitty would sound like but it doesn’t and shouldn’t take away from how intelligent the University of Toronto economics and western art history major is. She is, after all, as known for her beauty as she is for her EQ and her ability to give well thought-out answers on the spot. And which she does in both fluent English and Mandarin during our chat. (P/S: Chiling also speaks so softly, we had to max out the volume of our recorder while transcribing this interview.)
But of course all questions about her rumoured ex-boyfriend Jerry Yan are off limits, though she did allude to love, much to our surprise.
It's about time
So why are we speaking to her again? Well, the model-actress was in town recently to celebrate the opening of Swiss luxury watchmaker Longines’s boutique in Wisma Atria. And since she’s been the brand’s ambassador for 13 years, we guess she would definitely know a thing or two about time.
8 DAYS: You’re looking fantastic! How long does it usually take Lin Chiling to get ready every day?
Lin Chiling: (Giggles) On a casual day? Maybe 10 minutes? But if it’s a formal day like today… (Giggles) One and a half hours?
So what do you do in those 10 minutes?
So normally, I’m very fuss-free. I would just apply sunblock, draw my eyebrows, wear sunglasses and that’s it. I’m good to leave the house. I think you need to let your skin breathe and I always tell other girls that it’s important to have good blood circulation and metabolism. So must let your skin breath, and your soul breathe.
If you could go back in time, which period of your life would you want to revisit?
I would say primary school. ’Cos there wasn’t that a lot of stress to do well in school yet (giggles). And I was in the dance course so, in my mind, it was a very nice phase of my school life.
Let's have seconds
A lot of people say you have the ability to freeze time ’cos of how youthful you look…
(Giggles) No lah…
It’s true! So if you could have a super power, what would it be?
Then let it be the ability to freeze time! (Giggles). A lot of girls are afraid of facing time. They find it hard to friends with time. But what is also fair is that [aging] is something we all have to go through. And going through it now, I just feel like if I can freeze even just 10 minutes… that would be wonderful! ’Cos really sometimes you find that [time] really passes so fast! Don’t you feel that way too? This year went by so fast! It’s as if heaven has pressed fast forward on the year. [It should] Slow down a little bit (laughs).
Having said that, do you feel like you should have gone into showbiz earlier? [Ed: Lin Chiling started modelling at the ripe old age of 28.]
No I don’t. ’Cos if you turn back time, you will realise that the things you did back then were definitely a result of the smartest decisions you made at that time. And so you won’t change them. And I would say that I am lucky that I started out in showbiz late because I diligently finished school. The good thing about doing that is that your values are stronger and you won’t get bothered by all the rumours and gossip [that you face in showbiz]. I don’t let [any of those things] affect my good mood every day. (Smiles)
Time and beauty
You’re often seen as the perfect woman – a combination of brains and beauty. Is it stressful to always be held to that standard?
I only realised later that it actually didn’t bring me stress. It’s ’cos this is the real me. If you want to pretend to be someone else, you won’t be able to do it for over a decade. (Giggles). The best thing to do is to be yourself. And what I want to bring to society is a very positive-thinking, very happy me. My appearance will definitely age… it will definitely change. But I think if the energy that I give off remains the same, then I think that’s enough.
You mentioned earlier that this year went by very fast, do you ever feel like time is running out and that there are a lot of things you’ve not accomplished?
Yes. But when you look back, I think my life has been very exciting already. I have no supposed regrets or complaints (giggles).
But is there something that you really want to do before it’s too late?
I really want to be in love. (Laughs)
And you haven’t because you have no time?
Yeah… and so nothing happened (giggles). And then… a blink of the eye… whoop! (Giggles)
But have you ever had the kind of great, can’t-live-without-you kind of romance?
Everyone has lah… Yeah. (Smiles)
So you miss that feeling?
Yeah… Everyone has had a first love before. And when you think about it, it’s always sweet. (Smiles)
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