The Star Friday March 2, 2007

Angel's choice

By MICHAEL CHEANG

Hong Kong’s Angel Wong Chui Ling has spent 10 years in Malaysia and carved a name forherself in the entertainment industry.

Angel Wong Chui Ling is one conflicted girl. The popular TV personality may have been born and bred in Hong Kong, but she is currently based in Kuala Lumpur. This caused a lot of confusionamong her friends and fans.“People here keep asking me when I am going back to HongKong; but when I am back in Hong Kong, people ask me when Iam going back to Malaysia!” she said with a laugh. Nevertheless, Wong now regards Malaysia her home, havinglived and worked here for the past 10 years.“My family may be in Hong Kong, but everything else is here inKL – my house, my car, my friends, my work? my whole life isin Malaysia now,” she said.“Whenever I go back to Hong Kong, I would be wondering whatto do by the fifth day. That’s when my mum would tell me, ‘It’stime for you to go back to KL’,” she said in fluent English duringan interview at the Shangri-la Hotel in KL recently.Wong was speaking before the MGM International Red BashPhenomenon ’07 Gala Dinner, where it was announced that sheis MGM’s very first Shining Star Celebrity Brand Ambassador.

Angel Wong: "My whole life is inMalaysia now."

The energetic 32-year-old made her debut as a singer at 22, and subsequently dabbled in acting in arole that was so insignificant that she doesn’t even remember what the movie was.In 1996, she got an offer to come to Malaysia to act in a TV drama. One offer led to another and sheeventually ended up staying in the country for good.“Initially, I only brought one small suitcase. Then the second time I came, I brought another suitcase, and slowly brought more stuff over until I eventually sold my apartment in Hong Kong,and shipped everything over here,” she said.According to her, working in Malaysia is certainly less stressful than in Hong Kong. “Over there,it’s all about money, money, money. It is very competitive, and the pressure to do well there is veryhigh.“In Malaysia, there are a lot of opportunities and as long as you are willing to work hard, you will be successful. It’s hard to get that kind of security in Hong Kong.”Wong is currently hosting Astro Wah Lai Toi’s

I’m a Movie Buff

and Ntv7’s

Living in Malaysia the Easy Way

.She also dabbles in radio (she hosts a five-minute celebrity segment on Astro’s My FM every day at5.30pm), does regular emceeing work for corporate events, and is also an aspiring author.While she has done quite a bit of acting, she has no plans to return to it. She has done a number of TV series and has appeared in movies alongside Andy Lau and Michelle Reis, as well as played a