NEW HORIZONS FOR NORMALA

IT TOOK 10 phone calls and a pening (dizzy) roundabout route to Bandar Hilir, Malacca, before this writer could interview Normala Samsuddin a.k.a. ``Wanita Melayu Tercantik'' (Most Beautiful Malay Woman).

It's been a hectic month for Normala who spent the past three weekends away from her children, having gone to Bali, then Sabah and now in Malacca to shoot TV3's women's magazine Nona.

The glamorous personality was busy shooting a Nona episode at Mahkota Suite, Century Hotel, in the historical town.

Up close, the Malay beauty is petite, curvaceous and charming. No, she is not conscious of her looks and doesn't think much about the title that has been bestowed upon her. In fact, she has been bombarded with unkind remarks because of the title. ``There are many beautiful Malay women out there. The title Wanita Melayu Tercantik: Rahsia Kejelitaan Normala Samsuddin was a sales gimmick. I only shared some beauty tips and have no part in the title,'' says the well-groomed beauty who was accompanied by her three children Asyraf, 12, Ruhilla, eight, and Rubilla, six, for the Nona shoot.

The question now is, why did she quit after a seven-year stint with the station?

``I kept postponing because there were a lot of things which I had to look into before I called it quits,'' says the Segamat-born compere. Though my career may look promising now, one never knows how long it will last.

``I resigned because I wanted to spend more time with my children. My eldest, Asyraf, is 12 now. He needs more attention. It's his growing up stage and I don't want to miss that for anything.''

Motherhood does play a vital part in Normala's life. Trivial matters like relationship or romance do not excite her that much.

``Marriage is not my main priority in life, my three beautiful kids are. I want to give them a good future and a better living condition. Since I am a single parent, I have to do all this by myself. God willing and with my kids' support, I hope I'll be able to do this,'' says Normala who once hosted Sekapur Sirih and Warna-Warni Malaysia. Normala has come a long way since she won the Pengacara Jemputan Nona competition in 1991.

Being the face of Nona and reading the evening news have given Normala a lot of satisfaction.

Though it has been an overnight fame, her steady rise at the station has been attributed to her hard work and dedication. ``The station has given me tremendous support and has groomed me since the day I joined, when I was just an aspiring anchorwoman.''

Leaving TV3 has been one of the most difficult decisions for Normala.

``I talked to the people concerned, told them what I wanted to do and I am very happy that they were kind enough to allow me to host Nona on a contractual basis. As long as they want me, I'll be more than willing to help out.''

Loyalty has always been her virtue and with this confession, hopefully all the rumours about her joining another TV station will be put to rest.

``It's not true at all. The reporters might have seen me hanging out with friends from another station.'' Since her resignation last month, Normala had a few offers to appear in TV commercials and on film.

``I am quite interested in acting in movies. It would be a good change from what I'm doing now. I am studying one script but I haven't decided yet.''

As for her business ventures, Normala is working out a deal with a partner and a close friend to set up an interior decoration shop and a boutique. ``The business perspective seems quite promising. We've already imported goods from Myanmar, Thailand and Bali for the interior decor outlet which will be in one of the major shopping complexes in the Klang Valley,'' says Normala who aspires to become a successful businesswoman someday.

Normala took over as the host of Nona last February from Junaidah Zainuddin and Norni Samsila Osman. An insider says the programme ratings was dropping and a revamp was necessary. The 15 year-old Nona was given a new host, fresh treatment and presentation. The slot was also shifted from 10.30am to 2pm on Sundays.

The one-hour infotainment magazine hit its highest viewership in February when AC Nielsen Research quoted a two million rating that month. Nona also made it to the Top 10 highest-rated programme for that month.

Was it the content or the glamorous appeal of its presenter that made Nona swing back to the top?

``It's teamwork. We have a good script and fresh ideas. Viewers like to watch a programme that has a refreshing approach. Normala is only there to put things together,'' she says.

Normala enjoys doing Nona because women subjects and women's issues have been her favourites. ``I am passionate about Nona. It's like my baby. I put my heart and soul into it,'' says the 36-year old compere, whose hobbies are reading and painting..

Like any woman, sensitive issues have often moved her. At times, she is emotionally moved when she interviews abused victims, AIDS patients and orphans.

``No matter how professional you are, when it comes to human interest stories, you are bound to be affected,'' says Normala, who aspires to write an autobiography one day.

What about rumours of a romance with the brother of a VIP? ``If there is love, it will stay,'' she says coyly.'

Normala's charm and grace undeniably make her a very beautiful woman, if not THE most beautiful Malay woman.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 1/6/2000