an improved interview with min

how would you describe yourself? I'm very friendly, nice... [but] I can be very aggressive. I'm competitive. I like being onstage; I'm a natural performer. 

what did you do before you entered fitness competition? I was a gymnast until the age of 15. I [competed in]  the USG Championships. I did a national show. My goal was to make the Olympics. I [stayed out of] athletics for almost 10 years. About a year after I started weight training seriously, people kept telling me I should compete in fitness. I started competition five months ago.

what are your favorite weight loss foods? I eat boiled or baked chicken breasts. I like steamed vegetables, rice and baked potatoes.

what about junk foods? I like chocolate chip cookies and brownies and cheesecake.

what type of aerobic exercise do you prefer? I like working the Stairmaster—stepping forward and backward.

who is your role model? Dale Tomita. I resemble her and she has a gymnastic background like me. We're both Asian. I would like to be the next Dale Tomita—or even be better.

what are your current training goals? I'm happy with my size. But I'm working on widening my lower lats. Getting more back width. Getting my abs deeper. Those are my main concerns.

what do you want to accomplish in fitness?  I want to take fitness as far as I can—which means getting into the top three at the Ms. Olympia Fitness.

how did it feel to place so well when you turned pro? Well, it was a surprise. I hope and prayed that I could make the top 15; that would be a total blessing. It was amazing to finish third.

if you could do only one exercise in a gym, what would it be? Abdominals: hanging on a bar for abdominal leg lifts. Five sets. I have different ways of doing them. I'd do about 25 reps per set.

what's your favorite body part (or parts) to train? My calves and thighs—with running, gymnastics, stretching.

if you had a million dollars, what would you buy? A home for myself and my daughter Sasha. I'm a single mother and I'm always with my little girl.

what's the toughest thing about competition? I love the challenge of competition. I love seeing some of the girls do better than me because it motivates me to be better. The fitness round is harder than the swimsuit round. Trying to please the judges can be tough, too.

what gets on your nerves? Average people who judge you [when they] don't know anything about you. They assume things about you. They see you walking down the street and think that because you have muscles you are tough or rough. I want people to know me as a fitness competitor and not as a bodybuilder. I feel that fitness competitors are more feminine.