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December 20, 2007
Yendi visits Yardflex
By: Joseph Cunningham
She went, she saw and conquered. That is the only appropriate description for what Yendi Phillips, the reigning Miss Jamaica World accomplished at the Miss World 2007 Pageant.
She created history when she became the first contestant to make it to the finals of all categories. Out of 107 contestants, she was 1st runner up in the Miss World Beach Beauty and a finalist in the Miss World Sports, Miss World Talent, Miss World Top Model and the Beauty With A Purpose Award. And, during the live telecast, she made the top 16.
Yendi visited the offices of YardFlex, at shop #118 on the Princeville Plaza, Constant Spring, and had a grand "yard chat." On her entry into the office, the "irie" lady started rocking instinctively to the sounds of music being played on a DVD. Noticing her vibe, I asked, Yendi what kind of influence she had on other contestants. She responded, "I took music along with me, so my room mate and the other girls heard quite a bit of Reggae and Dancehall music." She revealed that she was surprised to know that Miss Guatemala was a big fan of Busy Signal, especially the song, "Step Out."
Yendi gave her outlook on what it takes to be successful in an international event like the Miss World Pageant, and related that it requires spontaneity. "We (contestants) would be aware that there would be different activities to participate in, but on all occasions we were given relatively short notice." She added that the competition was very "taxing" on the body, asserting that, "If a contestant is not focused and mentally strong, she could unravel."
On a lighter note, Yendi said she had little trouble with choosing food within the colourful Chinese culture, because she is a vegetarian.
She learnt the basic necessities, which were to say, "Hello", "how are you", "thank you" and "you are welcome". The Jamaican girl said she had no issues with getting along with fellow contestants, although not all contestants got along with each other.
Her stay in China spanned November 2 to December 2; however, she said she would not live in China because, "It is not home." Yendi said a stark resemblance of communism in China is a major reason behind her sentiment.
Regarding her future, though she was "iffy" she gave YardFlex enough
reason to look out for a possible entry to the Miss Universe competition.