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MELISSA PACE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 SEPTEMBER 2018 THE Q&A 2 BY MARIA PACE suggestions by email mpace@mediatoday.com.mt What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Usually I try to meditate for 10 to 15 mins first thing in the morning but if I'm late I usually start getting ready immediately. What is the best advice you've ever received? The best advice I have ever received and which I re- ceive quite often is not to let my struggles and fears get in the way of what I want to achieve. What do you never leave the house without? One thing I never leave the house without is my phone, I feel lost without it. Pick three words that describe yourself? Perseverant, self-disciplined and driven. What do you consider to be your greatest achieve- ment? Up till now my greatest achievement has to be grad- uating from University with a Bachelor of Commerce. What is your guiltiest pleasure? My guiltiest pleasure is food, more specifically the not-so-healthy food and desserts. Although I try to eat healthily as much as I can, occasionally I like to treat myself. What is the most important lesson life has taught you? The most important lesson life has thought me is perseverance. I strongly believe that no matter how many times you fail, if you keep trying, one way or another you are going to succeed. What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought? The most expensive thing I have ever bought is my phone. What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger? One thing I wish I knew when I was younger is that nothing lasts forever. You need to live in the present and cherish the good times, whilst holding tight dur- ing the not-so-good times as bad days will go by as well and things will eventually get better. Who's your inspiration? Why? I don't have one particular person who inspires me. I get inspired by people who keep on following their dreams despite the hurdles they find in their way, people who don't give up no matter how difficult their journey gets. What has been your biggest challenge? Why? I think that my biggest challenge has been learning how to stand up for myself. I feel that it is extremely important to stand for what you believe in and for what you feel is right. There were many times in my life where I knew things could have gone better if I spoke up, but I was either too shy or too afraid to say anything. Nowadays, thankfully I have managed to gain the courage and confidence to speak up when- ever I feel the need to. Do you believe in God? Yes, I do believe in God. I am a Roman Catholic, and although I am not perfect, I try to follow its teaching, I try to pray often and go to church every Sunday. If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be? I am going to mention two people whom I would have dinner with and they would be my Grandpa and Uncle who died young and whom I never had the chance of meeting. What's your worst habit? My worst habit is accidentally sleeping in and ending up being late. What are you like when you're drunk? It's very rare for me to get drunk as I don't enjoy excessive drinking. But it's either I get extremely happy and end up laughing for no reason or becom- ing extremely sad and ending up crying. Who would you have to play you in a film? I think I would choose Melissa McCarthy because apart from being an amazing actress and comedian, we share the same love for fashion as she is a fash- ion designer, plus we share the same name. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Two traits which I most deplore in others and which I feel go hand in hand is lying and being two-faced. What music would you have played at your funeral? I think I would choose classical music, for example Prelude No 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach. What is your most treasured material possession? I treasure all things which have a sentimental value to me, especially those things related to my child- hood. In particular, I have a doll which brings back a lot of memories. What is your earliest memory? I think one of my earliest memories is when my mum gave me a small children's make-up palette which I used all up in one. You can only imagine the work of art that was on my face. When did you last cry, and why? Yesterday, as I was watching an episode of the TV series I am currently binging on. Who would you most like to meet, Why? I would like to meet Amy Landino who has a Youtube channel. The main focus of her Youtube channel is to help and encourage people to go after the life they want. She posts a lot of motivational and pro- ductivity videos and I would love the opportunity to meet her and get to know her. What's your favourite food? My favourite food is hands down, Indian. I could definitely see myself eating it every day. Who's your favourite person on social media right now? My favourite person on social media right now would be Amy Landino, whom I have mentioned previously, who is a vlogger on Youtube. If you could travel in time, where would you go? I think I would travel to the past to get a glimpse of how life was back then. What book are you reading right now? I have just started reading Perfect Is Boring co-writ- ten by Tyra Banks and her mum Carolyn. If you could have any super power, what would it be? If I could have any super power, it would be mind reading. You never know exactly what someone is thinking or going through as a lot of things some- times are left unsaid. It would be amazing to be able to have a clear understanding of the person and maybe even make things better for them since you would know exactly what they would need. What's one thing you want to do before you die? One thing I want to do before I die is to leave a posi- tive impact in this world, to change people's lives for the better. What music are you listening to at the moment? At the moment I am listening to pop remixes and mashups. In the shower or when you're working out, what do you sing/listen to? As previously mentioned, I usually listen to remixes and mashups of pop songs. Occasionally, I also enjoy listening to classical music. What inspired you to start sharing your experiences and creating a fashion blog? It has been quite a long time since I wanted to start a fash- ion blog. Although I don't have an educational background in fashion, since I was a child I have always loved beauty and fashion. When I found out that I was going to attend this year's Malta Fashion Week, I got inspired and decided to take the plunge and start up my fashion blog as I thought that it would be a great kick-starter. 22-year-old Melissa Pace was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone condition which means she uses a wheelchair. Melissa hasn't let her condition stop her from living a good life, recently becoming a qualified auditor and fulfilling her dream of starting her own fashion and beauty social pages. Her online presence quickly rose to success this year, sharing her make-up, outfits, and inspiring everyone around her