The former Millenia Institute student, now 23, was a frequent latecomer and used to be up to three hours late for her classes.

Nurul recalled: "A teacher, Mr Pillai, actually gave me his alarm clock so I would have no excuse to be late. I was that bad!"

It got so bad that she flunked school because of her tardiness and her rebelliousness. But all that is history.

In her current job, she started as a receptionist and is now an assistant auditor.

She blames nobody but herself for the past.

"My good habits are because of my parents' proper upbringing. The mischief was from me."

Nurul believes her best feature is her personality.

"I believe my personality will make me stand out in the competition."