Marriage becomes Dyan

Dyan Castillejo always fancied herself a free spirit. She traveled alone at 14, staying in Europe for six straight months for a tennis competition. She’s used to being responsible for herself alone, sleeping all by her lonesome, deciding for herself.

Years studying in Florida have taught her the independent American lifestyle, the kind that would get by with little help from relatives or the nice lady next door.

But wonder of wonders, Dyan discovered all this can take a backseat the minute she married businessman Anton Garcia. He was the guy she first fell in love with, and, one year into their marriage, the man she swears will be her last.

Dyan admits she hasn’t slept well for the past month that Anton has been in Los Angeles to start his business, E-2-Door.com, there. Absence has made her heart grow fonder as Dyan looks forward to joining Anton in the US this week, where they will be spending their first white Christmas as man and wife.

Marriage, says Dyan like a blushing bride, has wrought unbelievable changes in her body rhythm. She used to wake up late Saturdays, since the next day was usually a non-shooting day for her and her staff at the ABS-CBN weekly show Sports Unlimited (ABS-CBN, 11:45 p.m., Saturdays).

But since she married Anton, whose work demands that he keep more regular hours than she does (read: waking up early and ending the day earlier), Dyan has been up as early as 7 a.m. Saturdays. Amazing what love can do.

"Being married to the right man is a special blessing," Dyan, who tied the knot at a time when most Filipinas have already gotten married (read: over 30), says.

Dyan was not really on the lookout for a groom that time, content as she was with the way things were working like clockwork for her. But Anton returned to her life and tracked her down at ABS-CBN when she least expected it. Since then, it has been "a higher level of joy" for Dyan.

Anton has enriched her life in ways she cannot be more thankful for. He has given her advice on how to talk to people and tap the human side of things more.

People-oriented from the start, Dyan gravitates toward anything that has to do with human behavior.

"I like to learn about other people, naturally inquisitive as I am," she explains why she dreams of having another program, this time a talk show.

Her innate love for interviewing people, of reading about them and soaking up on knowledge fuels this talk show dream of hers.

Sports, Dyan’s burning passion, the reason why she first shot to fame, will always be there. Now that she has set aside competitive tennis, Dyan keeps in touch with that athletic side of her, through regular gym work.

Dyan hopes to take her obsession with physical fitness further by someday fulfilling another dream: a fully-equipped, high-tech gym tailor-fit for the needs of the tennis champion in her.

That competitive spirit lives on, this time where Sports Unlimited is concerned. The show Dyan hosts recently won the Australian "Ambassador’s Choice" first place award for Best Reporting on Australia. The award-winning episode was shot during the Sydney Olympics and featured the events surrounding the games.

This, and other outstanding episode Dyan is proud of will be shown on Dec. 30, when Sports Unlimited airs a "Best of" edition to cap the year.

Few people are as blessed with a happy marriage and a successful career life Dyan Castillejo is.

But she’s not resting on her laurels. Dyan wants to top her achievements in Sports Unlimited with even more engaging expeditions, this time to the North, whose rugged terrain makes it hard for TV crews to reach and make a lengthy feature on.

As for her marriage, Dyan first wants to get through the devoted wife stage before moving on to another: motherhood.

It’s one step a time for this go-getter who has surprised herself by mellowing down, courtesy of a marriage she couldn’t have enough of.