"It’s gotten to a point that showbiz is just work for me. Natuto na rin ako. I love my work but there are more important things. But if I have to choose, mas priotity na talaga ang personal life ko."
That was Aiza Seguerra’s answer during a brief interview I did with her during the taping for OK Fine.
I was surprised to hear such a statement from somebody who I thought considered showbiz her life.
I was expecting more of an "I will try to balance everything" type of answer. Aiza, as we all know, has been in this business ever since she was a child.
We’ve seen her grow into the strong person that she is now. She and I are almost the same age.
She’s only a couple of years older than I. I can still remember wanting to join Little Miss Philippines on Eat, Bulaga! when I saw her on it.
I totally adored her. She was such a smart little girl.
Ever since I left for the States, I wasn’t able to keep track of what she was doing in her career. But when I got back here, I found her to be more famous and more popular than she ever was.
She has captured the public with her beautiful voice.
To tell you the truth, I was very nervous to approach her at first because I really had no idea how she was as a person.
This was only the second time I saw her in person. I even asked my manager, our executive producer of OK Fine, and another columnist to give me some tips on what questions to ask her.
They just told me to approach her, introduce myself, and simply ask her politely. They even told me not to be scared because Aiza was a nice person, and they were right.
Aiza was very friendly. I was so embarrassed to have kept her a few minutes after the taping, but she was very nice about it.
The first thing I asked her was what was new with her life and how she was doing now.
"I’m enjoying life," she said. "Happy ako mga panahong ito."
As far as her career is concerned, she said that she never really make plans; she just lets things flow.
Aiza currently has a "special friend" who was with her during the taping. Yes, she’s another girl.
"We don’t give each other material things. We’re always there for each other; she’s there for me, I’m there for her. Kahit sa mga times na medyo mabigat yung problema namin, nagdadamayan kami. She never left me."
What a nice relationship! She even dedicated the song You Make Me Smile to her special someone. Wow! That must be love.
Speaking of love, I wonder, what has Aiza learned? It took her a while to answer.
"Kasi nung bata pa ako, I thought that love or relationships was, you know, all about faith. But ngayon na nagma-mature ako, I realized that life and everything is how you make it.
"Kumbaga, everything is your choice, eh. Kahit hindi laging okay, it’s still your choice whether or not to stay with that person, accepting her faults and vice-versa."
I didn’t really want to go any deeper into the subject of love, so I asked Aiza what her fears are.
"Manok! Takot ako sa manok!"
But seriously speaking, she told me that she’s afraid to lose her special someone. She added that she was also scared that she might experience as much pain as the happiness that she is expriencing now.
I totally agree with her, because I feel the same way at the moment (although, I don’t know about the manok thing, he he he).
That was cute though. I found out that Aiza is really a very nice person. She said that she likes to be remembered as somebody who made a lot of people happy.
I don’t think she’ll have a problem on that score because that’s what she has been doing ever since she was small.
In one word, how would she describe herself?
"Simple," she said.
She’s right. Away from the lime light, Aiza is really simple and down-to-earth.
(You can e-mail me at julianapalermo785@yahoo.com)