Rima Ostwani ready to enter showbiz

At 24, Rima Ostwani has a lot of things going for her.

Born to a Spanish-German mother and a Syrian father, Rima is gifted with very pretty Middle Eastern features and small, slender frame so very hard to ignore in show business. The name Rima is Middle Eastern for “the eyes of the deer.”

Her very impressive and extensive resume will tell you Rima means serious business, and she’s too smart to handle. She’s done the debate team and school paper in high school. She was president of her high school student government and member of the student council in college (she’s a graduate of the De La Salle University Manila). Rima attended leadership courses during and after college and even taught French. She can easily be mistaken for one of those school geeks, albeit hot.

Aside from Tagalog, Rima can speak four foreign languages: English, Spanish, French and Arabic.

“I was schooled formally in Arabic and French. We speak English at home. While I learned Spanish informally from my mom,” explained Rima.

Rima could easily be an actress. But as she admitted several times in various interviews, her acting chops leave something to be desired.

“Acting is for a certain kind of people,” said Rima. “And I don’t think I’m fit to be an actress so I don’t find myself interested in acting. It looks easy on TV but in my case, you have to put me in tons of workshops for me to learn how to act.”

Not even dating current beau, Diether Ocampo, has convinced her to try acting. Rima prefers to host and do commercial shoots.

“I want to host lifestyle shows since I have a background in retail,” said Rima. “I love talking a lot. In fact, I was in the debate team in high school and I was also a member of the student council. I can discuss anything, everything under the sun. I can gel with any group. I can talk to anyone. I have a very cheery personality and I am very friendly. Hindi ako maarte. I may be makikay but I can be very cowboy, too.”

Rima would also prefer it if members of the press distinguish her from her boyfriend, Diet. They have been dating for more than a year now.

“Rima is Rima, Diether is Diether,” stressed Rima. “I have my own identity and we both have our own thing.”

According to Rima, their relationship started because of kids. Rima apparently loves kids that when she found out Diet is into this advocacy promoting the welfare and future of the kids today, she was hooked.

“When I first met him (Diether), the first thing he told me was ‘I have this foundation. It’s about children.’ That’s when I realized that he wasn’t just an actor. He had me when he told me he has this social cause,” fondly recalled Rima. “Children’s causes are a passion we both share.”

Rima added she wanted to follow in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie if given a chance.

“I want to be a diplomat or work for the UN (United Nations) someday,” revealed Rima.

Until that day, Rima is dedicating all her energies to Diether’s K.I.D.S Foundation. She hopes someday, the charity organization will go global.

By profession, Rima is a personal shopper at one of the major department stores in the country. She basically handles VIP clients, personally attending to their every whim and fancy.

“I love doing retail because it is very related to fashion,” said Rima. “It’s very much like hosting and modeling. They move in the same circle. The people who are involved in the fashion industry are also involved in designing fashion.”

Rima may be very specific in what she wants to do in showbiz, but she maintains she’s not closing her doors to opportunities that may come her way. Even if that includes acting. But until now, she prefers to host and do commercial endorsements.

How ready is she to face the whirlwind world of the entertainment industry?

“Intrigues are inevitable (here),” said Rima. “Dating Diether has made me realize that it’s very easy to be stripped of your privacy in this kind of world. It’s something I had to learn to adjust to. Ngayon, I’m used to it na.”

Rima has also learned how to cope with showbiz intrigues by avoiding them altogether. For example, she prefers not to watch the hit primetime soap, Rubi, wherein Diet has a hot, saucy romance with Angelica Panganiban.

“I hear a lot about what happens in the show from my staff and friends,” confessed Rima. “I just choose not to watch. Full support lang ako. I mean, how would you feel if you see your boyfriend kissing someone else?”

Rima believes that keeping a positive outlook and not trying to please everyone will also help her get through show business.

“You cannot please everyone and everybody is entitled to his/her own opinion.”