What keeps Janice smiling

MANILA, Philippines - Janice de Belen is starting 2011 right as part of the new soap Dwarfina as GMA 7’s first telefantasya offering this year.

“This should be a better year. I really think we should always be hopeful about it, and not think of it to be tough because it will only bring us down,” she says.

What makes her seem so happy? Does she have a new love life?

“(Laughs) Love life? That’s the corniest topic for me. Interesting and corny. Corny because there’s none, as in none. Wala ngang naniniwala sa akin e. People kasi are always under the impression that when you’re single, your life is gloomy.”

Well, it doesn’t work that way for Janice, “because your own happiness should not come from anybody else. It has to be from within you and what you love to do,” she clarifies since she’s been so single for a long time and it’s not because she’s become jaded and traumatized about falling in love again.

“You know, I’m still alive, okey pa ako. (And) wala namang nanliligaw sa akin e, (laughs again). Iba na ang theory ko ngayon, ‘you don’t look for love, it’s gotta find you.’ So even if I live under a rock, even if I live in Dwarfina’s house, if it’s meant for me it’s gonna find me,” jokes Janice.

This bright disposition makes it extremely different from the troubled Janice many years back. Now, she’s focusing more on the things that matter a lot to her — aside from her family, of course — like acting and hosting.

And for that, Janice is thankful to be part of the newest primetime soap and play another mother role to Heart Evangelista’s character this time. Dwarfina is her fifth show for GMA 7 after she hosted Sis with Carmina Villarroel and Gelli de Belen and starred in Darna and Endless Love. Dwarfina is about a magical adventure of a girl barely the size of a finger and how she finds her place in the mortal and the supernatural world. Heart and Dennis Trillo lead the cast. The newest TV soap airs weeknights after 24 Oras.

The soap finds Janice doing drama again. “Yes, I must agree. I realized after not doing it for a long time, na-miss ko ang umarte. I really do.”

Janice is grateful to GMA for always giving her projects considering that she got no contract at all with them.

 “I think I should be flattered because that means they (GMA Network) trust me to do a good job. I’m happy na tuloy tuloy naman.”

Being a showbiz property, it’s always been a question to moms like Janice if she wants her children to enter in this business. Is it okay for her to let her kids try acting?

“There is a part of me na ayaw because artista na ang mga magulang nila e. If I can choose for my children sana wag nalang sila mag-artista. Kaya lang, I can only say that while they’re young. When they’re older siguro, ’pag graduate na sila sa school. Para sa akin kung talagang gusto nila, after college nalang. Because I always want them to remember na ang pag-aartista is not forever. There will always be somebody better, somebody younger, somebody prettier.

“Alam ko rin kasi ang hirap na pinagdaanan ko. You know those who enter show business think being an artista is so simple because of what they see sa fame, fortune, glitter and glamour. However, it (being artista) mars an easy life also because the first thing that you commit and give is your own privacy, right? Di kana pwedeng lumabas na pag lumabas ka magagawa mo na ang gusto mo. Wala e. It’s part of the whole package,” she notifies.

Aside from having a new soap, the PMPC awardee considers hosting a talk-cum-cooking show in another network so meaningful to her. “Nagagawa ko pa rin yung hosting yun nga lang it’s in a different network. And it’s not just hosting. It’s also cooking which I love to do. And I really have fun doing it because I get to do something I love, I get to know the people na na-guest ko,” Janice reveals.

And what keeps her busy when she’s off from acting and hosting?

“I accept homemade orders of cookies. You know, a lot of people are asking me why I shouldn’t put up a food-based business but then I always tell them that I’m not a risk-taker when it comes to that. Ang daling isipin, ang sarap isipin but when it comes to application, it’s the hardest part,” she explains.

Even up to now since the time she graduated with a Diploma in Culinary Arts in 2009, Janice wills to attend (minor) classes again.

“Kasi ang dami pa ring nagbabago sa food industry that you need to know about if you want to push harder.”

Certainly, Janice must be looking forward to a year-long happiness and endless blessings.