Time is on his side

Time is a strange thing. It can be cruel to some and kind to others. Notice how when there is nothing for you to do except stare at the computer, every minute feels like a whole hour. However, on days when there are 101 things on your to-do list, 24 seems like a mere 30 minutes. There are around a million quotes on time and another million songs about it. Some say time is a friend and many claim that it is a fiend.

"Time is precious. It is everything you need to start your day right. I don't want to sound corny e!" begins actor, recording artist and Timex image model Piolo Pascual. His good looks, talent and professionalism (he proudly shares that he always arrives for shoots or meetings on time) make him the ideal face for the many print ads of Timex alongside fellow endorsers Claudine Barreto and Marc Nelson. "I like Timex because the designs are modern, I can use them for all occasions. My favorite Timex watches are the Ironman, Reef Gear and watches with indiglo. I bring at least two Timex watches with me when I do ASAP," he says.

For someone whose schedule is packed all year, Piolo has mastered the art of time management. He always carries a schedule of his shoots, tours and shows for the next few months, all plotted on sheets of paper. The schedule resembles a perfectly drawn blueprint to a large house. "Right now my time is devoted to meeting the movie deadline (Milan, in which he stars with Claudine Barretto), finishing my second album (My Gift), doing mini shows and preparing for a new soap and upcoming tours," he explains. Admittedly, Piolo is a workaholic. His two-week leave every Christmas is considered to be the longest vacation he gets during the year. He gets up as early as 5 or 6 a.m. to go to a shoot, which will probably end the next day. During summer, while everyone else is making plans to leave town, Piolo is usually out doing shows left and right. "Every year is different. I can't really single out one summer. If I recall right, I spent last summer touring with the Hunks. The summers I enjoy the most are those I spend with family." And during the very rare times that Piolo's schedule is not as tight as it usually is, he shares, "I would spend the perfect hour sleeping, making calls and doing proper time management. Getting everything right, setting schedules. I'm a workaholic. At 27, I don't see myself slowing down till I'm about 40. Work is a part of my leisure time."

As an actor, Piolo has proven himself to be one of the most promising talents as his performance in Dekada '70 earned for him the Gawad Urian Grandslam Award. "It was, to date, the biggest surprise of my life," Piolo comments. He has also become an established recording artist. Having just recently completed his second album My Gift, Piolo explains, "I like listening to all types of music. I listen to New Age, R&B, trance, ballads and my album, of course. I used to write songs also but now I don't have much time. I also wanted to be part of a band before. My latest album's cover song is `The Gift' which is the theme song to Milan. We shot the video of this song in New York when I was there." He then went on to discuss early plans for his first major concert sometime this year. As a TV host and product endorser, Piolo shares, "Now is the best time of my life. I think I'm at my prime. I am able to do the things that I've always wanted to do-music, acting and endorsing. I'm savoring everything that's been happening to me and I'm grateful that things seem to keep getting better." After years in the entertainment industry, he now finds himself rewarded for the hard work he's had to put in to make it big in the business. "In the last five years, I have gone through so much in my life. I think it was in 1998 that my adult life began. I've become a more responsible person and more dedicated to my work." Films, TV shows, a major concert and a career that is still on the rise-for Piolo Pascual, 27, actor, singer and Timex image model, time has, so far, been on his side.