Swatch Up with Sarah Meier
December 13, 2001 | 12:00am
MTV VJ and new Swatch girl Sarah Meier is definitely not your typical kind of gal. Let’s start with the obvious. At only 20, she already towers at 5’11". That’s already enough reason for people to notice her. But of course, Sarah’s not all long legs, you know.
Add a dash of projection, boom, she’s a supermodel. Put in a pinch of wit, voila, she’s a VJ. Pepper it with some animation and spunk-filled attitude, pow, she’s a youth idol.
It was natural for Sarah Meier to model. Her mom, Elektrika, was once a very popular international model herself. Infuse some European blood, and you’ve got a girl who’s Eurasian looking, tall, and one of Manila’s best models.
Let’s get to know the gal better – how she got her MTV stint, the score between her and Borgy Manotoc, and why she’s the latest time teller for Swatch.
YOUNG STAR: How did you get started?
SARAH MEIER: My very first modeling job was when I was four years old. It was in Hong Kong. I was a fitting model for Esprit. At five, I started doing fashion shows that my mom was directing in Hong Kong. And then when I came here at 10, people started asking me to go to VTRs. I never really took it seriously. It’s just something that I’d do on weekends. At 13, I got my first editorial job for a magazine. After my first two commercials, I stopped going to VTRs and it just kinda rolled on from there. People would notice me during fashion shows because I was tall, and it just all snowballed.
How did you get the MTV job?
I was hosting the Ford Supermodel of the World contest and then Love Andaya, the event production manager, was in the crowd. The next thing I knew they called CalCarrie’s to ask me to come over to the Peninsula to meet the vice president of MTV from Singapore since he was here. And so I went in and I met with them and they asked me to come in for a screen test. I did. And then when I was in Singapore, they asked me to come in again for another audition and then that audition they ended up airing on TV.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What spare time?
Okay, what’s your typical day like then?
I make it a point to try and eat out every day. Somewhere new. But that gets really hard in Manila. But yeah, I’m always out eating with my friends.
Aren’t you a bit thin for someone who eats out every day?
I love food. That’s the only thing that I can do that doesn’t really take that much of an effort to plan not like going out of town or whatever. It gives the same amount of laid-back quality time with the people I’m with. It’s usually last minute. We’ll be in the car and we’re like, "Hey let’s go eat. Let’s go somewhere quiet." We always end up having fun. There are times, however, we just end up in Subic or somewhere like the beach, riding horses and sailing boats.
Spontaneous fun?
Spontaneous, extremely. Well, with the schedule I keep, I don’t have much choice. Sometimes they tell me I’m going to Singapore two days before, sometimes even the night before. Or like, "Hey your ticket’s on the way!" And I ask, "Where am I going?" They say, "Singapore tomorrow morning." So it’s really a last-minute thing.
You’re a party animal, right?
I don’t go out so much anymore because I’m just tired of it all. It started hitting me about how much people really do talk and I don’t like it. I feel like it’s holding me down. It used to hold me down so I stopped. I’ve got a whole set of friends that don’t exactly enjoy going out that much. We’re all quiet. We all just stay home and just play cards and drink by ourselves and have fun. I try to read as much as I can but I haven’t had the time to lately. I actually took my brother out and played basketball for the first time in like four years last weekend. I only have one brother. He’s 13.
Is he starting to model also?
No. I highly doubt he’s gonna get into it. It’s not his thing.
By the way, how’s Borgy?
Oh my God! Where did that come from?
Well, it’s just you guys were often seen together a lot out.
He’s okay. He’s far, far away.
Where is he now?
In San Diego for school.
So it’s a long-distance thing?
It’s a very high phone bill. Seriously!
Then there is a long-distance thing?
You know what, it was weird because, before my whole thing was like, okay my boyfriend has to be taller and then I had a shorter boyfriend. Then after that, it was like okay all my boyfriends have to be older.
Borgy’s 18, right?
Yes. So, I don’t know. I’m sick and tired of setting standards for myself or setting requirements or rules.
What’s your type?
Well, it’s like, after every person I get involved with, my type changes because I know what I want and I know what I don’t want anymore. They’ve gotta have balance in life. They’ve gotta be able to try anything at least once. You know, keep an open mind, be intellectual because some of the guys these days are just one-track minded – cars, PlayStation, you know what I mean. It’s just not me. That’s not my thing. I mean, I can spend a nice quiet night in his house or whatever. But if he’s stuck to the Play Station, my God, I’m outta there! He’s gotta be able to open my eyes and make me try things that I never thought of trying before. I’m not the most athletic person in the world but if a guy can get me to go out and play a tennis game, that’s a plus. If he appreciates music, that’s a plus. They just have to be light-hearted and open-minded.
Is Borgy like that?
I mean, Borgy, not necessarily as a boyfriend or whatever, but as a best friend, he’s an amazing person because he’s extremely sporty. He plays probably every single sport ever created and he’s good at all of them. He’s an artist, he plays the saxophone – things like that. There are some things about him that not many people know but he can do it all. He could be whatever he wanted to be. Like if he put his mind to it, he could probably get into anything. That’s what I love about him. He’s a great guy.
How did you guys become close?
Can we not talk about him like he’s my boyfriend? Because seriously when I think about him, he’s really more of a best friend than anything else. That comes first. So when people ask me about him, it’s just like, "Oh yeah whatever, you know." But, yes the kilig factor is still there. I miss him. I have to be honest, there was attraction at first sight but, I dunno, I don’t want to talk about it.
What’s the most romantic thing he’s done for you?
We didn’t have that much time together before he left so it has never really been one big thing. You have to understand who he is and how he is and then when he starts making sacrifices and you know little things that may not come across as super sweet to other people but you understand that for Borgy this is a big thing. For him to cry, for him to laugh, for him to open up and just basically trust you with all his heart. He’s a very carefree person but when you really get to know who he really is like who Borgy really is and understand where he’s coming from and how he really does not know anything about his grandfather or his
family’s life before. When you see how he’s just completely his own person.
How about turn-offs?
Arrogance. False sense of pride. That’s about it. Those two things because after that everything branches off and then guys get major issues and hang-ups.
What’s the wildest thing a guy has done to catch your attention?
If they tried, I probably didn’t notice – knowing me.
Who do you think is the sexiest guy alive and why?
Borgy Manotoc.
Define sexy.
Knowing where you stand in life and making the most out of it. Knowing your capabilities and just not letting your insecurities or your downfalls get the best of you but just making the most of what you have. If you ask me the sexiest guy alive, I’d have to get to know him first because sexy for me isn’t a physical thing.
What’s your staple? Name a couple of things that you can’t do without.
My sneakers, jeans and a tank top. You can’t go wrong with that. I show up at semi-formal events dressed like that. I’m abrupt. I never follow the dress requirements.
Add a dash of projection, boom, she’s a supermodel. Put in a pinch of wit, voila, she’s a VJ. Pepper it with some animation and spunk-filled attitude, pow, she’s a youth idol.
It was natural for Sarah Meier to model. Her mom, Elektrika, was once a very popular international model herself. Infuse some European blood, and you’ve got a girl who’s Eurasian looking, tall, and one of Manila’s best models.
Let’s get to know the gal better – how she got her MTV stint, the score between her and Borgy Manotoc, and why she’s the latest time teller for Swatch.
YOUNG STAR: How did you get started?
SARAH MEIER: My very first modeling job was when I was four years old. It was in Hong Kong. I was a fitting model for Esprit. At five, I started doing fashion shows that my mom was directing in Hong Kong. And then when I came here at 10, people started asking me to go to VTRs. I never really took it seriously. It’s just something that I’d do on weekends. At 13, I got my first editorial job for a magazine. After my first two commercials, I stopped going to VTRs and it just kinda rolled on from there. People would notice me during fashion shows because I was tall, and it just all snowballed.
How did you get the MTV job?
I was hosting the Ford Supermodel of the World contest and then Love Andaya, the event production manager, was in the crowd. The next thing I knew they called CalCarrie’s to ask me to come over to the Peninsula to meet the vice president of MTV from Singapore since he was here. And so I went in and I met with them and they asked me to come in for a screen test. I did. And then when I was in Singapore, they asked me to come in again for another audition and then that audition they ended up airing on TV.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What spare time?
Okay, what’s your typical day like then?
I make it a point to try and eat out every day. Somewhere new. But that gets really hard in Manila. But yeah, I’m always out eating with my friends.
Aren’t you a bit thin for someone who eats out every day?
I love food. That’s the only thing that I can do that doesn’t really take that much of an effort to plan not like going out of town or whatever. It gives the same amount of laid-back quality time with the people I’m with. It’s usually last minute. We’ll be in the car and we’re like, "Hey let’s go eat. Let’s go somewhere quiet." We always end up having fun. There are times, however, we just end up in Subic or somewhere like the beach, riding horses and sailing boats.
Spontaneous fun?
Spontaneous, extremely. Well, with the schedule I keep, I don’t have much choice. Sometimes they tell me I’m going to Singapore two days before, sometimes even the night before. Or like, "Hey your ticket’s on the way!" And I ask, "Where am I going?" They say, "Singapore tomorrow morning." So it’s really a last-minute thing.
You’re a party animal, right?
I don’t go out so much anymore because I’m just tired of it all. It started hitting me about how much people really do talk and I don’t like it. I feel like it’s holding me down. It used to hold me down so I stopped. I’ve got a whole set of friends that don’t exactly enjoy going out that much. We’re all quiet. We all just stay home and just play cards and drink by ourselves and have fun. I try to read as much as I can but I haven’t had the time to lately. I actually took my brother out and played basketball for the first time in like four years last weekend. I only have one brother. He’s 13.
Is he starting to model also?
No. I highly doubt he’s gonna get into it. It’s not his thing.
By the way, how’s Borgy?
Oh my God! Where did that come from?
Well, it’s just you guys were often seen together a lot out.
He’s okay. He’s far, far away.
Where is he now?
In San Diego for school.
So it’s a long-distance thing?
It’s a very high phone bill. Seriously!
Then there is a long-distance thing?
You know what, it was weird because, before my whole thing was like, okay my boyfriend has to be taller and then I had a shorter boyfriend. Then after that, it was like okay all my boyfriends have to be older.
Borgy’s 18, right?
Yes. So, I don’t know. I’m sick and tired of setting standards for myself or setting requirements or rules.
What’s your type?
Well, it’s like, after every person I get involved with, my type changes because I know what I want and I know what I don’t want anymore. They’ve gotta have balance in life. They’ve gotta be able to try anything at least once. You know, keep an open mind, be intellectual because some of the guys these days are just one-track minded – cars, PlayStation, you know what I mean. It’s just not me. That’s not my thing. I mean, I can spend a nice quiet night in his house or whatever. But if he’s stuck to the Play Station, my God, I’m outta there! He’s gotta be able to open my eyes and make me try things that I never thought of trying before. I’m not the most athletic person in the world but if a guy can get me to go out and play a tennis game, that’s a plus. If he appreciates music, that’s a plus. They just have to be light-hearted and open-minded.
Is Borgy like that?
I mean, Borgy, not necessarily as a boyfriend or whatever, but as a best friend, he’s an amazing person because he’s extremely sporty. He plays probably every single sport ever created and he’s good at all of them. He’s an artist, he plays the saxophone – things like that. There are some things about him that not many people know but he can do it all. He could be whatever he wanted to be. Like if he put his mind to it, he could probably get into anything. That’s what I love about him. He’s a great guy.
How did you guys become close?
Can we not talk about him like he’s my boyfriend? Because seriously when I think about him, he’s really more of a best friend than anything else. That comes first. So when people ask me about him, it’s just like, "Oh yeah whatever, you know." But, yes the kilig factor is still there. I miss him. I have to be honest, there was attraction at first sight but, I dunno, I don’t want to talk about it.
What’s the most romantic thing he’s done for you?
We didn’t have that much time together before he left so it has never really been one big thing. You have to understand who he is and how he is and then when he starts making sacrifices and you know little things that may not come across as super sweet to other people but you understand that for Borgy this is a big thing. For him to cry, for him to laugh, for him to open up and just basically trust you with all his heart. He’s a very carefree person but when you really get to know who he really is like who Borgy really is and understand where he’s coming from and how he really does not know anything about his grandfather or his
family’s life before. When you see how he’s just completely his own person.
How about turn-offs?
Arrogance. False sense of pride. That’s about it. Those two things because after that everything branches off and then guys get major issues and hang-ups.
What’s the wildest thing a guy has done to catch your attention?
If they tried, I probably didn’t notice – knowing me.
Who do you think is the sexiest guy alive and why?
Borgy Manotoc.
Define sexy.
Knowing where you stand in life and making the most out of it. Knowing your capabilities and just not letting your insecurities or your downfalls get the best of you but just making the most of what you have. If you ask me the sexiest guy alive, I’d have to get to know him first because sexy for me isn’t a physical thing.
What’s your staple? Name a couple of things that you can’t do without.
My sneakers, jeans and a tank top. You can’t go wrong with that. I show up at semi-formal events dressed like that. I’m abrupt. I never follow the dress requirements.
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