Shrinking violet no more

Sarah Geronimo is a welcome addition to ABS-CBN’s pool of talented young artists.

Plucked out of anonymity, she has become an instant celebrity after topping Star for a Night she is now basking in the glow of pop fame.

Her debut album under Viva Records has turned double platinum (a major feat for a showbiz neophyte), and her first major concert at the Music Museum held in October last year was so successful Viva Concerts had to stage a repeat to accommodate the overflowing crowd of concert goers raring to see what the singing phenomenon had to offer.

As if this isn’t enough, Sarah tried her hand in acting and was part of the cast of two Metro Manila Filmfest entries last December, Captain Barbell and Filipinas. She is also cast in Jolina Magdangal’s soon-to-be-shown Annie Batungbakal, playing Jolina’s younger sister.

"I have work almost everyday," Sarah confirms.

But don’t get her wrong. She’d be the last to complain about her super-hectic schedule. Although she is losing sleep and skipping classes to meet all her showbiz commitments, Sarah remains undaunted. She knows such breaks don’t come everyday so she is not about to squander her good fortune. The girl is working doubly hard to fulfill all her commitments.

"Once in a lifetime lang po ito and I’m very happy for all the opportunities that are coming my way," says Sarah.

Indeed, a lot has changed for this girl. Since turning pro, Sarah has noticed a distinct change in her personality.

"People say the real me is so different from the Sarah onstage," she explains. "When I’m singing. I can be so confident. In real life, I am still very shy. Now, I’m slowly learning to talk to people. Before I used to just keep quiet in one corner."

Now she’s a regular chatterbox who can do four interviews in one night like a seasoned celebrity. Only 15 years young, she can still be giggly and gregarious at times but can also be earnest, if needed. In fact, she becomes introspective every time talk turns to her family and her dream of providing a bright future for them.

"It’s not true that my parents forced me to work," Sarah elaborates. "I really love to sing. And if that can be a way to improve our lives, bakit naman po hindi ko gagawin di ba? Very few people are given a wonderful chance like this so why waste it?"

Her family serves as Sarah’s inspiration. On the night she bagged the Star for A Night championship, she looked out into the audience, among the sea of faces in front of her, searching for her parents and three siblings.

"Seeing my mom cry made me cry even more," she recalls. "I remembered all my experiences – good and bad. All the hardships."

She looked back to those times she felt rejected, like that incident when she competed in a neighborhood contest only to be disqualified because she was deemed "too good, a professional."

But Sarah held on to her dreams and never gave up.

(Sarah, together with Star in A Million champion Erik Santos just guested in Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid’s first back-to-back concert at the Araneta Coliseum titled The Songbird and the Songwriter. The concert will have a repeat on March 12 also at the Araneta Coliseum. On Feb. 27, Erik will join Sarah again at the Aliw Theater in the show billed as Sarah… To Love Her More along with other guests, Mark Bautista and Jay R).

Chemical Engineers Convention

The Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) UP Diliman Chapter together with JGC Philippines, Inc. will hold the 2004 Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers National Convention, E4 in 2004: Challenges for the Chemical Engineers from Feb. 19 to 21 at Dusit Hotel Nikko in Makati City.

The three-day affair will feature advancement and opportunities in chemical engineering, with a commitment towards environment, energy, education and entrepreneurship.

For inquiries, call Baby Anota at tel. no. 890-1583 or 0919-2549191 or e-mail [email protected]