Sunshine & smiles

Bianca Gonzalez, the latest recruit in the Pink Soda bevy of beauties, is as effervescent as the clothing company she is endorsing. Shooting the breeze with Bianca, on a lazy siesta afternoon in Puerto del Sol resort in Pangasinan, you get the distinct impression that the girl is the real thing. The genuine article.

She’s all-natural. An effortless beauty. That much was expressed by veteran fashion photographer Jun de Leon, who lauds today’s batch of models for being able to juggle studies and career, without sacrificing one for the other. Just like Bianca.

A senior at the Ateneo de Manila University (majoring in Communication Arts and minoring in Philosophy), Bianca is a typical coed, who just happens to be a model and host on the side. She is now part of Y Speak, a youth-oriented debate type of show that pits her with Ryan Agoncillo that will be aired on ABS-CBN 2. She is also busy with her stint as guest co-host in Review Night on Cinema One also with Ryan.

She is also a GJ (Game Jock) for Game Channel Extreme aired on ABC 5 and an E-Pal (Entertainment Pal) for the daily news parody show Wazzup Wazzup on Studio 23. She also does part-time work as a brainstormer/budding scriptwriter for ABS-CBN 2. She acknowledges that her work has bestowed on her countless lessons.

"A lot," she pipes in. "It has taught me a lot. The number one thing for me is time management. It has taught me to budget my time. To set my priorities. Of course, schooling is my priority."

She has been through the wringer, so to speak. "I’ve experienced being in a shoot the whole night and having an exam the following day," she volunteers. The pressure was unbearable. That was why she learned to "study way ahead. To plan. Not to cram."

Working at an early age has also taught her a lot about "money management." "When I started earning (appearing in commercial for Pantene, Coca-Cola, Kotex and Globe Gentxt), I realized the value of money," she asserts. "How hard it is to earn. I know that money is good in this business, but rakets are hard to come by. So you really learn how to save, to work hard for your money, and to spend it wisely. Now, I really appreciate my earnings."

She sounds very much like a girl with a good head on her shoulders. Modeling, she remarks, has also trained her to be very particular about rules and punctuality.

"Professionalism," she attests. "To be always on time. You really have to follow a schedule. Discipline. You really have to maintain a healthy lifestyle." Truth be told, call time for the Pink Soda shoot was 5:30 a.m. and she arrived at the meeting place, all revved up and psyched up, 30 minutes earlier.

By following a healthy lifestyle, she means eschewing late nights, too much partying, and other needless, harmful vices. Although she is too busy to work out, she used to indulge in a slew of sporting activities. Like a true Piscean, she is partial to swimming and scuba diving. She also plays an occasional round of badminton and table tennis.

"Dancing is my passion, however, she shares. "When I was in high school, I took up cheer dancing. But in college, I enrolled in street dancing classes." Aside from leading a healthful and active lifestyle, modeling has also inspired her to take part in the womanly sport of shopping.

"When I shop, I’m not the type who’d go out with a goal in mind," she explains. "Even if I’ve been out browsing and malling the whole day, if I don’t find anything I like, I won’t force it." But when the mood strikes her, she can be quite a shopaholic. "Shop till I drop," she admits. But then again, she can also be quite thrifty. "Sometimes I would find a P300 top too expensive," she elaborates. "But if I really like it, I don’t have qualms about buying a P800 top. It really depends on my moods. "

One thing’s certain, though, "I like stumbling on surprises when I am out shopping." One such pleasant surprise hit her when she visited a Pink Soda shop for her first-ever fitting. "Unlike other clothing labels that are either too young or too mature, Pink Soda is just right," she beams. "It’s perfect for my age. And the clothes are also very fun. I like their colors and styles. They’re very playful. They know how to play around with prints and colors. And they offer a variety of styles. A variety of looks. They have nice colorful shirts and also cute striped tops."

A personal favorite is the label’s cloth pants. "They’re so cool and comfy," she points out. If she were to describe her own fashion style, she would call it "laidback with a twist. I’m very, very casual," she clarifies. "I’m not heavily into accessorizing. I don’t like wearing earrings and bangles. But I like mixing and matching tops and bottoms."

A true fashion maverick, she wouldn’t think twice about pairing sleeveless tops with flip-flops or long-sleeved shirts with Chuck Taylors (high-cut Converse footwear). Her fashion icons exude the same independent spirit in sartorial matters. She looks up to model Angel Jacob for her "versatility and elegance," US-based fashion stylist Faith Uy for her "eclecticism and derring-do," and of course she admires Carrie Bradshaw a.k.a. Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City fame.

"I wouldn’t dare say that Carrie’s style is for me or I can pull it off, but I really love it," she affirms, "because she is adventurous and she strives to make each new look uniquely her own." That is her advice to other young girls still looking for and forming their own fashion philosophy. "Don’t give in to trends," she counsels wisely. "Don’t buy something just because it’s the fad. Just wear whatever is comfortable for you and try to come up with your signature look. If you think you look good in it and if it makes you feel good, then by all means wear it!"

Spoken like a true-blue Pink Soda lady.