Body Talk with Joyce Jimenez

Back in circulation after tucking up a degree in Business Administration (major in Marketing) with honors from the Griffith University in Gold Coast, Australia, Joyce Jimenez is again highly-visible, larger-than-life in huge billboards proclaiming her an endorser of Smart Lipo for The Belo Medical Group.

"Have I undergone lipo?" asked Joyce. "Yes, smart lipo on my arms and light lipo on my tummy."

That’s about the only parts of her body Joyce has allowed to be enhanced — so far.

Still virtually the Pantasya ng Bayan that she was known after she bared all, leaving not a stitch to the imagination, in Viva Films’ Scorpio Nights 2, Joyce has maintained her "pantasya" figure. She stands 5’2", weighs 102 lbs., measures 35-24-35, and wears x-small shirt and size-6.5 shoes.

"What am I busy with besides being a Belo endorser? Well, I’m putting to good use my college degree. My line of Private Joyce lingerie is doing well in malls around Metro Manila. We’re launching new Private Joyce products — feminine-wash bar soap and new fragrances. I’m having a new show on Shop TV. I will still do sexy roles but I want to try different genres — you know, comedy, drama, even action."

How was your life as a student in Australia?

"I was domesticated. I didn’t have a car so I had to walk to the bus station every day. That’s a mile, going back and forth. And then, I would walk around in school, with my bagful of books, so it was as if I was walking with weights. My friends (four boys and a girl, all also from the Philippines) and I lived at the foot of a hill, so you can just imagine how much walking we had to do. That was a good workout."

How was your "student" diet?

"Well, I wasn’t working anymore, I wasn’t earning, so I had to live on a limited budget. Australia has a high standard of living; things, including food, are very expensive there. I ate mostly salads. Sometimes, I’d be so tired from school that all I’d take was soup. I ate regularly naman. We didn’t have maids, so we prepared our own food."

Ordinarily, what’s your food preference?

"I’m not a full vegetarian because I eat fish and chicken. I stay away from pork and beef. I love rellenong bangus and sinigang like miso with ulo ng salmon."

Your favorite fruit?

"Dragon fruit. And bananas."

And juice(es)?

"Buko juice."

How much water do you take?

"Because I have a problem with my throat, my doctor advised me to take as much as 16 glasses a day, but I can finish only 12. I don’t take soda."

Junk food?

"Nope! But I love taking bread and chips between meals. I take five small meals a day."

What do you usually have for breakfast?

"Bananas with cereals."

For lunch?

"Any kind of fish or chicken, with super-salads."

Vitamins and supplements?

"Circulan for blood circulation and to help me digest food well." (She’s a Circulan endorser, together with Gretchen Barretto, Christopher de Leon and Luis Manzano. — RFL) "I also take a certain oil to make my hair stronger and more shiny."

How much sleep do you get per night?

"Eight to 10 hours."

Favorite sleep wear?

"Private Joyce lingerie."

Last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

"I pray."

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

"Go on my computer."

How do you cope with stress?

"I work out. I sweat. I have aerobics DVDs and I play them as I work out at home. Or I go out with friends and maybe have a couple of drinks. The best thing to do when you’re stressed-out is not to think of your problems and just enjoy life. Many people are so engrossed in their problems that they forget to enjoy life. I try to gloss over the hardships and count my blessings."

How do you relax?

"I hang out with friends. We don’t even have to talk; we just be with ourselves. Or I watch movies in the movie house. The last movie I saw was Pursuit of Happyness. Or I listen to music, all types of music — Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, R ’n B, rock ‘n roll, everything! Or I read. The last book that I read was Five People You Meet in Heaven (by Mitch Albom)."

Favorite hideaway.

"Boracay. I’m a beach person, you know. It’s now such a crowded place so I go there during off season. I don’t go there for the nightlife or to hang out with my friends. I go there for the beach and to commune with nature."

Aren’t you, like most women, afraid of the sun?

"No, I’m not. But I see to it that before sunbathing, I apply sunblock. Too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer. I take very good care of my skin. I moisturize all the time."

Favorite city?

"Paris, definitely! It’s a beautiful and breathtaking city. When I was there, all I did was walk around and around. I was never tired; I was never bored."

What’s your outlook in life? Are you an optimist or a pessimist, a worrier?

"I think I’m a little bit of both. I can be a pessimist but I try hard to be an optimist. I’m a logical thinker. I worry a bit sometimes."

How’s your love life?

"I’m happy where I’m at right now...in all aspects of my life."

What part of your body is your favorite?

"My face, specifically my nose. I like my nose because it’s not perfect. I think that it’s the imperfections of people that give them character. I have a cleft nose and it makes me who I am, it makes me unique."

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

"My tummy. When I’m tired or stressed out, I get butterflies in my tummy and I lose my appetite."

And what part do you think needs some improvement?

"My height. But I don’t think I can do anything about it."

What part of a man’s body do you notice first?

"His height. And then his face."

Your favorite fantasy figure?

"Omigosh, Johnny Depp! He’s not guapong-guapo, he just has so much character. I can spend forever with him in Boracay!"

Name three men you think have nice bodies.

"Sam Milby, David Beckham and Djimon Hounsou (Leonardo DiCaprio’s co-star in Blood Diamond).

And three women...

"Halle Berry. Angelina Jolie. Juliana Palermo."

Using only body language, how would you make a man know that you admire him?

"Through subtle eye contact. I see to it that he knows."

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