ou may be the most beautiful, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get the job.

She's beautiful, spontaneous, and effortlessly charming. But behind her easy ‘n' breezy on-screen persona, MYX VJ Iya is a staunch and sensible girl who gets a good job done.

Long before Iya became a full-fledge VJ—a title that seems tailor-made for her, she was actually a GJ. A Game Jock, that is, for a show called Game Channel, aired on IBC 13.

“It was the first job I landed,” recalls the svelte 19-year-old, her voice deep and husky. “I got here in 2002 and started showbiz exactly a year after I arrived. That was awesome.”

Fresh from Sydney , Australia , it took her a whole year of auditioning and doing VTRs in Manila before she finally got her first break.

In fact, Cosmo girl that she is, Iya even had to pretend she knew how to speak Tagalog then, just so they'd consider her—never mind that her Australian accent was incredibly strong. “I'd have to repeat the same sentence like 10 times over for someone to understand what I was trying to say!” she laughs. When she got in as part of GMA-7s Click barkada , she says, “That ‘s when I began to say that I was really a part of showbiz.”

These days, however, Iya more than belongs to showbiz—she rules and rocks the boob tube as a spunky VJ for MYX, as a host in the noontime show Wowowee , and as a commercial model for big brands like Bench. All these she adroitly juggles school duties as a Psychology sophomore in De La Salle University, computer tutorials at the Asian Center for Science and Technology (ACSAT), and more TV appearances.

She was casted for movies like Beautiful Life and Aishite Imasu, roles that proved to be a challenge because she “hates crying.” She'll soon be starring in Exodus: Tale of the Enchanted Kingdom , with Bong Revilla . “I can say that I'm an artist,” Iya acknowledges, simply and steadily, “but I'm not a star.” With a twinkle in her eye, she adds: “I'm a moon. “I'm a sun!” That's Iya for you.

Who is the real Iya?

I'm quite wacky. However I am on MYX, that's how I am. It's the show where I get to be myself the most—wacky, fun, playful, crazy, bubbly.

Girls would kill for your kind of job. How do you feel about that?

I'm lucky because I knew how it was to want to be a part of it but not being given the chance. Now that I'm in it and I see all these other girls trying, I'd look at them and say, ‘Hey, I was like that once, too.'

So you've had your share of rejections?

A lot. I was even thinking of going back home to Australia . But I realized—you may be the most beautiful, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get the job. There is something that they're looking for. They just have preferences.

Did your Australian accent get in the way?

It was really heavy before. That's why I wasn't accepted into MYX [at first]. When they got me, I told them ‘Did you know that I auditioned?' they were like, ‘No way!' they looked for my audition tape and they were laughing at me—saying that my accent was strong and pangit ako dati (Laughs).

They said that you were pangit?

Pangit pa rin ! (Laughs)

They really said that you were pangit dati?

Yeah, I was maitim dati . Now I just know how to present myself and fix myself up. I know how to hide my flaws.

How's showbiz treating you now?

I get to do what I enjoy and have people appreciate it.

Such as?

Meeting a lot of people—artistas. Back in Australia , I'd watch The Filipino Channel (TFC) and I'd be like, ‘oh that's Zsa Zsa ' or ‘look it's Gary V '—whom I'd idolize. Now I even get to perform with them. It's just so accomplishing.

What's tough about your job?

Everything is public. You really have to careful of what you do outside of your showbiz life. People keep an eye on you. And if something happens to me, it affects my family.

Is what you're doing really as glamorous as they think it is?

Maintenance [is hard] because what they see on TV may not be exactly be the way you are in real life. So some people get disappointed. I don't wear makeup to school, but makeup is makeup—it's to make you look beautiful, right? Some people say, ‘ Ay, si Iya ba ‘yan ?' Once, on the plane someone said, ‘ Ay , Iya?' when I turned, she said, ‘ Ay, bakit ganyan ?'

Do you encounter a lot of plastic people in the industry?

In showbiz—even though it's impossible, you really have to try and please everyone. Which leads to people being plastic. I have to admit, I have to be plastic sometimes. Even though I don't want to, I have to.

Is there a lot of competition?

Oh, definitely. You try to ignore it but it's there. You really have to be at your best all the time. If I screw up in a spiel, I'm so praning . I'd be like, ‘How did it look? Was it okay? Was it obvious?'

Who are the performers you admire?

Gary V, and… Gary V. And Donita Rose , too. She's my idol!

Are you a party girl?

No, I'm definitely not! I know how to have fun but I'm not a party girl.

What do you do to de-stress?

I sleep, get things over and done with, listen to music, watch a movie, and I eat!

Would you do a sexy role?

Sexy-sporty if ever. But not sexy-bare-breasts-seductive-slutty.

What's the biggest lesson all this has taught you?

To always stay determined. To never give up. To use your time. To always be thankful and really try being a model for others.

What's next for Iya?

To be more independent. I also really want to get into my music, like my piano playing, my singing.

We know you hate crying, but will you do a super serious movie in the future?

Oh yeah, I'd like to try. There's nothing that I wouldn't like to try. I want to try everything. That's the only time when I know where I'm supposed to be.

WHY DREW IS OUR DREAM GUY

“This is quality time,” quips comedian and Unang Hirit TV host Drew Arellano , who's been going out with Iya—and her killer schedule—for a while now.

“It's really tough,” he says, about not being able to spend as much time with his girlfriend as he wants. But, he adds with an easy smile and a lighthearted shrug, “I just try to adjust!”

Drew, who sleep early to make it to his morning show, reveals that because they hardly see each other, Iya ends up visiting him and his family—“ kahit tulog na ako .”

When they get a chance, though, their pleasures are simple: Given the precious time they have, do they immediately head out of town when they get the chance? “We don't have the luxury to do that!” Drew replies. “We just watch a movie.”

As we watch them converse, cuddle, and playfully swat at each other, we can't help but be smitten. Drew fondly shares: “ Kuripot ‘yan . She doesn't call me… I call her ‘Honeypot!'”

“She's tired,” he says. “But she's happy. You can see it in her eyes.”

IYA'S HIT LIST

1. God . Of course, He's first.”

2. My family . “They've been so supportive. They're my confidence, inspiration, and motivation. Everything I do is for them. I want to make them happy.”

3. Music . “I listen to music for fun. It's just so natural for me. It comes naturally. I need music in my life. It's my way of expressing myself.”

4. Performing . “I love singing and dancing!”

5. Drew . (Giggles) “Because here and I have to say that! Because he's made it so much easier for me.”

6. VJ-ing and hosting . “In MYX and Wowowee. I love talking. I'm very madaldal. And I get to be confident in talking. I don't have to act.”

7. Cooking . “I love to cook. I love cookbooks.”

8. Chocolate . “Any chocolate—milk, white—except dark chocolate. But no chocolate ice cream. I like banana splits!”

9. My nephew, Tyrel . “I adore playing with him. He should be on top of my list, too.”

10. School and friends . “They keep me grounded.- -