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Moving fast with Coleen

For someone who believes in perfect timing, Coleen Garcia never thought things will start happening that fast in her career.

First, it was a Nestea TV commercial which cast her as the unforgettable Matina. Then came "100 Days to Heaven," where she played Neil Coleta's love interest . Then came her biggest break: "Good Vibes," where she's paired with Sam Concepcion.

Today, Coleen appears daily as a "hurado" on ABS-CBN's"Showtime."

"Whew!" you could hear Coleen saying.

Things just got faster and faster. And the 18-year-old ABS-CBN star, who entered showbiz less than a year ago, can't believe what she sees.

"I didn't expect things to happen this fast. I thought it will take a lot of time. But it happened much quicker than I thought. Many good projects are coming my way," she says.

So popular is Coleen, she's been trending four times in Yahoo since last month.

But she herself is the first to downplay her rising popularity.

"It's so overwhelming," she admits. "I'm not known that much yet."

That's why she thinks nothing about walking three blocks from her home studio, ABS-CBN, to get to a restaurant where the video for this article was shot. Her handler has to remind Coleen to ask her PA (personal assistant) to buy her something to eat at restaurants surrounding ABS-CBN's The Loop instead of going out and getting it herself.

Humility is indeed a virtue. But in showbiz, it could be a minus.

And Coleen realizes "I have to work on finding self-confidence."

She's getting a lot of help. For starters, Coleen is observing fellow "Showtime" host Vice Ganda everyday and learning a lot from him.

"He shows so much confidence," she gushes. "I can see how intelligent and witty he is."

Another celebrity she admires is Anne Curtis. The Viva star, explains Coleen, has proven that she's not just another pretty face.

"Anne has a sense of humor. She's a good host. And now, she's doing an album. She has proven to anyone that she can do everything."

Coleen herself is proving, to her surprised family and friends, that she can do more than what they saw her do.

The self-confessed "academic type" admits she never sang, danced or acted in school. Yes, she started doing commercials at age two. But that's an entirely different ballgame.

Showbiz demands new skills from her.

"The hard part if finding those skills in me and enhancing them," Coleen relates. "Showbiz requires you to bring out all those skills and talents."

That's why Star Magic's acting and dance workshops are heaven-sent.

Still, showbiz skills are one thing. The right attitude is another. Coleen thinks she's grown-up enough to face all the intrigues that go with the territory.

"At 18, I already know how to take care of myself," she says, her head held high. "I'm mentally and emotionally prepared. I already know what's best for me. "

Coleen could have grabbed offers from various TV networks a few years back. But she didn't. The then high school student felt the time wasn' t ripe yet. She still had some growing up to do.

Her parents rejoiced when she finished her high school studies and politely turned down offers to join showbiz. But she couldn't resist the klieg lights anymore after high school graduation. Coleen felt strong enough to dive into showbiz waters.

The news didn't please her family at first because it meant putting her studies on hold.

"My family was not that keen on me joining showbiz," relates Coleen. "They value education a lot. "

Besides, Coleen's is a family of athletes, not showbiz stars. Coleen's mom was a commercial model. But she never joined showbiz.

So Coleen struck up a deal with her dad. She promised her dad she will resume her studies and give priority to her studies.

True to her word, Coleen is bent on picking up where she left off. She's bent on enrolling for her third semester as a student of Multimedia Arts at College of St. Benilde this school year.

"It will show my creative side more," Coleen explains why she shifted from a business to an arts course.

She knows juggling school and showbiz is tough. But she has a promise to keep. And Coleen can't disappoint her dad.

After all, he has changed his mind about his only daughter's showbiz life. He is no longer that queasy about Coleen's TV appearances and acting stints.

"My parents are proud of me," Coleen beams.

She hopes to make them even prouder by trying all sorts of TV genres -- comedy, drama, whatever. And Coleen wants to do this, not in a flick of a finger, but slowly and surely.

"I'm not in a hurry," she says. "I'm enjoying shows with my fellow teens and I like learning slowly."

Coleen is not about to hurry love either.

"I'm loveless," she beams.

Those words, if you ask many a young man these days, is music to the ears.