MOYA

Nikki Grace Lim. 

The friendship I share with Janella Salvador was something unexpected. I didn’t see it coming at all. I didn’t ask for it. But it happened. And I am at my happiest it did.

During a set visit. Didn't know Janella joined us in this pic.

Hindi pa kami close nito. At kumusta yung photobomber?

When I became friends with Jerome Ponce, her co-star and “Kuya” in “Be Careful With My Heart”, and I would visit the serye’s set, wala kaming masyadong pansinan ni Janella. We were smiling at each other, pero hanggang ganun lang. May one picture lang kami sa tent, ayun. I had this impression na slightly mataray siya. Or baka di lang kami nabibigyan ng chance chumika.

That first pic with her at Robinson's Novaliches.

Dalawang mall shows na magkasama sila ni Jerome, I was there, wala pa rin. May one point lang na nagpa-pic ako sa kanya, sa Robinson’s Novaliches. That was the first. She was actually accommodating. Then sa launch ng Star Magic Circle 2013, nagpa-sign ako ng DVD ng BCWMH. Pero hindi ako nagpa-pic for some reason. But naalala ko, she was happy signing the DVD and even thanked me for the support. Gusto ko kasi ng remembrance from the cast. Very fan lang, di ba? And I loved Nikki’s character, in fairness naman. Her quirks, her nuances… You’d love and hate her at the same time.

Up to this day, I still don't know why she posed like this
on this pic with Jerome.

Jerome would always tell me na gusto niya maging friends din kami ni Janella, because Janella is really nice and friendly daw, kahit medyo childish. Sabi ko nga, that time, Janella just turned 14 so talagang “bata” pa siya kumilos. I observed na magaling siya not just umarte, but also kumanta. Sa mall shows, I would hear her sing, and nagagandahan ako sa boses niya. Hindi lang basta carry a tune ha. Thought that she was a mas sosy version of Jolina Magdangal of the 90s.

That night we became mag-Moya

All those walang pansinan, medyo dedmahan mode between me and Janella would change sometime in August 2013. It happened set Siena Taytay set ng BCWMH. Jerome was all by himself sa dressing room niya, and he had to take a sequence, so he asked Janella if I could stay with her. Suddenly, we found ourselves talking to each other. Halo-halo ang pinag-usapan namin e. Basta ang natatandaan ko, I was making this joke na papasok ako sa BCWMH as kontrabida to her na teacher sa school na baliw kay Luke (Jerome’s character in the show), and I have a dog with me everywhere I go. Parang si Reese Witherspoon sa “Legally Blonde”. Yun lang, bulldog ang bitbit ko. Janella was laughing so hard at my jokes. Then napasok ko pa sa joke si Jovit Moya, the 90s actor na pulis na ngayon.

With her BCWMH loveteam, Marlo.

Kaya naging tawagan namin sa isa’t isa ang Moya. Hindi namin namalayang, 2 hours had passed. Masaya palang kausap at kasama si Janella. Very real at natural na tao. Simula nun, a friendship between me and Jea (as those close to her call her) was born. Hindi na lang si Jerome ang dinadalaw ko sa set… Siya na rin. We would often “make chika” as we put it, and catch up pag nagkikita kami.

Backstage of her Isetann Recto mall show

At ASAP Prom Special Production Number in 2014.

At hindi na lang sa set. Pati sa ASAP, nag-uusap na kami. At hindi lang basta usap. Nari-realize, marami kaming pagkaka-pareho, especially on how we look at things and people. Pumupunta na rin ako sa mall shows niya. I was becoming attached to Janella.

Went to her Siena Taytay because we were going through something together.
We ended up crying and laughing at the same time,

From mga cute-cute girly stuff, we were aware na mas lumalalim ang nagiging usapan namin. Personal stuff I can’t post here… Hindi naman malala ha, take note. But at that point, we were already trusting each other with our secrets. May time pa na kahit wala si Jerome sa set, I visited her and we ended up crying and laughing at the same time. We were opening our hearts to one another already. I must say, at a young age, she’s already one sensible girl in giving thoughts and opinions. May maturity.

Janella loves posing like this.

Clingy kami sa isa't isa

Janella was my first girl friend in showbiz na, I realized, “not a girl, not yet a woman” as Britney put it. Nung una, takot akong mag-advice o mag-comment, because ayokong may mali siyang masabi o maging desisyon because of me. Alam niyo yun? But then I realized, I was learning too sa friendship ko kay Janella. I just have to be real, to be true to myself. At hayaan si Janella ma-experience ang pagiging teenager. Ang importante naman, if she makes a mistake man, I would just be behind her.

One of BCWMH's last taping days.

BCWMH was just the start for us. Wala pa sa mata ng bagyo, actually. It would be in her next show, OMG, where talagang na-define ang pagiging mag-Moya namin ni Janella. And that’s for another post for me to tell, and for you to read.