MANILA, Philippines?Breaking up is hard to do, but GMA 7 actress Isabel Oli insists that she has fully recovered after ending her romance with fellow Kapuso artist Paolo Contis.

She says if there?s one lesson from that episode, it would be: ?If ever I fall in love again, I?ll make sure that I have time for myself, my friends, my family.?

During their three-year relationship, Isabel observes that her ?entire world revolved around Paolo,? and vice versa.

?It wasn?t that we were both the jealous type,? she explains in an exclusive interview after her launch as Fullerlife endorser. ?It was just that we were always together. So much so that we neglected other people.?

To be fair to Paolo, she says, ?we chose that kind of setup and we were happy then.?

In the end, however, she realized that her ?individuality? had to be pushed to the back burner.

?If ever ... I?d prioritize myself now,? she notes. ?I should learn to love myself more before I can choose to love another person.?

She says that she has been ?loveless? since splitting up from Paolo eight months ago.

?I do go out with male friends, but always with a group. I don?t seriously date anyone,? she relates.

She says that she has yet to sit down and talk with her ex-boyfriend. ?It?s funny, but we?ve never seen each other lately. To think, show biz is such a small world and that we are both from the same network. It?s not that we?re trying to avoid each other, though.?

If ever she?d bump into him, ?I would say ?Hi? right away. Pao and I were good friends before becoming a couple. It would be a pity to lose that friendship.?

She?d greet him even if he?s with present girlfriend Lian Paz.

?I?m happy for them,? she says. ?At first, when it was just new, I had to adjust. But now I?m fine. I can see that he?s happy and that?s what I want, too.?

She also has no time for intrigues ? the most recent pitted her against fellow Kapuso star Nadine Samonte. ?I?m okay. I hope she?s also okay. Basta I know in my heart that I didn?t do anything wrong.?

Now that she?s determined to focus on herself, she has slowed down with work and relocated to Singapore for a while, to care for her ailing father.

(Her dad is afflicted with cerebellar degeneration.)

In the city-state, she divides her time between her dad and the gym.

?I fly back when I have commitments here in Manila, like the Fuller Fashion launch,? she says. ?At first, I had to give up some shows like ?Darna.? But since my dad is now stable, I accepted a guest role as Geoff Eigenmann?s ex-girlfriend Rica in ?Rosalinda.??

She says she?s waiting for ?the right project? from her home studio. She?s crossing her fingers that it would be a Koreanovela. GMA 7 is localizing two Korean shows, ?Stairway to Heaven? and ?Full House.?

?I was a big fan of those two shows. I used to cry while watching them. It would be a dream-come-true,? she says.

E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com