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Zsa-Zsa Padilla: Unlimited Engagement - Part 1
Rushing to the posh Cafe Adriatico in Malate, I couldn't compose myself especially when my eyes got caught in the aura of this lady seated by the window-simply beautiful and glowing. Smilingly, I approached her and she welcomed me with the same warmth I have only familiarized myself with through the songs she sings. I was face to face with Ms. Zsa Zsa Padilla! Was I ecstatic? Oh, yeah! Altogether, my senses shut. I got lost to the excitement eating me up and I heard myself mumbling, "Don't tumble now! You'll be alright..."
She projected the elegant aura she's so identified with and the charm she oozes out is plain magic. Everyone in the room was staring! (I swear I could've melted. The awkward feeling I had was terrible). Looking radiantly young and fresh in a candy-striped shirt, sans the makeup and with her lustrous hair worn down naturally, she exuded such glamour that she stood out. She was aware of this hush-hush audience whispering, "Si Zsa Zsa..." But the spotlight doesn't affect her (like the way it was killing me) because she is familiar with it. It breathes to her face and she shines in it. With graceful motions, I watched her at the corner of my eye, reminding myself several times that my job asks me to squeeze out some juicy Web info off her... and not scrutinize her appearance for the readers. But, I couldn't stop myself. She looked really perfect! The cafe was the most convenient place for her because she preferred to stay near her kids' school in Pasay. She needed to attend a Parent Teacher Conference. That's part of what keeps her busy when not being glorified as a diva. Her personal life and their endless travel escapades are her priorities. What eats up her time these days? "If I have any good offers I try to take that into consideration. But, we travel a lot. Most of the time I would just stay home and read," she said. The biggest thrill she can consider is reading a good book , "Or shopping with the kids," she said. But, not until the Internet clawed its charm unto her. She got addicted to it the minute she laid her hands on the chat sites. "I've been using it for a year now. I think I started October last year. I got a basic Mac for the kids," she said. But, nowadays, she can't do away with the notebook she got as a Christmas gift from the man of her life (as if you don't know who). "I bring it everywhere I travel. I cannot go through the day without it. That's how I start my day. I'll have coffee, turn on my PC, check my mail. I actually have three servers. That's how bad it is! I have to be online constantly!" She's impatient and she knows it too well. That is why she chose to maintain three servers, two local providers and one international. "So, I could stay online anywhere in the world I go. If you only have one server, sometimes it's down, or mabagal. I have no patience so I shift at once to another (server) if I can't wait," she said. Laughingly she blurted, "I went directly to chat. I didn't even surf. I was chatting for 8 hours, but finally I went into surfing and e-mails because you spend so much time. You're totally hooked on to your PC just chatting. But, after a while my kids were complaining na and Dolphy would say, "You're always at your computer!" Naturally for her, the sites she usually visits are showbiz-related. An admirer of other singers as well, she visits the Sony site to check out the latest news about artists like Mariah Carey. She constantly gets news items from CNN which she subscribes to and which also includes showbusiness stories. She complained though that one time it took her a long while to find Gary Valenciano's site through Yahoo. I asked her if she knew any local search engines-she said no and was really surprised and amused when I informed her of Yehey and EDSA. (And then I spotted a grin on her face while seemingly thinking, "Yahoo in the US, Yehey here...of course!"). In between bites of the fresh salad she ordered, her energy shines and one couldn't help but stare and watch her talk. As she tossed her hair back and the highlights started to flicker, she confessed, "The reason why I got into it is that I usually don't socialize much. My work is my social life, that's what I always say. When you work, you meet your friends. That's the only time I get to socialize." She paused. (I followed her brown eyes and I saw them concentrated to the dessert being enjoyed by a nun and another lady seated across our table)... "I love my water," she said, seemingly telling herself it's the best replacement for all other caloric temptations she can think of. "That's a sin... sister!" (grinning as she turned back to me). |
On my way to our rendezvous, I found myself humming "Kahit Na" alternately with "Hiram" while going over the notes about her I jotted down for reference (actually what I had were scripts for different situations with the singer I imagined myself to be in). Nervous, I really didn't know how to start the interview. Finally, sitting beside her, I clumsily took the menu and started running my fingers through it without really reading or choosing anything. I gazed at her and she had this smile and poise that calmed me down.