Style and Soul

Real-life husband and wife, Judy Ann "Juday" Santos and Ryan Agoncillo are back on the big screen, starring in a MMFF movie entry, My House Husband, Ikaw Na! 

Producer OctoArts Films, in cooperation with Bloggers United, organized a series of of blogger conferences to boost the social media promotions of this movie which also stars Eugene Domingo, directed by Joey Reyes. 

A third sequel to my previous blog entries, A few things I learned from Direk Joey Reyes and There is no other woman but Eugene Domingo, this installment of My House Husband bloggerscon was held last Dec. 7, at NAPA Restaurant and Bar located in Scout Borromeo, Q.C. where an intimate circle of entertainment and lifestyle bloggers (the last time I checked, I'm still on the fashion category, haha) were invited featuring the showbiz couple.

The movie is a light family-oriented dramedy (drama-comedy) about Rod (Ryan Agoncillo), a man who loses his job  and becomes a stay-at-home husband who does all the household chores while his wife Mia (Judy Ann Santos) assumes the role of the provider. Together, they face the struggles of this kind of set-up and as Rod adapts the "wifey" role, he encounters situations that will make him realize the value of one of the hardest jobs in the world - being a housewife (or househusband for that matter).

The event should have started at 7:00 PM but it was a bit delayed due to the couple's crazy schedule of unlimited press interviews here and there. We (Aisa, Ana, Me and Mich) arrived at NAPA and saw Bianca Gonzales (ABS-CBN 2) ready to interview the couple while Zoren Legaspi for TV5 was waiting next in line.

We didn't really mind waiting because the bloggers were entertained by delightfully scrumptious meals from the host restaurant  NAPA. I'm not kidding when I say the steak was soft and tasted really great plus the sauce was flavorful. The serving was also very satisfying and  Aisa  and I can't wait to go back there again. The owner Rich Ilustre, also the director of Talentadong Pinoy, was nice enough to go around and introduce himself to the bloggers.

Food at  NAPA . Sorry naman Ate almost half of it when I realized, "Shocks, photo!"

Really delicious and tasty steak, I swear!

The bloggers ate ALL of it! Ito nalang natira when the food was passed to me. Haha.

At last, the couple finally entered the room. Juday looked so stunning and skinny! I was amazed with her incredible weight loss right after giving birth. Meanwhile, Ryan remained the cutie-geeky, boy-next-door that he always is. They entered with smiling faces and were very happy to meet us after hearing nice stories from Direk Joey of how receptive the bloggers were during his own bloggerscon. Juday and Ryan were friendly in person. Like Ms. Eugene, both seemed very natural and sincere with each of their answers while managing to inject humor to their statements.

Ryan and Juday are an interesting couple to watch. Married for two years and a half after going steady for five years, they seem to compliment each other, like a match made in heaven. 

You'll notice my often use of the word "seem." I'm an outsider. Not a friend nor a family member. I don't know what they are truly like and so, I try to speak from an observer's perspective. Being in a three-year relationship myself, I listened well on what they have to say about love, relationship and marriage because I wanted to learn a thing or two from their experience.

On Lovers' Quarrel

You know what I find really funny, is when people (the fans) assume that they are perfect. Of course not. I bet they also fight like all couples do. The only difference is that, unlike other celebrity-couples who broadcast all their problems (e.g. hello Kris Aquino!), Juday and Ryan know when to keep things private. Juday said, "Kung meron, man hindi rin namin aaminin!" and the crowd broke into a laugh.

I agree when the couple advised other people to choose their own battles. Know when it's not worth a fight. Don't make a big fuss over something really simple and try to end it as soon as you can. I could relate to Ryan in his preferred method to really talk things over while my boyfriend JR is more of like Juday who's not that comfortable with confrontations (but she learned how to do it in the process of their relationship).

Parenting Style

Ryan shared that when it comes to their kids, they are bringing them up the way both of their parents have raised them. It's a combination of both plus pointers from their good friends. He accepted the fact that children today are in a different situation and environment and so, they cannot apply everything that was true during their time.

Both of them also have the same sentiment about keeping Yohan off-limits to show business even though she really wanted to be a celebrity like her mom and dad. Ryan said, "We are very grateful to this industry. It has served as our bread and butter. But I also knew the hardships that my wife went through as a child actress and we didn't want Yohan to experience the same pressure and burden." The couple wanted their kids to finish school and enjoy being private citizens first before being public figures.

When It's Over, It's Over

So far, Ryan seemed very ecstatic with the way things are going with his wife. Juday kept on saying "Masayang, masaya pa naman kami hanggang ngayon." However, when asked if there comes a time that they will have to separate, I was a bit shocked but gave my nod of approval when both of them said that when that time comes (knock on wood), they won't keep the relationship for the sake of the kids. Doing so will just make up one unhappy family and they don't want that for their (adopted) daugther Yohan and son Lucho.

Thinking back, I remember how "in love" the atmosphere was with these two at the bloggerscon. They look like the ultimate ideal couple. Like any other girl, I hope that I'll have the same happy, healthy and long-lasting relationship that Juday and Ryan seem to share. But what's left unsaid about their love in this post is something you can already read online given the number of interviews they've had and articles written about them (search Google!). It's just more fun and more inspiring re-learning it from them in person.

To end the night, Ryan addressed an issue (which I had no idea about) that he had with a reporter whom he encountered in a traffic altercation. He hoped that through our blogs, he could send out his sincere apology for the incident. I wouldn't elaborate on that too much because http://www.pep.ph has already published in-depth articles about it (part 1 and 2).

Meeting them was a humbling experience. Imagine, these two are very successful individuals. Ryan is someone I truly admire in the field of hosting (since I dream to become one some day) and Juday, a local super star since childhood, both appeared to be really down-to-earth. To tell you honestly, they seemed more grounded than other famous internet bloggers and online personalities that I've met, REALLY.

Support Ryan and Judy Ann's comeback movie My House Husband as Metro Manila Film Festival opens today! Let us support all local films!

My camera died on me but thanks to http://www.kumagcow.com  and Paul for the rest of the photos!