Looking forward to Mama Nena’s 76th birthday

AMALIA Fuentes

I AM MORE than happy that my second mom, Amalia “Mama Nena” Fuentes, is on her way to full recovery after she suffered a stroke late last year.

It’s her second lease on life, so her 76th birthday on Aug. 27 will be all the more meaningful.

Her brother, Tito Cheng Muhlach, is organizing a birthday get-together and thanksgiving Mass strictly for family and close friends.

I remember the fun bonding we had at Mama Nena’s intimate birthday dinner last year. She made cute poses as she blew her birthday candles.

Even if Mama Nena won’t be that lively yet on her celebration this year, I’m sure the fighter in her is just warming up for more birthdays to come.

At the PBA

I immensely enjoyed watching the PBA All-Star Game with my good buddy, Bo Cerrudo. It reminded me of the time I was still a PBA cager’s wife many basketball seasons ago.

After the game, I got to hang out with my amigo James Yap and the rest of the players at the after-party in Nobu Hotel.

James sent me a text message a few hours after his girlfriend, Mic Cazzola, gave birth to their baby boy, Michael James (MJ), on Aug 8. I broke the news to the Inquirer and it was posted on Twitter.
Here’s a recap of James’ texts to me (as translated from his native dialect): “The baby looks like Mic’s dad. I was in the delivery room the whole time. I could not hold back my tears. I am overjoyed because MJ will grow up with me, unlike my two other sons who are with their mothers.

“I can raise him the way I want. I hope he becomes not just a PBA player like me, but an NBA player, too.”

The adorable “FilItaliano” is definitely star material.

Back to the PBA after-party, I asked Terrence Romeo if he has plans of joining show biz. He said he doesn’t know how to act, so it’s not in his agenda.

JAMES Yap (left) and Terrence Romeo

ABS-CBN’s fab reporter, Ginger Conejero, and player Alex Cabagnot were such a coosome twosome. I teased Ginger that Alex won the MVP award because her presence at the game inspired him. Alex kept raving about Ginger’s yummy adobo. They are a welcome addition to the ever-growing list of “PBA Cager and TV/Movie Celeb” couples. To paraphrase the famous line in a rubbing alcohol commercial, “’Di lang pang show biz, pang sports pa.”

Selfie with Mario

It was such a delight to have a selfie with Thai superstar Mario Maurer at the press conference organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which has tapped the actor to be the face of its “Amazing Thailand” campaign. When asked about the significance of the number 38 on his Instagram account (mario_mm38), which has 4.5 million followers, Mario replied: “After trying so many numbers in combination with my name, I finally got one which was not yet used when I reached number 38. That only goes to show how many Mario wannabes there are.”
Maurer pa more!

Personal

Thanks to my extended fam in Macau, John and Rose Aquino, for the best birthday gift in advance, and to my kumareng Sienna Olaso for being my PBA angel.