Louise de los Reyes: Country girl at heart

TANZA, Cavite—Louise de los Reyes, GMA 7 teen star, is used to the long commute from the network’s studio in Quezon City to her family’s house in this Southern Luzon province.

She takes the scenic route along Coastal Road and Cavitex (Manila-Cavite Expressway) whenever she drives home. “The view along Cavitex is beautiful at dawn and at dusk,” she explained. “You see the sun rising from, and dropping into Manila Bay.” It has also cut her travel time by half, she said, freeing her to do other things.

Blogging on social networks

She updates her Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts constantly, and posts lots of photos on her Tumblr page. She blogs as well. “I once wrote about being broken-hearted,” she said.

Before fans get the wrong idea (that she may be quarreling with rumored beau Enzo Pineda, for example), she clarified the issue for us. “I was inspired by the Jason Mraz song ‘I Won’t Give Up.’ It made me wonder what it felt to be broken-hearted, so I wrote down my thoughts on the subject,” she related.

She tackles less controversial topics, too. “When I come upon good restaurants or shops, I write about them,” she said. “I give fashion and shopping tips as well.”

The blogger likes playing online games as it gives her the opportunity to bond with her two brothers. “Our house looks like an Internet café on weekends! My brothers and I all sit around the living room with our laptops!” she said. She added that they were hooked on action-packed, role-playing games like Marvel Alliance.

“Sometimes we play all night—until 6 a.m.,” she confessed. “We sleep for a few hours and start playing again. Most of the people we play with are abroad, so time zones are different.”

Whenever she’s free, she plays with her four young pamangkin. Ever the child, Louise bickers endlessly with her nephews and nieces—much to her mom’s dismay.

At home, Louise holes up in her pink bedroom—catching up on her sleep, reading books (like “The Little Prince” and the “Twilight” series) or surfing the Net.

Her mother recounted that Louise herself chose the color pink for her bedroom when she was Grade 2.

The room is girlish and filled with stuffed toys—presents from friends and fans. Enzo’s gifts—particularly souvenir items from a recent trip to Paris—occupy a special place on her dresser.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Paris,” she said wistfully. “I imagine it to be so romantic.”

The self-confessed homebody said that she would love to travel more in the future.

Unfortunately, her work (in three Kapuso shows: “My Beloved,” “Party Pilipinas” and “Tween Hearts”) prevents her from joining costars Rhian Ramos, Derrick Monasterio, Lexi Fernandez and Alden Richards, who will attend the premiere of Yam Laranas’ “The Road” in Los Angeles next month.

Work and school

On top of her show-biz commitments, she’s also in her last year in university—majoring in Foreign Service—at the Lyceum of the Philippines in General Trias, Cavite.

While taping the daily afternoon soap “Alakdana,” it was not uncommon for her to wrap up work at 6 a.m. and head straight to school for her 7 a.m. class.

Exhausted from her shoot, Louise, who prefers sitting at the front of the class, would often doze off.

“Luckily, my teachers were considerate. I had a full load when I was given ‘Alakdana.’ But I couldn’t pass up on the show since it was my biggest break. I also didn’t want to drop my subjects because it would look bad on my transcript,” she noted.

With a lot of blood, sweat and tears, she survived that grueling semester. Now she is enrolled in Lyceum’s home-study program. She is clearly an overachiever and dreams of becoming a lawyer.

“I want to take up law in UP Diliman,” she said.

LOUISE plays the keyboard in the trophy room.

Her mom said that she has always trained Louise to value education and to balance well her academics and her extracurricular activities.

On the ground floor is an entire room devoted to Louise’s various achievements in school and in show biz. It is the TV room, and it doubles as a trophy room. Showcased in the room are various sashes and crowns from various pageants—from campus to modeling competitions.

Among her many titles are Miss Southern Luzon, Miss Jag Teen, Miss Pink Water, Miss Photogenic (Lyceum), Miss Teen Philippines and Miss Teen SuperFerry.

Her Famas Youth Achievement award is on display as well.

Louise made her big screen debut in Peque Gallaga’s indie film “Agaton and Mindy,” and is determined to leave her mark in show biz.

These days, she is reunited with “Alakdana” partner Alden Richards in the prime-time soap “My Beloved.”

“Alden hasn’t changed at all,” she said. “We’re so compatible. We started in this business at the same time. He knows me inside and out. That’s why we work well together.”

She also hit it off with Dominic Zapata, who is directing “My Beloved.”

“It’s my first time to work with him, and he’s really cool,” she said. “Actually, the entire team is easy to work with. Long into the night and even early morning, the mood on the set stays light, and Direk Dominic is still energetic, encouraging us to give our all!”

Louise is always on the go and has devised a few smart storage ideas at home. For example, Louise decided to store her extensive shoe collection on the ground floor.

“It saves time,” Louise said. “Whenever I need a particular pair of shoes for a show or a taping, I don’t have to go up to my bedroom and look for them. They’re all on the ground floor and can be picked up and loaded in the car quickly.”

(Favorite pairs are the animal-print boots and pumps.)

Such time-saving tips are important, considering her hectic schedule.

She’s been so busy lately that she once fainted from overexhaustion. (She has firmly denied being pregnant.)

Far from city stress

Since the incident, Louise has learned to take it easy and spend more time with her family in Cavite—especially during these sweltering summer months.

Home is her sanctuary, she said. So when the going gets tough in Show Town, she escapes to her family’s two-story home in Tanza.

“We’ve lived in Cavite the last fifteen years, since I was in the elementary,” recalled Louise, who is Mary Grace Perido in real life.

She prefers the laid-back pace of the province to the maddening rat race of the city.

“Iba sa probinsiya,” she asserted. “I love the peace and quiet here.  Manila is so stressful. The traffic is awful.”

She didn’t even consider moving into a condo near the studio.

“I would rather stay home. It can be lonely living on your own. Here I can watch my pamangkin grow up.”

She’s a little bit of country and a whole lot of city brawler. Like a true-blue Caviteña, she admitted that she could be feisty. “I’m not the type to pick a fight, but I will not let anyone step all over me.”

Louise has also learned to cook, mostly recipes from her mom. “Simple dishes like sinigang and carbonara.”

She also bought a soda maker recently—to whip up home-made refreshments when it gets too hot outside.

COLOR her pink. Louise chose rosy hue for her bedroom.

She has all the makings of a future hausfrau and domestic goddess, but she insisted that getting married is the farthest thing from her mind right now.

(Is Enzo listening closely? Enzo is a constant visitor in the Perido home. He doesn’t seem to mind the long drive from Quezon City to Cavite—a plus point he may have over other suitors.)

Louise still has many items on her wish list. Apart from earning a law degree, she also hopes to build her own house someday.

She pointed out that the family residence didn’t necessarily reflect her taste in interiors. (The chandelier and other bits of décor were chosen by her mom, who bought them in Binondo, she said.)

She once saw a photo of a house online and saved it on her iPhone. “I got it from Tumblr,” she said. “It’s my dream home. The concept is shabby chic.”

It looks deceptively simple, she said. “But I would add a winding staircase. If we ever renovate this house, I’d like it to be all white, with touches of color from red throw pillows and other accent pieces.”

She also doesn’t want her comfort zone to be too cluttered. “I want it to look refreshing and relaxing,” she said.

Perfect for this scorching summer season.