LJ Moreno (right) and husband Jimmy Alapag
Unlike most people in Metro Manila, TV host LJ Moreno became “busier than usual” when the government ordered a lockdown in March to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
“I’m into baking and making cakes. Right before the lockdown, I started baking ube cheese pandesal and Spanish bread. I was surprised by the sudden increase in orders during ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). I got so busy that I had to wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning to start baking,” she told Inquirer Entertainment.
Luckily, LJ said her husband, former basketball star Jimmy Alapag, also helped. “Since most of my staff were only able to return to work two months after the lockdown, Jimmy and my brother became my packaging team,” she recalled, laughing.
LJ said this also explained why it’s only now that she is starting to feel the effect of the lockdown emotionally.
“I didn’t feel depressed like some people I know, but I’m starting to feel more anxious now. In the beginning, because everyone was ordering, I got so busy that I could only shower late at night, when all my work was done,” she added. “But this past month, orders have decreased. I think it’s either because more bakeries have opened up now that we’re already under GCQ (general community quarantine) or because there are so many people who … [are] unemployed now,” she observed.
As to the lockdown’s positive effect on LJ and Jimmy as a couple for 10 years now, she shared: “We got to communicate with each other better. Before the lockdown, Jimmy was really busy. He is coaching now (under the Asean Basketball League or ABL). They traveled a lot. They go in and out of Southeast Asia. When at home, he would be busy watching videos, checking out and analyzing plays.
“As for me, I’d be busy with the business and with the kids. We would talk but sometimes, because I’d be too tired, I’d fall asleep easily. During the lockdown, we got to talk a lot. He was also able to help me with the kids more.”
The couple has three kids: Ian Maximus, 7; Keona Skye, 5; and Calen Asher, 2.
As to what they’ve discovered about each other while being stuck at home, LJ said: “We’re both the type who likes being in control. But with this situation, no one is in control. I think that helped us become more mature. We also grew more in our relationship with God, both as individuals and as a couple.
Part of being Jimmy’s wife, LJ said, was to see to it that her husband is adjusting well to quarantine life. She said there was a point during the lockdown when Jimmy felt so down.
“He lives and breathes basketball. That’s why he said the work stoppage was also hard for him,” she began.
In terms of work for LJ, she said the third season of “MomBiz,” her magazine show with Danica Sotto, would resume taping soon.
“Now they’re talking about doing it via Zoom,” she said. “Of course, it won’t be the same because we used to feature different moms with businesses and we visit them. I guess it’s the ‘new normal’ for us. We have to learn to adjust to that.”
“I’m thankful that despite the situation, I still get hosting gigs, even though they’re just via Zoom. Jimmy, meanwhile, gets invited to webinars to talk about basketball, too,” she added.