Carmina Villaroel
A familiar scent can be a comfort for many as just a whiff of it can evoke fond memories. It’s different for everyone. Lavender is supposed to be a calming fragrance, but in an article I read many years ago, the writer said it dredged up sad memories of his long-dead grandmother who used the scented talc powder liberally.
For actress Carmina Villaroel, her pillow—the smell and feel of it—is her favorite thing. The only time she felt dismayed with it was when their helper decided to wash it one laundry day.
“My favorite thing is my ‘Mimi’ pillow. I cannot sleep without it. Sobrang tagal na niya sa akin. Every night, I sniff that pillow,” Carmina said.
She named it Mimi because her sister used to call her that. The one that she has now is not the original, which she had when she was still in high school.
“Galing ako sa taping at pag-uwi ko, ’yung kasambahay namin nilabhan niya. So nawala na ’yung smell, ayaw ko na kaya bumili ako ng bago.”
That lucky pillow got to travel to Los Angeles in the US over two decades ago when she gave birth to twins Cassy and Mavy Legaspi, her children with her husband, actor Zoren Legaspi.
“Pagbalik ko sa Pilipinas, dala ko ’yung kambal pero naiwan ko si Mimi sa LA.”
Sanitized
Carmina wasted no time buying and christening a third Mimi. “I can’t have the pillow washed or else it will lose its scent, so I have it vacuumed instead. Nasa-sanitize naman s’ya. I just change the pillowcase regularly because what I really sniff is the pillow itself,” she said.
Gone are the days when she used to take Mimi with her on foreign trips. “Since I became a mom, I’ve stopped bringing the pillow with me when we go out of the country. Kasi parang nahihiya ako sa twins. But I still bring Mimi with me when we go out of town, especially if it’s just an overnight trip. The pillow is usually just there on my bed so when it’s time to sleep, I can sniff it.”
Carmina currently stars in “Abot Kamay na Pangarap,” which airs Mondays to Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. on GMA Afternoon Prime.