Home Body: Passion times two

MARA and Maribel are close, but mom has set parameters in their relationship. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Smack in the middle of Quezon City is a townhouse that looks and feels like a beachcomber’s sanctuary.

The number of surfboards hanging from the garage ceiling indicates that an ocean lover lives here. In fact there are two of them and they are screen sirens as well!

Paintings depicting beach scenes and naked women by the sea hang all over the walls of the house.

The artist behind most of these paintings is Maria Isabel Lopez (or Maribel as she is known in show business), who took up Fine Arts in UP Diliman.

LIKE a gallery, the staircase is adorned with works of art. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Lining the hallway are Maribel’s portraits by the country’s leading artists, such as Allan Cosio, Al Perez, and Nemi Miranda among others.

Displayed in the corridors are paintings by former child actor Dranreb Belleza. A few years ago Maribel, Dranreb, and other celebrities held a group exhibit of their works.

MARIBEL sums up the living room’s concept as Asian fusion. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Occupying a place of honor in the drawing room is a framed painting of Japanese calligraphy done by Mara’s grandfather Kenji Yokohama.

Also in the room is a Japanese doll, tribute to her mother, and an antique piano owned by her mother. “It’s prewar made by Chickering and Sons.  My mom got it for P600 in the 1970s. Its keyboard is made of ivory. For sentimental reasons I can’t throw it away even if it’s dilapidated,” said Maribel.

“The wayang golek puppets, along with these exotic paintings are from Bali,” Maribel added.

THIS antique piano belonged to the actress’ mom, an opera singer. Photo by Alanah Torralba

She wanted a distinct Oriental look.

“The ceramics and lacquer ware are from our old home in Japan,” Maribel said. “The Buddha is from Thailand; the colorful throw pillows from Korea.”

“Every time we travel, we bring home at least one item for the house,” Maribel said.

She liked her rosewood dining table with mother-of-pearl inlay from Hong Kong so much that she had the matching cabinet, wine bar, coromandel screen, and mirror shipped in as well.

SHOWING off the red gown she wore at the Cannes film fest in 2009. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Freewheeling is how she summed up the entire concept. “We put in anything and everything we wanted,” Maribel explained.

Mara however, would prefer the house to exude a modish Oriental feel. “More of Zen,” she said. “These furniture pieces reflect my mom’s style more than mine.”

Mara considers her bedroom as her refuge, but acknowledged that she is rarely at home.

“I’m always out, surfing or taking photographs,” she said. “The few times I’m here, I’m usually in my bedroom, working on my laptop, editing photos, watching movies, reading books, studying scripts.”

Kitchen queen

“TEXTURES and Shapes,” a piece by by Maribel. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Maribel recently remodeled the kitchen to suit her requirements.

“This isn’t my dream kitchen yet,” she conceded. “I want a bigger work station. But this kitchen is low-maintenance and will do for now.”

Maribel installed a hanging rack for her various pots and pans. “I got that in the US.” On the refrigerator are magnets, collected from numerous travels abroad. “From Rome, Pisa, Sienna, London, Chicago, Berlin, Cannes, Chang Mai,” she enumerated.

Maribel also claims to be a wiz behind the stove. “I can cook Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Filipino dishes,” she claimed.

MARA’s bedroom features a colorful closet and a surfer-themed painting by mom. Photo by Alanah Torralba

She also took Thai cooking lessons when she visited Chang Mai. She counts among her specialties adobo, tempura, bulgogi, and osso buco.  “But nowadays I prepare healthy, low-fat meals for my kids Mara and Ken who’s 15.”

She jokingly dubbed herself as “service-oriented.”  I love cooking for my family. I’m pretty hands-on,” she volunteered. “I tend to spoon-feed my kids. I always remind them: ‘Have you eaten already? Have you taken your vitamins?’”

Who would have guessed  that the former bombshell is also a domestic goddess?

Beginnings

“KINATAY 2,” also by Maribel. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Maria Isabel Lopez was a former beauty queen-turned-actress who first made a splash when she frolicked naked on a secluded beach in Celso Ad. Castillo’s “Isla” in 1984.

Her background, however, was far removed from her bold start in show business.  She is the daughter of Cresencia Lopez, a mezzo soprano who was a student of National Artist Jovita Fuentes (who played “Madame Butterfly” in Italy).

“I come from a family of musicians,” said Maribel. “My sister, Teresa, now based in the United States, was a piano teacher.”

GEISHA doll, tribute to Maribel’s mom. Photo by Alanah Torralba

Although she is not musically inclined, Maribel took piano lessons as a child and can play nursery rhymes if coaxed.

Almost three decades later, Maribel, together with her daughter Mara Yokohama, created a tsunami when they joined GMA 7’s “Survivor Philippines: Celebrity Doubles Showdown,” set on an isolated island in Palawan.

Mom and daughter are extremely busy these days.

Apart from playing the glamorous vixen Lala Salcedo in the GMA 7 primetime soap “Legacy,” Maribel also appears in TV5’s “Kapitan Awesome,” and in ABS-CBN’s “Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo.”

AN IMARI plate from Japan. Photo by Alanah Torralba

After Brillante

Mendoza’s “Captive,” which premiered in Berlin, Maribel joined the cast of Star Cinema’s “Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang,” and “Larong Bata,” an advocacy film on bullying. Last month, she took part in a group exhibit on “human rights” titled “Imprint: Images of Impunity” at Sining Kamalig.

Mara is trying to balance a slew of TV guestings. With “Survivor” partner Arnold Aninion, Mara recently won the Great Davao Amazing Race Celebrity Edition.  And, like her mom, Mara has an indie film in the works.

Plans and pursuits

Now that mother and daughter are experiencing a career revival, they hope to renovate their home, which stands on 280 square meters of property.

MARA helps mom sew a dress in the attic workshop. Photo by Alanah Torralba

“I want the living room expanded,” said 20-year-old Mara, who finished Communication Arts at De La Salle University.

Mara revealed that her mom’s private nook in the three-story house is the attic. “It’s her office,” she said.

The attic not only showcases Maribel’s old crown and sash as a former Binibining Pilipinas-Universe (1982), but also her acting trophies for the indie movies “Kinatay” and “Tulak.”

Maribel indulges her passion for art and fashion in the attic. She whips up dresses on her sewing machine. “I designed clothes for Shoe Mart when I was younger,” she recalled. “Now I alter my old outfits for Mara.”

Maribel explained that she encourages her children to pursue their own interests.

“Mara is into sports and photography. She also took up Nihongo and is now on level two, which means she’s eligible to work in Japanese companies. She says she wants to take graduate studies in Tokyo. My son Ken paints as a hobby. He’s intelligent. Too smart for his age, if you ask me,” Maribel said.

Close relationship

Since they are both head-strong, Mara and Maribel often engage in lively debates. “We argue a lot,” Maribel sighed.

“But we’re best friends. I tell her everything,” Mara countered.

“My children and I are close, but I set boundaries,” Maribel said. “They should always be aware that I am the parent. Plus, they should follow my Golden Rule: I make the gold, so I make the rules.”

Mara clarified that their stint on “Survivor” enriched their relationship: “I used to rely on my mom for everything. But after she got voted off the island, I had to learn to be independent.”

Maribel has dubbed her parenting style as a mix of the traditional and the modern.

Although she is her kids’ friend, she is a mother first.

Mara admitted that she had learned a lot from her mom, but the lesson that most created an impression in her mind was the value of hard work. “I hope I am as active as my mom still is when I get to her age,” said Mara.

She also learned how to save for a rainy day.

Land investments

When Maribel was still the toast of tinseltown in the 1980s, she invested her earnings in real estate: “I planned to retire by the time I reached 40. I knew I couldn’t remain a sexy star forever. But today despite being over 50 I still get job offers!”

Mara proudly related that her  mom bought their townhouse when she was still single. “She acquired three properties that she then rented out. Even when she married my dad and quit show business temporarily, my mom remained financially independent.”

Maribel and her husband eventually separated but they have remained friends, Mara said. “My dad got a place near our house so he could spend time with us.”

Like father like daughter

Mara’s dad is Hiroshi Yokohama, a Japanese surfer. “My dad is so tanned that you could mistake him for Filipino.”

Between her mom and dad, she seems to be genetically programmed to love the sea. During the “Survivor” competition, she went by the moniker Anak ng Dagat (Child of the Ocean).

During the Living Stars visit, Mara had just arrived from a weekend of surfing in La Union.

Beaming with pride, Mara showed off a scar on her leg—which she got after a close call on the rocks by the coast. She often escapes to Baler, Quezon; San Juan, La Union; and Siargao, Surigao del Norte, to surf and swim.

The centerpiece in Mara’s bedroom can serve as her official portrait—a sultry surfer raring to hit the waves.