"Do I look sad?" Rufa Mae asks rhetorically. "Actually, I have no time to be depressed." Sing no sad songs for the sultry singer-actress. Although she recently mourned the death of her father and the demise of her two-year relationship with cager Rudy Hatfield, Rufa Mae stubbornly remained in high spirits.
As always, she is quick on the draw, joking that she really has no choice but to remain cheerful. "This is all I’ve got: career and chismis," she roars. Not even the barrage of intrigues that confronts her on a daily basis can dampen her positive outlook in life.
"Actually I don’t get bothered when I am linked with my leading men," Rufa Mae asserts. She has come to accept intrigues as part and parcel of the showbiz package. Rumors of romance are necessary to promote a movie and make viewers believe in the chemistry between the two lead stars, she explains.
"Since I’m from showbiz, I understand; I’m so used to it already," Rufa Mae elaborates. She is only hurt by certain controversies because she worked herself to the bone just to earn her current status in the biz.
Truth be told: She is not only the funniest and sexiest singer-actress in the business, she is also the busiest and the most hard-working, for sure.
Just for the record: She works every day of the week. Monday is for the taping of Bubble Gang; Tuesday is for Idol si Kap; Wednesday and Friday is for her movie shootings; Thursday is for Ang Iibigan Ay Ikaw; Saturday is for her S.O.P. rehearsals and recording and Sunday is for S.O.P.
Whew!
On top of all these GMA-7 TV shows, she also found the time to shoot two movies back-to-back: Hula Mo…Huli Ko with Rudy Fernandez, under Reflection Films, and the tentatively titled Jumbo Day with Ogie Alcasid, Andrew E., and Mikey Arroyo, under Viva Films. And as if all these were not enough, she also had shows in Japan and Hong Kong for the last quarter of the year. (The Viva recording artist has waxed two albums so far. Rated R and the Super B soundtrack.)
"Hataw na," she quips. "Todo na ’to," she mouths of yet another catchphrase she popularized. "That’s why when a shooting sked is cancelled, I’m so happy," Rufa Mae asserts. "That’s the happiest moment of my life," she chuckles.
Not content to rest on her laurels, this hardworking girl even decided to branch out and venture into two business ventures away from show business. This December, she opened two businesses: the Booba’s Secret salon and the Anik-Anik boutique, both in BF Parañaque. She teamed up with her uncle in setting up the two business establishments.
She chose to go into the salon biz because she herself knows how important it is for women. "It’s therapy for us women," Rufa Mae points out. "I love pampering myself. It feels good, di ba? To get facials, a massage, and body scrub. It’s so relaxing."
She thought of the boutique biz, on the other hand, because she accumulated closetfuls of outfits through the years. "And I really enjoy shopping," Rufa Mae reveals. "So instead of gathering dust in my cabinet, I decided to sell some of my clothes. Imagine, I get to model the clothes from my boutique on TV. And most of the items in my shop are from the US, from Hong Kong, from my numerous trips abroad."
The Booba Collection, she christened this line of bags, shoes, clothes, and accessories. "The opportunity just came at the right time, I guess," Rufa Mae pipes up. "I asked myself if not now, when? In life, you should always be brave. You should always be in a fighting mood. Go! In show business, you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so do it now Don’t wait for tomorrow. That’s my motto in life."
Grit and grace under tremendous pressure are but some of the lessons bestowed on her by showbiz. "In life, what is truly important is peace of mind," Rufa Mae intones. "And you can only get that if you are not stepping on anybody. At the same time, you should always be strong. Don’t be to emotional, too sensitive. Don’t let your heart rule over your head. I’ve learned a lot from showbiz. It also taught me to value my hard-earned money. To strike while the iron is hot and to invest my earnings wisely."
She also dreams of putting up two more businesses. "I want to go into skincare products and maybe a restaurant." Case in point: When she bumped into good friend and beauty doyenne Elvie Pineda in the mall, Rufa Mae didn’t hesitate to ask for pointers in setting up a skincare company. Everything revolves around career, Rufa Mae says of her current priorities.
Because of the fast (and sometimes dizzying) pace of her life and career, does Rufa Mae ever yearn of going back to her humble beginnings? "Life was so simple then," Rufa Mae waxes nostalgic. "I didn’t have problems back then. When I wanted to go somewhere, I just took a tricycle. I could eat fishball on the street. I could ride jeepneys. "Then she backtracks a bit. "Once, I was even held up in jeepney!"
Bad memories like those make her thankful for her current status in life. After all, her hard-earned and much-deserved achievements resulted from her "blood, sweat, and tears."
As the old Donna Summer song goes: The girl works hard for the money, so hard for it honey!