Why Maritoni, Hans called off wedding

Now it can be told: Maritoni Fernandez and Hans Montenegro, who have found in each other lovelier love the second time around, did plan to get married on Dec. 28 but something went wrong somewhere along the way so...goodbye, wedding plans!

"What happened?" Maritoni returned Funfare’s question last Sunday during a chance meeting on the set of The Buzz. "Well, what happened is that Hans and I discovered that we still have a lot of things to iron out before we should settle down."

Meaning, legally?

"No, not legally," stressed Maritoni. "We don’t have any problem on that aspect."

Hans is divorced from former Bb. Pilipinas-World Cara Subijano, now based in San Francisco and working with The Filipino Channel (TFC), with whom he has a daughter. Maritoni said that she wasn’t married to her estranged businessman-beloved by whom she has a child.

"Together," said Maritoni, "sana we’ll have a son naman."

Both highly articulate and passionately opinionated, Maritoni and Hans often bump heads, which always happens between two intelligent people who refuse to give in to each other.

"Believe it or not," said Maritoni, "but Hans sometimes can’t understand what I’m saying and vice-versa. I would say something and he couldn’t grasp what I mean, and vice-versa, so we end up arguing. I insist on what I believe in and so does he."

In short, they have a "communication gap," or something like that.

"So we thought that if this kink in our relationship isn’t ironed out," said Maritoni, "and our other differences as well, we better not push through with our wedding on Dec. 28 as planned. Baka mag-away lang kami nang mag-away. Our wedding is ‘on hold’."

A few months ago, Funfare reported that Maritoni (a breast-cancer survivor) and Hans broke up after going steady for almost two years.

"We didn’t break up," Maritoni clarified. "We did fight but we didn’t break up. What did we fight over? The usual. May sinasabi akong hindi niya masakyan at may sinasabi siyang hindi ko masakyan. Our usual ‘communication gap’. But things are okay now."

Come October, Maritoni and Hans will move to their new love nest where they hope to live happily ever after while their wedding remains, well, "on hold."

Giselle Tongi coming back again — soon

Just got an e-mail from Giselle Tongi from Los Angeles where she’s based and pluckily pursuing her own American Dream (of breaking into Hollywood – or bust?).

Giselle said that she’s coming home maybe next month to fulfill several engagements, including one for Freeway (the clothes brand she’s endorsing).

She also sent a clipping of the August issue of Elle Girl magazine (with Avril Lavigne on the cover) which has her in a full-page feature.

"I was made to look much younger than all my previous pictorials because of the magazine’s market," explained Giselle. "Take note how different my Elle photo is from my come-hither looks."

Several issues ago, Funfare printed the brief Elle story on Giselle. I’m printing it again to accompany the clipping Giselle sent me. Here it is, entitled Global Girl of the Moment: Giselle, 25, written by Maria Santos:

Who’s that girl? Giselle Tongi, 25, a model/actress/singer/VJ. Her international flava: With a Filipina mom and a Swiss dad, this girl has lived in Paris, Zurich and finally Manila where she was discovered at age 12 by a modelling agent in a mall. And the modelling jobs keep comin’. Even though she’s only five-feet-four, Giselle has landed the covers of Cosmo and FHM magazines in Asia. "I signed a contract to be the spokesmodel for Freeway, a Filipino fashion label for edgy girls who aren’t afraid to express themselves through clothes."

Giselle just returned from a sweet gig in Hawaii where she along with MTV’s Suchin Pak, hosted an event for World Asia TV, a new US network with Asian-themed programming from yoga shows to Kill Bill. Wait, it gets better. While working as a VJ for MTV Asia, she travelled all over Singapore interviewing celebs like Ricky Martin and Mariah Carey. She even released her own CD on Sony called Very G. Her inspiration? Mom. "After my father died, I grew up in a single-parent household as the youngest of four. Girls in the Philippines are usually raised to be subservient, but my mom taught me that I can do anything."

Where to get a good foot/back massage

My friends ask me where I go to "de-stress" myself and I recommend to them two places where they can get a good foot massage (usually combined with back massage).

One is MTO, owned and operated by my friend Mercy T. Ong, with branches located in strategic locations in Metro Manila, one in Malate, Manila (1709 Mabini corner Gen. Malvar Streets, telephone 400-9775) and another on Timog Avenue (#8 Landsdale Arcade, telephone 416-9104) in Quezon City.

After closing my page at The STAR, I rush to the MTO Malate branch (where I sometimes bump into Manila Standard’s Jullie Yap-Daza and Bulletin’s Cris Belen) for foot/back massage (good for one hour and a half). MTO offers several other services.

I enter MTO with aching joints and, after the session, I leave the place feeling light and easy, as if floating on Cloud 9. If you’re a card-carrying member (like Jullie, Cris and me), you pay less than the usual charge (check out the numbers listed and inquire how much).

During my day-off, when I’m too lazy to drive from Quezon City to Malate, I hie off to the MTO branch on Timog Avenue. Or I check out Family Spa (second level of Tomas Morato Plaza, 170 Tomas Morato Avenue corner A. Roces Avenue, Quezon City, telephone 926-9322) for the same service (foot and back massage). Like MTO, Family Spa offers various services and the charges depend on what service you want and need and how long you get "pampered" in a well-appointed room complete with a TV set and fragrant linen on the lounging chair.

Family Spa is owned and operated by a Chinese couple who has recruited a reflexologist from Mainland China to train the staff. You pay a little more if you choose the Chinese guy to serve you but, I assure you, it’s worth it.

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