Ai Ai: From the old to the young

Something strange is happening to Ai Ai delas Alas. Not that she’s a stranger to out-of-the-ordinary things herself. But this one is a first in her checkered life.

Ai Ai is said to have two suitors 20 years younger than she is. Marv Luna and Cris Martinez are 19 and 21, respectively. Before them, Ai Ai was linked to Edu Manzano. The talks died a natural death.

"Mula sa matanda (referring to Edu)–ay, matured pala–napunta naman ngayon sa bata!" Ai Ai guffaws.

She dismisses the "romance" with Marv as pure speculation. But the case of showbiz newcomer Cris Martinez is different. Ai Ai admitted they’ve dated twice. And yes, Cris has a "chance" in winning her over.

But before you conclude that a serious romance is in the offing, think again.

"I’m enjoying my life more these days, unlike before, when I’d work myself to the bone. Childbirth was my only rest then. I’d go back to work only a week after giving birth,"
says Ai Ai.

And while she can talk about Timezone (where her teenaged children hang out) and Rockwell with Cris, Ai Ai realizes a relationship with a much younger man has its limitations. You can’t discuss the peso-dollar rate or the state of the nation, she points out.

If you want to extol the joys of the playstation or just have a good time, you may. But don’t expect a serious relationship, Ai Ai adds.

Unlike before, when her children never had the chance to screen the man in her life, Ai Ai’s next romance can expect a thorough look-see from her protective children.

"My kids see it as an extra challenge," Ai Ai relates, amused at her children’s concern for her.

She has promised them–and herself–she will not fall for a married guy the way she did for Miguel Vera, ever again.

As of now, her children has no reason to believe their mom is giving her heart away again. "I’m not ready to fall in love again," Ai Ai announces.

Life, she says, is too good to bungle up again with the wrong choices. She’s wiser now, thank you.

And, with Klownz Bar–the business she owns with Allan K doing well–Ai Ai can afford to sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of her labor.

During the three months she found her schedule free all of a sudden, Ai Ai lived it up in Boracay and Subic. She horsed around with her children and spent more time with them.

That three-month work break is now over. Ai Ai leaves for the US in a series of tours called The Comedy Queen on Tour with Troy Montero and 3 of a Kind late this month. First stop is the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago on April 30. She has no time to rest after, since she flies to San Francisco, California the very next day for a show at Nob Hill Masonic Center. The rest of the shows are: May 8 at Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas; May 13 at Dole Cannery in Honolulu and May 14 at the HP Baldwin Auditorium, Maui, Hawaii.

When she returns to Manila, Ai Ai will buckle down to work on a yet-untitled ABS sitcom with Nova Villa, Randy Santiago, Vhong Navarro, Toni Gonzaga and Paw Diaz.

No wonder Ai Ai is living la vida loca these days.