Body Talk with Rich A.

It took a while before I could reconcile the girl barely out of her teens I met a few years ago in Tagbilaran City to the girl so sexy and sophisticated on the cover of the latest issue of FHM magazine.

She was then simply Rachel Angalot, 15, who lived with her parents and three siblings at a humble hut along a road on the way to the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. I was a judge of the Miss Bohol pageant in connection with the Sandugo Festival, of which my friend Betty Veloso-Garcia (a Boholana nurse working at a New York hospital) was president, and Rachel was declared first runner-up. Over snacks of Fried Saba at the coffee shop of Metro Centre, my other Boholano friends Boy Echavez and Raoul Tidalgo were advising the shy Rachel to come out of her shell. “You could be Miss Bohol Sandugo, not just a runner-up,” we told her.

Before long, Rachel Angalot became Rich Asuncion when she joined the GMA talent search StarStruck in 2007. And then, she joined the Bb. Pilipinas pageant in 2009 and finished first runner-up to Bianca Manalo, the Bb. Pilipinas-Universe who’s now also in showbiz (co-host of the ABS-CBN noontime show Happy Yipee Yehey!); and Melody Gersbach, the Bicolana Bb. Pilipinas-International who died in a car accident last year.

And now, here she is on the FHM cover, in full bloom at 22 --- with a flourishing career to boot, cast as a villainess in the new GMA soap Sisid.

An Aquarian (Jan. 22), Rich stands 5’7”, weighs 125 lbs., measures 34-25-35, and wears small-size shirt and size-9 shoes. She’s taking up B.S. Tourism in UP Diliman, the same course she was enrolled in at the Holy Name University in Tagbilaran when showbiz lured her into the bigger city.

How did you prepare for the FHM photo shoot?

“Actually, I got a very short notice, mga one month lang. So I went on a crash diet. I cut my food intake. Nag-brown rice ako, wheat bread with raisins, fruits. But before a meal, I would fill myself up with soup or water para konti lang ang makain ko.”

What about workout?

“I jogged around UP (Diliman). On weekends, I play badminton and volleyball in sportfests with my friends from Bohol.”

What’s your regular diet?

 “I don’t take breakfast but I eat a heavy lunch which usually consists of mostly fish. I got used to eating fish because my mother sells fish. When I was growing up in Bohol, we would eat meat only on weekends. For dinner, lots of soup and only two to three spoonfuls of brown rice, and fruits.”

Snacks between meals?

“Camoteque or bananaque.”

What vitamins do you take?

“Vitamin C and, sometimes, multi-vitamins. But I often forget to take my vitamins.”

What was your regular workout before FHM?

“Regular workout? Household chores. I wash the dishes, I clean the house. Any chore that makes me perspire. I jump-rope. I don’t want to work out in the gym. Hindi ko feel.”

Judging from the FHM pictorial, your body is, well, perfect. Any part that you think still needs improvement?

“My thighs. Medyo malaki.”

The FHM pictorial was done in Bulabog Beach in Bulabog, Boracay

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

“My head. Kapag stressed ako, I get a headache. I get stressed easily because ako lahat sa bahay. Marami akong iniisip. Mga problema.”

And what part of your body is your favorite?

“My waist. I like my curves. Naiinggit sila sa curves ko. Hehehehe!”

What’s the first thing that you notice in a guy’s body?

“His eyes.”

What else turns you on in a guy?

“’Yung malalaki ang kamay. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel na kaya niya akong protektahan. My high school crush has big hands, sobrang laki ng kamay niya.”

And what turns you off?

“’Yung kulot ang buhok. I don’t know, basta ayokong lang. It irritates me.”

How much sleep do you get per night?

“I try to get eight hours. If not at night, I make up for lack of sleep by taking a nap…even on the set. Mabilis akong makatulog. If I don’t have work, all I do is sleep.”

Favorite sleepwear?

“Loose T-shirt and short-shorts.”

Do you snore?

“A bit. Pa-cute. Sabi ni Maxene (Magalona), I snore. Proof? One time, vinideo niya ako.”

Do you talk in your sleep?

“No, I don’t. Thank God! Baka kung anong pangalan ang mabanggit ko. Hehehehe!”

Do you sleepwalk?

“Thank God, I don’t. Baka kung saan ako mapadpad. Hehehehe!”

How many pillows do you sleep with?

“Two. One under my head and the other I hug.”

Last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

“Check my cellphone for text messages and missed calls and then turn it to ‘silent’.”

First thing that you do when you wake up?

“Activate my cellphone and check for text messages and missed calls.”

How do you cope with stress?

“You know, I am so lucky to have my little brother around. Sobrang kenkoy niya. All he does is make faces and he makes me laugh. Then, wala na ang pagod at stress ko.”

Favorite city?

“Tagbilaran, of course!”

What kind of music and movies do you like?

“I like feel-good music and horror movies.”

Favorite hideaway (maybe a beach in Bohol, aside from, ehem, Bohol Beach Cub which I know is most memorable to you and Double A)?

“Morning Hair in Loay, also in Bohol.”

How’s your love life?

“Wala. Zero!”

Oh, don’t you have a (new) boyfriend?

“None…since I broke up with him six months ago.”

“His loss, not yours.” (Note to him: Get a copy of FHM and eat your heart out!)

Many girls would do everything to whiten their complexion. What about you?

“I’d rather not. I love my color (light chocolate-brown). I’ve been offered to be an endorser of a whitening product pero ayoko talaga. I love my complexion.”

Many girls are afraid of the sun. Are you?

“No, I’m not. I love the sun. In fact, my mom would always remind me when I go out, ‘Magpayong ka ha’. Gusto ko magbilad sa araw.”

How often do you get your dermatologist?

“Dapat regularly. But I haven’t seen her for weeks now. Sorry po, Dr. Weng Matias. The last time I saw her was before the FHM pictorial.”

What’s your outlook in life?

“I’m a bit pessimistic. Maybe because of my humble beginnings. I always put meaning into everything or every time something happens. I would say, ‘Siguro ganyan dahil ganito lang ako…’ I’m trying to overcome that feeling. I believe that what you get is what you deserve.”

Name three men that you think have nice bodies.

“Manny Pacquiao. Dingdong Dantes. Ryan Reynolds.”

And three women you think have bodies as nice and sexy as yours.

“Iza Calzado. Lucy Torres. Angelina Jolie.”

Using only body language, how would you make a guy know that you admire him?

“I don’t do anything. Kunwari ini-ignore ko siya. I grew up in the province at ang mga tao doon kahit gustung-gusto nila, they keep it to themselves.”

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