The Henareses' common passion

MANILA, Philippines - There has never been a definitive manual on how to make a family tick and in these fast-paced times, one would be more hard-pressed to find one.

Yet, having such a happy unit is possible as proven by the Henares family. Though each one of its members has his or her own thing, the parents Ida and Ronnie Henares and their children Stephanie and Christian lead a lifestyle of quality time and activities.

Ida, head of GMA Artist Center (GMAAC), has a calendar-full of commitments. She is busy that she confesses going to work “with rollers on my head.” To save on precious time, she has learned to multi-task such as putting on makeup inside the car while texting or calling up people.

Sounds like a nightmare? Not to Ida. It helps a lot that she loves her work so it doesn’t feel like one, and that she secures her “me” and “we” time. Before leaving the house, for example, she makes sure that she has had her cup of tea, has said her morning prayers and has kissed whoever family member is still home. “No matter how busy I am, I try my best to attend to all the needs of my loved ones needs and to be aware of what everyone is up to,” she says.

Sundays are sacred to her because it’s when she usually watches movies, gets a massage, cooks, designs, reads books for leisure, dines with friends and family, among other things. She always makes time for “real” vacations (as opposed to business trips), hammering out the details by researching on her iPad. “While at it, I e-mail, Skype, book tickets, shop online,” she reveals. “These things, they enhance my lifestyle. I don’t go online just for business, you know, though I do that a lot, too.”

Ronnie, on the other hand, credits open communication lines in the family as key to its success. He listens to all their concerns. If he is preoccupied with something when they want to talk, he gets back to them as soon as he can. “And I let them know that I love them as often as possible...both in words and action,” he adds.

Making time for loved ones is something few can imagine Ronnie does given that he is one of the most successful managers/consultants in show business for years now. But, well, as he puts it, it’s all a matter of perspective and knowing your priorities. “I put even such activities (talking to family) in my calendar like they are appointments,” he reveals. “You have to make time.”

Like Ida, whom Ronnie dubs his “rock,” he has his own leisurely pursuits. “I enjoy playing badminton, golf and do some biking,” he enumerates. “I live out my passions… singing, dancing, acting, directing, producing and being a consultant… at this time of my life. It’s a blast!”

And what does Ronnie usually do online? “E-mail a lot. Search the web every so often. I use the Internet to check on my artists’ schedules using Google calendar, researching on items I intend to purchase, searching the Net for information that helps me achieve tasks I need to do and checking news.”

For someone whose passion is to make other people’s dreams come true, it’s no surprise that Ronnie still has dreams even as he celebrates long-held ones. “I dream to have a business that can run on its own which doesn’t need my daily attention. I dream to travel more. I dream that my children will be able to find their place in the sun. I dream to leave a legacy in the entertainment business,” he muses aloud.

Statuesque Stephanie is forever on student mode. “I try to learn more about being a host, an actress and a model by observing, taking workshops and reading more about how to be better at what I do,” she says.

Then again, all work and no play makes Jane a dull girl and Stephanie knows this. To keep herself interested and motivated, she injects fun into her activities, coloring it with spontaneity and sometimes spunk. “I go swimming and rock climbing. I have a lovely dinner at a restaurant with family and friends, play card games with my family, tell inane jokes and laugh ourselves silly…those things,” she discloses.

In the family, Stephanie is the “Twitter-er.” “I constantly check tweetdeck on my phone and on my laptop. When I’m online it’s the first thing I do. Then I look at my mail for work, and Facebook for friends. I do Skype with my friends and family abroad, and play Call of Duty Modern Warfare with my friends as well. I download apps for my phone, upload videos I need to send for work and play online.”

Christian, on the other hand, is into video productions and graphics. Though he is not as high-profile in show business as the rest of his family, he is busy video editing for the plugs/advertisements and taking on audio-visual projects for TV5. “I am also into motion graphics, graphic designing and directing,” he says.

The young man has taken to heart what his father taught them; that is, “Be the best at what you do” and to have free days at least once a week to recharge and review what has been done and what else can be done. “The advice has empowered us,” Christian quips.

He likes watching movies and TV shows, reading comics, playing video games and doing research online. “I look up things that help with my craft. The Internet is a great gateway to gaining knowledge and information, and performing different and numerous kinds of transactions,” he says.

The family holds the same outlook on a lot of things — God comes first.

“My relationship with God…I try to recognize His ways by pouring out my heart to Him, by seeking His word on matters that mean most to me and desiring His involvement in everything I do by traveling to where He has been and by relishing all that he has shown me,” says Ida.

Ronnie also speaks for his family in saying that nothing is worth pursuing half-heartedly or for motivation other than passion. “I give my 100 percent in all that I set out to do. I never look at a project in terms of money. I always set my sights to the success of a project. I figure that, if I am successful with a project, the money will come,” he says.

Stephanie, who is said to be the counselor in the family, appreciates the importance of moral support. “It’s great having a family who has experience in your line of work because they get where you’re coming from. Just the support they give me in my field is already amazing. They don’t pressure me into doing things I don’t want to do, and they are patient when I don’t have projects in line yet. To have them have my back is something I truly appreciate.”

For Christian, his family has instilled in him that one shouldn’t stop learning. “I continue to learn and grow by taking in whatever information and experience that I can harvest or comes to me,” he says.

What else does the Henares family agree on? That time is gold. This is the reason that as basic as the kind of Internet connection they have value that principle.

As Stephanie points out: “Slow Internet wastes so much time, it is so limiting. High-speed is definitely the way to go.”

It didn’t take them much time to realize the obvious: In that aspect, PLDT MyDSL’s unparalleled 5Mbps speed rules. PLDT MyDSL 5MBps was especially created for families with multiple gadgets using the Internet at the same time. Each member can do his own thing — download files, make online conference calls and, yes, Stephanie, tweet — on the Internet without slowing down the browsing speed of the others.

Now, there’s message about sharing in the family: There’s more than enough to go around. No wonder that the plan has been described by people as “Internet to sawa” because that’s what it can give you, me, him, her, them and us. We are family with the same happy experience in Internet connectivity through PLDT.

Just ask the Henareses.