Ai-Ai: Feeling awesome

Guess who’s back in Manila? Ai-Ai de las Alas, who, after that media storm she went through following the explosive revelations about her aborted marriage to Jed Salang has returned and is ready to work.

Ai-Ai spent a month in the US. She flew there with son Sancho and spent time with her two other children Niki and Sophia by former partner Miguel Vera. Coming back to the country, she felt like a new woman. “Super. Na-rejuvenate ako. Para akong reborn, na-experience ko ang redemption, ang mag-relax, lahat na ng ‘R’ na puwede mong maisip.” Ai-Ai returned to the Philippines alone, while Sancho, who graduated this year from the Center for Culinary Arts, stayed behind because he plans to take up a short refresher course. Ai-Ai will return to the US in November, her birthday month, after which she will come home with the kids toward the end of the year so all of them can spend Christmas together in Manila.

Upon her return to the country, Ai-Ai immediately went back to work. One of the first things she did was to attend the trailer launch for Kung Fu Divas, the film she did with Marian Rivera. The movie will open sometime in October. She is also busy preparing for her first concert in four years. She used to do birthday concerts regularly every November, but since she started making movies entered in the yearly filmfest and doing TV soaps and shows like Pilipinas Got Talent, she had to slow down. Schedule-wise, it was impossible to do a movie for showing in December and prepare for a November concert at the same time. Ai-Ai was so busy, taking on one project after another, extending her working hours until dawn, and it was draining her physically. So as soon as she found a break in her schedule, she made a firm decision to go on vacation in the US with her kids.

It wasn’t enough just to say that she wanted to enjoy life. It was time to put her money where her mouth is. “I always say that I want to enjoy life because last year, sa dami ng ginawa ko, nagkasakit ako and muntik na ako ma-tegibells (mamatay) and I realized na kapag namatay ako, hindi ko naman ma-e-enjoy lahat ng meron ako at lahat ng pinaghirapan ko, di ba?” So she asked permission from her bosses at ABS-CBN if she could take a break, and she was allowed to.

The break came at just the right time. “Nakapag-spend talaga kami ng time kasi nga hindi ako nag-work,” says Ai-Ai, who posted photos of their trip on Instagram. “Kapag nandito kasi, hindi din kami nagkikita dahil hanggang madaling-araw ang work ko. Pag-gising ko, wala na sila. Doon, sa umaga, talagang sila na agad ang nakikita ko.”

Titled Ai’m Awesome, the concert will be held on Aug. 16 at the Airport Casino Filipino; on Aug. 24 at the Casino Filipino Tagaytay; and on Aug. 30 at the Casino Filipino Angeles. Her guest for the Aug. 16 and Aug. 30 shows will be Aljur Abrenica, while John Prats will guest for the Aug. 24 show. Another guest in all shows is PAGCOR artist K Menn. She promises a full range of numbers that include a Rihanna medley, a Jennifer Lopez dance medley, a rock version of the novelty OPM hit Pusong Bato and — get this — a duet of Pink’s Just Give Me A Reason with Aljur. “Very bagets, di ba?” laughs Ai-Ai.

Ai-Ai is excited not just about the show itself, but about going back to work in general. She really just needed a break after those tough times and considering what she still has to face. But she regrets nothing; as a matter of fact, everything she’s been through made her stronger and she feels that she really does deserve to be called “awesome.” “Yan talaga ang gusto kong i-achieve,” she says.

Asked what she thinks qualifies her as awesome (as the title of her concert says), Ai-Ai says: “Siguro ‘yung pagiging brave sa mga pinagdaanan ko and to pass everything with flying colors, with style and grace, awesome na nga sigurong matatawag ‘yon.”