Ogie turning 49 and looking younger

Some people simply refuse to grow old(er) and they succeed in looking young(er).

One of them is Ogie Alcasid who is turning 49 on Aug. 27 and marking it with a two-night (26th and 27th) concert at the Music Museum called Ayokong Tumanda with a throwback repertoire that can make the seniors in the audience feel young(er) again and the juniors feel a bit old(er), most of them his own hits such as Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang, Mahal Kita Walang Iba, Iyung-Iyo, Ayaw Sumunod, Dito Sa Puso Ko and Hanggang Ngayon Pangarap Kong Ibigin Ka, and some that he didn’t compose but he has sung like Sa Kanya and Nandito Ako.

Forty-nine could be the new 29, so does Ogie feel it?

“Trying,” he told Funfare.

The target audience is not just people Ogie’s age but people of all ages.

“There’s always a kid in us, a child in us, that always comes out no matter how wise we have become and how much our kids have grown,” said Ogie. “I’m gonna show that we are all kids at heart. Of course, ‘yung mga ka-edad ko ay nakakaramdam na ng mga…you know, sakit dito, sakit doon, sakit sa mga kasukasuan. When I was younger, traveling was so easy. Now, when I travel long haul, I feel pain here and there, backache, mga ganoon. That’s part of growing older, I suppose.”

Oh yes, growing older but not growing taller, hehehe!!! Does it help that he’s not that tall?

“People of my height will always be cute,” he laughed.

How does he keep himself looking young? What diet does he follow?

“Uhm, I’m trying my best to be as healthy as possible. You know what a Pinoy breakfast usually is…tapa, sinangag, fried egg sunny side up. Sobrang oily and fatty and I avoid it. What I’ve been observing is a certain nutritional diet called isalean. I take fruit shake for breakfast and dinner, and have a bit heavier lunch consisting of usually fish with brown rice, around 400-600 calories. For snacks, fruits or an energy drink. My numbers are good — my blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is okay but my cholesterol count is slightly elevated.”

And also: “Lots of water and lots of sleep. I fall asleep very easily. Matakaw ako sa tulog. Sometimes nag-kukuwentuhan kami ni misis at maya-maya, sleep na ako. Tinutulugan ko siya, hehehe! I get more than eight hours on a regular basis, unless I have to wake up early to bring Nate to school…at 5 a.m. when I have to play golf.”

Any medications?

“None but I do take a lot of vitamins, which are part of my isalean diet.”

He’s known to be a golfer. Aside from that, what other workout does he do?

“It can be boring if all you do is golf. I try to mix golf with other forms of exercise. At home, I box. I have a trainer. I lift lightweights (dumbbells). Some days, I swim, or bike or run around the place where we live.”

Being spiritual, he and his wife Regine Velasquez have a way of coping with stress.

“Since we got married, we have been with a spiritual group that meets every Wednesday. Our son Nate naman, who is turning five years old, attends a kids’ church.”

Music is also a great stress reliever.

“I have a big collection of records. I think I have 800 to 900 of them. I listen to them every now and then. Music is very relaxing.”

At home, she and Regine are constantly singing at their own studio, especially when they are rehearsing for a show (Regine for PLDT Home DSL which goes on occasionally nationwide tour and Ogie for, yes, his coming Music Museum concert).

Any plan to give Nate a baby brother or a baby girl?

“Hindi na muna,” said Ogie. “Hindi na siguro.”  

Asked how he would rate himself as a dad, Ogie begged off.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to give myself a high grade because I don’t want to sound mayabang. I should give myself a low grade…I guess…seven? With Nate, I can be a spoiler but when it’s necessary I can be a disciplinarian. It’s Regine who is the disciplinarian every single day.”

Ogie has two daughters (with ex-wife former Miss Australia Michelle van Eimeren), Leila and Sarah who are teenagers, the former is 18 and in college, and the latter is 13 and in high school. They live in Australia with their mom and stepfather.

So how is Ogie as a long-distance father?

“I am in constant touch with my daughters. They came for a visit three weeks ago. We spent a lot of time together. We went to Palawan and other places. It was a good bonding time. I will be seeing them again soon because I’m having a concert in Australia and New Zealand.”

Leila should be having crushes by now.

“Actually,” he revealed, half in jest, “Leila will kill me if I say it. But she had a boyfriend. Break na sila. Leila wants to be a lawyer someday. When she was here, she got a lot of attention. Nag-trending pa nga, eh. Sabi nila, she looked a lot like Selena Gomez. Sabi ko naman, siempre kamukha niya si Selena Gomez kasi ang tatay naman niya ay kamukha ni Richard Gomez, hehehehe!!!”

Any piece of advice to “people my age” who want to look as young as he is?

“Magpa-Belo sila, hehehehe!” Seriously now, “Every part of my body is original. No part has been enhanced and,” as The Belo Medical Group billboards put it, “not a part has been touched by Belo.”

(Produced by A-Team Talent Agency and PLDT Home/DSL, Ayokong Tumanda features guest stars Lara Maigue, Davey Langit, Q-York, Basti Artadi, Empoy and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, with Maestro Ryan Cayabyab as musical director and Floy Quintos as stage director.)

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