No ‘7-year itch’ but Hello Kitty home makeover gift for Ai-Ai

Ai-Ai delas Alas recently celebrated her seven years of marriage with Gerald Sibayan.

There’s no “seven-year itch” but only a surprise gift from the hubby that indulged the comedy queen’s love for all things Hello Kitty.

In an exclusive chat with The STAR, the Kapuso star said that she started fangirling over Hello Kitty stuff in high school. She would become more of a Barbie doll and Minnie Mouse collector through the years, but over the pandemic, she went gaga over Hello Kitty again. She said it was one of her ways of coping with the stressors caused by the global health crisis, as the color pink makes her feel happy.

Little did she know Gerald would observe her constant browsing of items online. “Itong asawa ko pala, parati niyang nakikita na tumi-tingin-tingin ako online ng mga Hello Kitty na pang bahay. During our anniversary, seven years na kami, ito pala yung surprise gift niya sa akin.”

While Ai-Ai was in a lock-in taping for a GMA series, her husband hired an interior designer and had their home transformed into Hello Kitty heaven.

While Ai-Ai was in a lock-in taping for a GMA series, their kitchen, bedroom and living room were transformed into Hello Kitty heaven. The room alone was around P400,000 in cost to complete. Almost the entire house is already Hello Kitty-themed, and they are now saving for expansion plans.

“Happy, maluha-luha. Ikaw ba naman sosorpresahin ng ganun? Nakakatuwa din. Happiness!” she recalled her reaction to the anniversary surprise.

“As long as mapapasaya sayo at wala kang matatapakan na tao, go ka lang sa mga trip mo!” she added.

But more than the gift, Ai-Ai is grateful that she and her husband, who is nearly 30 years her junior, have not experienced the so-called “seven-year itch” in their marriage.

“I think, sa dami ng pinagdaanan ko, hindi na. Basta parati akong nagpi-pray na sana yung relasyon namin is magtagal, di kami magkahiwalay. Kasi nga sabi ni Lord, ang pinagsama ng Diyos ay di dapat paghiwalayin ng tao. That’s why I always pray for our marriage.”

Ai-Ai admitted that there are occasional fits of jealousy but she has learned to better handle them now. “Selosa pa rin ako, pero una sa lahat nasa center namin parati si Lord, parati kaming nag-no-novena, we go to Mass together, so I think that’s a big help in our relationship.”

She believes their marriage wouldn’t last had she been younger because of her issues in life. She laughingly shared that she used to be like a war freak. “Matapang kasi ako, Batangueña ako. Pag-nalaman ko nambabae, nagwawala talaga ako... Hindi na kasi ako ganun ngayon. Nag-mature na ako,” she said.

Here are some important things she learned from their seven years of wedded bliss: “Na-learn ko na ‘wag pumatol. I think that’s one of my problems when I was younger because mahilig ako pumatol sa away that’s why life wasn’t peaceful. But as you age pala, you learn to let things go.

“Ngayon, deadma nalang ako. Yung mga malilit na bagay, ‘wag na pansinin. Yung di ka naman mamatay, hayaan mo nalang.”

In the course of their marriage, what she also discovered about her husband is that “he treats me well and he’s really responsible.”

On Instagram, Ai-Ai “flexed” how Gerald used the “law of attraction” — a belief that positive thoughts create positive results in a person’s life — to get his dream luxury car.

“Sabi ko, may pambili ka ba? ‘Oo, law of attraction.’ Sabi ko, huh? Parang na-weirdohan ako. Sabi ko, ‘wag ka muna bumili, pandemic nga, mag-ipon tayo. So, until nakulitan na ako sa kanya. I think, November pa lang kinukulit na ako, binili niya February. Pumayag na rin ako, kasi pera naman niya yun, pinaghirapan niya rin yun.”

Ai-Ai says she always prays for her marriage with Gerald Sibayan.

She said she was surprised by how much savings her husband had in the bank. As per his online posts, the former Badminton national player and now pilot is into online franchising. “‘Pag sa negosyo niya, di ko siya pinapakialaman, at ako din naman di niya pinapakialaman yung mga accounts ko. Because to be honest, we have a prenup (for practical reasons because I have kids). Kung ano kinita ko nung dalaga ako, sa akin yun. When we got married, that’s the only time we had a conjugal (bank account).”

Meanwhile, Ai-Ai and Gerald are partners in fitness and in health. She quipped, “Modesty aside, sa itsura malapit na kami, para na kaming mag-ate. Dumating kami sa mag-nanay, tapos naging mag-auntie, tapos ngayon na mag-ate, hahaha!”

Ai-Ai attributed this to a major lifestyle change she did five years ago, as she shifted to an all-organic diet. Her husband, on the other hand, took his health even more seriously with the pandemic. “So far, by God’s grace, mag-two-two years na ang pandemic, di pa kami nagkakasakit. Thank you Lord talaga!”

The couple left for the US last week and have since received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine there.

In a separate interview during the virtual launch for her fun new song Siomai (What?) under Viva Records, she explained her decision to get jabbed in the States. “Kasi dito, parang yung para sa amin, ibigay nalang namin dun sa iba na pwede mag-avail. Ako, as a Green Card holder, I’m (entitled to a free vaccine) there. I will avail it. Yung akin dito ibibigay ko na sa mas nangangailangan.”