Life in the key of D

Dina Bonnevie never fails to fascinate the public. Dina speaks her mind and tells it like it is. No smoke and mirrors, and definitely no beating around the bush. Her travails and triumphs have made headlines, but nowadays, a different headline is flashing in the life of this award-winning actress and television talk show host.

Away from the klieg lights, Dina plays this role: a corporate executive at Fusion Telecommunications. There, she spends her days working as director for overseas market development where, among other things, she is responsible for acquiring voice-over-Internet protocol and business licenses in the chosen market for Fusion’s global expansion, managing start-up operations in the country, and opening the company’s local subsidiary Fusiontel Philippines. Such a serious-sounding job is undoubtedly a far cry from her work in show business.

“Let’s put it this way: ever since I became an actress, I never thought I would be able to use what I learned in school (University of the Philippines, where she took up Broadcast Communication and was a college scholar). I actually entered the corporate world in the late ‘80s and I worked my way through different businesses and sectors of society,” Dina says.

She recalls joining Fusion and not telling her foreign bosses that she is a well-known actress. “I do not want them to hire me based on my celebrity. I want to be taken in based on my own merits,” she explains. Her cover was blown when, on a business trip abroad with her bosses, fans started following her around.

“When my bosses turned to them, the fans explained that I’m an actress. I wanted to stop them from revealing that fact!” she laughs. “Anyway, I can say that I have mastered the art of being able to switch off my artista side and switch on my business person side. I may be Dina Bonnevie to the rest of the world but in the office, I’m simply called ‘DB’.”

Going corporate has taught her to mind the more minute details of her work. “If show business does not have too much discipline, corporate demands so much more of it. I also get to stretch my artistic side here, having a keener eye for details. ‘Pwede na yan’ will never work for me. I want to tweak things further and enhance them,” says Dina after the Lakas Loob launch of Anlene, where she is a brand ambassador.

She reveals that life in the office has practically overtaken her waking hours. Sometimes, her meetings even stretch until past midnight. To say that she is running on a full schedule may still be an understatement. By the way, she has learned to cope with the stress that her job entails.

“I just stand and walk away from the computer when I’m highly stressed. Believe it or not, I just go to the bathroom and spend time there brushing my hair, washing my hands or wetting my face. When I get home, I just order a massage service,” she shares. “At times, I have my warm milk bath in the tub. I lie down, read a book. If I’m too tired to read, I just turn on some music because I bought a lot of spa music. I light some candles just to make it smell good.”

She gets animated when she discloses a major indulgence. “I am really a spa freak. I have all the foot soaps you can imagine. I have an entire collection of essential oils and all the scrubs you can think of. When I went to Thailand recently, I brought home an entire balikbayan box of soaps. I’m not kidding!” she bursts out laughing. Who knew?

In addition, she had her house designed Mediterranean-style because she wanted it to become a place for relaxation. She adds, “That’s why I have huge pillows so everything’s cushiony and comfortable. The ochre walls and curtains really set the mood. So whenever I get home, I’m ready to sleep!”

At times, she meditates and does Bikram yoga which “is a very good way to de-stress and regain your focus. Sometimes I am refreshed just by walking around our village.”

Of course, Dina also lives by a healthy diet, avoiding pork along the way. She says, “My parents never ate pork so I was trained that way. I do not like anything that has transfat. I research a lot on food and health so I am constantly updated. I cannot say enough about how I love fruits and salads. I love anything that’s tomato-based and has herbs. When I have a long day, I take pasta. No carbs for me in the evening. A salad, or fruits and cheese will do.”

She insists that in life, no matter how busy one finds herself in, nothing beats balance. “There should be a balance. Work life, spiritual life, family life, all of those must be balanced.”

Despite her hectic work life, Dina still finds time to show her support to worthwhile endeavors. An advocate of osteoporosis, Dina recalls playing a part in the recent Anlene Movement where she led over 10,000 women and men in a dance exercise. The feat would later land in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest dance gathering, beating Ireland in the process.

The event has left Dina stupefied to this day. “I still don’t know how I led those people to dance in unison,” she shakes her head. “Before I did it, I prayed for God to make this a purposeful one.”

Purpose, according to Dina, is something that almost always comes up in life. Just like us, she, too, goes through phases of self-questioning and doubts. She shares a story that never fails to guide her: “There was a mother who made embroidery. Her son who sat at her feet couldn’t understand the knots and threads that crisscross one another. The mother said, ‘Come stand behind me and see. When the child went beside her and looked over, he realized it’s a masterpiece. She said, ‘You know this is how we are in this earth, too. When something happens to us, we see our lives as knots. You have to wait until God allows you to see those purposes a little at a time.’ When I’m depressed, I just recall this story and everything’s all right again.”

She pauses, quietly adding a time-tested but never-worn-out wisdom, “When a lesson comes into your life, unless the lesson is learned well, it will keep coming back to you. You go through these trials until you become a seasoned master of your life. It may take time but, hey, that is life.”

No one else could have said it best.