10 things you learn about Kris in Greece

Omigosh. We are going to Greece to cover the pictorial of Kris Aquino by Jun de Leon for Bench billboards? What else is there to write about her? Every little heartache she cries about has been broadcast nationwide, there are no secrets left in her love life. Every man her heart beats for has been dissected on primetime.

Oh, okay, Greece is a dream destination. And we must go there to seek our dreams and icons.

"Correct !" laughs Keren Pascual, the travel guru behind the oh-so-famous Famous trips. "We are going to Athens and Mykonos, I’ve researched thoroughly and checked out the places myself and grabe, they’re so beautiful." Keren is actually proud of the fact that while he started his Famous voyages to promote sheer fun and bonding among celebrities with that travel itch, his most recent trips have transcended the roads most commonly taken and have actually become cultural expeditions. After his Famous 8 discovery tour of Egypt, Greece was the next logical choice.

"Correct!" is a word that punctuates Keren’s every excited sentence, and sooner than soon, we realize this very showbiz lingo is also in Kris’ every excited sentence.

On board the Gulf Air flight to Greece, I realize there is never a low-batt moment with Kris Aquino. At 5:20 a.m. as the plane prepares to land in Bahrain after eight hours, everyone is still trying hard to really wake up and stifle a yawn. But Kris, emerging from the toilet with her cosmetic bag, is all smiles. Her face looks so refreshed and radiant sans any trace of makeup, and she urges everyone to shift to alive mode.

"Wow, game ka na! " Bench boss Ben Chan jokes the Game KNB host.

"Correct! But of course naman, your Bench endorser should not be sungit, di ba ?" Kris laughs as she hands her cosmetic bag to Bambbi Fuentes, her makeup stylist. Soon, the Gulf Air crew members approach Kris for photo ops and she obliges. A few passengers try to sneak in from the economy section to the business class area for photo ops with her and she is not sungit.

From this moment and throughout our three-day sojourn, I start scribbling some notes about Kris Aquino. And I jot them down as follows:

1. Kris Aquino loves reading books. She is perhaps the most well-read actress in the showbiz industry. If her handcarry luggage was bulging, it was because it was loaded with books and magazines.

"I’ve read all of James Patterson’s books. He’s my super favorite, as in I read him overnight lang talaga," she explains. When we were in Boston my dad (Ninoy Aquino) taught me to love books." It has become an addiction. What was she reading in Greece? "Paulo Coelho," she answers. "I read The Zahir and Eleven Minutes during our trip."

2. Kris subscribes to l0 – or is it 20 – lifestyle and entertainment magazines. She can be very mababaw and tell you where Celine Dion met her boyfriend, where Barry Manilow is playing in Las Vegas right now , which hair color Julia Roberts used in her latest movie, what brand of spray net lasts the longest, and which are the best powder brands (her favorite among the foreign labels is Prescriptives). And yet she can be deep and spiritual and tell you how she is often inspired by the reading materials lent to her by her sisters.

3. Kris can be fickle when it comes to men, but she can be faithful when it comes to brands (on second thought, it was her men who were unfaithful, right?) She is a Louis Vuitton lady, from her purse down to her luggage. "Gifts from Manny Pangilinan and Vicki Belo," she clarifies. Undoubtedly today’s Billboard Queen, Kris endorses Smart and Belo Clinic, among many other brands ranging from kitchen tiles to shopping malls. Regarding men, she quips: "Maraming guwapo sa mundo, pero marami ring manloloko." Did she love Philip Salvador or Joey Marquez more? "Ask them na lang," she answers.

4. Kris says what she loves most about her current beau, basketball player James Yap, is that he is matiyaga and mabait. She dreams of a Baclaran Church wedding for her and James. Even if a priest reminded her that Baclaran is a shrine, not a church for weddings.

5. Kris almost became betrothed to retailing prince Ben Chan – in her mom’s mind, that is. "There was a time when my mom wanted Ben Chan for me. Kasi magaling and mabait. Sayang, hindi puwede talaga. Then she wanted Ben’s nephew, Carlson Chan, for me instead. Hindi rin puwede."

6. She may be engaged, but that doesn’t mean she won’t look at handsome guys, even for just l0 minutes. In Mykonos, Kris was approached by half-Thai, half-Greek model Jacob Sombiracoul while our group was having lunch in Little Venice, and her eyes lit up. Then she declared to Jacob: "I’m engaged already." The guy jumped three feet away from her, and politely asked instead: "Do you have a sister?"

7. Kris may have made her mom cry in the past, but she vows never to make her cry again. Kris says there are only three incidents when her mom really cried. She won’t name the first and the second time – though you can easily guess them – but she says "the third time was when Cardinal Sin died. From the time I was baptized, Cardinal Sin has always been a part of my life." And she doesn’t want her mom to cry anymore. When Ben Chan and Jun de Leon agreed that Jacob would be good as one of the models to partner Kris in the Bench billboards, she texted her mom right away about the handsome guy and she felt guilty about it. "My mom said: ‘Tell Ben and Jun not to give me a heart attack. Maawa naman sila sa puso ko.’" So immediately Kris shifted her thoughts to her beloved James. Yes, the guy is single and he has earned Cory’s vote of approval.

8. Will Kris Aquino run for senator? " Let’s give the country a break," Kris answers in jest. "But many people are already volunteering and creating slogans and songs for me." End of discussion.

9. Kris’ favorite advocacy? Promoting literacy among children. Kris never repeats a blouse "because they (fans) remember eh." So what she does is give them away to her staff. "At the end of the year, I will be selling my gowns at maybe P800 each and use the money to buy books for schoolchildren all over the country."

10. Kris’ favorite textmate is her mom. "I gave my mom a communicator so she would have an easier time texting, and I gave her the Smart Infinity plan. But she was using up only P800 a month, so I said, ‘Mom, lugi ako, please call up more people.’ And my mom says ‘But who will I call?’ Well, there’s Bishop Teodoro Bacani, for one." And what does Cory text her daughter ? Things like: "Everything happens in God’s grace, so just embrace it… I will pray for you…God bless you…" The time we were in Greece,people in Manila were going out in the streets to rally. Cory texted Kris: "Can you and Ben look for a church and pray for our country? " Kris’ answer: "I will try, Mom."

During the pictorial in Mykonos, there were several little churches around, and in my mind, I thought I heard Kris murmur a prayer.

During the whole trip, there was never a dull moment with Kris. She never runs out of stories, her stock knowledge is vast, she quietly and humbly sits through a fully-booked local connecting flight when we are assigned economy class seats, she never makes people wait because she is usually on time, she is witty, she is sharp, she is funny.

Omigosh, I really like the girl.

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