I'm a Baby!

Dalawang linggo akong absent sa SOP.  Pagbalik ko nu'ng Sunday guest namin si Dayanara Torres.  Knowing how Miss Universe-obsessed I am, sa'kin nila in-assign ang Puerto Rican beauty.  Since guest din siya sa SFiles later that day, parang ako ang naging official writer niya.  Tuwang-tuwa naman ako dahil bukod kay Gloria Diaz, ito ang first time kong makakatrabaho ang isang Miss Universe. 

Actually, sa lahat ng Miss Universe mula 1987 (the year I started watching), kay Dayanara ako pinaka-hindi attached dahil siya lang ang hindi ko napanood makoronahan nang live.  Meron akong kasal ang pinsan ko that May day in 1993 at ang naabutan ko na lang 'yung replay sa gabi.  'Yung end na nga lang ang nakita ko.  Plus that year I thought her first runner-up gave a much better answer to the final question about what will you tell a foreigner about your country something...Ang taray kasi ng sagot nu'ng Miss Colombia, sa ending she said something like (and this is in the words of her translator):  "I am Paula Arroyave and I invite you all to visit Colombia!"  Pero naaalal ko kay Dayanara 'yung sa semi-final round interview niya tinanong kung bakit siya nag-aaral maging dentista tapos sabi niya (she was one of the Latina contestants who speak English) "I want to teach children oral hygiene...because they are the future of the world."

Anyway, maganda pa rin si Dayanara.  Tall and slender.  Black hair, blue eyes with the most radiant smile I have ever seen.  She seemed sincere and was very smart and articulate.  At nakakaintindi pa rin siya ng Filipino despite being out of the country for seven years!  Medyo hirap na nga lang siya magsalita ngayon kasi nga wala naman siyang practice sa LA where she's now based (withe her sons aged 3 and 7). 

Pinaka-highlight for me nu'ng maka-scoop ang SFiles sa kanyang Filipina nanny.  She wanted to get in touch with her kaso hindi niya maalala 'yung family name.  Buti na lang this woman who is from Bacolod was calling GMA at naka-contact niya nag isang researcher namin.  Nu'ng na-phonepatch, nag-iiyakan talaga 'yung dalawa.  Even Dayarana's (I call her Yari, nax!) entourage was crying.  Kitang-kita mo 'yung talagang bond na na-share niya with her Filipina nanny na nag-alaga sa mga anak nila ni Marc Anthony (na jowa na ngayon ni JLo). 

As the writer, I was provided with a protocol sheet about things she wouldn't rather talk about (like the divorce with Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Aga Muhlach - OK lang daw tanungin "though she avoids mentioning his name.")  Buti na lang sa SFiles nang pina-complete namin ang sentence na "I confess, the last man I fell in love with was..."  She was candid enough to answer "My ex-husband."

Now, why do I hate her?  Well, she can't seem to remember my short name REY.  Whenever she'd try to talk to me makikita mong nagsa-struggle siyang alalahanin kung sino ako and then she'd call me DAYANARITA "because you remind me of me when I was Miss Universe!  My God!  We have the same eyes pa!"  Kainis, noh!

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