Followers of the Mara Clara remake on ABS-CBN would know her as the actress who plays Alvira del Valle, Mara’s disconsolate mother. In “Agua Bendita”, another teleserye from the same network, she was cast as the masterminding villain named Criselda Barrameda. She was the tallest kid in the defunt kid-oriented show “Chikiting Patrol” and made a mark in “Esperanza,” the teleserye that made Judy Ann Santos famous. She has also appeared in a number of movies, the most memorable of recent times being the John Lloyd Cruz – Bea Alonzo starrer film “One More Chance” where she earned a FAMAS Best Supporting Actress nomination.
She is Dimples Romana. In real life, the role she plays is one that she’s always dreamed of: being wife to Boyet Ahmee and mom to 7-year old daughter Cal.
Yes, she is married, with a kid, and not a lot of people know it. She has, after all, kept her family life under wraps all these years. Smart Parenting Online is privileged to have this exclusive interview with the Ahmee family.
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How they met
Dimples and Boyet grew up in the same community but never really got acquainted until much later as adults. According to Boyet, having Dimples as a girlfriend was a challenge because of her erratic schedule, not to mention the guys who were around her all the time. At one point, he confesses, the situation posed a dilemma “Inisip ko, kung gusto ko talaga ito kailangan masanay ako; otherwise, para akong kumuha ng batong ipupukpok ko sa ulo ko!”
At the age of 19, Dimples was married to Boyet and soon bore Cal.
Giving birth
Dimples relates that one week before her due date, during one of her pre-natal check ups, her doctor told them to prepare, as he was going to give birth that night. Not knowing that her water already broke, she refused to believe it and tried to reason with the doctor. ‘Sabi ko, no, doc, hindi pwede. We need to attend a Couples for Christ Christmas Party tonight at sasayaw pa ng Mr. Suave ang asawa ko’. I didn’t feel anything kasi!”
Having no choice but to heed the doctor’s advice, they got home to get their bags and prepared for labor, which didn’t happen. They were then presented with an option to wait for the contractions to come, or induce labor. “But I didn’t want them to induce it kasi I know inducing equals pain plus there was a risk that the baby might not come out properly,” Dimples relates. “I did not want to risk it so we decided I’d give birth thru Caesarean section. The doctor told me, ‘neck down lang anaesthesia mo so you will be awake”, but I was so nervous kaya ang daldal ko! So pinatulog na lang ako.”
Dimples gave birth to a baby girl whom they named Christiana Amanda Lauren, or CAL for short.
In exhaustion, Dimples fell asleep as soon as she gave birth, but not without first ‘checking” on the baby. “Tiningnan ko agad 'yung nose ng bata kung matangos. Nung nakita ko na matangos, ok na ako. Sabi ni Boyet, ‘Myluv, pwede ka nang matulog, 'wag ka nang mag-alala, 'yung bata kamukha mo!”
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Raising Cal
“We just let her explore and play, kahit maputikan ok lang,”says Dimples. When Cal was 2 years old she started to wonder why people frequently asked for a picture with her mom, even people she didn’t know. And since Dimples has to be away some nights for shooting or taping, it is Boyet who usually puts Cal to sleep (after watching Mara Clara, of course). Boyet adds, “if Cal can’t fall asleep, she’d call up Dimples to ask “Mom, how many sequences ka pa? Iba pa rin kapag Mommy niya ang kasama; Cal is so attached to her mom that just her scent will put her to sleep.”
Even so, Dimples and Boyet attempt to raise Cal like a regular child. “We transferred her to her current school which does not have airconditioned classrooms. She would go home na pawisan, she’d say, ‘why did you enroll me in a school that has no aircon?’ We’d tell her, ‘tama 'yan para ma-experience mo ang pagiging bata’”. An incoming Grade 2 pupil, she has qualified for the Math and Science Aptitude Test (MSAT) at a school in the South, although Dimples is quick to add that they don’t pressure her to do more than she could. “Sasabihin na lang nya na may medal sya so aakyat kami ng stage, nagugulat na lang kami.”
Cal has grown up to be very independent. During the interview we saw how she would decide which clothes to wear, tie her shoelaces, and pack her bags on her own. She loves books – just like Mom – and likes to draw and write using her crayons. And – just like Daddy – she likes taking things apart and putting them back together (like she did with her toy laptop). Dimples tells us, “si Boyet kasi mahilig bumibili ng mga tools from the TV shopping channels, hindi naman nagagamit. Gusto lang nya meron sya nun,” and that probably explains Cal’s interest in the same.
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Family bonding time
While the little one is close to both her mom and dad, Boyet admits that Dimples and Cal have special bonding moments that they exclusively share, like shopping for “kikay stuff”, and baking (the mom-and-daughter tandem’s latest creation was a batch of chocolate peanut butter chip cookies), which is particularly close to Dimples’ heart because she took up culinary arts for one year in Enderun, where she was granted a scholarship.
On weekends, these self-confessed food lovers like to stay home for a cookout, with Boyet whipping up his specialties - buffalo wings, steaks, and homemade meatloaf – if not going restaurant-hopping to try out what’s new.
Mompreneur
Aside from being an actress, Dimples is also busy marketing their 3 businesses. They co-own Red Digital, a photo studio located at Better Living, Paranaque. Two years ago, Dimples started collecting cameras as a hobby even if she did not have a background on photography. The hobby soon became a full-blown business.
The couple is affiliated with a leading real estate company for whom they serve as the marketing arm, and also manages a business in partnership with a large manufacturer of detergents, dishwashing liquid, and fabric softener. Obviously her hands are full, which is why Dimples is thankful to have a husband like Boyet who is very supportive and understanding of her work.
Future plans
Dimples is hoping that they would have another child soon. “It’s wonderful to be a young mother kasi makakasabay ka pa sa paglaki ng anak mo.” With a career that is only getting better, a loving husband, and a beautiful, bright daughter, Dimples sums up how she feels – “Ako na ang pinakamasaya.”
Shot on location at Jazz Residences, Bel-Air, Makati
Photos by Melo Balingit
Hair & make-up by Cherry Pacheco
May 2, 2011
Phrase 2 of 4:
"abyss at the bottom of which you"
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