Gretchen Barretto on showbiz: 'Ito ang buhay ko'

For some years, Gretchen Barretto was quite content to a quiet life with partner Tonyboy Cojuangco and daughter Dominique. But now that she is back in the limelight working on the fashionserye Magkaribal, she admitted that while her family would sometimes be a bit jealous of the time she devotes for work, they also remind her of her obligations whenever she wants to complain about her hectic schedule. “Minsan ‘pag umuuwi ako siyempre kapag late na at sinasabi ko, ‘I am so tired,’ kasi hindi naman talaga maiiwasan na magreklamo sa sakit sa katawan or wala nang boses, sinasabi niya (Tonyboy), ‘Di ba choice mo yan?’ Siyempre nagrereklamo din sila [sa time] pero nasasanay din.Kasi alam naman nilang ito (showbiz) ang gusto ko at ito yung buhay ko.”While she is taping for the said soap, she is making a lot of adjustments when it comes to her schedule and sleeping habits. Part of her self-discipline is knowing when to say no when she knows that she will not be able to perform well because of fatigue. “Serious naman ako sa acting ko. Before ko ginawa itong teleserye akala ko kaya ko, akala ko kaya ko lahat. Lahat tinatanggap ko and then nung nag-taping na ako ng thirty hours, sabi ko na kay Bettina (Aspillaga, her road manager), ‘Teka, teka, hold muna lahat because gusto komaging fair hindi lang sa sarili ko kundi pati sa mga taong katrabaho ko, sa management ng ABS-CBN at tsaka siyempre sa audience ko. Ayoko na nakikita nila ako na namamaos na, haggard na, pumayat na, pumangit na dahil sa puyat, so talagang ang ideal sa akin is one day work, kung twenty-four hours yung work, talagang [dapat] the next day, itutulog ko to get ready para naman ma-recharge ko yung sarili ko for the next day of work,” Gretchen explained.Gretchen also prefers to just shrug-off pessimistic thoughts and stay focused and positive. “Right now kasi ine-enjoy ko talaga, ito naman talaga ang buhay ko. Dito ako nanggaling and this is where I feel comfortable; this is my home. Right now I really have no time, I have no space in my heart and in my mind to entertain negative thoughts. I don’t entertain what ifs, I only entertain the moment.”