Catch!

Catch!
By ANA KRISTINE B. VALENZUELA
Photography by Angelight Classic Portaits

as MOD goes back to its tradition of featuring fresh faces, we feature four girls who toss a lot of promise. They’re running, jumping on their way to fitness, wellness, and, for sure, to fame and fortune. Catch them if you can! Meet Crissia Del Atienza, Abbygale Monderin, Monique Manuel, and Karina Tamminen. An Accountancy student at the University of Santo Tomas, Crissia was Miss Puerto Galera and represented the municipality at the Miss Philippines Earth 2010. Abbygale is a Nursing senior at World Citi Colleges and a Binibining Caloocan title-holder. Monique, who has been modeling for four years, represented Bataan during the Miss Earth 2009, where she ended as one of the runners-up, and is one of the candidates in this year’s Binibining Pilipinas. Finland-born Karina is a volunteer nurse.

MOD sits down with these four lovely ladies to talk about beauty, wellness, life, and everything in between.
MOD: How do you stay fit?
Karina: Gym, cardio, and muscle weights. Before, I was into martial arts, like krav maga. It’s self-defense, but it’s also a good exercise.
Monique: I do a lot of running. I try to do it maybe once a month. Back in grade school, I did a form of martial arts called Kuntaw. It’s founded by a Filipino, but it’s more popular in the Middle East. I made it to brown belt and I joined competitions as well. Unfortunately, one time during training, na-twist and na-dislocate yung knee ko. Since then, hindi na ako nakapag-martial arts. Nag-therapy ako for like a month for that. Thankfully, okay na yung left knee.
Abbygale: I jog every morning and then in the afternoon I play badminton.
Crissia: I don’t have time to go to the gym because I’m really focused on my studies. I just do a couple of exercises in our village, like jogging, because there is a field there. When I was in grade school, I was really into volleyball, but now I don’t have time for that anymore.




What’s your daily diet like?
C: I don’t have dinner.
A: No rice. I’ve stopped eating rice since June. Kasi ako, pag kumain ng rice, madami talaga. So far, I’ve lost 20 pounds with my no-rice diet. Iwas din sa chocolates and other sweets, and more on water. I drink more than 10 glasses of water a day.
M: Since I started working out at the gym last year, I’ve been following this diet program that comprises of more protein like meat and dairy products. As for meat, I just eat chicken, pero steamed lang. I have a cheat day naman eh. For five days, I have to follow my strict diet plan and I’ve managed to do just that. I eat carbohydrates as well, like rice. For your body to absorb the protein, it needs carbs. If you don’t eat carbs, the protein will be used by your body for energy. When you say diet, it should be healthy, like fruits, veggies, protein, and a little bit of carbs.
K: I don’t eat rice. It’s not that I don’t want to, but since I’m from Finland, our staple food is potatoes. Basically, I eat white meat and veggies. It is still weird for me—rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
M: First thing that I do in the morning, tignan ko yung sarili ko sa mirror for a while. Ha-ha. I also drink one glass of water. It started out just a habit, but then I heard that it’s good pala. You sleep for almost eight hours, your body burns a lot of fats, and then, when you wake up, hindi ka naman exhausted, but your body needs to be hydrated with water.
K: Same thing. Yeah, I drink water. At least three glasses of water.
C: First, I do a bit of stretching. My class kasi is at 7 a.m., so I have to prepare agad. Since I’m studying in UST and I live in Taguig, I really have to wake up early.
A: I read the Bible, drink lots of water, exercise, wipe my face with ice, and weigh myself because I’m weight-conscious.

How do you handle stress?
M: I worked in a corporate setting before so I know that stress is good for me. I don’t consider it as a pressure, although somehow nape-pressure ako. Emotionally, I think of it as a positive energy since when you’re stressed, you end up doing your best. It’s because you let stress drive you. When I’m stressed, the more I strive hard. I also pray at the same time. Somehow if you have that spiritual capacity, the more you can do your work and the more you can do it efficiently.
K: I agree with Monique, stress is good. But of course, too much stress is not healthy. In small amounts, it’s healthy for me as it keeps me motivated.
A: Whenever I’m stressed, I pray and read the Bible. Laughter also works.
C: Stress is inevitable, but as a student, I have to cope with it, simply because I need to be successful in every activity that I engage in. So I just look at it positively. I always smile and pray.
How do you cope with anger?
C: When I am angry, it’s really difficult for me to repress my feelings. I show it. When I’m angry, I say things that are not pleasing to the ears and might hurt others’ feelings. But there are times that I simply keep quiet and pray that it will pass.
A: I talk to God, ‘Lord, ano ba itong feelings na meron ako?’ I just want it to go away. Kung meron man akong taong nakagalit, I first say sorry to that person, and then to God. I don’t want to last a day without saying sorry to that certain person.
M: Before, I used to be a nagger. But as I grew older, I’ve learned to handle my anger because it won’t do you good eh. If you kindle your fire for a particular period of time, ikaw din yung talo, and I always think, what will happen after? What will be the consequence if I say this to that person? When I’m angry, I breathe and pray.
K: I can’t remember the last time that I’d been really, really angry. If I’m upset, I just stay quiet and think through the night instead of saying things I might regret later.


What keeps you going?
K: Faith in God.
M: It’s easier for a person to get a life, because somehow you are bound for the next day, but to get a meaningful life and for it to last a lifetime, it’s hard. It’s when your values come in. If you know your purpose in life, somehow you will prosper. So kung makakatulong yung ginagawa mo, every day, you work towards achieving that goal. My goal is to establish my own business. Every day is a factor towards achieving my goal.
C: For me life is a test. It is only a test.
M: Ang hard naman ng view mo sa life. He-he.
C: We can’t always be happy. There will always be obstacles to our happiness. All you have to do is stay strong and keep in mind that everything happens for a reason.
A: Life is a gift. Whatever mistake ang nagawa mo, there will always be tomorrow, para matama yun.