For Lea Salonga, life is like taking Instagram pictures— with no filter
To celebrate Marie France's and Facial Care Centre's anniversary, she talks about what really matters, and what else she now wants from life
arie France and Facial Care Centre could not have picked a better face, not to mention voice, than Lea Salonga to promote its "I Can Serve Foundation" advocacy, which is about reaching out to women who are valiantly fighting breast cancer.
The video was conceptualized and created by videographer Jason Magbanua, with the timeless voice of Lea Salonga bringing to life a poignant piece by Marie Hines entitled, "Save It All." Its core message is the understanding and sharing in the pains and struggles caused by the disease.
Lea has a good formula to looking and feeling young- "I just try to keep busy. I find that I look good the busier I am, rather than when I'm not doing anything. I'm just one of those people who can't be idle for too long," she says.
Lea adds how her daughter, Nicole Beverly, keeps her young too. "She is the only person who really does not care about any external trappings of show business. Fame doesn't matter to her," she says. As far as her daughter is concerned, the only people who matters are "It's mommy, it's daddy, it's her grandmother," she adds.
Family is the absolute essential. "One thinks less of material things as essentials," she admits.
And with these realizations as a parent, Lea shows how much she enjoys her role as mom. "We focus on her education, her friendships, her talents. We just raise her to be cool and fun," she says about her daughter.
Conveying a few life lessons about parenthood, Lea gives tips—have your friends around, enjoy life, ride a bike, fall off, and get back on again.
With this simple outlook in life, it's no surprise that Lea has remained grounded even if she grew up to fame and stardom. Indeed, she's spent her young adulthood on the world stage.
"It's nice being regarded as an icon. But I can't keep believing in the hype. I can't think of myself in those terms," she admits. "Yes I am a singer, and when I go onstage, I do what I do, then I do it well."
After everything is done for the day, she goes home, and snuggles up with her daughter and husband, "That's it for me. I don't have people telling me how good I am 24 hours a day—that's not healthy."
She adds that fame should not be the "be all and end all" of anybody's existence.
Asked what else she wants now out of life, she exclaims, "Just life!"
Reading a good book, seeing beautiful beaches, and taking Instagram pictures without the filter are just some of her simple pleasures in life.
Talking about her recent trip to Australia, she recalls how she was just fascinated with a view of the sea touching the sky, "It was amazing. It was fun, just living moments like that. So the only thing I really want out of life is just life."
And how much life has blessed her, indeed. "I would like to think I am in a really good place in my life," she says.
She admits she's very happy that her career is even flourishing even more now that she is in her 40s. "I feel like it's only now that I'm hitting my stride, only now that I am peaking."