Greenbelt 5 was very "alive" last night, March 11, with the presence of celebrities, models, brand and agency people, and a few members of the press and media.

But one lady, clad in white tank top and a pair of jeans, caught our eye. Sans makeup, she was very pretty. Then she threw a familiar smile, which had us exclaim, "Cindy Kurleto!!!"

It was not her intent to be noticed. It seemed like she and her companion were only taking a walk around the area, when they spotted the exhibit of Mark Nicdao for Viva mineralized water.

PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) grabbed the chance to chat with the model-host-actress who left for Peru in November 2007.

Why did she leave?

In an article posted by Jun Nardo almost 15 months ago, the former VJ bid goodbye to showbiz for her "boyfriend and greener pastures."

But she's currently in town.

In her so-familiar accent, she said: "I'm here on vacation, and I love it very much. I came from a friend's wedding."

She's sporting a tan, and that's because she just arrived from Boracay. She'll be here in Manila until "mid-April."

LIFE IN LIMA. Leaving Manila meant dropping her celebrity status. In Peru, she leads a very simple and unruffled life.

She related, "I can sit in the middle of a mall and read a book for half a day and no one would notice."

From her harried life as former co-host of Eat...Bulaga! and a mainstay of the defunct sitcom Dadedidodu, she now has all the time in the world to learn and explore new things and places.

"I cook food. I travel around. It's beautiful, beautiful country. I try to study Spanish. I go to Spanish school everyday, and practically that's it," she said. "It may be boring, but I'm happy."

The Spanish language is her current interest. "I try to stay until I perfect my Spanish, so at least, I take something away from there. I take something with me..."

And in the near future, "family and kids" will be part of her agenda.