"Right now, I can focus on my career. I have been working for a Financial Services Company as an assistant to Registered Investment Representative. We broker real estate financing for both commercial and residential, and all sorts of investments, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, retirements," she informed.

Addressing the present goings-on in the industry she is now in, Bong related: "Luckily I am still employed despite the recent event in the Stock market [Wall Street]. I am a licensed Real Estate Sales Person and Registered Investment Representative. I'm also currently getting my license in Life and Health Insurance.

"[I also have] two other jobs: doing payroll for a pharmacy company, working from home, and an on-call merchandise buyer for a Hotel Gift Shop. I go to conventions, gift Shows, meet with vendors to buy merchandise for the Shop."

A long list, one might think, for just one person. But she stressed that she is enjoying what she does as she also finds outlets for her creativity. "I like designing flyers, invitations, postcards, brochures and things like that. Although that's not really what I do at work, I am often asked to do them anyway, even by different divisions in our company. I find myself doing things like this at home from time to time. I'd do it for my boys' school too. I design their programs and yearbooks. I really, really enjoy doing them."

Bong has not also forgotten her roots. "Every once in a blue moon, I would model for designer friends who would showcase their collections here in L.A. and San Francisco. Also, every once in a while, local beauty pageant coordinators will send me candidates to coach or prep for pageants. That, I very much enjoy doing. So far, the ones I had coached entered the top 5."

"I wish I can do more of these but time doesn't allow me to do this on a regular basis. I do get invited to judge pageants, too, but only if I don't have candidates [I trained] in the pageant."

She added that her "last [big] gig was three years ago, when I was invited to crown the Miss Asia Pacific Quest International in Guangzhou, China."

And let's not be mistaken, the former beauty queen is still in tip-top form. Her secret? She revealed that she does not encumber herself with too much beauty rituals. "I don't wear make-up everyday, therefore, I don't have to clean my face with a whole lot of make-up remover, cream, etc. If I have business meetings, I wear lipstick and eyeliner...that's it! I only use warm water to wash my face at night and then soap and water in the shower everyday."

Life couldn't be lovelier for Bong Dimayacyac-Nuguid, no doubt.

But she admits missing the Philippines. "[The] chilling, partying, drinking, and just spending time with good, good friends—I really miss them so badly. The all-day eating, and of course, the helpers..." she said longingly.

Her one regret, if you can call it that, is her kids not knowing how to speak the Filipino language. "Unfortunately my children never learned Tagalog either, we all wish they did! But it is hard to teach it when one parent speaks it and the other doesn't."

Bong confessed that their house does not have a Filipino Channel as well, as "my husband, though Filipino, was raised here [U.S.] and therefore can't really understand a lot of Tagalog, which is why we don't subscribe to Filipino channels."

But Bong has not forgotten her being a true Pinay, a Batanguena at that. She is very proud of her origins. Looking back, she related: "I loved every minute of my past and am proud of my accomplishments. I am the person that I am now because of what I learned from my past.

"I have always felt that the Lord was there with me and never left me, not even for one second. Even in the crazy world of showbiz and modeling, limelight and so on... I always felt guided and if I somehow managed to stumble, it was because I needed to, to learn a good lesson. That worked for me," she ended.