Celebrity sisters Ara Mina and Cristine Reyes open up about their evolving perspectives on material possessions and the profound lessons life has taught them.
In a heart-to-heart conversation featured on the 20th episode of Magandang ARAw, Ara's morning show on Net25, the sisters delved into a shared experience during the tropical storm Ondoy in September 2009.
Recounting the loss of a cherished car during the calamity, Cristine emphasized the futility of clinging to material things, especially in the face of life-altering events.
"Siguro ang learnings doon is hindi ka talaga puwede mag-hold on to material things in your life because bagung-bago yung kotse ko noon. Sobrang favorite car ko," she shared.
"Six months pa lang. Parang ako, wala, there's nothing you can do if things like that happen. Yun, yung learnings ko parang sometimes you have to let go."
Read: PART 1: Ara Mina on reconciliation with sister Cristine Reyes: "I’m happy with my life now.”
FLEXING CULTURE
Cristine then went on to express her concern about the societal emphasis on materialism, particularly in the age of social media, where people seek validation through what can be called flexing culture.
"Ang hirap lalo na ngayon, mga tao di ba, parang lalo na dahil may social media na ang dami niyo nang nakikitang mga bagay.
"Parang masyadong pina-prioritize ng mga tao yung material things, kung anong bag meron sila... Actually, wala nga importance yun sa life mo. It's just to brag," she asserted.
"Or sige, let's say, deserve, deserve. Pero ako, ayoko talaga yung ganoon."
Drawing from personal struggles, Cristine stressed the insignificance of material wealth in the grand scheme of life.
She explained, "Parang kasi siguro dahil sa experience ko in life, na I've experienced Ondoy and other things, like nagkaroon ako ng meningitis, one month ako sa ospital.
"Kasi parang puro life-threatening yung nangyayari sa buhay ko. Tapos, nagkaroon din ako ng depression. I always try to hurt myself.
"So yung mga things na mga, like mostly na nakikita natin sa social media, sa mga tao na pini-flex nila and all, parang for me, wala siyang importance."
Agreeing with her younger sister whom she endearingly calls AA, Ara seconded, "Totoo yung sinasabi ni AA.
"Nowadays kasi, grabe. Grabe yung flexing. Flexing sa social media."
Acknowledging that some influencers flex their material possessions as part of their job, Cristine was quick to clarify, "I mean, gets ko naman yung mga influencers kasi parang job na nila yun, di ba?
"Ang problem lang kasi, people look up to them. So, yung mga cannot have [designer items], they feel na parang, ah, para silang napag-iiwanan. Hindi sila okay in life because wala sila nun.
"But in reality, hindi mo kailangan nun. Talaga, it's just their job."
Ara threw in, "Pero, AA, merong mga hindi influencers na mas ma-flex pa sa influencers."
Cristine responded, "Iba-iba rin naman kasi. Yung iba naman kayang-kaya nilang bumili, and it's really their thing. Parang ikaw lang yun dati, di ba? Parang if you have it, parang ang sarap sa feeling. Gets ko naman yun.
"Pero kasi parang nowadays, dahil pinauso iyan ata ng mga Kardashian, nila Paris Hilton, parang kasi sila yung mayayaman. So, yung mga tao parang, 'If I have it, parang kasing-level ko na sila,' di ba?
"Basing from my experience, parang wala nang sense yung mga yun pag dumating ka sa punto na may sakit ka na, o kaya yung survival mode, pandemic, nangyari sa buong mundo yun.
"Parang mare-realize mo na, 'Ano itong mga ito? Hindi ko ito kailangan sa buhay. Kailangan ko makasama yung mga mahal ko sa buhay. Hindi itong mga makamundong gamit na ito,'" she related.
Read: Ara Mina reacts to Cristine Reyes's newfound romance with Marco Gumabao
SELF-REFLECTION DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS
Meanwhile, Ara acknowledged her past impulsive spending habits brought about by her affinity for branded and signature items, and shared a realization that came during the pandemic.
"Kami ni AA magkaiba kami ng personality," Ara stated.
"Si AA, hindi iyan... hindi mo makikita iyan na sobrang daming bags, ganyan."
Cristine clarified, "I mean, meron ako diyan. Meron, pero piling-pili lang talaga. Piling-pili. Sobra."
Ara confessed, "Ako, mahilig ako sa mga branded, signatures. Pero, hindi naman ako ma-flex na tao."
Standing by this statement, Cristine revealed that Ara's splurges were even greater before: "Mas grabe si Ate before nung bata ako. Grabe iyan, impulsive.
"Parang pag pumasok ka sa bahay niya, lalo na sa kuwarto niya, parang nasa boutique ng Louis Vuitton, ng Gucci. Parang ganun dati.
"So, parang ako, wala. Never ako nanghiram sa iyo, di ba, Ate?"
Ara answered, "Nanghiram ka mga alahas o pag kailangan lang. Sometimes, mga bags na pang-awards night, yung mga clutch bags. Ganun.
"Pero, natapos na yung era ko na ganun, e, na parang boutique.
"Ngayon, ang dami ko nang ni-let go. Kasi nga, I realized nung pandemic, ang dami ko nasira na bags, at saka na shoes.
"Iyon, parang siguro napagsawaan ko na, napagdaanan ko na din yun."
Read: Ara Mina on Cristine Reyes’s relationship with Marco Gumabao: "I’m happy for my sister."
SHOPPING FOR COMFORT
As far as huge expenses are concerned, Ara has observed over the years that Cristine has her own occasional impulsive purchases.
Ara recalled, "Meron siyang certain na yung pagka-impulsive niya.
"Kaya minsan parang, 'Ha? Bumili siya ng mesa na mahal? Ba't bumili siya ng mesa na mahal, e, meron pa siyang mesa.' Yung ganoon, di ba?"
Cristine admitted, "Well, yun, magastos ako sa interior ng bahay. Magastos ako.
"E, ito, natanggal ko na ito sa sistema ko. Magastos ako dati sa kotse.
"Kasi gusto ko yung kumportable ako pag nasa work ako, e. Tapos sa Pilipinas, napaka-traffic.
"Sa work namin, kailangan may space ka. Minsan, ayoko na naba-bother ako, gusto ko sa kotse. Kaya, gumagastos ako sa kotse.
"Gumagastos ako sa bahay kasi gusto ko lagi lang nasa bahay. Yun, dun ako magastos."
Finally, Cristine affirmed that she is re-focusing and channeling her future spending towards experiences like travel.
Read: Instagram official: Marco Gumabao calls rumored girlfriend Cristine Reyes “my home”