FOR many of us, 2017 was turbulent, even frenzied. We multitasked, we social-climbed, we sold more than our bodies, we let go, we moved on, we committed mistakes, we learned from them. What a year it was. Today as I write this, I’m still doing the same things and half of the first month of the year isn’t even over yet.
We claim the gifts 2018 has to offer. However, God has a way of making our lives interesting that, sometimes, it looks flawed. War and hunger are still happening in many parts of the world, rights are still being trampled upon, the poor are still being discriminated, terrorists lurk in dangerous corners around the world and economic and environmental crises loom.
But these shouldn’t limit us to be better versions of ourselves. And what better time to do so than now, when 2018 is still young? If you think you’re already the best version of yourself, you’re wrong. There’s always room for improvement.
Take Aljur Abrenica. His mantra for 2018 is to offer “a much better, much-improved Aljur.” This was what he promised to fans when I asked him what we could expect from him this year. He said that statement with so much conviction, looking me straight in the eye, I thought he was harassing me. Of course, he wasn’t, and I was just being malicious at that moment. Anyway, Aljur continued that he knows that there’s much more he has to learn, especially now that he has just transferred to ABS-CBN. He is, in fact, one of the headliners of an upcoming show about love and justice, titled Asintado.
Also starring Julia Montes, Shaina Magdayao and Paulo Avelino, Asintado is about Ana (Julia), a woman who is part of a rescue team and aspires to give her adoptive family a good life. Despite being spunky and tough, her heart longs for her sister, who she lost following a fire accident that killed their parents.
Dedicated to her duty, she meets Gael (Paulo), the son of an influential family who hires her as his personal nurse after saving him from a collapsed mine. After spending time together, they get to know more about each other and, eventually, fall for one another. However, their budding romance is cut short with the return of Gael’s ex-girlfriend Samantha (Shaina), a famous jeweler who does what it takes to win the love of her life back, even if it means taking matters in her own hands.
This marks the misery that lies ahead for Ana, as Samantha plots to mercilessly murder her to get her out of Gael’s life. But her evil ploy doesn’t go as planned: Ana survives the murder with the help of Xander (Aljur). However, she wakes up to the most shocking news—Gael and Samantha are getting married—and now she seeks vengeance to destroy them. But in the middle of their brutal rivalry lies the biggest secret that will change everything—Samantha is Ana’s long-lost sister, bringing more chaos to their lives.
Also part of Asintado, which premieres this Monday after Showtime, are Lorna Tolentino, Cherry Pie Picache, Lito Pimentel, Agot Isidro, Nonie Buencamino, Gloria Sevilla, Aaron Villaflor, Louise de los Reyes, Julio Diaz, Empress Schuck, Chokoleit, Ryle Santiago and Karen Reyes.
Back to Aljur: He believes 2018 is a year of new beginnings. It has started with the reawakening of his passion for acting. He came from a dark place, which almost prompted him to turn his back on showbiz. Now, he’s at peace. He knows he has been given another chance to revive his career and reignite his love for the craft. And he doesn’t have any plans to blow it. He says right now, with all that’s happening in his career and his personal life (he just became the proud father), he’s very happy.
And no one is more happy than his fans who are willing to give him that much-deserved second chance.
