Jericho Rosales & Kim Jones on love, marriage & surfing
He is an actor, one of the most
established leading men in the industry, born and raised in the Philippines.
She is a Filipino-British model, one of the most loved lifestyle bloggers, who
spent most of her life in Australia.
Together, they make one of Manila’s
favorite couples today. Here are 10 things you should know about the future Mr.
and Mrs. Jericho and Kim (Jones) Rosales.
1 Jericho
Rosales admits to being painfully shy as a kid: “There were girls I had a crush
on but didn’t pursue because I was just too shy.”
“Hanggang tingin lang ako,” he
admits laughing. “There was this one girl, in grade school, I wrote her a love
letter. I stole a love letter from my Kuya Caloy and copy pasted the best parts
to give to her! Then we became kind of ‘MU’ (mutual understanding) but then I
got transferred to another school.
“I went to five schools in
elementary. I had no permanent school so I had no permanent friends. My parents
are separated and I stayed with my mom. My mom had to keep moving, from Baguio to Manila to Marikina to Bicol,” Echo
recalls. “I was super shy when I was a kid. I was so quiet in school, always
daydreaming.” He admits the reason he joined Mr. Pogi in 1996 was for the
money. “The prize was P50,000, an educational plan, and a trip to Hong Kong! After I won, there was a time I was in a bus,
it was 2 a.m. Then this group beside me started saying, ‘Uy, si Mr. Pogi!’ But
I was so shy, tinatago ko mukha ko! It was only when I joined Star Magic that I
learned how to be confident, how to project, the artista way.”
2 Jericho,
on dealing with a career shift after being the top matinee idol: “Honestly it
was hard, it was very painful.”
“It was my decision kasi. I got
tired, burnt out talaga. I said I can’t keep doing this, I wanted to find
something deeper. So I got into music, I wrote songs, then banda ako one year.
Pag balik ko, it was so hard. New artists arrived, all vying for the
endorsements, the shows, the movies,” he reveals. “I remember driving on EDSA.
I was driving my pick-up, I had to sell my other SUVs at that time. I was
looking up, and I said, ‘Oh, Lord. Why is it so hard to get just one billboard?
Why is it so hard to be there again in the soap scene, in the movie scene? What
are you trying to teach me? So I went abroad. I wanted to learn, I wanted to
pursue acting not just in the Philippines.
“That gave me a dose of reality.
This is bound to happen. But I felt that God wanted me to do more things, and
it’s not done yet. I have been picky with my roles, and He has been good to me.
In this world, minsan ihahain sayo, minsan you really have to work hard if you
want to get something.” Echo shares he would like to pursue producing and
directing in the future, aside from acting abroad. “I’m currently working on a
TV series in Malaysia, and
it has been good training, but the US, for me that is the ultimate
goal.”
3 Kim Jones came to Manila
on a five-week vacation just to see if she liked it, and she did. “I sold my
car and bought a one-way ticket without knowing what was going to happen.”
“I was born in England but we migrated to Adelaide and I spent pretty much my whole
life there. I was brought up taught that girls should be seen and not heard, so
we were really encouraged to be quiet. Growing up, my mom was incredibly
strict. I could count the times I was allowed to sleep over at friends’ houses.
I was a loner, I used to stay at the library all by myself, which is why I was
so good at school. We were sheltered, and slowly as I grew up I just became
more independent. Kawawa ako,” she quips in her thick Aussie accent, then
laughs.
“That is sort of the reason I moved
here. I was working in finance, and in Australia, its sort of similar to
the American dream that you sort of live to work and not work to live. That was
not my priority when I was 22. So, I sort of reached a quarter life crisis. My
brother was here modeling and he said I should come and try living here,” she
shares. Kim also reveals that she had to battle with homesickness. “For the
first three months you’re like, ‘This is awesome!’ You’re on a high. Then
things start to happen like, work wasn’t coming in, I missed my life in Australia,
grocery shopping, driving myself around. Then after a while, I got used to it.”
4 Kim shares her top three
fashion and beauty must-haves:
Fashion:
1. Really high black patent pumps:
“They add class to every outfit.”
2. A good tailored blazer: “It’s a
classic way to jazz up your look.”
3. A good fitting pencil skirt: “It’s
very flattering and versatile.”
Beauty:
1. Liquid eyeliner: “That’s all I
use.”
2. A bold red lipstick:
“Relentlessly Red by MAC is always in my bag,”
3. White nail polish: “I really like
Deborah Lippman.”
5 Jericho
Rosales and Kim Jones in numbers:
30: number of months between the day
they met and the day they got engaged.
18: number of years Jericho has been in show business, having
done around 15 soap operas and over 20 movies.
515,172: number of views on YouTube
of Jericho proposing to Kim, in their church, on her birthday.
50-plus: number of hats in Jericho’s collection (“I
had more, I gave away a lot already”)
23: jersey number Kim used to wear
when she played football in high school (“Because it was David Beckham’s
number!”)
4: average number of times they see
each other a week (“When we are less busy, we see each other every day.”)
6 It was actually Kim who asked Jericho
out, but not before she rejected his invitation first.
“After we met, we didn’t speak for
like two months,” Kim shares. “I was so excited na, I was showing her picture
to my friends, ‘Look she’s so beautiful! And look at her eyes,’ I’d zoom in on
my phone,” Jericho
adds.
“I bought two tickets to The Script
concert without even asking her if she wanted to watch. Thing is, I just had a
tooth operation and my mouth was so swollen but I was so confident to ask her
out. She didn’t say yes. I ended up watching with a guy friend,” Jericho recalls. “Yeah, I
said I had plans, but I didn’t,” Kim answers shyly covering her face. “The
truth is, I was really hurt,” Jericho
quips.
“Yeah, we would text, but she would
reply with just one line, tapos days later pa,” Jericho laughs. “I’m sorry,” Kim says leaning
her head on Jericho’s
arm.
“He even bought me a DVD set of
classical music that I mentioned I wanted the first time we met. So he went out
and bought one, but we never saw each other again. So the next time we met up
he gave it and said, ‘I got this for you like two months ago,’” she says
chuckling.
So how did he get the guts to ask
her out again? “I asked him,” Kim reveals. “It was a change of heart! When we
first met, we clicked on a friendly level. I was new here and I didn’t wanna
get into a relationship. But I sort of started to miss his friendship, so I
asked him if he wanted to hang out. Then he invited me to go surfing,” she
says.
The couple recall that first surfing
trip together. “That night, we were talking, getting to know each other. Then I
went to bed and left my door open. Apparently, he thought…” Kim laughs.
“I thought she was hinting! I was
like, is this a sign?!” Jericho
adds laughing. “But of course I didn’t go inside,” they both laugh.
7 Jericho
and Kim as a couple:
Who is…
...more malambing? Jericho.
...more seloso/selosa? “That’s one
thing we’ve never fought about,” Kim shares.
...funnier? Jericho.
…the first to get upset? Jericho. “I’m sensitive
kasi,” Echo says.
…the alaskador one? Kim. “Me,
definitely. I always play pranks on him, or set him up in situations that make
him feel uncomfortable. But lovingly,” Kim laughs. “She would tease me saying,
‘Aaw, you’re such a baby, you’re sick again, you’re in the hospital again,” Jericho mimicks Kim and
they laugh.
8 Their three favorite getaways as a couple:
1. La Union:
“That’s where he taught me how to surf. That’s where we go when we need to get
away. It’s so chill and relaxed,” Kim says.
Where to stay? “Flotsam and Jetsam,
it’s this fairly new hostel that’s shabby chic,” she says. “Or San Juan Surf
Resort,” he adds.
Travel time: Five hours
2. Pagudpod
Where to stay: “Kapuluan Vista
Resort. They grow their own vegetables, all organic, and you surf just right in
front,” Echo says.
Travel time: 12 hours
3. Baler: “That’s where it all
happened,” they both smile.
Where to stay: “This new resort
called Costa Pacifica. But my favorite is still Bahia de Baler,” Echo says.
Travel time: Five hours
9 One relationship tip Jericho
shares: “Sometimes, just keep your mouth
shut.”
On what they learned from their past
relationships: “I think my past relationship just put into perspective what I
was looking for, what I needed in a life long partner. It’s a lot of things. I
found it fundamental that we had to have the same faith, we had to want the
same things, we had to want to grow together. I just had one relationship
before this and it was four years, I learned what I wanted and what I didn’t,”
Kim says. “You see, she came as a surprise. I have always had to pursue, and
look, but with us, I just gave in to what life gave me. And life made it easy
for me. I went with the flow. I am at my happiest now,” Jericho shares.
On what they have learned to never
do in a relationship: “Never go to sleep without resolving an argument,” Kim
says. “I learned I should just keep my mouth shut,” Jericho laughs and they high five. “When
arguing, normally the one who talks more is either guilty, or because you talk
too much you’ll end up saying something unnecessary. So just wait ‘til
everything is cool.”
10 Best love advice they got for their future married life: “Keep love
as a discipline.”
“Kung yun ang discipline naming
dalawa, the arguments, finances, parents, in laws, friends, house, it covers
everything,” Jericho says of what they learned
from their pastor, Joe Obordo, at New
Life Church.
“He is going to be my husband, but above all, God comes first. For both of us.
We are both not perfect, but He is,” Kim explains. “To other people, ‘Ay,
corny, God, God, God.’ But for us, God is never corny. God’s the ultimate that
you need in everything. When people ask, ‘What’s up with you?’ I say, I need
something more solid than me,” he adds.
Married couples warn: think of the
one most irritating trait of your partner and imagine it times 10. That’s what
you’ll have to deal with when you are married. Kim says that for her, that
trait is Jericho’s
lateness. “I’m a very punctual person, and he takes forever to get ready. I can
literally get ready in 10, 15 minutes. Not him. He has to have his rituals,”
she shares.
“But I’m so proud when I’m ready in
30 minutes,” Jericho
says.
“Then he forgets his phone or his
wallet!” Kim laughs. For Jericho,
that trait is what makes Kim get inis easily. “Because he’s always late,” Kim
quips. They both laugh.
* * *
http://www.philstar.com/sunday-life/2014/02/16/1290733/jericho-rosales-kim-jones-love-marriage-surfing
