Alicia Patalinghug EPISODE # 195 The Paco Arespacochaga Podcast
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And the podcast will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Paco's Place,
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Ms. Alicia Patalinghug.
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Hello. Thank you.
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A few episodes down.
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See, I'm guessing it's a few episodes down
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We had a group called JAGMAC.
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Never heard of them.
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For some reason, they all came from you.
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Not just me. I didn't do it by myself.
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They are all my beautiful children.
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Although they're not so small anymore.
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You know, the reason why I am really excited
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to have you on the podcast is because,
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You remind me of my mom.
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And how much she was supportive of my career,
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To her, I was a hit.
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I want to go back to you.
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I want to go to your mindset.
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I want to go to what's inside, Alicia.
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you're actually in a multicultural,
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you're part of a multicultural family.
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Your husband's Filipino.
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You're practically Filipino.
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Did you know that you were going to have kids
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who would want to perform?
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Well, first of all, thank you for having me.
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It's not typical that I'm the one being interviewed.
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So, you know, I'm used to always being there
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and the kids are being interviewed and stuff like that.
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But no one really ever asked me.
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So I was floored that you even really cared.
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A lot. I care a lot.
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But, I mean, growing up,
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I mean, they were always around music.
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So I sing, you know, my husband is a dancer.
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Like she even, you know, sang, and so did I,
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with Pelita Corrales.
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You know, they're very good friends.
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And so she had a concert one time in Baltimore
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and I kind of started singing offstage
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and then came onstage and they're like,
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wait, she's white.
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How is that possible that she's singing a Tagalog song
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or a Bisayan song or whatever?
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And so it was funny.
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But, no, I didn't know that they were gonna,
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you know, have a group of their own.
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But I did know that they were all kind of musically inclined.
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Or at least, you know, they could sing,
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they could dance, they were performers.
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You know, they were always just performing
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for the grandparents.
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You know, you sing, you sing.
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And that's just what you do in a Filipino family.
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When it was just CJ and Alyssa,
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and CJ would dance when he was a kid and all that
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and probably drag his sister along,
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did you see potential when they were little kids?
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Not when they were so small, no.
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When CJ was really small, he, we used to,
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you know the wire hangers?
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So they have that little piece of cardboard.
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So my husband teaches martial arts.
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So he teaches Taekwondo
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and then the Filipino martial art Eskrima.
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So we would take off those little cardboard things
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and he was really good with the sticks.
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So we used to actually call him Kid Sticks.
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That was like his nickname.
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So it wasn't even necessarily the music then,
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but, you know, he was just really good performing.
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He was a performing thing.
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Now Alyssa, she could sing.
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From the time she was tiny, she could sing.
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Still didn't know it would be their career or their passion,
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but, you know, she definitely could do it.
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Now, we were just talking about kid number one,
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kid number two, and there are six of them.
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You could have easily changed the trajectory of their lives
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by saying, stop, school first.
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This is what we're going to do.
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Like a typical, like what typical moms do,
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No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
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That you aren't going to make money doing that,
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blah, blah, blah.
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But your family is unique.
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You encouraged this.
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Yeah, it is unique.
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Well, I give a lot of credit to my husband as well,
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and he's unfortunately back home holding down the fort.
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Shout out to Carlos.
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Shout out to Carlos.
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Because, I mean, it's only because of him being home,
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keeping the business running,
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that I am, you know, able to come and do these things with the kids,
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I wish we could both, you know, be there for them,
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but we're there for them in different ways.
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So, what was the question again?
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Yeah, I mean, you could have easily changed the trajectory of their lives.
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So, he wanted to homeschool because in his business,
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you know, when CJ and Alyssa first started school,
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they went to the Catholic school that we were members of the parish of,
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and he would be working at night.
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So, the kids would be gone all day, he'd be gone all night,
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and he would never get to see them.
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So, it was only really after he said,
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why don't we just try this?
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You know, I want to be with my kids.
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I want to be able to see them.
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I want to, you know, spend time with them, nurture them, whatever.
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So, it was really after that that we were able to really, you know,
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get to know them more and see really more what are their talents,
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what are their interests, what are their skills.
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I mean, obviously, education is very important, you know,
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and I think we did an okay job with the homeschooling.
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And then, you know, for high school, they went to like a tutorial.
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So, they were always around people, whether it be at that school
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or at our martial arts school, you know, because that's the thing.
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People are always worried about socialization.
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Can they get along with other people?
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And, I mean, my kids get along with everybody.
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The first time I met them back in New York,
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it was like we were just talking right away.
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It just felt right.
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So, I mean, getting back to your question,
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yes, education was important, but ultimately,
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why do you go to school?
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So that you can get a job.
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Get a job doing what?
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I mean, if you're not doing something that you want to do,
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you know, and something that you're really good at,
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then it's not really going to be a fun life.
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You know what I mean?
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And, you know, you can always do that.
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You can always go back to school.
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And I'm not disparaging school.
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I mean, school is important.
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You know, but you have a window of opportunity
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to kind of go after the thing that you love
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and the dream that you have.
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And that window closes.
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And, you know, fortunately, we've been very fortunate
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that a lot of great things have happened
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and are continuing to happen, hopefully.
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And, you know, we'll see.
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And they can always go back and do regular jobs
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and go back to school if they want to, you know,
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pursue education in some other, you know, specific format.
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But right now, I think they're just having not just a great time,
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but they're very impactful on, you know, the fans that they reach.
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Well, we call them JAGMAC fam, not even fans.
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They're more like family.
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You know, the letters that they get from people saying,
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you know, you've inspired me so much to, you know,
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to continue to strive to be better or to stop cutting myself.
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Or, you know, your song prevented me from committing suicide.
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You know, things like that.
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I mean, everybody has a purpose in life.
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And I just really believe from the bottom of my heart
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that this is their purpose.
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It's to reach people on a mass scale, you know,
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that they wouldn't necessarily be able to do in a traditional career.
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Now, because of the familiarity,
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because you guys are always together as a family,
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raising your kids, all six of them, by the way,
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did you feel that because you guys are so familiar with each other,
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did you feel that sometimes they challenge your authority?
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I don't want to say they challenge my authority
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because, I mean, they're really, really great.
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I keep calling them kids.
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They're not kids. They're adults.
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They're 21 to 31.
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And obviously, they have their own mindset,
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their own way of doing things.
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And I have to also respect that as well.
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They might want to put a lyric in a song that I'd be like,
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But for the most part, I think we're kind of all on the same page
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just because we do spend so much time together.
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Everybody knows how the other one works.
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And a lot of things that are important are shared by all.
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So they don't necessarily want to put out a message
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that wouldn't be cool with us
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because that's not just who they are.
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That's not what they would want to do anyway.
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Speaking of, now let's focus on you.
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Growing up, did you grow up in a big family?
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So I'm the youngest of six as well.
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Oh, my God. It's like repeating itself, right?
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So you're more like Jared.
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So you could feel for Jared.
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Because Jared's the youngest from JAGMAC.
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So now, growing up in a family of six,
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how many boys, how many girls?
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So it was exactly the opposite of what I have.
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I have four boys and two girls,
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from four sisters or four girls and two boys.
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And what was it like growing up the youngest?
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It had its benefits for sure
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because by the time they got to me,
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everybody else had already been through all this stuff.
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So I want to say they were probably a little more lenient
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on the youngest than some of the older ones.
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So that was nice.
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And according to your kids,
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you met Carlos when you guys were fairly young.
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I was very young.
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When we actually met, I was 15.
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But he saw me when I was 14.
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We were at a high school dance.
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We didn't go to the same school.
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Same age, both of you?
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He's two years older.
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I was dancing with a friend of mine from the school.
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It was like an all-girls school and an all-boys school,
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So I was there with my friend.
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And I think originally, he saw my friend first.
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He's like, wow, look at this beautiful blonde.
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And then he looked at me, and I'm a terrible dancer.
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He's a great dancer.
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I'm a terrible dancer.
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But for some reason, he kept looking at me like,
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what is this girl doing?
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She's messing up my mojo.
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So I didn't see him, but he saw me.
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And then he went downstairs,
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and he was telling his sister who was also at the dance,
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she's like, did you see that girl over there?
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And she's like, yeah.
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He's like, the really pretty blonde?
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And he's like, no, no, the other one, the one that can't dance.
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He said, I don't know, Ate,
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but for some reason, I feel like I'm gonna marry her.
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And she's like, oh, yeah, whatever, Carlos.
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So that was just the first interaction.
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That was the first interaction.
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I didn't even see him.
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So he tells me that he went home that night,
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and he prayed the rosary.
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He said, I met this girl in his prayer,
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and I think I'm gonna marry her.
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I'm gonna say the rosary,
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and if it's meant to be, great.
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So for like a year,
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he would go to my school to pick up his sister,
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because she also went to the same school.
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And he was always looking for me,
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but he never saw me because I was always after school
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for music or acting or something.
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So he didn't see me.
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This is East Coast?
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This is East Coast, yeah, 1982.
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So the following year,
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his school had a play,
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and I joined the play.
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I got the role of Juliet.
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And then he joined the play
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just so that he could get to meet me.
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So he did a fight.
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He died in the first scene,
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but he choreographed the coolest fight scene
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for Romeo and Juliet.
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And then we started talking,
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and then there was a cast party.
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He asked me if I was going.
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I'm like, well, I don't really have a ride.
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Now, did you have any feelings for him at that time?
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Once we started talking at the school, yes, I did.
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Carlos is charming.
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He's very charming.
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When I met him backstage,
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I was like, you know what?
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Believe it or not,
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I did not put one plus one,
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one and one together.
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I didn't know he was the father of Jagmeet.
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It was after everything,
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after the production number toward the end that we did,
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when you guys hung out with his mom and dad and all,
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I was like, what?
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Because he looks so young.
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Well, you guys look so young,
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but okay, go ahead.
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So you did the play, and then?
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We did the play, and then it was just after that,
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we just started dating, and you know.
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Did you know that he was serious as a teenager?
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because it was probably not that long after that
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that we had maybe been dating,
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I don't know, six months or something like that,
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and we had a picnic at a park,
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and he made me a ring out of a weed.
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And he proposed to me then.
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He's like, I'm going to marry you one day.
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Did you take it seriously?
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I mean, and you know, being so young,
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obviously I hadn't dated many people,
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but the way I see it,
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I mean, even my parents and brothers and sisters,
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when they knew we were going to get married,
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they're like, are you sure you want to do this?
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I mean, you really haven't dated many people,
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don't you want to explore and whatever?
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I mean, if he has everything that I'm looking for,
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why am I going to jeopardize that?
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How long have you been together?
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So we've been together since 1983.
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So almost 40 years.
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Married how many?
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And then you had, oh yeah, CJ's 31.
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You're one of the few people who get to celebrate
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their golden wedding.
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Yeah, praise God.
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And my in-laws just had their 60-year wedding anniversary
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just a couple of weeks ago.
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Okay, so finally, you guys were old enough,
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and I'm pretty sure that your friends had dated,
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they had separated, but you guys stayed consistent
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When did you know, when did the family on both sides
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know that, you know what, that's for keeps?
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I think probably a few years into the relationship,
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you know, after us dating.
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And his parents were great.
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I mean, I think in the beginning they were worried,
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to be honest, that I wouldn't be able to adapt
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to the culture because it's so different.
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But I would say, I mean, we have some traditions
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Pope John Paul II is Polish.
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What a wonderful man.
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What a wonderful example.
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But I think the culture really is more American.
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You know, can the American culture coincide
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with the Filipino culture?
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How did you make it work?
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I loved the Filipino culture and what it had.
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And this is because you love Carlos,
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and you were willing to open your heart and your mind
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But not only just willing to open it,
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I mean, I think I openly embraced it because I loved it.
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I mean, it wasn't just because of him.
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I mean, I actually fell in love with the culture
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because it was just so welcoming and so fun.
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Yeah, the hospitality.
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Filipinos being very hospitable.
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And you know what?
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What's nice about you, when I met you for the first time
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in the green room at the embassy or the consulate,
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you weren't aloof.
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You were very accommodating.
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And I was like, is she the manager?
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And then when you said, I'm their mom, I was like, what?
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I mean, I guess the golden rule is, you know,
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treat others the way you want to be treated.
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And there's no reason to be anything less than that.
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Has it always been roses and daisies, you and Carlos?
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I mean, I would say for the most part, things are great.
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But they're obviously, you know, every marriage,
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every relationship has issues and problems
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and you're not always going to agree.
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We're very different people.
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So these very different people who became a couple,
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how did you agree on six kids?
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Because you'd have to carry,
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pretty much you carried them for 36, no, 54 months.
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Yeah, that's a long time.
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The running joke is we didn't have a TV.
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If that was in the Philippines, oh, brownout.
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Was it agreed upon? Was it planned?
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I mean, we always knew we wanted children.
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Not necessarily six,
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but I mean, I wouldn't change it for the world.
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I wouldn't give any of them a dash.
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But while you were making those kids,
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was it like, Carlos, third kid, huh?
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I would say for us and the success of our marriage
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and family is just by putting God at the center
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of everything we do.
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And we just kind of left that up to Him.
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After six, I was like, yeah, maybe this is enough.
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But up until that point, it was...
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This is like my family, but...
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Moments, like you said, it wasn't always roses and daisies.
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When you felt burdened,
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whether it's because of him or any of the kids,
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would you lock yourself up in the closet and just pray?
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Did they know that you were having a bad mood?
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It's a combination of both, I'd say.
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How do you deal with it?
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It's a big family.
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And I always say,
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a family's stability is because of the mom.
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It's always that.
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That's why, much respect to you.
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I don't know why you're saying that no one notices you.
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If that's a group of six,
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I'm looking at, who's taking care of that group?
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And then I see you calm and collected,
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and I'm like, that's impressive.
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How do you carry yourself?
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Because there are challenges.
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There are always challenges and disappointments.
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Honestly, I mean, it's just...
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I guess being able to discuss it with them
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when there are problems,
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so that they know I'm not perfect,
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I know they're not perfect,
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Carlos isn't perfect, none of us is.
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I think it's important to know that
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and to know that things aren't always going to be
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roses and daisies and whatever.
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And there are going to be problems,
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but it goes back to the commitment of the marriage,
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and knowing that you're in there
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for the good and for the bad.
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It's not a cliche.
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Like what the kids said their dad said about love, right?
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It's a commitment.
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It is a commitment.
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It's more than a feeling.
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Because there's many times, stuff happens,
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and yeah, it'd be a lot easier maybe to leave.
20:32.0
This episode is brought to you by
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Leo Bato and Associates,
20:36.0
Ang Realtor na Bato.
20:38.0
You know, you might think it would be easier temporarily,
20:43.0
You've thrown away all that you've worked so hard for.
20:48.0
When you drove here to the studio,
20:52.0
I was smiling because it's the stereotypical mom in her minivan.
20:57.0
Well, it was a little cheaper than the SUV out here in California.
21:00.0
And with gas, $7 a gallon.
21:02.0
This is more practical.
21:03.0
But I do have one at home, too.
21:05.0
But there you go.
21:07.0
What people don't understand is
21:13.0
literally is very difficult.
21:17.0
And people think,
21:18.0
oh, the dad works, blah, blah, blah, and all that.
21:21.0
But in your case,
21:23.0
how did you manage to do that?
21:26.0
how did you deal with them emotionally,
21:28.0
on an emotional level?
21:29.0
Because they're different characters, these six.
21:32.0
Yeah, each one is completely, completely different.
21:35.0
I think it's just really getting to know each one individually.
21:39.0
That, you know, they're not just a group.
21:41.0
They are their own person.
21:43.0
And, you know, just being able to relate to them
21:46.0
on the things that matter to them,
21:49.0
and on their level,
21:50.0
and through their experiences that they've had.
21:53.0
It's just really knowing them.
21:55.0
And, you know, praise God,
21:57.0
I've been so blessed to be able to spend so much time with them
22:01.0
that I feel like I do really know them all very well.
22:04.0
What challenges have you had with them?
22:09.0
Dealing with the disappointment, you know,
22:11.0
when things don't turn out the way you hoped they would.
22:15.0
See, I like that word.
22:16.0
Turn out the way you hope they would.
22:19.0
Some people would have said expect they would,
22:22.0
but you have that nice little leeway
22:25.0
that things that can go wrong may go wrong.
22:29.0
So you're hoping for the best.
22:31.0
So, like, when you're dealing,
22:32.0
like, let's talk about from eldest to youngest.
22:35.0
So, CJ, like him growing up,
22:37.0
your first boy, right?
22:40.0
And he's married.
22:42.0
So that rollercoaster,
22:43.0
because you have six rollercoasters, basically.
22:45.0
Not counting Carlos as an ex-husband.
22:48.0
Not counting Carlos as another rollercoaster.
22:50.0
His own rollercoaster.
22:52.0
So let's talk about the rollercoaster called CJ.
22:57.0
CJ, he was a great kid growing up.
23:00.0
I mean, honestly, they all have been.
23:02.0
There's not been really, really any, you know, horrible things.
23:05.0
But they're all different.
23:07.0
Let's talk about their distinctions.
23:09.0
So their distinctions.
23:11.0
So, I mean, him being the oldest,
23:14.0
he's the first one to get married.
23:16.0
How did that feel when he said,
23:19.0
Mom, I'm going to get married?
23:21.0
Well, it was exciting.
23:23.0
It was a little scary.
23:24.0
You know, also, you just hope and pray
23:27.0
that everything is going to work out.
23:29.0
I think the biggest concern…
23:30.0
Did you expect him to get married at 25?
23:34.0
I mean, I got married at 22.
23:36.0
So 25, that's a lot.
23:41.0
how did he tell you he was going to get married?
23:43.0
I mean, we kind of knew.
23:45.0
I mean, they had been dating for a while.
23:47.0
And, you know, his wife, Paula, we love her.
23:49.0
She's from Chile.
23:51.0
So, it's, you know, our cultural family
23:53.0
is growing even more.
23:55.0
And I think the main concern was,
23:57.0
you know, we were just afraid
23:58.0
that it would affect the group.
24:01.0
But she's so supportive.
24:03.0
And it's been great.
24:04.0
You know, it's hard for them, obviously,
24:06.0
when he's traveling and she's at home
24:09.0
because she has a job too
24:10.0
and she can't always leave.
24:13.0
But it always kind of goes back to that
24:15.0
being the hardest thing.
24:16.0
And everybody understands in sports
24:18.0
the challenges that CJ and Paula.
24:22.0
And then with Alyssa,
24:23.0
what's that rollercoaster like?
24:27.0
That rollercoaster is probably
24:30.0
Yeah, my first girl.
24:32.0
You know, also, just
24:36.0
probably the hardest thing is, you know,
24:38.0
this has always been a dream of hers to do music.
24:42.0
But there's another dream, you know,
24:44.0
to have a family.
24:45.0
And it's just trying to find, you know,
24:47.0
the right timing and the right person
24:49.0
and the person who can understand
24:51.0
this crazy lifestyle.
24:52.0
And it's not always easy.
24:54.0
And how does she confide in you?
24:58.0
Without revealing what she confides.
25:00.0
See, I did say, what does she confide in you?
25:02.0
How does she confide in you?
25:04.0
I think we have a very, very strong relationship.
25:07.0
Like if you look at each other,
25:08.0
like eye to eye, you guys
25:09.0
She's probably the most like me
25:13.0
I mean, they all have certain aspects
25:15.0
that are like me,
25:16.0
certain ones that are like Carlos.
25:17.0
But I think she and I are probably
25:19.0
the most similar.
25:20.0
Like we're all pretty, you know,
25:22.0
serious most of the time.
25:24.0
Like she's, you know, all business
25:26.0
when it comes to the music
25:27.0
and stuff like that.
25:28.0
And she just wants to get it done
25:29.0
and move on and do the next thing.
25:30.0
And not that she can't have fun,
25:32.0
you know, she's a lot of fun.
25:34.0
But I think we're really similar
25:36.0
on the same wavelength
25:38.0
about certain things.
25:39.0
So she can talk to me about anything.
25:42.0
How about the rollercoaster,
25:47.0
Like from the day he was born,
25:49.0
He's your tallest, no?
25:50.0
He's the tallest, yeah.
25:51.0
Where did he get his height from?
25:54.0
My dad was probably about six feet.
25:59.0
We'll continue on with the rollercoasters
26:02.0
and then I have another question
26:03.0
that's very interesting.
26:07.0
when he was growing up,
26:10.0
one and two, CJ and Alyssa,
26:12.0
they're close with regard to age, right?
26:20.0
How does he stack up with the sibs,
26:22.0
with his older sibs?
26:23.0
Well, he was the one
26:24.0
always making them laugh
26:26.0
or always getting in trouble.
26:27.0
And that's still the case to this day.
26:29.0
He's the one always making them laugh.
26:31.0
But he's such a fun-loving guy,
26:34.0
you know, he's just
26:36.0
And you knew that
26:37.0
from when he was a little baby.
26:40.0
He was the cutest baby.
26:43.0
He was just a lot of fun.
26:44.0
He was, you know,
26:48.0
What do they call it in
26:53.0
I don't know what the word is.
26:55.0
But my mother-in-law
26:56.0
would always call him something,
26:57.0
like naughty, naughty,
26:58.0
but there was like a word for it
26:59.0
but I don't remember what it is.
27:03.0
And then Gabriel came.
27:04.0
And then Gabriel came.
27:08.0
They're two years apart.
27:12.0
both of them together,
27:13.0
it's like Ying and Yang.
27:15.0
They're like always,
27:16.0
like when it comes to sports,
27:17.0
they always have the opposite teams.
27:19.0
Anytime they play sports,
27:20.0
they're on the opposite teams.
27:21.0
They're like always, you know,
27:22.0
against each other.
27:23.0
But they're so close, though,
27:26.0
brothers and friends and stuff like that.
27:27.0
But Gabriel comes across as
27:32.0
like, Mom, are you okay?
27:34.0
He's a mommy's boy.
27:37.0
Because I can relate with Gabriel.
27:38.0
Like when I was looking at your dynamics,
27:40.0
I'm like that with my mom
27:42.0
and my siblings when they're around.
27:44.0
I'm the guy that goes,
27:48.0
And then, oh my God, Angelique.
27:54.0
She is the alpha female, for sure.
27:55.0
She's like, say what?
27:58.0
She's crazy, too.
28:01.0
But she's such a strong,
28:05.0
She knows what she wants.
28:07.0
And she goes after it, you know.
28:10.0
I mean, she's beautiful.
28:11.0
They're all beautiful.
28:13.0
They work so hard.
28:14.0
And they know what they want.
28:16.0
And they're not afraid to go get it.
28:18.0
So now there are five, right?
28:20.0
There are five sibs.
28:23.0
Carlos, we're having another one.
28:25.0
And then Jared comes out.
28:29.0
And normally five,
28:32.0
oh, you have a basketball team, right?
28:34.0
And now you have a sixth man.
28:35.0
Now we have a sixth.
28:36.0
Hmm, what team has six members?
28:40.0
So now there's that.
28:42.0
And Jared's around.
28:43.0
And now the house is crazy.
28:46.0
And that's when my husband
28:47.0
wanted to start homeschooling.
28:48.0
I'm like, are you out of your mind?
28:52.0
But it was such a blessing.
28:54.0
Because we were with him all the time, you know.
28:57.0
And I wouldn't give it back for anything.
29:00.0
So we've settled that, ladies and gentlemen.
29:03.0
If you want to research or search
29:05.0
the people that I'm talking about,
29:06.0
you can type in JAGMAC
29:08.0
and the six members will show up.
29:10.0
Now you know what they are
29:13.0
from mom's perspective, okay?
29:15.0
So let's talk about your side.
29:18.0
So while these kids were coming out,
29:21.0
what were your mom and dad saying?
29:24.0
They were not as receptive to this.
29:28.0
To be perfectly honest.
29:29.0
I mean, obviously.
29:32.0
I want to hear this.
29:39.0
So let me backtrack.
29:40.0
So my mom was from a family of 12.
29:45.0
And my dad was from a family of 14.
29:50.0
Wait, same mom and dad?
29:53.0
Well, on my dad's side, no.
29:55.0
So his dad had a first wife
29:59.0
who had nine kids.
30:01.0
And then he's, I guess it was 13.
30:03.0
So I think there were nine and then four.
30:06.0
And so he's from the second wife
30:10.0
But still, you know, huge family.
30:12.0
But on my mom's side,
30:13.0
it was all the same mom and dad.
30:15.0
So my grandmother's oldest daughter
30:18.0
was having children the same time
30:20.0
she was having her last children.
30:23.0
So that was interesting.
30:25.0
So your mom and dad, they were like...
30:27.0
So I think just more because
30:29.0
they knew the struggle.
30:31.0
You know, they knew how hard it was
30:33.0
raising a family, you know,
30:35.0
and they weren't from a, you know,
30:38.0
wealthy family or anything like that.
30:40.0
And it was really hard.
30:42.0
And they were just, you know,
30:44.0
very concerned that we would have a hard time.
30:47.0
What did they want for you?
30:50.0
I think they always thought that...
30:55.0
Because I'd like to sing, you know.
30:57.0
I think they were afraid that I was
30:59.0
maybe sacrificing my dream
31:02.0
to have the family and that...
31:06.0
I don't want to say I'm living my dream
31:08.0
I don't ever want to do that.
31:10.0
But I think it's maybe combining dreams.
31:17.0
So they were like...
31:18.0
When did they start saying daughter?
31:22.0
How many kids are you planning to...
31:25.0
Probably every time.
31:26.0
Every time we had one.
31:28.0
But every time they saw the kids,
31:31.0
They fell in love with the kids.
31:33.0
So, I mean, they were a little,
31:36.0
you know, worried at first.
31:38.0
But as they saw them start to, you know,
31:40.0
grow up and, you know,
31:42.0
start to do what they do,
31:43.0
I mean, even then they were, you know,
31:45.0
starting to sing.
31:47.0
How about your siblings?
31:48.0
My siblings were, you know,
31:50.0
everybody kind of does their own thing.
31:52.0
So, I mean, they weren't really so much
31:54.0
one way or the other.
31:56.0
Like, okay, whatever.
31:58.0
You know, but some were more supportive
32:01.0
Different culture, no?
32:02.0
Different culture.
32:03.0
Like in the Filipino culture,
32:05.0
it's like, it's everyone.
32:08.0
It's, oh, we're doing this,
32:10.0
we're doing this boy...
32:12.0
I can't say boy band.
32:13.0
We're doing this singing group.
32:15.0
Everybody, we're doing this singing group.
32:18.0
I mean, even, I would say,
32:20.0
even to this day,
32:21.0
some of them are still wary,
32:23.0
you know, because, you know,
32:25.0
are they really gonna make it?
32:27.0
Are they gonna do this?
32:30.0
maybe you're wasting your time.
32:33.0
So, it's not all, you know,
32:35.0
roses like what you were saying before,
32:37.0
you know, because we do get...
32:39.0
And it's hard when it comes from family.
32:43.0
And this is quite interesting
32:45.0
because everybody goes through that.
32:47.0
You know what they say, right?
32:48.0
Your worst critic is family.
32:50.0
Your number one fan is a stranger.
32:54.0
Funny how that works.
32:55.0
Funny how that works.
32:56.0
How do you shield them from this,
32:59.0
or how do you deal with this?
33:01.0
Because you have conviction,
33:03.0
and Alicia really hats off to you
33:06.0
and the sacrifices that you and Carlos are doing.
33:09.0
Because it really is
33:12.0
a privilege for JAGMAC
33:14.0
to have parents like you.
33:20.0
protect them from
33:22.0
those kinds of remarks?
33:26.0
Well, I mean, just by
33:32.0
and our mission is not
33:34.0
what everybody else's mission is.
33:36.0
So, that's why I was saying before,
33:37.0
you know, everybody has their own thing.
33:38.0
We know ours is to
33:44.0
they know that so deep in their heart
33:46.0
that even though, you know,
33:48.0
everybody doesn't
33:50.0
necessarily get the big picture,
33:54.0
that that's what they're meant to do,
33:56.0
and it's not always going to be all praise.
33:59.0
Not everyone will understand.
34:01.0
And that's okay, too.
34:02.0
I mean, we love them anyway.
34:03.0
But be nice if they all,
34:05.0
you know, support it.
34:07.0
Or rally behind, right?
34:09.0
And for the most part, you know,
34:10.0
for the most part, they do.
34:15.0
So, my first question was you
34:16.0
protecting them from that.
34:17.0
But how do you deal with it?
34:19.0
How do you digest,
34:21.0
absorb, or take it?
34:23.0
I mean, it hurts.
34:25.0
Because these are your kids.
34:26.0
These are my kids.
34:29.0
But how do I protect them?
34:31.0
No, that was the first question.
34:33.0
How do you protect them?
34:34.0
This next question is
34:35.0
how do you take everything in?
34:39.0
I mean, I guess I just...
34:40.0
This question is for...
34:44.0
Your answer is for the moms
34:45.0
who feel the same way.
34:47.0
Like me, I get affected, too,
34:49.0
when people say something
34:51.0
about my children, right?
34:53.0
I mean, I guess as the mom,
34:55.0
I know what their dreams are.
34:59.0
I know how hard they've worked.
35:06.0
And we all have faith.
35:08.0
And whatever it is that's gonna happen,
35:11.0
it's gonna happen because it's meant to be.
35:15.0
We're just gonna keep doing what we do.
35:17.0
And if you like it, great.
35:19.0
If you don't like it, that's okay, too.
35:22.0
The kids have a fan base now.
35:25.0
It wasn't always that way.
35:27.0
They're very big on TikTok,
35:32.0
It's nice because they're very authentic.
35:36.0
You know, there's that...
35:37.0
I wouldn't say naivety
35:39.0
because they're old enough,
35:40.0
but what they do is real.
35:44.0
Because I was watching the videos
35:45.0
and I see them interact
35:47.0
behind the camera
35:49.0
when they're not in front of the camera
35:50.0
and it's the same.
35:52.0
What you see is what you get.
35:54.0
I started watching all the music videos
35:56.0
after I had them here in the studio.
35:58.0
oh my God, that's them!
36:01.0
I mean, they're very authentic.
36:03.0
Onstage, offstage,
36:05.0
they just are who they are.
36:09.0
They're close as brothers and sisters.
36:12.0
They're just very good, loving people
36:15.0
that are really trying to make a difference
36:18.0
And you mentioned that
36:23.0
middle class family,
36:26.0
most of what you guys do
36:27.0
are from your own pocket.
36:28.0
Yeah, absolutely.
36:31.0
Where do you get support?
36:34.0
What do you mean?
36:36.0
So we're with a small independent label
36:40.0
And kudos to them
36:41.0
because they have been very, very helpful
36:43.0
in helping us pursue this dream.
36:47.0
And so shout out to Unitas
36:49.0
and Greg and Sandy Hansen
36:55.0
I mean, these people,
36:56.0
God bless their heart,
36:57.0
really seeing the mission of JAGMAC
37:00.0
and helping them out.
37:03.0
So it was a friend of ours
37:05.0
who was giving a talk.
37:10.0
somehow he met with Greg
37:13.0
after this talk that he was giving.
37:16.0
And Greg was saying,
37:17.0
yeah, I'm kind of in the music business.
37:19.0
And our friend Mario was saying,
37:21.0
oh, you have to meet this family.
37:22.0
You have to talk to this family.
37:23.0
They're just the most incredible.
37:25.0
They're great singers, dancers.
37:26.0
They're just wonderful.
37:27.0
And at this point,
37:28.0
JAGMAC was just performing locally?
37:32.0
We were just kind of doing the local thing
37:35.0
almost about to hang it up
37:40.0
Because, you know,
37:41.0
we had really been through some stuff.
37:43.0
You know, we've gotten ripped off.
37:47.0
We paid our dues.
37:48.0
And then, you know,
37:50.0
this guy came along.
37:51.0
And in fact, you know,
37:52.0
he left a message, I think,
37:55.0
And Carlos didn't even call him back.
37:57.0
this is another one.
37:58.0
We've heard this before.
37:59.0
Somebody wants to help us.
38:01.0
Especially from Iowa.
38:04.0
So far from Hollywood.
38:06.0
But then, you know,
38:07.0
eventually we did, you know,
38:11.0
did want to help, you know.
38:14.0
fortunately, they have been.
38:15.0
So Greg and Sandy met with you?
38:18.0
So they met with us.
38:19.0
They flew to New York?
38:20.0
No, they flew to Maryland.
38:22.0
Greg and then his other partner
38:24.0
who was out of the UK.
38:26.0
Are you guys from Maryland
38:29.0
Yeah, we just drove up to New York
38:30.0
for that festival.
38:31.0
So it's about like
38:32.0
three and a half hours.
38:33.0
Three and a half hours, yes.
38:36.0
they came out to see us
38:40.0
And they've been there
38:41.0
helping us through
38:45.0
So when they offered
38:47.0
to be part of their label.
38:50.0
Was it part of your answered prayer?
38:55.0
Because we had been praying
38:57.0
who could help us,
38:59.0
on the financial end
39:02.0
put out a lot of our own money
39:04.0
and we were getting to the point
39:07.0
this isn't working,
39:08.0
we gotta do something.
39:10.0
we're gonna have to stop
39:12.0
or we're gonna have to just
39:16.0
maybe try something
39:18.0
completely different.
39:20.0
but they came along,
39:27.0
I wanna be a star.
39:28.0
Oh, tomorrow I'm a star.
39:29.0
It doesn't happen that way.
39:31.0
Even the stars we see on
39:32.0
TikTok and YouTube
39:33.0
and everybody else.
39:35.0
Nowadays going viral
39:36.0
doesn't mean you're gonna be a star.
39:37.0
It just means you went viral.
39:39.0
And that's it, right?
39:41.0
How important was
39:46.0
and your tenacity
39:48.0
in this whole journey?
39:49.0
Because right now
39:50.0
we're still on this journey.
39:51.0
But what you said,
39:55.0
be on the same page.
39:56.0
Everybody had to know
39:58.0
that's needed to be done.
39:59.0
There are challenges.
40:03.0
the day-to-day challenges.
40:06.0
Tell it to our audience
40:08.0
being in show business
40:16.0
Tell them what you have to go through
40:17.0
every single day.
40:20.0
is brought to you by
40:21.0
Dr. Lourdes Capulong.
40:24.0
Well, first of all,
40:28.0
I don't believe anybody
40:29.0
is a star overnight.
40:31.0
Because there are years
40:32.0
and they might be
40:37.0
But I can guarantee you
40:38.0
there's been years
40:39.0
and years and years
40:44.0
and lots of money
40:45.0
and lots of tears
40:47.0
and just a lot of struggle.
40:49.0
To get to that point,
40:50.0
to be able to do that dance
40:52.0
or make that video.
40:56.0
It's a lot that goes into it.
40:57.0
And there's a lot of sacrifice.
40:59.0
A lot of sacrifice.
41:04.0
traditional schooling.
41:07.0
traditional schooling
41:10.0
especially for high school
41:12.0
if they wanted to be able
41:13.0
to go to New York
41:15.0
in the middle of the week
41:16.0
because we had to meet up
41:17.0
with this or that producer
41:21.0
You couldn't do both.
41:24.0
Take the school out,
41:26.0
taking out the friends,
41:27.0
it's taking out the proms,
41:28.0
it's taking out the...
41:32.0
weigh all of this.
41:35.0
always wanted to play football.
41:37.0
Always, always, always.
41:39.0
And he couldn't do it
41:40.0
because he didn't go
41:41.0
to a traditional high school.
41:45.0
Or even other things
41:51.0
You can go skiing
41:52.0
but if you break your leg
41:53.0
and you have a show
41:54.0
then it's going to
41:55.0
affect everybody.
41:56.0
And I'm not saying
41:57.0
don't do things like that.
41:58.0
Of course, you have to live.
42:00.0
But there are certain
42:01.0
sacrifices that are
42:05.0
Because I remember,
42:06.0
I'm into Taekwondo.
42:07.0
I just didn't talk about it
42:08.0
during their interview
42:09.0
because it was their interview.
42:10.0
But I had to quit.
42:13.0
because during one of
42:14.0
the sparring sessions
42:16.0
and I couldn't play drums.
42:18.0
And because I broke my pinky
42:19.0
the show had to be canceled.
42:23.0
what I'm talking about.
42:25.0
Those little sacrifices.
42:27.0
I mean it's a lot.
42:28.0
I mean that's just only
42:29.0
a portion of the sacrifices.
42:31.0
And then obviously
42:32.0
there's monetary things.
42:36.0
what you gotta do
42:37.0
to make it happen.
42:38.0
But the smile on your face.
42:41.0
I'm looking at you.
42:43.0
We're having this conversation.
42:44.0
I see the pride in your eyes.
42:46.0
The smile on your face.
42:52.0
through the smile.
42:53.0
And they're real.
42:59.0
Where does it come from?
43:05.0
without our faith,
43:13.0
I'm a strong believer
43:18.0
and I'm not just saying it
43:22.0
we wouldn't be able to do anything.
43:25.0
Just give it all to God.
43:28.0
If there was one thing
43:33.0
that you can wish
43:34.0
your children will have,
43:35.0
what would it be?
43:42.0
the world sees it
43:45.0
it's a part of happiness
43:50.0
really just being
43:52.0
because you can have
43:53.0
all the money in the world
43:56.0
a hundred hit songs
43:57.0
but if you're not happy
43:58.0
then what's the point?
44:02.0
it's being happy.
44:07.0
Ladies and gentlemen
44:13.0
Please don't forget to
44:14.0
click on the link
44:20.0
and please support
44:23.0
this is our group
44:25.0
is our success too.
