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| Photo c/o Reyma's Facebook account |
Flashback to 2005, and I was the director for STARTIST, a reality TV search for future singing stars brought to you by the Center for Pop Music Philippines. It was aired from Monday to Friday, 6:30-7:00 p.m. on UNTV Channel 37. It was hosted by none other than CPMP president and trainor of singing stars Mr. Butch Albarracin and co-hosted by Gwen his daughter. The concept of the show was quite simple: a group of aspiring singers will be coached live, on-air by Butch.
Reyma was one of the lucky ones who auditioned and made it to the magic circle. Back in the day, she studied entrepreneurship at Thames International now known as Entrepreneurs School of Asia but didn't graduate, spent a couple of years in Leyte, before moving back to New Zealand. Here's my Q&A with her:
Q: What's on your bucket list?
A: Like any other person my age, I'd love to eventually tick travelling to various places overseas off my bucket list. But at this stage in my life, my ultimate bucket list item would be to buy a house for myself and my family. I don't have wild items on my bucket list such as skydiving or the like. I'm pretty simple when it comes to what I want to achieve before I "kick the bucket" and they mostly revolve around advancing my career and being able to give back to my family. When I was younger, I made a child's promise to my father that I would one day buy him a Jaguar sports car. He still holds me to it to this day, so I guess that's one wild item I still need to check off!
Q: Give your teenage self some advice.
A: If I could give my teenage self any advice, it would be to remember the amazing support group you have around you. It’s very easy for teenagers to feel like the whole world is weighted on their shoulders and that they have to go about things alone. I had my daughter fairly young in life – I was 20 and was in the middle of my college (University) education in the Philippines. Admittedly, there were times I felt like I had to do everything on my own to prove I was capable. That definitely was not the case though. I was fortunate, and still am, to have the full support of my family and friends. To this day, I credit my family and friends for my achievements of graduating from law school, being admitted to the high Court of New Zealand and becoming a lawyer.
Q: What motivates you?
A: My family is a major driving force in my everyday life, in particular my daughter. My greatest achievements in my life so far have all been because of her. I persevered through law school knowing that one day it will lead me to a better opportunity to provide for her, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that without my family’s help in caring for her.Now, I am working in Taranaki while my daughter remains in Christchurch with my parents. It’s difficult but again, I do this knowing it’s all for my daughter and that I have my family’s undying support.
In addition to that, being around greatly influential people is something that motivates me to learn from them and be successful like them. I am still new to practising as a lawyer. I’ve been a lawyer for just over a year now so there’s still so much for me to learn. I am incredibly grateful to have spent my first year learning from three great lawyers: Saima Zafar, Craig Paddon and Janet Ashcroft. I learned a great deal from each of them and my time with them really reinforced in my desire to continue in this profession.
I am now working at Parker and Marriner Lawyers under the mentoring of Kelly Marriner and Crichton Parker – both great lawyers with reputations for helping so many people in the Taranaki region. Just being able to observe them and learn from them motivates me to work harder.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I guess just an overall good and caring person that has somehow made some sort of positive impact, whether small or significant, in the life of whoever is remembering me.
Q: Name 3 people, living or dead, you'll like to have dinner with?
A: Can I choose 4? My grandparents – both my mum and dad’s parents have passed away and I’d love a chance to spend time with them. Growing up in NZ meant we didn’t get that chance often except for the occasional visit back home. During the 6 years I lived in the Philippines I was lucky to have shared time with my maternal grandmother. One more dinner with all four of them would be wonderful.
Q: Are you a cat or dog person?
A: This question will get me in big trouble with my daughter who absolutely loves cats! But, I’m more of a dog person. I haven’t had a pet dog in a long time though. Perhaps I should add that to my bucket list.
Q: Why are you doing, what you're doing?
A: As cliché as it sounds, I became a lawyer to help people. The law is complex and to many people it is a daunting thing to have to see a lawyer for assistance. So it is an amazing feeling when I am able to help people understand their legal position and make the law work for them.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I guess just an overall good and caring person that has somehow made some sort of positive impact, whether small or significant, in the life of whoever is remembering me.
Q: Name 3 people, living or dead, you'll like to have dinner with?
A: Can I choose 4? My grandparents – both my mum and dad’s parents have passed away and I’d love a chance to spend time with them. Growing up in NZ meant we didn’t get that chance often except for the occasional visit back home. During the 6 years I lived in the Philippines I was lucky to have shared time with my maternal grandmother. One more dinner with all four of them would be wonderful.
Q: Are you a cat or dog person?
A: This question will get me in big trouble with my daughter who absolutely loves cats! But, I’m more of a dog person. I haven’t had a pet dog in a long time though. Perhaps I should add that to my bucket list.
Q: Why are you doing, what you're doing?
A: As cliché as it sounds, I became a lawyer to help people. The law is complex and to many people it is a daunting thing to have to see a lawyer for assistance. So it is an amazing feeling when I am able to help people understand their legal position and make the law work for them.
That is particularly why I enjoy the work I do in family law, dealing with and care of children's issues and victims of domestic violence. It can be an emotionally draining area of law at times but it’s especially rewarding seeing that you’ve helped people go from feeling incredibly vulnerable to feeling safe and secure. The same goes for doing immigration law. It’s rewarding to know you’ve helped reunite a family who have spent years apart because one parent was working overseas.
I feel fortunate to be working at Parker and Marriner Lawyers in Hawera South Taranaki because they are driven by that same desire to help the community.
Q: Where in the Philippines is the place that is your sanctuary?
A: I only lived in the Philippines for about 6 years and I haven't been back since 2008. So I can’t think of a place to call a sanctuary there? We do still have a lot of family over there so I’ll say just say with the family since I don’t get to see them often. We have this giant group chat going on Facebook including aunts and uncles, cousins and nieces and nephews. It’s such a nice thing to have going throughout the day, especially since I’m living alone in Taranaki away from the rest of the family in New Zealand. My bed is also a sanctuary! Nothing beats a warm bed, wherever in the world.
Q: How did you face failure?
A: I’m a crier. I cry. Hahaha I’m not even kidding or ashamed to say it. Whenever I feel like I’ve failed at something I have this big cry and get it all out of my system before I pick myself up, sort myself out and move on. I’m not one to wallow on a failure or to talk much about it. If you ask people close to me they may say that I don’t talk much about my problems. I’m learning now to open up and talk to people about them though, which brings me back to my teenage advice: it’s OK to rely on support from other people!
Q: The best thing about your age.
A: I can't think of specific good things that are attributable to my age specifically. I don't see age as relevant to success. There is a song lyric that I always recall when my birthday comes around because I feel that it applies regardless of how old you're turning. It goes, "Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes, but Young enough to look at the future and like what I see because my best days are ahead of me." The best thing about any age is that we are alive and able to do the things we want.
Q: How do you chill out?
A: I love to read or listen to music. Recently it was binge-watch shows on Netflix! haha.
Q: What's your comfort food?
A: Oh, don’t get me started on food. This will be a never ending article. But if I could pick just one that I would consider “comfort” food… it’s not even food. It’s coffee. A fresh cup of hot coffee.
Q: Something not many people know about you.
A: I can’t really think of anything. Does it have to be something odd or trivial? I have this incredibly irrational but serious fear of fish – but most people that know me, know that about me already.
Q: Which talent would you like to have?
A: I'd like to be able to play the piano. When I was younger my mother put me in piano lessons but I quit after a few weeks. I wish I hadn't, now.
Q: If you could time travel, where and when would it be?
A: I watch enough shows involving time travel to know you should not mess with space-time continuum haha. But, if I could go to at least just observe it would be back to when my daughter was born. I don’t remember much of it as I was either screaming or passed out so I’d like to see it to have some memories of it that are more than just a blur in my head.
Q: What superpower do you wish you had?
A: Self-healing. Like Wolverine or Claire Bennet from the show Heroes. Haha I hate getting sick and I hate going to the doctors. If I could never go to the doctors again that would be great.
Q: What job would you do other than your own?
A: Probably something in the arts. I’ve always enjoyed performing. I dabbled a bit during university and you may remember our time in the Philippines doing Startist on UNTV? Hahaha that feels like it was a lifetime ago though. I can’t really imagine myself not doing anything else. I love being a lawyer.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: To keep working and gaining more experience, so I can hopefully one day start my own legal practice and of course, to be with and support my family. Whatever else comes along the way, good or bad, I’ll welcome it or work through it.
Q: Where in the Philippines is the place that is your sanctuary?
A: I only lived in the Philippines for about 6 years and I haven't been back since 2008. So I can’t think of a place to call a sanctuary there? We do still have a lot of family over there so I’ll say just say with the family since I don’t get to see them often. We have this giant group chat going on Facebook including aunts and uncles, cousins and nieces and nephews. It’s such a nice thing to have going throughout the day, especially since I’m living alone in Taranaki away from the rest of the family in New Zealand. My bed is also a sanctuary! Nothing beats a warm bed, wherever in the world.
Q: How did you face failure?
A: I’m a crier. I cry. Hahaha I’m not even kidding or ashamed to say it. Whenever I feel like I’ve failed at something I have this big cry and get it all out of my system before I pick myself up, sort myself out and move on. I’m not one to wallow on a failure or to talk much about it. If you ask people close to me they may say that I don’t talk much about my problems. I’m learning now to open up and talk to people about them though, which brings me back to my teenage advice: it’s OK to rely on support from other people!
Q: The best thing about your age.
A: I can't think of specific good things that are attributable to my age specifically. I don't see age as relevant to success. There is a song lyric that I always recall when my birthday comes around because I feel that it applies regardless of how old you're turning. It goes, "Old enough to look back and laugh at my mistakes, but Young enough to look at the future and like what I see because my best days are ahead of me." The best thing about any age is that we are alive and able to do the things we want.
Q: How do you chill out?
A: I love to read or listen to music. Recently it was binge-watch shows on Netflix! haha.
Q: What's your comfort food?
A: Oh, don’t get me started on food. This will be a never ending article. But if I could pick just one that I would consider “comfort” food… it’s not even food. It’s coffee. A fresh cup of hot coffee.
Q: Something not many people know about you.
A: I can’t really think of anything. Does it have to be something odd or trivial? I have this incredibly irrational but serious fear of fish – but most people that know me, know that about me already.
Q: Which talent would you like to have?
A: I'd like to be able to play the piano. When I was younger my mother put me in piano lessons but I quit after a few weeks. I wish I hadn't, now.
Q: If you could time travel, where and when would it be?
A: I watch enough shows involving time travel to know you should not mess with space-time continuum haha. But, if I could go to at least just observe it would be back to when my daughter was born. I don’t remember much of it as I was either screaming or passed out so I’d like to see it to have some memories of it that are more than just a blur in my head.
Q: What superpower do you wish you had?
A: Self-healing. Like Wolverine or Claire Bennet from the show Heroes. Haha I hate getting sick and I hate going to the doctors. If I could never go to the doctors again that would be great.
Q: What job would you do other than your own?
A: Probably something in the arts. I’ve always enjoyed performing. I dabbled a bit during university and you may remember our time in the Philippines doing Startist on UNTV? Hahaha that feels like it was a lifetime ago though. I can’t really imagine myself not doing anything else. I love being a lawyer.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: To keep working and gaining more experience, so I can hopefully one day start my own legal practice and of course, to be with and support my family. Whatever else comes along the way, good or bad, I’ll welcome it or work through it.
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