anice de Belen and her five children have been occupying this five-bedroom, rent-to-own condominium unit in Greenhills, San Juan , for around two years now.

She and the kids decided they wanted to live in a “real” city this time. The house in Parañaque that they used to stay in, the conjugal property of Janice and estranged husband John Estrada , is now for rent.

The Sis co-host, who lives on the ninth floor, is now neighbor to her own parents, Philip and Susan de Belen, who live on the fifth floor of the same building.

It was to her mother that Janice had entrusted the task of looking for a new place. “Gusto na nga namin, condo o maliit na house,” Janice explains. “Pero walang tumatama sa budget. Nawawalan na kami ng hope noon ni Mommy, e.”

When Susan de Belen finally found a condo unit that was within budget, she was initially reluctant to recommend it.

“Sabi niya sa akin, ‘Janice, meron akong nakita pero tingnan mo muna.' Kasi ang itsura nito dati, ang gulo. ‘Yong alam mong napag-iwanan? Madumi, makalat, tambak-tambak. Sabi ko, saan niya nakita? ‘Sa building namin,' sabi niya.”

Janice went to give the place a look-see. She liked what she saw. “Sabi ko, ayos! Tamang-tama sa amin ang laki.”

Her mom asked: “Sigurado ka?” Janice replied: “Oo, ako'ng bahala.”

After a general cleanup, Janice had the walls painted in terra cotta. Then she got old stuff from her old house, mainly built-in cabinets, as well as furniture and appliances, and reinstalled them here. She also bought a few new things—and voila!

The following pages give you a peek into the new look that Janice has managed to achieve over time. Indeed, it is functional plus fun!

“Masaya dito,” she says. “Nage-enjoy ako. Malapit sa lahat.”

And since the kids' lola is just four floors away,” kalmado ako pag wala ako sa bahay,” says Janice, smiling. “Nandiyan ang Mommy ko for any emergency.”

That's what you call family ties.

This angle—seen from the dirty kitchen—gives a panoramic view of Janice's huge condo unit. The design makes full used of open, free-flowing space.

“Three units kasi talaga ito, kaya malaki,” Janice explains. “Pero ganyan na ‘yan when we came here. Nilinis ko lang. ‘Tapos, itong mga gamit, halos wala akong pinalitan. Tingnan mo, kahit sofa namin, luma din. Kasi bata pa ‘tong mga kasama ko, eh. Susulatan pa nila ‘yang mga ‘yan. Alam mo ba, itong sofas, never ‘yang naging maayos—kahit two hours lang. Kahit kuwarto ko, pag pumasok silang lahat, disaster. Ayaw na ayaw ko pa naman ‘yung nagugulo ‘yong kumot ko. Pero wala, pag may bata ka, magulo talaga. May toys dito, may baso ng tubig sa kabila, may candy dito, may balat ng chocolates doon.”

The kids, however, are generally well-behave.

“Happy nga ako dahil, pag nasa ibang lugar sila, hindi ako nahihiya na baka magkalat sila,” she smiles. “At saka magagalang sila, ma-smile, saka hindi ma-tantrums, hindi ‘yong spoiled na ‘yon bang nagda-drama? Bawal sa akin ‘yon. At saka parati kong sinasabi sa kanila, hindi n'yo makukuha lahat ng gusto n'yo. Usually kasi pag mahal na mahal mo ang anak mo, mai-spoiled mo, eh. E, pag na-spoil masyado at ‘binigay mo ang lahat sa kanila, hindi mo sila nire-ready para sa mga disappointments sa buhay pagtanda nila.”

Asked to describe her house, Janice says: Functional siya.” She adds: “Hindi siya tipong pang-Architectural Digest, pero functional siya, at saka bahay siya. Guto ko kasi ‘yong pag pumasok ka, sasabihin mo: ‘A, may mga taong nakatira dito, bahay nga ito.' Di ba, pag pumasok ka sa bahay ko, hindi siya nakakatakot? Ang mga kaibigan ko nga, kagaya ng South Border, madalas sila dito and parati nilang sinasabi sa akin na ang sarap daw dito sa bahay ko. Masarap ‘yong ganoong bahay, e,' ‘yong welcome everyone. ‘Tsaka ‘yong relaxed. Hindi ka matatakot na baka mabasag ka. Ayoko ng ganoon. Kasi pag ang bahay mo ganoon, ay, museum ito.”

Janice with her good-looking brood: (L-R) Yuan , 6; Kyla , 8; Inah , 13; and Moira , 11. Joining them are the family's pet—Tyler, a chow chow, and Bianca, a toy poodle. Janice's eldest, Luigi, 17, her son by Aga Muhlach , isn't in the photo because his school schedule prevents him from joining the shoot.

Asked who among her kids take after her character, Janice says: “Lahat sila may konti-konti ng ugali ko. Siguro kasi, sa akin sila lumaki, saka ako parati nilang kasama, e.”

She singles them out:

“Mas pinaka-ugali ko itong maliit, si Yuan. Pareho kami ng birthday, e [November 9].

“Si Kyla, kaugali ko rin kasi matanong ako, matanong rin siya. Ang daming tanong noon, e, saka pakialamera.

“Si Moira, a, sa sarap kumain, oo naman.

“Si Inah, habits… especially magbasa. Basa sa CR, basa sa sala. Kahit na ano binabasa.

“Si Luigi, siguro sa katigasan ng ulo, sa akin din niya nakuha. Aminado naman ako, matigas ulo ko, e.”

Luigi, by the way, is currently enrolled at the Philippine School of Interior Design. “Bata pa naman ‘yan, into drawing-drawing na,” says Janice.

No one's interested in showbiz?

“Nako, ano'ng wala?” Janice laughs. “Lahat kaya sila, mahilig mag-artista? Kaya lang, parati kong sinasabi, studies first. Kung hindi makakasagabal sa school, okey lang sa akin, like commercials, pictorials na ganito, or, once in a while, nagge-guest sila sa Sis . Ganoon lang. But ako, I made it a point na bata pa sila expose na sila sa trabaho ko. Ayoko na nae-alienate sila sa work ko. Para alam nila kung bakit ka nagtatrabaho, ano ang ginagawa mo pag wala ka sa bahay.”

The only new thing in this dining room/kitchen area is the flooring.' Ako na lang ang nagpalagay niyan,” says Janice of the floor tiles she bought from Home Depot. The rest of the fittings—such as the sink and cabinets—came from the Parañaque house.

“'Yong kitchen kasi na inabutan ko, bulok-bulok na talaga ‘yong mga kahoy,” she explains. “So, lahat ‘yan, galing Parañaque. Pinagbabaklas ko, ‘tapos dinala ko dito. Sayang, e. Bakit naman ako gagastos pa ulit?”

It's actually the tiles that create the dividing line between the living room and the dining room/kitchen. The salon on the right side is where Janice puts her food whenever there's a small spur-of-the-moment gathering of friends in her house, which happens often.

“Kaya hindi ka dapat nawawalan ng supply ng pagkain,” she laughs.

“Pag sinisipag, I cook. Pag walang time, nagpapabili na lang. Pero hindi lang dahil sa may bisita. Sa mga anak ko lang, susko! Si Yuan, ‘yong half gallon ng ice cream—lalo na vanilla flavor—kanya lang. Mula grocery store, hindi na makatikim ng ref ‘yon. Ubos in a flash.

“Noong isang araw naglambing naman sila, gumawa kami ng doughnuts. Busy ang area na ito. ‘Tapos, ang mga anak ko pa, mga independent. Pag nagutom, kanya-kanyang prepare. Minsan sa gabi, may kakalampag diyan.”

The two wooden trunks, or baul (right), are not new acquisitions, but came from the Parañaque house. The framed photos of a younger Janice on the wall were all taken by celebrity photographer Jun de Leon, except for the one at bottom right, which was a shot by Janice's friend, Joey Marquez . “Ewan ko kung paano ginawa ‘yan ni Manong Joey,” says Janice of the photo's surreal look. She adds, chuckling: “Actually dati, hindi ako naglalagay ng picture kong solo sa bahay. Ngayon na lang. Sabi ko, parang deserved ko yata magkaroon ng picture sa bahay.”

Janice who's into beadwork, made all the bead curtains you see around the house, such as the ones behind her. “Sa Divisoria ko binili ang mga beads,” she says. “'Tapos, kami ng mga yaya, pag wala kaming ginagawa, iyan ang pinagtitripan namin.”

Asked if she sees herself marrying again, Janice—the total homebody—gives a straightforward answer: “Bakit ko naman iisipin na hindi, di ba? Siguro magiging jaded ka lang kung malungkot ka pa. But then, pag dumating ‘yong opportunity o pag nandoon ‘yong tao ba gusto mong makasama habang-buhay, of course, maiisip mo pa rin. So, oo naman.”

Inah and Moira, the elder ones, both come home later from school. Inah, the eldest of Janice's children by John Estrada, doesn't mind sharing her solo room with Moira for this shot. We tell Janice that the 13-year-old Inah acts like she's 18 and is quite curvaceous for her age. “Nako, ‘Day, ‘wag mong ipaparinig at minsan, feeling ang babaeng ‘yan,” laughs the mother. “Feeling niya nga talaga matanda na siya, at feeling niya nga, ang ganda-ganda niya.”

The blue room is actually Yuan's room, but Kyla, who is second to the youngest, refuses to give Yuan solo time in the limelight. So, when it's Kyla's turn to be photographed in her pink room, she also does not have the pictorial all to herself. Yuan joins her in all the shots.

The pink room is actually shared by Kyla and elder sister Moira, who's still in school when this photo is taken. Says Janice: “Parang gusto ko, sweet pa rin sila. Gusto ko ‘yong magkasama pa rin sila. They like it naman, e.”

The youngest child, Yuan, is the one who is most likely to end up an actor. Besides being a looker, he has guts. In fact, he demands that he has this solo shoot in the billiard room.

But Yuan, says his mother, is not spoiled, although he's the bunso in the family. “Napapagalitan at napapalo ‘yan,” Janice reveals. “At saka, alam niya pag galit ako. Hindi ko ‘yan papansinin pagka galit na ako. Hindi kami magpapansinan. Pero diyan lang siya, hindi siya lalayo sa akin. ‘Tapos mayamaya, ‘Mama, I'm sorry.”

By the way, opposite Yuan is the door to his Kuya Luigi's room. The billiard table, although bought for Luigi, for everyone's use.

“Ako, marunong din akong magbilyar,” claims Janice. “Pag sinumpong ako, naglalaro din ako. Pero para talaga kay Luigi ‘yan, para kesa naglalabas siya, di, diyan na lang siya sa bahay.”

Kuya Luigi, who is unable to join the shoot, has told his mom that he does not want his room to be photographed.

The history of Janice's clown collection—consisting of figurines, toys, masks, papers, photos, picture frames, etc.—goes back to pre-Luigi days. Why clowns?

“E, kasi, hindi ba, ang mga artista daw, parang clowns. Smiling on the outside, crying in the inside. Although masaya naman ang buhay ko.”

Janice has already lost count of how many clown items she has managed to collect over the years: “Hindi ko siya bilang, pero alam ko pag may nawawala.”

Besides clowns, Janice also collects giraffe items. “Gusto ko nga ring mag-collect ng snow globe. Meron akong isa diyan sa itaas [ng shelf]. Kaso, ang mamahal. So, okey na muna ‘yan.”

Standing in another part of the house, near the dirty kitchen and laundry room, is a display shelf that contains Janice's other collection—of giraffe stuffed toys and giraffe items. “Nag-start lang ‘yang noong may friend ako na nagbigay sa akin ng giraffe na stuff toy,” she recalls. “Natuwa ako, sobra. E, naisip ko, ang dami nang nagko-collect ng baboy, kabayo… Para maiba, giraffe ako.”

Are we talking to Flordeluna here?

“Siguro,” she giggles. “Tingnan mo ‘yong kuwarto ko, may mga Little Mermaid toys ako doon. Si Little Mermaid kasi, parang ako. In what way? Well, ‘pinaglaban niya ‘yong pag-ibig niya, di ba? ‘Tapos, dreamer siya, matigas din ang ulo niya—sutil. E, aminado naman ako doon, e. kasi. Para sa akin, kung meron akong ginawa, mali o tama, successful o hindi, you have to face up what you do, di ba? Ke ano pa'ng sabihin, e, ginawa mo, e. Kesa magmumukmok ka, magdrama-drama ka, e, ginawa mo naman.”

Janice's favorite hobby of all time is to frame photos of her loved ones. Better yet, to make photo collages and put them in framed such as the ones pictured here. This photo collection adorns the wall of the corridor that leads to the main door. “Wala kaming hilig sa pictures,” jokes Janice about her wall filled with framed photos and photo collages. “Wala talaga.”

She explains why she prefers making photo collages to putting family photos in album:

“Kasi, minsan maraming kang pictures na malaki ‘yong background pero ang liit ng kuha mo. Putulin mo na lang, diba? At saka mahal na rin ang album. So, pagsama-samahin ko na lang sila sa frame…

“Besides, lalo na ngayon, ang dami kong oras, promise. ‘Yan ang ginagawa ko. Kapag nanonood ako ng TV, naggugupit-gupit ako. Kahit mga anak ko, may sari-sarili silang collage sa room nila. Mahilig din silang gumawa.” - -