Acting first, singing second

It will probably take another lifetime before people dissociate Kristoff Abrenica from one of the expelled scholars of Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA). But he is not complaining. "Pinoy Dream Academy has not only taught me a lot about my craft but more importantly about myself," he says.

But neither does Kristoff intend to get trapped in the image of an expelled scholar forever. He wants to make it in the business and has taken another route: acting. Today, he stars in the hit TV show Super Inggo and is part of the Saturday afternoon sitcom Let’s Go, both on ABS-CBN. "They want me to concentrate first on acting and I’m OK with it. Acting would help me get my name out in the public, plus I’m enjoying it immensely. I’m already thinking of hoping to do a movie and do more guestings as an actor," he says. Kristoff also likes the idea of being a host.

While his dream of singing is taking the backseat, he isn’t entirely giving up on it. He reveals, "While I thought I’d be a singer who will venture into acting, it became the other way around. I’m now in all these shows and people in the streets recognize me already as an actor. But I’m not giving up on my dream to sing and perform." In fact, Kristoff is so ecstatic that he was included in one of the compilation albums of PDA. "It’s my original song and I recorded it. I hope people would pick it up." Kristoff also dreams of recording his solo album one day.

While busy with a showbiz career, Kristoff is just like every 20-year-old young man, especially when it comes to girls. He says, "The first thing I look at a girl is her face. She doesn’t have to be pretty but I want her to be friendly-looking, someone who is genuinely interested in what I do." When you ask him who is his crush, "Iya Villania. Iba ang dating niya. Ang ganda-ganda niya."

On the other hand, Kristoff’s appeal to girls is understandable. He looks so vulnerable, so puerile that you want to cuddle him like a mother putting his newly-born boy to sleep. You want to protect and comfort him except that he is way past the circumcision stage. He receives a lot of fan mails from girls, and even women old enough to be his mom. Some women just don’t surrender.

What about gays? Kristoff blushes and then gives a hearty laugh. "I respect them," he says. And I say, "I respect you, too, Kristoff."

But you will respect Kristoff because he is, in the words of one ABS-CBN insider "very professional. He always arrives ahead of the others." Punctuality is next to Godliness in show business, when day becomes night and Monday becomes Sunday, when sunset becomes sunrise – such is the power of movies where time becomes a slave of the camera. But Kristoff seems grounded. He knows exactly what time he enters and exits frame.

And, seems like Kristoff is ahead of the rest of the scholars. And we will be watching.

Business of saving lives

If you want to preserve your baby’s cord blood, you can deposit it at CordLife, a cord blood bank based in Singapore. CordLife was established in Singapore and has expanded its operations to several countries in Asia. CordLife collects cord blood from Southeast Asia and North Asia.

January this year, a significant number of pregnant mothers have already deposited cord blood to CordLife Philippines located at Discovery Centre for cyro-preservation in its Singapore facility.

Cord blood from the Philippines is processed and stored at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in Singapore. In 2005, CordLife became a regional leader by being the first in Southeast Asia to gain accreditation from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). AABB is the world standard for transplant medicine and specialists in this field recognize that obtaining a cord blood sample from an accredited stem cell bank is an assurance that samples undergo high-quality process that leads to a successful transplant.

"Based on our experience in other markets, it is clear that the key driver for this service is knowledge" says CordLife Medical Philippines, Inc. country manager Joey Salindong. "One day we can proudly say that every mother in the country understands the value and benefits of cord blood banking as a potential gift of a lifetime to their children."

According to CordLife Singapore medical director Dr. Toh Keng Kiat, "The stem cell contained in cord blood can today be used to treat over 72 medical conditions from leukemia, to some cancers, to immunodeficiencies."

"CordLife is in the business of saving lives," says Joey.