Na-realize ni Carla na “empty nest syndrome” ang nararamdaman ng kanyang lola, pero gusto na talagang bumukod ang young star. Iyon ang kanyang promise sa mommy niyang si Rea Reyes bago siya pumasok sa show biz at gampanan ang title role sa telserye ng GMA 7 na “Rosalinda.”
Wala pang dalawang taon ay natupad niya ang kanyang pangarap. Lumipat ang mag-iina sa isang three-story, four-room townhouse sa Quezon City—ilang minuto lang ang layo sa bahay ng kanyang lola.
“We chose this area because it’s near my lola’s home and the studio as well,” ani Carla.
Pagkalipat na pagkalipat ay agad niya itong ipinakita sa kanyang lola. “When she saw our place, she was happy. Lola told me that I was just like her young self.”
“I’m glad that Carla put her earnings in a solid investment,” sey naman ni Delia. “When I was starting in LVN, [producer] Doña Sisang [de Leon] taught me to invest wisely and helped me build my own house, too.”
Mismong sina Carla, kanyang mommy at mga kapatid ang nagdekorasyon ng bahay. “We did the interiors ourselves,” hirit ni Carla.
Ikinuwento ni Carla na ginalugad ng kanyang mommy ang buong Metro Manila para sa perfect furniture, “from SM Our Home to the bazaars of Dapitan and San Juan. Some of the pieces were custom-made.”
Nabili ni Rea ang antique cross sa Dapitan at mga candleholders sa Rustan’s department store.
Mula naman sa Crossings ang picture divider, kung saan nakadispley ang mga baby photos nina Carla at Rea.
Nakaplaster sa hallway ang mga black-and-white photos ng pamilya. “We printed out the pictures ourselves and had them framed,” ani Carla.
Si Rea rin ang nasa likod ng butterfly stencil designs sa toilet, ani Carla.
Custom-made naman ang dining set. “It has six seats and a bench. The wall accent in the dining area is from Home Depot. It was originally white, but I painted it black,” ani Rea.
Ang wall accent ay exact replica ng headboard ng bedroom ni Rea.
Galing naman ang sofa set Our Home.
“It doesn’t have an exact theme. Even though the place is brand-new, we wanted a comfy, lived-in look,” kuwento ni Rea.
“Mom calls it shabby chic,” ayon naman kay Carla. “It’s modern and cozy.”
Tumulong ang buong pamilya sa renovation ng bahay. “I gave them swatches and made them choose the paint colors for their bedrooms,”ani Rea.
Pinili ni Carla ang mga kulay na blue at gray. Blue at green para sa mga kapatid na sina Erika at Karl. Green at gray naman para kay Rea.
“I just needed help with the walk-in closet. My sister’s friend, Jiezl Sunga who’s an interior designer, chose the wallpaper for the closet,” ani Carla.
Isa sa ipinagmamalaking bahagi ng bahay, ayon sa Kapuso actress—na bida sa afternoon soap na “Kung Aagawin Mo ang Langit”—ay ang closet, na aniya ay super organized.
Maayos na magkakapatong ang mga sapatos, damit at bags sa kanyang storage room.
“A friend gifted me with personalized hangers—printed with my initials CA,” ani Carla.
Ayon kay Rea, displinado at determinado ang kanyang anak.
Cum laude graduate sa De La Salle University (Psychology), consistent honor student si Carla.
“She was on the dean’s list eight out of nine semesters. She only didn’t make it in the first sem,” sey ni Rea. “She was still adjusting then and had a hard time commuting. She was taking the MRT.”
Hindi na nagtataka si Rea sa dami ng tinamong tagumpay ng anak sa dalawang taon nito sa show biz. “Carla has always been driven. She tries to excel in everything she gets into.”
Agree naman dito ang “Kung Aagawin” leading man niya na si Mike Tan: “Carla has changed a lot since we last worked together in ‘Rosalinda.’ She has improved so much as an actress. She knows what to do and always comes to the set prepared.”
Ang pruweba ay ang Star Awards best new actress trophy na nakladispley sa bahay, para sa performance niya sa “Punerarya” episode ng “Shake, Rattle & Roll XII.”
Kamakailan ay nagwagi rin siya para sa nasabing pelikula bilang best performer na bigay ng Young Critics’ Circle. Maganda rin ang naging feedback sa kanya sa pelikula niyang “My Neighbor’s Wife.”
Perfect fit ang bagong bahay nila para sa kanilang pamilya, ani Carla.
“I used to think that the place was too big for us,” dagdag niya. “But now, it feels just right.”
Hirit ni Rea: “Since Carla has her own key, she doesn’t have to wake up the entire household when she returns late from tapings and shootings.”
Ang bahay, ani Carla, ay kanilang comfort zone: “Here, I can let my hair down and hang out with my family.”
Isa pang favorite spot ng pamilya ang kitchen, na nilagyan ng makukulay na mosaic tiles.
“I cook steaks and pasta dishes,” kuwento ni Carla. “A friend is a pastry chef and we often bake cookies and cupcakes here.”
In-love naman si Eva Noelle sa baked goodies ng kanyang tita Carla.
Si Eva, 4, ang isa sa mga rason kung bakit mas gustong maglagi sa bahay ni Carla.
“When she was younger, Eva called me Auntie Ganush. Now she calls (Carla’s boyfriend) Geoff Eigenmann, Tito Geoff Ganush,” ani Carla.
Welcome na welcome si Geoff sa pamilya ni Carla.
Sa pagbisita namin sa tahanan ni Carla ay sumilip si Geoff, na kararating lang mula US.
Dahil super busy sa TV series at sa mga indie movies na “Asiong Salonga” at “El Presidente,” hindi na masyadong nakakapanood ng DVD si Carla.
“I love watching horror flicks, romantic comedies and suspense thrillers on cable or the DVD player,” aniya.
May bagong alagang aso si Carla, si Patches, isang Jack Russell Terrier.
“Patches is sweet and precious. I’m a dog lover. In my lola’s house, we have eight dogs running around in the garden. We even have rabbits and a parrot,” dagdag niya. –Inquirer