Lucy in the sky
Lucy Torres-Gomez bares the secrets of a stellar wife and mother. By Maris A. Mortel

Being soft-spoken and mild-mannered are qualities that are rare in the glittery environment of show business. But if there is anything brazen about Lucy Torres-Gomez, one of the country's most endearing beauties, it is in her steadfast attempts at excelling as wife and mother, and at discovering her passions.

Lucy is bent on overcoming shyness and becoming a more "fiery" woman, and I quote. Case in point: In addition to flamenco and belly dancing, two of her current interests two years running, Lucy is hooked on boxing.

"Ang sarap!" she admits, "Even when I'm mad, I'm like this--calm. I feel I'm too soft. I don't shout. But boxing is good release; it's a stress buster."

Managing a household, dancing twice a week, boxing two to three times a week, keeping up with precocious daughter Juliana and husband Richard, and attending interviews and shoots make Lucy a busybody in her own right. It isn't surprising that she is svelte despite having very lax personal rules on food. Let's just say chicharon bulaklak and ice cream are among her favorite foods.

"I eat whatever I want, that's why I make it a point to burn food off," Lucy reveals. "When I want to eat light, I may skip a meal then drink a lot--and I mean a lot--of soy milk. And it isn't punishment because I really like soy milk."

Apple of her eye
Lucy maintains a sense of order at home. "It's therapy for me," she explains.

"Everything is always a work-in-progress, there are always more ways to improve. Like in everyday things, you're never done fixing the house. Especially with a child, there's always something to put away and to tidy up."

Lucy has been vocal about her desire for more children and a bigger family, but until more additions come along, her life revolves around caring for Juliana, who will attend elementary school next. At age 5, Juliana has already developed a keen sense of fashion.

"She takes the longest time to dress up. She will not wear something if it does not fit well," relates Lucy. "She has her own unapologetic style, like she will wear a dress with pants. And she knows exactly how her hair should be parted--pag pigtails sa gitna, pag headband sa side, pag ponytail dapat walang tikwas!

Juliana can also be a fashion critic, Lucy says. "She'll tell me, 'You know Mom, what you're wearing today is not bagay.' Or she'll say, 'You look nice. What you're wearing is nice.'"

On even keel
On the rare days when her plate isn't full, Lucy chooses to unwind at home with something relaxing, such as dreaming up beaded accessories like necklaces and brooches, and doing something creative with Juliana.

For Lucy, a balanced life goes beyond what is physical. Mental and emotional well-being are vital Ingredients to a life lived well.

"It's easier to balance things that are tangible, but when it comes to your emotions it's really a mind game," says Lucy. "It's more willpower than anything else."

For instance, until recently Lucy was a budding hypochondriac.

"If you tell me about a friend who was operated on for a brain tumor, I'll say, 'What are the symptoms?' When you tell me, later in the evening I will have those symptoms! Then the doctor will tell me, 'Nothing's wrong, you're OK.' Then the symptoms go away. It was crazy. I told myself, I will not live this way. Now, I try not to worry too much."

Like everyone else, Lucy has her good days and bad days, and she takes everything in stride, with hefty optimism that things will fall into place.

"Whatever mistakes I make or whatever painful things I experience, I always say everything happens for a reason. That's how I see things. Whatever comes my way, it will be for something good. Maybe not immediately, but eventually."

Look at how I handled the big 3-0, she says. "I didn't like turning 30, I don't know why. I wasn't afraid of growing old. In my mind I'm always 23, 24, and 30 was a long way off. Then all of a sudden, I was 30! Now, I kind of like being 30--I'm young enough to still do what I want to do, but I'm old enough to know not to try everything. I have very definite ideas of what I like.

"There are so many things I want to do. I want to study again, perhaps something to do with the arts. I want to paint, I want to dance some more, I want to learn a craft. I want to work with children."

The challenge now that Lucy sees is to avoid putting limits on what she can do and accomplish. "I've realized that for so long I've always kept to myself and was afraid of trying something new. There is still so much room to grow."

For Lucy, everything is a learning experience, and she certainly has picked up a lot from personal triumphs and challenges-as a wife, mother, model, actress, host, writer, and dancer.

"It helps if you pray a lot," says Lucy. "Instead of dwelling on what's stressing me out, I try to dwell on what I'm blessed with. I've realized I have far more to be thankful for than to complain about, and that keeps me on track."