Alden having the time of his life

MANILA, Philippines – Alden Richards is one busy man.

And visibly so, as Alden appears on TV every day via shows like Eat, Bulaga! and Sunday Pinasaya, as well as on numerous TVCs, campaigns and billboards. Come July, not only will he be starring with love team partner Maine Mendoza in their first solo starrer Imagine You and Me, but he will also be launching his own book, published by Summit Media. He is also working on his second album under GMA Records, a follow-up to his 2015 five-time platinum album Wish I May.

Despite his hectic schedule, Alden has no complaints at all. “Medyo round-the-clock yung schedule ko lately, and then on weekends, I still work. But what matters to me is I like what I’m doing and I’m having fun with it because I’ve been giving security to a lot of people, especially my family,” says Alden during a presscon at the Mezzanine Bar of B Hotel, launching him as the product ambassador for the Swiss watch brand TechnoMarine.

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“How many lifetimes do I need to enjoy this? So, I’m making the most out of it,” he explains.

Amidst his success, Alden’s life goals remain clear to him: To live meaningfully and be an inspiration.

“The fame (or) the money comes second; that’s not the priority. It’s how you project yourself to other people, (how) to be a good example,” he says.

Moreover, Alden is putting purpose into his life by “living deeper,” much like the watch brand’s tagline. “Living deeper means you have to give meaning to your life,” he says.

“Hindi lang pang-artista yung tagline na yan, pwede din sa other professions, let’s say a doctor, let’s say a driver. Regardless of what you do, as long as you have a purpose for it, parang you find something deep in it (that will) satisfy you (as a person),” he explains.

Additionally, for Alden, seeing his family happy and financially secured is already his greatest achievement. His family (specifically his late mother Rosario) was the reason why he entered the entertainment industry in the first place. It was his mother who first dreamt of everything that is happening to him now, he said.

“I really did not want any of this when I was starting. My plans were to graduate college kahit na mahirap kasi hindi naman kami mayaman. We were struggling to pay our tuition fees. There were times talaga na we had to choose who will go to college first. It has to be my brother kasi mas matanda,” Alden recalls.

It’s because of his past experiences that to splurge is the least on Alden’s mind. “Before I do something like that (splurge), I see to it that I prioritize the ones who are in need,” he explains, which is why Alden has been very active in sharing his blessings through charity works. “(Each blessing) I’m getting is not worth it if I’m not able to share it, parang walang value,” he says.

Yet for the self-confessed frugal person, Alden also doesn’t forget to reward himself, mostly with massages and on rare occasions, cars.

The actor admits that among the few of his indulgences are definitely the watches that he wears every day, claiming that he feels bare if he goes out without one. True enough, during the presscon, Alden is wearing his TechnoMarine Men’s Cruise watch, which goes neatly with his beaded rosary bracelet and a black Tuscan St. Benedict bracelet given to him by Maine when they were in Italy.

“This black one, this black Tuscan bracelet was given to me by Maine when we were in Italy. Kasi she lost my other bracelet, the one we got from Boracay. But she really made the initiative to replace it with this one. She also has (the same) black Tuscan St. Benedict bracelet,” says Alden.

(From July 1 to 31, TechnoMarine is having its Ultimate Trade-Up Promo. Watch lovers can get 40-percent off on a new TechnoMarine watch when they trade in their old working or non-working units at TechnoMarine stores. These old watches will then be donated for a worthy cause.)