From Dreamer to Doer: Calypso PH's Interview with Ana Manuel

Here it is! 👏👏👏

A few calls, emails, and messages later, our exclusive interview with Ana Manuel or mostly commonly known on her social media accounts as @maffyxoxo is here as you requested for. Check it out here! 👇

 

Hi! My name is Maria Ana Famela Manuel, more commonly known as just Ana by my friends or Maffy as I'd like to be called on social media.

Maffyxoxo is the username I've been using in all of my social media accounts. It's basically just the initials of my name M, A and F plus an F and Y to make it sound cute and the "xoxo" meaning hugs and kisses in the virtual world. It's like me sending love to anyone who encounters me online.

I actually started May of 2017 when I uploaded my first vlog.

I wanted to create content that can actually help other people, who like me, want to look and feel good about themselves even with affordable but of good quality makeup products.

This year, I didn't just focus on makeup products, I included lifestyle vlogs/events and just basically anything I wanted to share to my subscribers. I want them to see pieces of myself in every video that I upload.

Ana is wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

An influencer first and foremost, should be someone who has strong values in life and has a greater purpose for reaching out to their followers.

To me an influencer doesn't necessarily need to have a large base of audience initially, it can be someone who has a growing social media presence and decent number of "loyal" followers in their social network which they actively engage with on a regular basis and thus having the ability to influence these people on their purchase decisions or social media advice.

 

I can only think of a handful of people who had relevant influence in my growth and life in general, other than my parents.

First, is my significant other, my boyfriend Brylle Parzuelo. Being in the entertainment industry longer than I have, he was the first one who believed that I can do more.

He made me realize that we are not supposed to be bound by the standards of society because we should be the ones who will decide for ourselves and how we want to become successful.

Ana is wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

For books, there are quite a lot but there are two books which I can think of that really helped me learn and realize things. "The Alchemist" by Paul Coelho is a favorite of mine.

This book is actually a life-saver. I read it during one of the lowest points in my life and it changed me. Basically, it's about a shepherd boy who decided to follow his dreams. Some quotes that have had the greatest impact to me include,

— we must always choose the people who believe in us no matter what, to surround ourselves with the doers, the dreamers and the thinkers for only they will lift us higher and closer to our dreams.

Next is the book by Jonathan Yabut, "From Grit to Great". I was lucky enough to have met Mr. Jonathan Yabut at two instances.

The Chapter 22 of this book titled “An Entrepreneur's Guide to Social Media Marketing” is my favorite chapter from his book. It's concise and direct to the point.

Lastly, he always emphasizes the importance of grit and "working smart, not hard" all throughout.

Ana is wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

A usual day to me is pretty much like everybody else’s minus the 9 to 5 daily work routine. I usually wakeup at around 7 or 8 am and the first thing that I do (apart from praying) is to open my phone and check all the notifications that came in while I was asleep.

Then after all that is done, I pick up my planner and check if I have something scheduled for the day that I forgot about, or if there is none, I make sure to list down all the things I needed to do or finish for the day.

If I don’t have auditions, shoots, or meetings, I edit my vlogs and create new content as much as possible so that I don’t have to worry if I’m running out of something to post for the week. I limit posting of vlogs to one vlog per week.

Before I go to sleep, I check my planner and see how much of the goals I set for the day I have accomplished and write notes on what happened to me that day. I really do try my best to become productive but there are also times when I need to relax and just enjoy the day with the people that I love.

I wanted to be heard, I wanted my voice to be relevant and heard. Ultimately my goal is to give people, like me, a voice out there. I became an advocate for different issues such as environment protection and anti-bullying.

Today, I am an advocate for Mental Health Awareness and Mental Wellness, and Anti-Discrimination. From being diagnosed with Clinical Depression/Major Depression and Anxiety disorder, I know exactly how it feels to be silenced.

So I thought to myself, perhaps I can use social media as a way to show people that we are still functioning and that we are not broken, that we are still human beings capable of loving and living.

Ana is wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

If ever you’re thinking about becoming an influencer, don’t do it for the likes or for the perks.

In fact, when starting out in this industry, I strongly advice that you do this out of your passion and your willingness to share the things that you love to everybody else. Not everyone will like the content that you’ll be sharing and that’s okay.

I want you to have a strong desire to last in this industry and to be able to contribute to a greater purpose. Plan things ahead and be dedicated to it. When people start seeing that your content is worth watching/reading or experiencing, everything else will follow.

 

My boyfriend’s name is Brylle Parzuelo Hersano. He is a freelance actor in theater, film, TV and commercial. He is also a freelance choreographer and dancer.

 

We met on January 2017 of last year, when he got accepted after auditioning as a dancer/choreographer for our events group. I was a senior member back then and he was a new member.

So basically, he said it was “love at first sight” no matter how cliché that is. Although we became friends first before lovers. He was my best friend and it was the kind of love that felt so warm and comforting. We’ve been together for 18 months now (1 year and 6 months).

Brylle is wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

What I like most about him, is that he is such a driven and passionate person when it comes to achieving his dreams. If there’s something he wants to do or achieve, he’ll stop at nothing to get it.

He has this addictive and contagious optimism that really helps me a lot during the days where I just want to shut the world out. He has a profound outlook in life and that is something that I respect the most about him because with him, I learn new things every day and I love him a little bit more.

 

There are times when we don’t see each other for days because of a shoot out of town or when he goes home to Batangas or Lucena City.

It troubles us since we’re not really accustomed to being far away from each other for so long and we miss one another terribly. Some would say it’s an overreaction but that’s just how it is.

 

I think closing the distance between a couple in a relationship is important because it means having to spend more time together, with your partner in close proximity.

You’ll be able to do the things you weren’t able to do when you were both apart from each other. Doing things together and experiencing things together, be it the good and the bad, will definitely strengthen the relationship.

They are wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

First, I’d like to say that even on normal relationships, communication is key. I read somewhere this quote,

“Communication to a relationship, is like oxygen to life, without it, it dies”.

Especially on LDRs, it’s necessary to talk and communicate with your partner. Update your partner on the happenings in your life, be as honest as possible.

Reassure them if there are things that are troubling them about the relationship.

Whatever it is, just talk it out. Communicate even if it’s uncomfortable or uneasy. Never hide things from each other. Make sure you send each other good morning and good night texts. The simple things matter.  

They are wearing the Distance Bracelet - Original.

 

I was super excited and ecstatic when I was invited to collaborate with Calypso PH. I am truly honored and grateful to be chosen as their new Brand Ambassador since this will be my first time collaborating with their brand.

 

My first impression on Calypso PH when I first heard the name Calypso, I knew that it was gonna be a brand that is related to Greek mythology.

When I saw their website and looking through their catalogs, there were three things that I immediately thought of, the brand is elegant, creative, and high-end.

 

When I had a meeting with Ms. Liezl, the CEO of Calypso PH, on the phone, I told her that it made me happy and excited that we shared the same passion and love with Greek mythology.

It was something very close to me since I have always been fascinated at the stories of the gods and goddesses. Knowing that we have this common ground, I felt that this was going to be a collaboration that is close to my heart.

I also love that the style of Calypso PH is minimalistic, and I am a lover of minimalism. I appreciate the simplicity yet creativeness of the brand. I always believed in the saying “Less is more” and to me this is something that makes the brand more elegant and high-end than others.

 

My first impression, to be honest, is that I was fascinated and obsessed with the idea of a distance bracelet.

I always wanted my boyfriend to give me something that we both have and something that we could always wear, I thought a ring would be nice but that is for marriage and I don’t want to spoil the feeling when that finally happens. I never actually thought that a bracelet is the one I’ve always been looking for but never really considered.

 

I find the Distance Bracelets something that is elegant and high-end, but it’s very wearable no matter what kind of style you have. It’s something that is classy, but you can wear it in a casual look or in any outfit and it would still look fabulous and trendy.

 

We love them! Calypso PH Distance Bracelets came at the perfect time since lately we haven’t been seeing each other as much as we wanted to.

My boyfriend and I wear them every day even if we don’t see each other at all. It has this magic that makes you feel connected to your significant other even if they are far away from you.

 

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Calypso PH for giving me the opportunity to become their brand ambassador. This collaboration is something that is close to my heart, and definitely something that I will always treasure

I know in my heart, that Calypso PH will soon be one of the biggest brands out there that can offer not only quality products, but more importantly, quality relationships.

To the loyal followers of Calypso PH, I would like you all to know that Calypso PH is one of the few brands I’ve encountered with out there that really put so much heart and love into their products simply because they want us to feel that love and connection and to share that same love to the people that we care about.

If you don’t already know yet, they are obsessed with making us feel the best and they take note of even the smallest detail just to make us feel extra special. So please continue sharing about this brand!

They are wearing the Distance Bracelet - Spring.

There you have it! Hope you had a wonderful time reading Ana's meaningful interview.

See you on the next blog post! Happy holidays! 💝