FULLY dolled up and seemingly waiting for her cue to take center stage, Ai Ai de Las Alas took to TikTok to promote her upcoming show with “birit” singer Dessa on March 14 at Crescendo Studios at The Falls Church in Virginia, USA.
But the video held more than a simple promotion. The Comedy Queen shared a personal backstory about the state — particularly in Ashburn — where she first set foot with her husband, Gerald Sibayan.
It was shortly after the 2020 pandemic, when showbiz jobs were still few and far between. The couple considered settling there permanently if opportunities turned out to be promising.
For Gerald, that prospect posed little problem. He easily landed a job at a nearby badminton court. Sibayan — 30 years Ai Ai’s junior — was already working as a badminton coach when their paths first crossed in the Philippines.
For Ai Ai, however, the thought of starting over raised uncertainty.
“Tingnan mo nga naman ang buhay, sa dinami-dami ng mga dumaan sa buhay ko, dinala ako ng kapalaran sa lugar na maraming alaala (Look at life, hardly did I imagine it would lead me back to a place where there are a lot of memories),” Ai Ai began her narrative.
She clarified that she was simply reminiscing.
“Naalala ko lang (It just occurred to me),” she said.
Life in Virginia, amid freezing temperatures, was uncertain but eventually offered answers to her survival dilemma.
Instead of worrying about what to do, Ai Ai turned to baking. Her pandesal — stuffed with cheese and ube — became her saving grace.
She would contact neighbors she had befriended to take direct orders. For deliveries, Ai Ai personally carried the pandesal she baked and brought them to Gerald’s workplace, turning the setup into something like a small mobile market.
But another problem soon arose: How could she store dough without a freezer — or even a refrigerator — at home?
Once again, ingenuity came to the rescue.
“Ang ginagawa ko, nilalagay ko sa hagdan ’yung dough, tatakpan ko lang ng plastic. ’Di ba, malamig? Eh, ’di para na din siyang nasa ref (I’d put the dough on the stairwell and cover it with plastic to keep it fresh and ready to bake)!” she said.
Now preparing for her Virginia show, Ai Ai’s recollection may resonate with many in the audience — particularly Filipinos and Filipino spouses of Americans who can relate to stories of struggle, resilience and reinvention.
Still, fans can likely expect what they know her best for: a feel-good performance filled with the humor, nuttiness and playful naughtiness that have long defined the Comedy Queen.