MANILA, Philippines?Actor-director Pedro ?Joaqui? Valdez said there was nothing unusual about the impromptu parties hosted by his family at their Quezon City home while he was growing up.

?We called those gatherings open-mic nights,? said Joaqui as he ushered Living Stars into the Valdes? 1,000-sq. m., two-story residence. ?There were no occasions. We simply invited friends. There were band set-ups. Ours is a musically inclined family. Every member can sing, although I was the only one who pursued singing professionally.?

Joaqui first drew public attention for his performance in the Trumpets musical production of ?The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.? He then appeared in ?The Young King? and ?Joseph the Dreamer,? produced by the same theater company. He was also part of the singing group 17:28 in the 1990s.

Joaqui the filmmaker won Best Short Narrative in the 2nd New Beijing International Movie Week in China last year for the sci-fi movie ?Bulong.? He is currently busy directing TV commercials and working on the screenplay for the films ?Lumpia? and ?Hamog.?

Joaqui said his mom Connie?s electric organ?now in the living area?has helped him learn how to sing and dance the tango and bossa nova.

The house features a combination of Mexican and Spanish designs, said Joaqui. His dad Butch designed it himself, making use of stone slabs for the walls and adobe tiles for the floor.

Buffet style

?The most interesting piece in the house is the dining table,? said Joaqui. ?This was originally built for a family with five children. Dad noticed that during Sunday gatherings, some of his kids would bring their partners. Hindi kami kasya so he extended it. There still isn?t enough space, so we just spread the food, buffet style.?

Joaqui has seven siblings?Itos, Anton, Angela, Stella, (half-siblings) Chinito, Karissa and Kiana.

?I?m a good cook. Two Christmases ago, I bought my own Teflon pan. Nobody else uses it,? Joaqui said. ?I started out cooking pasta, then I discovered how to cook meat. A good chef taught me.?

Joaqui added: ?My favorite spot has always been my room. It?s my sanctuary. I like the sala, too. It?s really fun there during Sundays.?

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph