AFTER OVER A decade of staying in a rented apartment, award-winning stage actor-director Audie Gemora is finally living his dream.

Audie recently reclaimed his parents? old home in Makati City from longtime tenants. From his apartment in Horseshoe Village in Quezon City, Audie and 10-year-old son Richard moved in here last May.

?My parents gave this house to me right after I finished college. But since I had no steady income at the time, I decided to rent it out,? said Audie as he ushered Living Stars into the 1,200-sq.m. house in posh Dasmariñas Village.

?Never mind that I lost a lot of money reclaiming it. I said to myself, life is short. I should enjoy the house while I still can.?

The two-story house was built in 1971. Audie said it cost his parents only P400,000 to have the place constructed. The wood used for walls and furnishings were brought all the way from the family farm in Negros.

?During my parents? time, to have a house made of wood is a status symbol. The hardwood used here is really strong. We?ve never had termites. It?s also easy to maintain. The older the wood gets, the more beautiful it becomes,? said Audie.

He is excited to spend his first Christmas here with Richard. ?The two of us decorated our Christmas tree right after Halloween. We spent the whole day doing that. It was a great bonding moment for us,? said the actor, who is also president and artistic director of Trumpets Playhouse.

Audie said a large portion of the money he allotted for the renovation of the house went to tearing down old structures and building the lanai area.

?I?d like the lanai and garden to be the center of activity in the house. We held my son?s 10th birthday party here,? he related. ?On Christmas day, I?m thinking of putting up a show for the Trumpets staff members. We?ll have tables and chairs in the garden and make the lanai our stage. I?m saving up for a baby grand piano, something we can just roll out if there?s a party.?

Audie?s family moved in to this five-bedroom home when he was 12. ?I spent most of my teenage years here. We?ve had a lot of wild parties, mostly during the martial law years. The curfew required people to be indoors at midnight till 4 a.m. My friends often spent the night here. They?re happy that I?m back here. They said it?s such a ?cool? house.?

Audie currently plays the title role in Repertory Philippines? ?Sweeney Todd,? which runs at the Onstage in Greenbelt 1 Makati until Dec. 13.