ike a typical 19-year-old, Mark Angelo Herras is obsessed with video games, basketball, and action figures. His life, however, is anything but typical.

As the first StarStruck Ultimate Male Survivor, Mark saw his life taking a 360-degree turn when he won GMA-7's talent search cum reality show in 2004. His good looks and great dancing ability made him the new heartthrob in Tinseltown. At the same time, however, his private life became an open book for a gossip-hungry public to scrutinize.

Thanks to his loving extended family-mom Jasmin, adoptive dad Jun, older brother John James, and uncle Ernie, not to mention his personal assistant Joey Rada-mark has managed to keep the down-to-earth qualities that endeared him to his fans.

For his family, Mark has now bought a new home in Quezon City . His dad, Jun Herras, says half of the price was paid in advance, but it will still take five years for the house to be paid in full.

At home and in the neighborhood, Mark easily sheds off his showbiz persona.

Here, he can be himself, acting his age and being a playful kid again, away from the prying eyes of the press and the idolizing sighs of his fans.

“Masarap dito,” Mark says. “Nararamdaman ko ulit ‘yong privacy ko. Kasi, lahat ng ka-basketball ko, mga katropa ko rin. Tambay lang kami do'n sa may kanto, malapit sa court. Do'n lang kami maghapon at magdamag.”

The Herrases still own the family house in Laguna, but they have decided to move to Metro Manila for practical purposes. From the new QC home, it's easier for Mark to keep his appointments for tapings, shootings, and other showbiz appearances.

Mark's dad, who was financially ruined because of his investment in a pyramid scam, is grateful that his son's entry into show saved the family from impending poverty. “Kung siguro hindi nagtrabaho ‘yong anak ko,” Jun Herras says, groping for words, “siguro… siguro, baka patay na ako.”

Concerned with his son's showbiz future, Jun often reminds his son to be patient and to stay humble.

“Konting tiyaga, ‘ika nga-‘yon ang sinasabi ko kay Mark. Dapat ‘yong attitude, maganda palagi…Mabait, mabait si Mark talaga. Hindi nagbago. Ang nagbago lang nga ‘yong oras ng pagtulog niya na supposed to be dapat maaga. E, siyempre nagtatrabaho, hindi puwede. ‘Yon lang naman.”

Now that Mark is one of the busiest talents of GMA-7 – he has starred in various television and movie projects, including Click, StarStruck Playhouse, S.O.P. Gigsters, Love to Love, Encantadia, I Luv NY, Happy Together, Let the Love Begin, Say that You Love Me, and Blue Moon – he considers sleep deprivation a small price to pay for his fame.

“Siyempre, gusto ko, habang meron diyan, habang me trabaho, kuha lang nang kuha. Nakakatulog naman ako sa sasakyan, e. ‘Tsaka, pag me time namang matulog, tulog talaga. Ayoko namang dumating ‘yong time na ako'ng humingi ng trabaho sa kanila, na ‘bigyan mo naman ako ng ganito, ipasok mo ako asa ganyan,' Di ba?”

Having received so many blessings, Mark is quick to express his appreciation for the industry that has welcomed him with open arms.

“Actually, after StarStruck pa lang, minahal ko na ‘yong showbiz. Kasi natuwa ako, nag-enjoy ako sobra.”

Of course, there are times when he definitely doesn't feel like laughing – for instance, when he has to answer unrelenting questions about the true state of his relationship with fellow StarStruck Ultimate Survivor Jennylyn Mercado, or about his other romantic entanglements. Still, he can live with the tittle-tattle.

“Okey ako sa intriga. Kasi ako, kaya kong sakyan lahat, e. Minsan, nakakapagod lang. Paulit-ulit na ‘tinatanong sa'yo, paulit-ulit every week, ‘yon pa rin ang ‘tinatanong sa'yo.”

On his new TV show, I Luv NY, he is once again paired with Jennylyn Mercado. Mark clarifies the present state of their relationship:

“Okey kami as friends, okey kami as love team, okey kami as ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend. Sinasabi namin talaga na we're not closing doors to each other. Pero ayaw naming maulit ‘yong dati na away-bati sa TV na pangit lumalabas. At least, nagkakasundo kami, at happy kami ngayon.”

Trying to tone down his playboy image, Mark vows that he'll focus more on his career from now on.

“Ayaw ko munang pumasok sa isang relationship, kasi baka mabigla na naman ako. Bata pa naman ako. Trabaho muna.”

The unexpected mix of elements in the living room – comfy-looking leather sofa, bright draperies, dark-wood coffee table, and large Chinese porcelain jars – represents the diverse choices of Mark and his family when it comes to furniture.

Mark's Uncle Ernie, whom everyone fondly calls Papa Pim, candidly explains why he bought the huge jars: “Kasi nakakakita ako niyan sa mga mayayaman lang. Kaya pag me pera ako, bili-bili. Feeling mayaman!”

At such a young age, Mark has already provided so much for his family – a home, a car, and, most important of all, financial stability. That's why he doesn't hide the fact that he is pleased with what he deems his achievements: “Siyempre, happy ako. At saka nagging proud po ako sa sarili ko, daming magsasabi, ‘Mark, o, nineteen ka pa lang, me bahay ka na, me kotse ka na.'”

“Ang bagong in daw ngayon, ganito, hindi pahaba,” Daddy Jun says of the sleek, square, eight-seater dining table that he bought.

Since Mark and his family moved to their new place only last November, his dad is still on the lookout for furniture and other decorative pieces to make their house feel more like a home.

Before making it big in showbiz, the 5-foot-7 Mark dreamed of becoming a member of the Philippine Basketball Association. “Pag tinatanong ako no' ng high school ako, ‘Ano ng gusto mo maging, paglaki mo?” – gusto ko talaga basketball player. Wala naman talaga sa plano ko ang pagiging artista, e.”

A statue of the Santo Niño takes pride of place on the console table standing on the second floor, near the bedrooms.

The stairs lead to the upper portion of the house, where Mark's bedroom is located. More large Chinese porcelain jars, just like the one beside the stairs, can be found throughout the house. The prices of these jars range from P25,000 to P200.000!

The dining room as seem from the kitchen. Actually, Mark prefers to eat in his room. And his favorite meal is sinigang. “Sinigang na baka, sinigang na hipon, sinigang na tilapia,” says his loyal personal assistant, Joey, who has been Mark's “nanny” since the star was in Grade Three.

This two-story house stands on a 244-square-meter lot. Before moving in here, the Herrases stayed in a condo unit in the Tomas Morato area, also in Quezon City.

Jun Herras says he gives advice but does not interfere in his son's romantic entanglements. “Kasi siyempre si Mark ang pipili, di ba?” Marrk and girlfriend Jennylyn Mercado broke up last year. He then courted showbiz newcomer Marian Rivera without much success. Despite rumors that he and Jennylyn have reconciled, Mark has actually been without a steady girlfriend since last year, while Jennylyn has been seen dating Patrick Garcia.

Several figure-eight stone steps serve as pathway to a small gate on the other side of the lawn, leading to other areas of the house.

This narrow, metal staircase, leading to Mark's room on the second floor, was specifically added for his personal use. Its purpose? So that Mark won't have to go through the front door every time he comes home late from taping or other late-night gigs.

As in the rest of the houses in the subdivision, there's a balcony on the room facing the main street. This happens to be Mark's room. The spacious balcony is the ideal hangout for Mark and his katropa. Says Mark's Uncle Ernie: “Basta wala silang work, lahat ng StarStruck – sina Mike Tan, CJ Muere – basketball sila, ‘tapos stopover dito. Pizza-pizza, ‘tapos, ‘yun, uwian na.”

More than 30 pairs of Mark's size-11-shoe collection can be found in this spare room, where his clothes and other stuff are als o stored. Mark reveals that he bought nine more pairs of shoes, including his pasalubong for his brother and his other relatives, when he went to the States for the taping of I Luv New York.

Mark's room, its walls painted in vivid red, is his sacred sanctuary, and he won't allow anyone to mess with the interior décor. “Pakialaman n'yo na buong kabahayan, huwag lang ‘to,” he says.

“Actually, gusto ko, red and black,” he explains. “Red na me halong black. Parang maganda sa paningin ko. I mean, parang ganoong klaseng design. Pero hindi masyadong nagawa, kasi mas madugo pa yata pag ‘pinagawa pa ‘yon.”

Mark's obviously a big fan of the Japanese anime show Dragon Ball Z, judging from the collection of action figures that he has lined up against the window. Some of his toys are gifts from the people who sponsor him. He recalls getting a set of the Fantastic Four from the Forever Flawless salon. “Kasi dati, pag nagtatanong sila, ‘Ano gusto mong regalo?'” – he laughs – “' yan ang sinasabi ko. ‘Tapos, habang tumatagal, parang naisip ko na parang masyado na ‘kong matanda para mag-request niyan.”

The entertainment system in one corner of Mark's bedroom has PlayStation2 and Xbox game consoles, along with DVD/VCD players. The sound system has iMac speakers that look more like lamps than state-of-the-art sound boxes. His collection of DVDs include titles like Cheaper by the Dozen 2, American Pie: Band Camp, and Ghost.

Mounted on the wall are Universal Records awards for the album Mark Herras Dance Hits. His others awards – such as Most Popular Love Team (with Jennylyn Mercado), from the 35 th Guillermo Mendoza Box-Office Awards, and the People's Choice Award for the Best Actor, from the 31 st Metro Manila Film Festival – stand with action figures on the metal shelves.

This computer system, including the iBook G4 laptop, was given to Mark by Forever Flawless, which he endorses.

He's not really a fitness buff, but Mark keeps fit through the dance routines he does on S.O.P Gigsters. And since he's been so busy lately, Mark doesn't get to use his weightlifting equipment often. He's even thinking of removing all of the equipment and replacing it with cages for his dagang costa, or guinea pigs. He's just worried about one thing: “Ang baho no'n pag gabi, di ba?”

Mark's hip-hop persona is revealed in his wardrobe – hooded jackets, loose baggy jeans that are slung around the waist, large loose shirts, baseball caps.

When he's not playing basketball with friends, Mark is in his room playing his fave PlayStation 2 game – which happens to be, you guessed it, basketball! NBA Live 2006, to be exact.

“Pag wala siyang trabaho, lahat ‘yan magulo,' says Joey Rada.. “Mga PlayStation, Xbox – lahat ‘yan, nakalabas, kasi nilalaro niya.”

Uncle Ernie lets us in on a little secret: “Kapag wala ang daddy niya, sinusubuan pa siya ni Joey ng pagkain. Kasi hindi mabitawan ang computer!”

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