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Busy, busy day today at the office. It’s almost time to go and yet I still have two more things on my to-do list, which I will probably do on the car ride home or after dinner at my house. Days like today, I need a ready supply of motivational thoughts. Today, it’s thoughts of Cam Sur that have been playing in my head.

I’m super excited to hit the water this year. Haven’t been to the beach in ages! Can’t wait till I go in April. Want to see the beach towel I’ll be using?

I’m also thinking of using their new tote from their Garden Collection for my baon and water jug.

I’m kind of too old for it (okay a lot old), but I figure if it puts a smile on my face, why not use it, right? I’m also loving the wallet from their Stained Glass Collection (to go with my beach towel!) and their plush toy (flowered feet! kind of look like my dog’s paws) and diary (with a tiny lock! so cute) from the Garden Collection, but I have to draw the line somewhere. They’re enough to make me wish I were a kid again!

All Hello Kitty items are available at Gift Gate.

This month, I’m celebrating two anniversaries.

Five years ago, I first joined the Candy team! Check out this old photo of me with Parokya ni Edgar at the Candy Rap Awards in March 2005—just one week after I first started working. Back then, I was a bright, wide-eyed, straight-haired gal just a year out of college and learning as much as I could on my first job. Today, I’m no longer straight-haired nor fresh out of college, but I can say that I am still enjoying myself and learning every day!

Four years ago, I became someone’s girlfriend. This was taken during our climb of Mt. Kinabalu, Malaysia in March 2006—about a week after Roland and I got together. I had liked some guys before him but either I was too terrified to take the plunge or things just didn’t work out. With Roland, things somehow fell into place. Some people say that being committed to someone limits who you are and what you can do, but that’s not always the case. I think being in a good relationship will allow you to grow, flourish, and be the best version of yourself.

When I look back on the past five years with Candy and the past four years with Roland, I feel so blessed for having been in two long-term relationships that have brought me so many exciting adventures, challenges that helped me to grow, love, laughter, and lifelong friendships.

So what anniversaries are you looking forward to celebrating this year? Let’s drink to that!

Cheers,
Angel

I remember being a fan of Alice in Wonderland when I was a kid. I had this betamax (it was the box era back then) of an Alice in Wonderland version that I kept on watching over and over again. After seeing the premiere of Tim Burton’s version last week, I searched for my Alice in Wonderland copies from my stash of DVDs I got from the states. There have been a lot of remakes and versions of the story and I was able to get a copy of the ones I like.
Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951)

The famous animated version of the 1865 novel. I like how it is so kid friendly and fun.

Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (1972)

The feel of the film is such a classic. I like the scene when she was falling from the rabbit hole. Different from all other versions, she was falling like she was just floating. She was even talking! It just feels a little weird that Alice looks older than she should be.

Alice in Wonderland (1985)

This is my favorite! This version has 2 parts and was actually shown on TV. Did you see the Jabberwocky? Funny that it scares me like hell when I was a kid knowing it’s only a mascot. It’s a little “trippy” but really cute.

Hallmark’s Alice in Wonderland (1999)

This gave a modern approach to the story but didn’t lose the essential details of the original version. I love the colors they used in the film and the quirkiness of the characters.

Tim Burton’s version was ok and the characters (especially The Queen) were really entertaining but his approach focused more on the Jabberwocky. It would’ve been better if they gave importance to the journey to Wonderland rather than fighting with the dragon.

What do you guys think? Share your thoughts!

<3,
Roch

I clocked in way more than 12 hours today at the Candy office. To wit: I came in so early that the air conditioning was still switched off, the floor was empty, and the male janitor was still leisurely cleaning the female wash room. I’m leaving late, late enough that I’m worried I won’t find a yummy resto still open for me to take home dinner.

Which would be a real disaster since I have been thinking of food and not much else this whole day. Well, okay, I was also looking forward to Web Editor Macy’s dance concert on Friday, but I was also wondering where my guy and I would have our yummy dinner date afterwards. Yup, food on the brain.

Which is why I am actually torturing myself by posting these photos here and now. Meet the meat that’s been on my mind all day on this hungry, hardworking Tuesday. If you ever feel the urge to feed the hungry, send me a couple of these Greenwich babies pronto. Let it be your good deed for the day. Please address to Mia Custodio, Candy Magazine, 6th Floor, Cybergate Tower 3, Pioneer Avenue, Mandaluyong. Grazie!

P.S. If you have money for only one, let it be the lasagna. Please.

Greenwich’s Meatball Spaghetti

Greenwich’s New Lasagna

Greenwich’s Three-Cheese and Sausage Macaroni

Because in 1986, that’s exactly what 10-year-old Lucas did—he stole a pair of red shoes from Imelda’s collection of 3,000. He gave one shoe to his heartbroken mother hoping that this will somehow help ease her pain; the other, he handed over to his childhood sweetheart, a pretty ballerina named Bettina.

Fast forward to several years later, and the EDSA revolution is a distant memory, Bettina is a nurse, Lucas is struggling with a job he hates and the burden of dreams left unfulfilled, and Lucas’s mother is spending what little money she has to communicate with her husband through a bogus spirit questor.

The Red Shoes, a movie under Unitel Productions, promises to change the way you see the Philippine film industry. And with its unconventional, original story, amazing cinematography, and world-class acting, it definitely lives up to this promise. Starring Marvin Agustin, Nikki Gil, Tessie Tomas, and Tirso Cruz III, this movie will make you laugh and cry, like most local romance-dramas you’ve seen. But perhaps more importantly, it will make you listen, and think, and understand. It will make you want to discuss the various themes and metaphors with your friends. It will make you want to look up the history of People Power, and travel the Philippines to further appreciate its beauty—a beauty this film captures perfectly and poetically. It will make you fall in love, not just with that special boy or girl, but with your family, your community, and your country. This movie will make you proud to be Filipino, not just because it was conceptualized and produced here, but because it shows how much love and generosity and forgiveness we, as a nation, are truly capable of.

During the presscon, Nikki Gil invited everyone to see the film, then “write about it, blog about it, talk about it, tweet about it.” And I couldn’t agree more. This is the kind of movie you’d want to see more than once—the kind of movie you’d want to tell your friends, family, and even total strangers about.

Some of you might say, all this hype for a local movie about a pair of shoes? I suggest you watch it when it hits cinemas on Wednesday, March 10. And then you can let me know what you think.

Big hugs,
Marla