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I was definitely in heaven last Monday because I went to two yummy-licious (and calorie-filled!) events. In the morning, Marla, Shar, and I dropped by Krispy Kreme’s newest branch in the Philippines and got our fill of their mouth-watering donuts! (Check out Shar’s pics in her post last Tuesday!)

That afternoon, guess who dropped by the office? Lyka—a certified Candy girl, Teentalker, and regular e-candy contributor. Here she is with Marla, Mimi, and me. Watch out for one of her works in the coming issues.

Finally, in the evening, Marla, Ines, and I went to the Hershey’s Happiness event where they announced the winners of their photo contest. And you know what that means? We got our fill of chocolates!

Here are Marla and I beside good old Mr. Hershey’s.

I wish I had a kiss as big as this!

Check out that yummy-looking gingerbread house and dessert spread.

These photos are two of my personal favorites. The first shows a group donning Hershey’s-inspired outfits. Pretty cool, I say! I loved the second one 'cause the pabitin is so Filipino and the kids look so happy!

Check out these other cute pics.

This was the pic that emerged as the grand winner. The lucky family wins a free trip to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania!

So, which pics do you like? And if you were to join, what poses would you come up with?

Still on a sugar high,
Angel

Hey, Candy girls!

The other night when I got home from work, I saw a small envelope with all my friends' graduation pictures on my bed. I took them all out and read the dedication written on each "Chat." (Haha, we called them "Chat" because our pictures were taken at the studio of Chat Peypoch.)

Just a few of my high school friends who have remained such good, good friends of mine until now.

Aww. I couldn't help but laugh and tear up at the same time. All my wonderful high school memories came rushing back to me. I remembered how close I was with all my seatmates (diagonal backmate included!) and how I was such a geek. Someone even signed her picture and thanked me for always helping her out in "P6" (Physics) and Math. There were threats—"KIT or else…" There were predictions—"Don't forget me when you're a famous journalist na." And there were promises—"Beshpwens 4ever!" I read each one and felt so happy after (which was great since I was having such a bad night).

High school will always, always be a nice memory for me. And I don't mean just any kind of nice, I mean the best kind of nice.

Letting Candy take me back to high school,
Macy

P.S.
Grab a copy of the December issue! It's out now!

Last week, after a tiring shoot, the Candy staff got a big surprise on their desk (on Mimi's desk actually)–a box of Krispy Kreme's Original Glazed donuts! It was super yummy and very soft to the bite that I looked forward to sampling the other varieties. Fast forward to three days later, the Candy staff was invited to a sneak preview of the first ever Krispy Kreme store in the Philippines at the Bonifacio High Street, The Fort.

Upon entering the store, we were each given a freshly baked original glazed donut and it was even yummier than the one they sent here in the office. (I'm definitely destroying my holiday diet plan now..) Here's Marla and Angel holding up their yummy glazed donut.

We were also allowed to go inside the kitchen (but had to wear a cap first for hygiene purposes) and see firsthand how the donuts were produced…. 

and we even made our own chocolate iced donuts with sprinkles!

Step 1: Hold the donuts slightly and gently, an inch from the center ring.  (This is not easy as it looks. The donuts were super soft; I was having a hard time holding on to them!)

Step 2: Shake it… until no more chocolate drips from the donut.

Step 3: Turn it counterclockwise then clockwise then face up. (and SMILE!)

Step 4: Dip in sprinkles if you wish..

And VOILA! Your own yummy Krispy Kreme chocolate dipped donuts.

The Krispy Kreme store opens on November 30,Thursday.The first person in line will get a 1 yr supply of Krispy Kreme donuts for free. They're also giving away more prizes and freebies like Krispy Kreme shirts. Donuts are priced at P30 (original glazed) to P38 (other varieties.) A box of original glazed donuts is at P265 and 2 boxes go for only P500. 

So are you planning to line up on Thursday?

Shar

I feel sad because Karen (one of my best-est friends) will be leaving for Indonesia in a couple of days. It's the first time anyone who's really close to me is moving away, so I'm not quite sure how to handle it. I've been prepping a care package for her which has my cute Christmas gift, a mix CD of songs she requested for her iPod, a December issue of WITCH, and the Starbucks planner she insisted I give her (haha, demanding!). I've been vandalizing the planner though, putting small retro pictures of us and short notes (for important dates) so that she remembers us once in while.

The thing that worries me the most is the fact that I don't know how she'll cope living alone in a different country. Plus, she'll be leaving her dad which will be tough on him since her mom just passed away this year. Her ate has been living in the US for a couple of years, so I'm sure even phone calls won't be enough to make up for the sadness.

I don't exactly know when she's leaving, but I hope it won't be when I'm away. (I'm taking a short trip to Malaysia next week.) I'd like to be able to bring her to the airport and give her a tight bear hug, but I'm scared I'd end up bawling like a big baby. I'm not completely sad though 'cause she and I made a pact to save up and take a trip to the US next year. We want to go to Las Vegas and hang out with her older sister, who's also a good friend of mine. Here's a picture of us back in the good ol' days, when life was simple and breezy. All we thought about then (in no particular order) was food, boys, and having a blast.

That's Denise, me, and Karen minus my sister (she took the picture). We were a fun-loving bunch that went through so many experiences together!

Have you ever experienced what I'm going through? Share your story and help me be happy…

Mimi

PS: Just want to say belated happy birthday to my lil' bro, Yael!!! He celebrated his birthday last November 22, sabay with Scarlett Johansson.  

Two weekends ago, my prayer unit and I gathered together to welcome our unitmate, Char, who just arrived from Indonesia. She stayed there for a few months on an internship program with the U.N. We met up at her house where we had some yummy crepe while listening to her stories and looking at her pictures. She had a really great time in Indonesia, making friends with people from different countries, partying, jumping from cliffs, and climbing mountains (I'm so proud of her!). It was fun because for the first time, almost everybody was present!

Here’s a shot of our unit. Most of us have been together since we were in first year college! (Char’s the one in black in the middle of the front row.)

This is us goofing around! Ate Tinnah, our prayer guide, is the one lying on top of the boys. Teehee!

As happy as we were to have Char back with us, we knew she also felt sad at leaving behind the life she led there. It reminded me of the time when I got back from Singapore after living there for a few months on an exchange program. Though I was happy to see my family and old friends again, I also felt sad because I badly missed the new friends I had made.

Speaking of coming home, I also met up with a friend last week who now lives in Dubai. She’s a flight attendant at United Arab Emirates and she’s now in Manila for a vacation. I always loved reading her blog, where she would post pictures of the amazing places she’s been, but it was even better hearing her stories in person. She’s been to Africa, Europe, America—all these cool and exotic places! She also told me a lot of stories about her passengers from all over the world—she says some are really nice but others are downright rude!

I guess hearing about my friends' adventures abroad kind of made me itch for an adventure of my own. I’d love to live and study abroad again, but I’m scared of having to go through everything I experienced before, when I went to Singapore—uprooting myself from my familiar and comfortable life here, adjusting to a new environment, being independent, making new friends… only to say goodbye to them again when I go home. But just as my friends' Char and Nikki (the flight attendant) have found, every adventure has its difficulties and struggles, but in the end, it’s all worth it. New experiences, new relationships—they’re all part of growing up and living life to the fullest.

Where would you like to go on your next adventure? Do you think you’ll be able to live and study abroad on your own? Perhaps I’m not yet ready for that kind of adventure, so maybe I’ll join another mountain climbing expedition or a short out of town trip instead! (Hmm… maybe I should have saved this post for December—you’ll know what I mean when the ish comes out!) Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Angel