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Hey, Candy Girls!

I'm so psyched to be blogging here again. It's my first entry in a really long time, and it feels so good to be back in Candy. 

I had to get head shots for the May ish (see the Ed's Scrapbook page), and let me tell you—one tiny picture can bring huuuge stress.

For starters, I had a majorly bad breakout a few weeks before my shoot. I'm talking three-coats-concealer bad, don't-want-to-bump-into-anyone-I-know bad. My own mom found it gross. Even I was repulsed when I'd look in the mirror. A week before the shoot, I stopped wearing makeup completely, hoping it would help my skin heal faster. It did help a bit. By the time my shoot rolled around, my skin was okay enough so that a real pro could work her magic on me (Thanks, Sabs!).

Next up, my hair. I'd been pretty busy the past few months and hadn't really had time for a haircut. When my hair started looking like a wig, I knew it was time to hit the salon. But my shoot was only a few days away, and I didn't want to try a new cut just then and risk looking funny. So I just went to the shoot with my wiggy hair and told Ricky, the stylist, all my concerns. He listened, and he did an amazing job of making my hair look healthy (and real) again. 

And as for my last hurdle, well, I actually needed the help of two people to get past it. See, I'm totally useless in front of a cam—I'm so not into being in the spotlight, figuratively or otherwise. And I'm not one of those people either who can ham it up for the lens and look funny and cute with the smallest bit of effort. So you can imagine what kind of dread I was going through at the thought of having a solo shot taken.

Luckily, I knew just what to do. I made sure to book a photographer I was super comfortable with, someone who's been doing Candy shoots forever. And I also had Jennie check me out and give me the greenlight right before the first shot. So after four outfit changes and a million shots, I actually felt okay. And more importantly, I had just the shot I needed for my Scrapbook (Thank you, Dakila!).

That's me thinking, "Urk, I don't want a close-up!" Those are Jennie's hands—she's making sure I'm camera-ready, just like a true beauty editor should!

I got to hang with Ines and Mia F. (former Candy Eds and my former bosses!) at another shoot, and I felt sooo much better when they told me to quit worrying about my head shots. 

Love,

Mia 

Like I said in one of my past blog entries, my friends and I decided to take a side trip to Aklan before heading out to Boracay. I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary based on the itinerary my friend sent me, but when we got to our Aklan accommodations (called Sampaguita Gardens), the place blew me away.

It was such a whimsical land filled with carnival rides, impressive statues, and beautiful landscapes. Best of all, the place was littered with Precious Moments dolls/images of every size imaginable. My friend is such a fan of Precious Moments, I knew I had to take loads of photo for her.

Trying to look as angelic! Guess it didn't work. Haha!

Pop! Goes my heart.

Loved the detail in this one, but was shocked to see it was worth P36,000! (Don't believe me? Check the tag.)

My favorite statue. It commemorates the Quinceañera—a Mexican tradition that pays tribute to a young girl's 15th birthday. It's like our 18th birthday debut, but with a more difficult name to pronounce. Haha!

Precious Moments honoring the Ati-Atihan. It's freaky to see these dolls so dark! 

Soon after we arrived, we found out that the creator of Precious Moments owns and lives in the place we were staying in. I even caught a glimpse of Sir Sam Butler when we took a tour inside his house. Too bad I didn't get a chance to talk to him.

If you're heading to Boracay, be sure to take a pit stop to this place (even for just an afternoon). Aside from the carnival (which gives free rides at 4:30 pm), the huge place has its own spa, a butterfly farm, and even a Precious Moments chapel.

Still suffering from cuteness overload,

Mimi 

A message from Candy's favorite Stormtrooper:

Hey, guys! It's the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars this May 2007! On May 24-28, the biggest Star Wars party, CELEBRATION IV, will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in the US to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the very first Star Wars movie. We're inviting all you Star Wars fans out there to join us this Sunday, April 29, 2 pm at Toys R Us in Robinsons Galleria. We'll have our own party alongside Star Wars Philippines and the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers. Here are photos from past events:

This is one of our biggest events of the year, so expect to see your favorite Star Wars characters walking around to have their pictures taken with you, or to hand you over to the Galactic Empire! Hope to see you all there!

And, may the Force be with you.

Chris, aka TK-2342

Hi, everyone!

This is Marilyn of COC7. It’s my first time to post here. Let me get this out: I still can’t believe it’s already summer break! School year 2006-2007 definitely rocked—and I can’t get over it. From the simplest things in the classroom like getting to know my blockmates more in our everyday encounters, solving a problem for Finance, surviving squirm-inducing recitations, to university-wide stuff like watching the UST Growling Tigers bag the UAAP Men’s Basketball championship for season 69, waking up early only to find out that classes have been suspended (or going to school conquering the infamous España flood), making friends with students from different colleges in the university—the list goes on. I absolutely loved every second of it.

A lot of things happened in the past ten months. Assignments, COC meetings, article deadlines, events, and simple get-togethers with my friends were a challenge to manage at first. There were times when two activities would fall on the same day so I really had to choose between them. It all boils down to prioritizing.

Anyway, despite the busy schedule a college student like me would have, I still find time to attend events and interviews throughout the school year. It’s a breather from all the stressful (and sometimes demanding!) requirements we had to pass in school.

I also love going out, and I’m thankful that we had trips for some of the subjects we took this second semester, which ultimately meant bonding with my blockmates, and at the same time, exploring places we’ve never been before!

Whew! Taking that short trip down memory lane made me smile. I just realized I learned a lot along the way. How about you, Candy girls and boys? What did you like most about the previous school year and what have you learned? Spill!

Hugs,

Marilyn

Every week, I keep thinking, what will I blog about? Sometimes, I just have absolutely nothing to say. Haha!

And then, I started looking at my old website's archive. I used to house my small collection of 55 fiction (or sometimes, non-fiction. haha!) in that website. I loved writing those because they were really short and didn't require too much time to make. I did a twist by making the stories into small images—almost like graphic postcards. I'm not trying to be the next Postsecret (haha!) but I hope it'll be something you'll enjoy reading every week. Since I have a lot of old ones, I'll post a few of them here for now. Then, I'll make new ones for you in the coming weeks. Enjoy!

There are stories in just fifty-five words. Isn't that amazing?

Loff,
Macy

P.S.
You can send your own, too! We'd love to read them. It's a fun activity to do. Try it!