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Last Monday, Macy, Marla, Mia and I went to the Aloha Boardsports retail store opening in Rockwell. The store has a wide range collection of surf boards, skate boards and accessories. We were so amazed with the variety of surf boards they have but what caught our attention were their cute travel bags and tote bags. Mia was eying on this cute polka dot laptop sleeve said “Why don’t I buy a laptop and get this!”

That's me and Mia with one of their cute surf boards.

The event wasn’t really the highlight of our night. Who would’ve thought we would see a Hollywood star in a mall on a random day.

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Hi, Candy Girls and Guys!

I am Mheems and I am part of Candy’s Council of Cool 8. It is my first time to blog here and I am super excited to tell you about this wonderful event that I went to last Saturday. Ready? Let’s rock!

Last Saturday, my friends and I went to a concert called Rock for Charity. The concert, which was organized by Pop Corn Events production and JAYCESS Malolos and Guiguinto, aims to help Tahanang Mapagpala ni Mother Rita Orphanage and Tahanang Mapagpala ni Imaculada Concepcion Home for the Aged to make it through another rough year. Dr. Aila of JAYCEES Malolos and Dr. Eric of JAYCEES Guiguinto both said that now is the right time to act, to help people and to reach out. This is the time to contribute to the advancement of the young and to the betterment of the world.

Before the concert started, I was able to interview some bands who were about to play that night for free (see moms and dads, not all bands are Goth!) and had so much fun with them, I almost ruined the night’s itinerary (haha!).

More than thirty bands from Bulacan played that night, all of them willing to take part in what they want to call “gig for life”. I then realized that these bands are not just ordinary bands. They’re not famous and they’re still struggling to make a name, but there they are, spending their time to help the needy, without asking for something in return. I was wowed! I salute you guys!

Anyway, here are my favorite bands that rocked my Saturday night.

1. Soul Kite

Tutz, Ely, Ezer and Cris played their original composition and the crowd was totally amazed by Ely’s guitar skills. He certainly brought the house down!

2. Santa Santita

The all-girl band’s costume is so eye catching, I noticed them immediately. Rhoanne said that they don’t usually dress up for gigs but since that night was special, they had to be at their best!

3. Tatsulok

Now before you raise your eyebrows, let’s make it clear. They didn’t copy Bamboo’s song’s name. The band had that name two years before Bamboo’s song was released! Your rents will surely love their songs' old-school vibe.

4. Gun-Jahh

The funniest and youngest among the bands, Gun –Jahh has that “you-can’t-get-enough-of-us” aura that made the crowd go crazy. Aside from that, their lead singer, Brayan (yes, it’s spelled that way) is definitely Candy Cutie material!

Still rockin' and rollin',
Mheems 

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One of my fave dreams has always been to take a prolonged vacay and read all the gazillion yet-to-be-read books on my shelf. I've been buying books faster than I can read them, and seeing my yet-to-be-read stash growing slowly but surely kind of makes me sad. So I've promised myself that even at my most tired, even on the latest weeknight, I will still read something. And that's when I discovered that reading funny children's lit is one of the best de-stressers! And I love that I can finish them in one sitting. Here are some of my daily faves:

1) The Eloise books. I love her glam life, her naughty side, her many pets (yup, she has a dog!), and her pretty outfits!

2) Babymouse comic books. The illustrations are the absolute cutest, the jokes are so witty, and the stories are the kind any girl can relate to. And everything is in pink, black and white!

3) Beverly Cleary's Henry and Ribsy books. Okay, I admit, I bought them because of the dog character. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much more there is to it—lots of funny adventures and growing up moments.

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It’s no secret that I love taking trips. It allows me to unwind, to try new things, and to take an endless stream of photos which I love sharing with others. There’s also something about exploring a new place or rekindling a friendship with a familiar territory that thrills my blood.

Two years back, I had a chance to visit Malaysia and climb up the daunting Mount Kinabalu. Although I didn’t get to reach the top like Angel did, I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that my friends and I survived going up that tall mountain. Then, last October, cheap plane fares and obliging accommodations allowed me to revisit Kota Kinabalu with my friends (two of which were my mountain-trekking mates!). This time around, we made an itinerary that focused on exploring the city’s other spots. Our mission was to accomplish the following:

1) Eat at a cool, hip restaurant! [With the help of our Malaysian friends Nat, Bev, and Sean, we found @mosphere—a 360-degree revolving resto.]

2) Go on a water cruise and search of elusive proboscis monkeys. [As you can see, we were going crazy trying to find them. Haha! Later on, we spotted some of them, but they were partially hiding in the bushes.]

3) See something spectacular that would make you go, “Wow!” [This captivating sunset in Garama made Koko and I do exactly that.]

4) Meet Ariel and her fishy friends. [Okay, so we didn’t exactly find the Little Mermaid under the sea, but we did get to walk underwater and feed the fishes. Yay!]

5) Take lots and lots of silly pictures. [Dennis took these jump snaps of us girls at Manukan Island. I swear, we were so worn out after this photo shoot… and it was only 9 in the morning!]

Although my friends got the stomach flu (they ended up calling me A-mimi-biasis, claiming the virus was from me!), the KK trip was ultimately a blast! Here’s a snap of us with Imperial International Hotel’s Dinoza Mahruf on our last day. I must say a million thanks to him and his staff for making our stay fun and memorable.

If you want to see more pictures from my awesome trip, check out the latest issue of Candy and flip to the Field Trip section!  

Looking forward to another adventure next week,
Mimi

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Hey, Candy Girls and Boys!

It’s Rubie Ganzon and Bea Beluan here. We’re part of Candy’s Council of Cool 8! It's our first time to write in the Candy blog and we are excited to be guest bloggers. We're thrilled to tell you guys about the great experience we had but first, we just want to share with you how much we love being a part of the COC8. Besides being a part of the Candy family and being able to write for the magazine, there will always be some perks for us to enjoy!

Glad we got to taste it last Friday! Woohoo!

We were able to go to Callalily’s second album launch at SM Mall of Asia. It was such a privilege to be there to represent Candy for the event. But before we actually got to enter the VIP area (see, one of the perks that we get for being with Candy! *wink*) we got lost! We went to the front entrance and told the staff that we were from Candy but they all had this “I-don’t-know-what-you’re-talking-about” reply face. Thankfully, a guy approached us and told us to enter from the back since we were guests. So we went to the other side of the Music Hall just in time to witness the fireworks that take place every 7 pm at the bay view area. (Too bad, we weren’t able to take photos!) When we entered, we were delighted to see the scrumptious buffet (courtesy of KKK restaurant). More so, we saw prominent people from other magazines and television stations. For one night, we felt like we were some big time icons as well! Haha!

Us getting our FREE food!   

While we were enjoying our FREE buffet dinner, the opening act, Paraluman, was already playing. We finished our very delicious meal just in time for Callalily’s performance. So we rushed to the launching area, close to the stage and waited for them to be introduced. From the moment their lead vocalist, Kean, entered the stage, the whole crowd went running towards him! We were both surprised because the crowd was going wild (most of them girls by the way) and screaming their names! They played a lot of songs from their album—which rocks by the way! They are just getting better and better. It was obvious that the fans really support the band tremendously. They practically sang along to every song and even ran for the mineral bottles that were thrown by the band members. We actually found ourselves involuntarily swaying to the beat! They really know how to bring the house down.

Rocking with Callalily and lead vocalist Kean being pulled by the fans! 

The rest of the band members of Callalily

Besides the free dinner, we were also elated to have been given press kits from Mark of Sony BMG (thanks again!). Inside, were Callalily’s second album, their pictures and a press release.

Look what cool freebies we had!

After the show, reporters from different networks interviewed them for a very long time. We were beginning to wonder if they were being asked “nosebleed questions” already. Hehe! After their interviews, album signing was their next activity. The line was REALLY long and we are happy that we didn’t need to line up anymore!

Callalily album signing!   

It was such a great experience! We would like to thank Candy for giving us the chance to attend such an event. More power to our best-est friend! Oh and don't forget to grab a copy of Callalily’s sophomore album, FISHEYE. Why is it called fisheye? “It is named after the camera lens that broadens the landscape. In the same way, we approach the same things with a different point of view," says lead guitarist Alden Acosta. For more information on Callaliy, log on to www.sonybmg.com.ph.

Still rocking the night away,

Rubie and Bea

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