CandyMag.com

Has anyone ever been so kind to you or done something so good to you that you felt compelled to return the favor? Has doing something ever brought you such great happiness that you knew you just had to spread the joy?

This is how I feel about mountain-climbing. I’ve been doing it for about three years now and I cannot even begin to measure how much it has given me. For starters, climbing mountains gives me a natural high—nothing can beat the feeling of literally being above the clouds, seeing breathtaking views, and being pushed to my limits. It has encouraged me to be more fit, not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And of course, how can I forget the wonderful people I’ve met because of it? There are those who inspired me and taught me important skills and those who have become my best-est friends.

This is why I decided to join the Big Brother Big Sister outreach—to give back to the people who live in the mountain areas my friends and I love to visit. As I mentioned in a previous post, our goal was to bring backpacks and school supplies to the children there. Here are some photos from our activity, which happened last week:

The first school we visited was in Kapangan, Benguet. It’s about 8 hours by bus from Manila.

Imagine if you had a mountain right behind your school. The view is beautiful! The teachers even set up a circus-like tent and served us fresh bananas and kamote.

The second school we visited was in Kibungan, Benguet. In addition to the bus ride, we had to ride a truck for more than an hour and trek for three hours to get there. There was a big storm in Benguet that weekend. It rained all night and the whole of the next day, but that didn’t deter us from carrying the school packs, playing games with the kids, and interacting with the locals. We were drenched with rain and almost didn’t make it home due to some landslides, but it was ALL worth it seeing the happy kids’ faces and knowing they had brand new supplies—a luxury they seldom have—for the coming year.

Here’s a shot of the BBBS committee and the volunteers who helped out. We can’t wait for next year!

Of course, we don’t always need to organize big projects or do huge things like this to give back. Sometimes, it’s the little things that matter most. In what ways do you give back to the people and things that you love? I’d like to hear about them!

Trying to make the world a better place a little bit at a time,
Angel

P.S. Thanks again, Mimi, for supporting this project and sponsoring one kid! :star:

Posted in Candy | 10 Comments »

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

I woke up excited and all set to watch the American Idol finale this morning. I’ve accepted and expected to see David Aww-chuleta win the title after Simon Cowell proclaimed he gave a “knockout” performance. But after Ryan announced that David Cook won (by 12 million votes! WOW!), I was stunned. Everyone thought Archy would be the runaway winner, especially since he’s so sweet, sincere, squish-able, and totally tween-friendly (he could definitely replace Zac Efron for the next HSM installments!).

Don’t get me wrong though. I love the two Davids. But I was instantly drawn to David Cook because of his rock star appeal—not to mention his scarves which were so Chuck Bass! I was initially undecided about who I wanted to win from this year’s top 12 (I usually had my picks early on, like Constantine Maroulis.) But that was until David Cook rocked his guitar to “Billie Jean” and altered Mariah’s pop ditty “Always Be My Baby.” After those two solid performances, I knew I was a I-will-turn-into-mush-if-I-meet-David-Cook fan.

Succumbing to my DC obsession, I downloaded songs from his first indie album, Analog Heart. I must say that I’m so kilig with the rawness of his voice (roar!), and I especially love the bittersweet song called “The Truth.” Read lyrics below:

Two steps removed from everything I thought I knew
There’s no remedy
I see your face in every single thing I do
You change me
Your laugh intoxicating
One touch and I’m negating everything around
Take me and I’m yours
I only want you anymore
I kiss the ground

I rest my head from running circles ’round my mind
On why you let go
No answers to be found, romances don’t rewind
I guess I’ll never know
Why your absence is devastating
No touch to calm my head and everyone around
You leave me when I’m yours
’cause you don’t want me anymore
I hit the ground, yeah

If this is a sneak peek of what’s to come from his AI win, then I’ll surely die a happy girl…

A rocker fan forever,
Mimi m/

PS: Marla, don’t hate me for being happy about DC’s win. DA was amazing last night!

Posted in Candy | 13 Comments »

It was a record breaking moment during Sam Concepcion’s celeb chat. There were 154 people who logged on to chat with our May Cover Boy! Even though the chat room was a bit chaotic because of the flooders, I’m sure the Candy Girls had fun chatting with their favorite Candy Cutie. Here are some snapshots we took during the chat.

Sam with Mimi and Macy before the chat.

I caught Sam making faces at the Candy Cam.

That’s Mimi’s hand pinching Sam while he was chatting with all you girls.

The many faces of Sam Concepcion. Isn’t he the cutest? :p

The Candy and Candymag.com Team got to have a photo op with Sam after the chat.

Sam with his Candy cover and a Kung Fu Panda stuffed balloon. :p

We thank you girls for staying and chatting will all our Celeb Chats this month. We’ll surely bring you more fun and exciting celeb chats in the future so stay tuned. If you also have anyone in mind, please let us know. Until our next celeb chat! :d

<3,
Roch

Posted in Candy | 19 Comments »

Last week, Macy and I tagged along with Mia to the dry-run-slash-press-sampling for Pepper Lunch, a hot new resto in Power Plant. I couldn’t decide what to order—the Chicken Pepper Rice looked good, but I was craving for fish too so I ended up getting the Salmon and Chicken Combo. When my sizzling plate was brought to our table, my eyes lit up because 1) the serving was HUGE, 2) it smelled really good, and 3) I was told that we could “cook” our own food. (I have to put the quotation marks because technically, it wasn’t cooking—all we had to do was spread the butter, mix the veggies, turn the chicken and fish over so the other side wouldn’t be overdone, and pour in the yummy honey brown and garlic soy sauce. But still, any resto that makes me feel better about my kitchen skills, or lack thereof, is a winner in my book.)

A happy Macy with her Chicken Pepper Rice, and an excited-to-dig-in Marla with a plate that’s bigger than her. Haha!
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Candy | 5 Comments »

I’m convinced there’s nothing our May Candy cover boy Sam Concepcion can’t do. We’ve just received word that he recorded a version of the song “Kung Fu Fighting” for the animated film, Kung Fu Panda. What’s great about this accomplishment is that he’s the very first Filipino to sing for DreamWorks, and the said track will be played at the end credits of the movie. It opens June 6, and I’m so looking forward to seeing/hearing Jack Black play the part of a huggable panda!

Congratulations, Sam! (Oops! This is the closest emoticon we have to a panda bear. Haha!)

Next Wednesday is a very special day for all you Candy girls/Sam fans because you’ll get another chance to chat with our adorable cover boy. He’ll be in Candy’s ChitChat from 5 to 6 pm so don’t forget to log in early! However, if you’d rather see Sam in the flesh (which I’m sure you do!), you can catch him and his buddies Kevin Concepcion, Jackie dos Santos, Candy Jan-Feb cover girl Cheska Ortega, Athena Tibi, PJ Valerio, and Janeena Chan perform on May 17 (tomorrow) and 24 (next Saturday) at Enchanted Kingdom’s Spaceport Zone! Entitled “Enchanting Teens Musical,” expect a one-hour concert that’ll make you dance, sing, and swoon. Lucky park guests can even win a Sony PSP, so visit the amusement park now or get the details from their official site.

Sam and his performing posse at Enchanted Kingdom.

I’m off to the beach. Hope you guys have a great weekend. Remember to make the most of your remaining summer days…

Mimi

Posted in Bond, Girl!, Candy, Candy Rap, Love | 10 Comments »