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Good news, Candy girls!

If you love writing short stories and you’re a big Britney Spears fan, now is your chance to combine two passions and bring creative honor to the country! Choose a song from Britster’s album Circus and compose a 250-word tale about it. Log on to her official website and submit your story to compete with fans all over the world (don’t forget to click on the Philippine flag!).

All the participants’ stories will be published in a special section on the site. Its members will be allowed to read and vote for their favorites. The best part is if Brit-Brit likes your story so much, it will be turned into the song’s official animated music video! How cool is that? (The stories of the five runners-up will also be honored on the site.)

The contest is open only until Monday, March 16, so get your creative juices flowing and come up with a wicked story now!

Mimi

Yesterday, the Candy girls and I were talking about what we would give up for the Lenten season. Some of us vowed to sacrifice food like chips, oreos, ice cream, and softdrinks. Others vowed to be less mean to other people. What about you?

Another thing I want to do is to pray more. Lately, I’ve been so busy with work, school, and sports that I often forget to pray. I always attempt to pray at night, but I usually end up falling asleep or feeling anxious about the things I have to do the next day. Why is it that when we get too caught up with all our activities, prayer is usually the first thing that takes a backseat?

But really, prayer can be done anywhere, anytime. We just have to make a conscious effort to insert it into our day.

Here’s a short prayer I wanted to share with you guys. The first time I read it was when my math teacher in high school gave my class a copy. It’s been awhile since I’ve prayed this that’s why I was so happy when I found it again. I hope it inspires you as it has inspired me. Maybe you can add it to your list of favorite prayers too!

Disturb us, O Lord
when we are too well-pleased with ourselves
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
and invited the brave to follow.
Amen.

What are your favorite prayers? Prayer is a universal language, so no matter what your religion, do share them with us!

Hoping to have a meaningful Lenten season,
Angel

I have a bunch of videos I’ve “favorited” on YouTube. Whenever I can, I like to find the videos I like (if I’ve seen them on TV, read them on a blog, or heard of it from a friend) and click on “Favorite” so I can watch them whenever I want to.

This past week, I’ve seen two videos that I really, really like. Mimi introduced me to Plain White Ts’ “1, 2, 3, 4″ when I was asking her and Marla for songs they thought would be cool to play on Prom Night. So when I chanced upon the video on TV while getting ready for work, I was thrilled to hear the song. To my surprise, the video was even sweeter than the song!

What I loved about this video was that there were actual real people involved. I loved the one-liners for each couple/group (”Took him 9 months to ask her out,” “Friends since 4th Grade,” “Together 3 years this Valentine’s Day,” “Friends forever!” and more! Watch for me—kidding, hahaha! There was someone named Macy in the video!) and the genuine smiles on their faces. :”> The video is simple and touching, just like the song.

There was another video I saw last night, but unfortunately, I can’t find it online to share it with you yet. It’s Itchyworms’ “Ang Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay” Do you remember the “Free Hugs” campaign that went around the Net for a while? It’s kind of like that. Wait for the cute twist in the end. You’ll find yourself rooting for the guy lead who runs all over the city looking for the girl he wants to hug. Nakakakilig! Hahaha!

What about you? Have you seen a video recently that you’ve wanted to “favorite?” Share them with me in the comments below!

Favoriting,
Macy

I love weekends because they usually give me time to catch up with my beloved books, give my music stash the attention it deserves, and sit down for coffee with my friends. Here’s what I read, listened to, and ate this weekend.

1. Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall

I found this in Bestsellers a month ago, while I was browsing for some new titles with Candy art director Steph. I finally got around to reading the first few chapters, and I am blown away by the elaborate storyline and the way the emotions seem to fly off the pages. The title is taken from a description of Neverland in JM Barrie’s Peter Pan: “For Neverland is always more or less an island, with astonishing splashes of colour here and there.” Following the Peter Pan syndrome, the main character, Kitty, is a woman who never grew up. What’s interesting is that she interprets people and emotions through color (ex: optimists are yellow). I have a feeling it’ll be a bit heavier and much more complex than my usual teen lit, but I can’t wait to finish it.

2. “This Is How It Goes Down,” by Pink feat. Travis McCoy

I’ve had Pink’s Funhouse for a while, but I was only familiar with the singles, “So What” and “Sober.” I finally listened to the whole album, and “This Is How It Goes Down” is my top pick because it features the frontman of a band I absolutely love, Gym Class Heroes. It’s angry, but in a funny way, and although I’m usually an anti-angst, happy-songs kind of girl, I liked playing this in-your-face anthem non-stop, full blast. Give it a spin and let me know what you think.

3. Kopi Roti’s Peanut Butter Toast
Macy saw the sign for this when we passed the Katipunan branch last week, and I got to try it last Sunday when I met up with my friend Maris, who’s back from Malaysia. You can probably make this at home for much less, but it’s worth shelling out P45 for because the slice is thick and buttery, the peanut butter is extra chunky and not too sweet, and it’s cut into cute little squares. I wish I had taken a photo! A close runner-up in my Current Favorite Sweets list is the bittersweet bar from Munz—it has 70% cocoa and is one of the best dark chocolate treats I’ve ever tasted. Yum!

Looking forward to my next discovery weekend,
Marla

I saw the OK Magazine editors at work today watching the live telecast of the Academy Awards. Wanted very much to park myself in front of the TV and ogle all the fabulous gowns and perfectly made-up celebrities, but had my own work to do, of course. So I was incredibly happy when I caught the replay tonight. I loved a lot of things about this year’s Oscars, including the way they made video scrapbooks/collages of 2008’s memorable flicks according to genre, their choice of celebs for presenting awards, James Franco and Seth Rogen’s funny clip, and Hugh Jackman’s number with Beyonce, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (Managing Ed Mimi showed me a clip at work as a teaser…shhh!).

But most of all, I loved the fashion. Dior, Armani, Valentino…one fab gown after another, each one more breathtaking than the one before. I love when people dress to the hilt. In my opinion, we could all use a little glamour in our lives, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking good (as long as you have substance underneath all that style). I made a beeline for JustJared.com so I could ooh and aah over the frocks some more. Here are some of my faves…

Anne Hathaway looked perfectly elegant in Armani. I also especially love her classic makeup, and how she didn’t feel the need to pile on bling.

Love the gown, but I think I love even more how Jen’s physique makes the gown look like a million bucks. One more reason for me to get some exercise!

Speaking of style and substance…only a true lady can pull off pink without looking like a four-year-old.

SJP in Dior. I can’t get enough of the skirt!!! I want a similar line for my gown’s skirt on my wedding day.

all photos from JustJared.com