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WARNING: Spoilers ahead!

This morning, Marla, Mimi, Macy, and I trooped to Greenbelt 3 cinema for the live satellite showing of the American Idol Season 8 finale. Marla, Mimi, and I followed this season religiously, so we were super excited when Greenwich invited us to watch the show—even if we did have to get up by 7 am!

Here are some of my favorite moments from the event:

1. Performances from awesome artists like Jason Mraz, The Black Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper and more! (We were late so we didn’t catch David Cook’s performance, but I’m sure if we did, it would be one of my faves too. I’m definitely watching the replay tonight!)

2. Yummy lasagna and pizza from Greenwich—SOBRANG CHEESY! There was free coffee and Milo from Nescafe too.

3. The return of Bikini Girl… and her ultimate showdown with Kara DioGuardi. I can’t believe she showed off her bod too. Hahaha!

4. The return of Tatiana Del Toro. That girl is so over the top, but I find her really cute!

5. Seeing my favorites again from this season, particularly Anoop (I’ve got a crush on him!) and Allison (I really wanted her to win!).

6. The fact that we could clap and cheer along with everyone else, as if we were watching the show live. (And since we were sitting all the way at the back row, we could be as noisy as we wanted too! Haha!)

7. And finally, the announcement of the winners… Macy wanted Kris to win, and though we liked Kris a lot, Mimi, Marla and I were rooting for Adam. When Ryan said Kris had won, we didn’t cheer as loudly as the others, but we were still happy for him. (Not so happy about that horrible final song though!)

Besides, we’re pretty sure Adam’s got a great career ahead of him. He hadn’t even won and he already had his own magazine cover!

Here we are at the end of the show, trying to channel our inner American idols… can you guess who’s who?

Let me give you a hint:

So who’s your American Idol?

Looking forward to next season,
Angel

P.S. Now that Idol’s over, watch Britain’s Got Talent! It’s currently my new favorite show. It’s more exciting than Idol. I love it!!!

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It’s been my goal since day 1 of 2009 to be fit this year but I don’t think I’m exerting the best efforts I could give to actually achieve this. This summer, I started to do something about it with the marathon I joined a month ago. Of course, being fit is not only by means of exercising but by also living a healthy lifestyle and eating a well balanced diet. Since I’ve started to actually watch what I eat and get to do some exercise again (I saw my birthday pics from last year and I got surprised with how thin I was compared to now… Eep!), I wanna share with you my “secret” and what I do to achieve my ideal weight in a healthy way.

1. Drink lots of water
Always rehydrate yourself with lots of liquid. It will help cleanse and wash out all the toxins in your body. I drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Whenever I feel the urge of eating something that’s not in my diet plan, I drink away and the craving will just die down.

2. Load up on L-Carnitine
Pineapple juice has a lot of L-Carnitine that increases the use of fat as an energy source. There’s this brand that also has B vitamins that helps speed up your metabolism. I drink at least one bottle a day of that certain brand to help me lose the excess fat and keep my energy at top level.

3. Get a lot of sleep
Yes… rest, rest and rest! This is what I learned recently because I’m a self-confessed night owl. Getting enough sleep will keep your body in tip-top shape. Sleeping early would mean you won’t get hungry in the middle of the night and look for food.

4. Refrain from sweets and temptations
As much as possible, refrain from eating too much sweets. Yes, sugar does make you on the go but keep it minimal. It’s okay to treat yourself with a chocolate bar but be sure to burn it off!

5. Enjoy!
Exercise is nothing if you’re not having fun. Don’t force yourself to do some exercise routines you know you can’t handle. Do it at your own pace and just enjoy the sweat. (:

Have any tips to share? Let us know!

Determined to be in shape,
Roch<3

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Just this weekend, my good friend’s dad passed away, and I paid my respects last night at his wake. My friend seemed to be handling things well, although I was pretty sure it couldn’t have been easy for her. I wished there was something more I could do than just hug her or offer words of comfort. I couldn’t help but think how I would behave if I were in her shoes.

I grew up thinking I was closer to my mother than my father, but the truth is, I’m a bit of a Daddy’s Girl too. My sisters and I all are, I think. My dad spoils us, but not in a conventional way. As father figures go, he’s a real patriarch. And he was pretty strict with all of us growing up. But I never doubted how much he loved us. He did always find little ways here and there to show us just that. In fact, I realize, when a person goes away, it’s really the little things that’ll remind us just how much we miss him. So while my dad is alive and well, I cherish all his quirks, every last one. It’s just like me to start a list…

Dad’s Quirks I Love
1. I love how he’ll sit through any war movie, good or bad. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a true war movie, just anything with a combat scene or two and he’ll perk up instantly. He’ll start sharing his extensive knowledge of military history (he’s a retired officer), or one of his one million super entertaining, this-should-be-in-a-movie-script combat anecdotes.
2. He loves crossword puzzles and will randomly ask me questions from them just to see if I know the answer. He used to always have his nose buried in crossword puzzles when he and his friends would visit my mom, so my mom was shocked when he started showing interest in her.
3. If you tell him you liked the treat he bought you, rest assured he will buy you 5 more of whatever it is, or thrice more than what you need, whichever is more plenty. This can lead to 5 new stuffed bears of different nationalities within a week, or 20 cups of my fave strawberry yoghurt all expiring in a matter of days, but I never complain; I don’t even mind. I know it only means he can never do things halfway—he’s a super achiever, and he loves showering his loved ones with treats.
4. If he had his way, we’d all be gorging on three dessert dishes after every meal. He has an incredibly sweet tooth, and even when he claims he’s skipping sweets to bring down his blood sugar, I still notice my Cadbury Dairy Milk choco stash in the fridge dwindling, slowly but surely.
5. He always treats me (and my mom, and my sisters) like a lady, whether this means him having to drive home the car I drove to the mall but couldn’t drive back ’cause I suddenly got dizzy or sick, or him getting up to switch seats just so my mom can place her handbag on a chair. He truly is an officer and a gentleman, and he makes me believe there are still many good men out there just like him, and that we all deserve good men.

P.S. Check out this shirt he surprised me with last week. He had it made and placed it on my bed while I was at work. It’s my fave photo of my dog Mick

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Dear Archie and DC,

Roughly a year ago, you belted your hearts out and battled it out onstage for the American Idol crown. When you stood before the judges and the waiting crowd, you were probably nervous and excited, or perhaps you just wanted to hear the results so life can finally go on for you. Maybe you were praying you’d win, or maybe at that point, you didn’t care about the title anymore—having come that far was already enough. Whatever you were thinking at that moment, I bet you never imagined that twelve months later, you’d be halfway around the globe performing in front of tens of thousands of people, all singing your songs right back at you.

Most people would gush about your good looks, or praise your musical talent. But I think the most impressive thing about you is your passion for what you do. Last Saturday’s concert was amazing not because you made all the girls giggly and giddy, but because you performed with such big voices and even bigger hearts. That night will be memorable for everyone who watched because you gave us the show we deserved, without the need for fancy gimmicks or distracting effects. It was like you knew how much your Filipino fans loved you, and you wanted to give back that love with every note you played and every word you sang.

You must have thanked us a dozen times, but it is actually US who should be grateful. You exceeded our expectations, and we don’t regret the hours we spent waiting or the money we spent for tickets at all. You made us happy with your music, and as you took your final bow, slung an arm around each other and walked away from the stage to cheers and applause from strangers and friends, we had no doubt that you were headed towards a bounty of bigger, brighter things.

We love you, David & David!

Big hugs from huge fans,
Marla, Angel, and Mimi

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Nope, I’m not talking about final tests which I’m so sure you Candy Girls aren’t missing at all. I’m actually talking about two very exciting finales that will be showing next week.

First up… Gossip Girl is wrapping up another jaw-dropping season in the US on Tuesday. I’m so excited to see if: a) Georgina manages to con Poppy into returning the lost millions, b) Serena succeeds in revealing Gossip Girl’s true identity, c) Dan crosses paths with his older half-brother, and d) Chuck and Blair finally say those “three words, eight letters” to each other. If this spoiler photo is any indication (click at your own discretion), I think Chair shippers like me will be grinning till September.

Another reason why I’m so eager for next week to come is because of the impending Kris Allen-Adam Lambert showdown on American Idol. I’ve been a loyal fan of Adam’s theatrics (hello, even Katy Perry likes him!), but Kris’s coolness is quite endearing too! Looks-wise, I love the fact that Adam resembles Joe Jonas with a dash of Perez Hilton (haha!) while Kris somehow reminds me my college crush. Performance-wise, Adam is so OTT he literally explodes on stage! Kris reminds me of Jason Mraz because of his laid-back style, and simply because he looks great rocking the guitar. I also like their little mannerisms: Adam holds his pose and sticks his tongue out when he wails his last note, and Kris makes all those cuuute lopsided grins while he sings. AI followers Marla, Angel, and I will be watching the riveting finale together for the first time (courtesy of Greenwich), making me all the more excited for Thursday morning! Marla says she’s rooting for both boys, and I can’t help but feel the same way.

In related AI news, the two Davids—runner-up Archuleta and winner Cook—from season 7 are in town for a back-to-back concert. I still remember cheering Cook on (I was a fan from the start) but feeling a little sad for Marla after they announced the winner. I was really looking forward to meeting them in the flesh, but sadly, the Candy editors didn’t get to meet them at all. However, Angel, Marla, and I made a pact to watch them on Saturday! I’m psyched to hear the songs “Touch My Hand” (Archie makes me wish I was a high schooler again with this track) and “Come Back to Me” (Cook’s intensity is mind-blowing) live. Will they also sing “Apologize” and “Always Be My Baby”? I hope so!

Are you also caught up in the David fever sweeping up the nation? If so, I’ll see you at the concert!

Mimi

Photos courtesy of American Idol/FOX

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