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One week, eight songs. Here’s how my week went!

Saturday: “Thinking of You”
Spent the longest five minutes of my life with arms raised, trying to record Katy Perry performing this song live. I got goosebumps all over! However, I got so excited that I accidentally sang before her at one part… and it was captured on video. Audio fail!

Sunday: “Smooth Criminal”
As a toddler, I tried to (unsuccessfully) teach Jared how to sing a part of Michael Jackson’s hit with the signature “Ow!” at the end. He surprised me by singing it correctly when we chatted on Skype. Aww! He’s all grown up.

Monday: “I Gotta Feeling”
Roch is back from her vacay! I don’t know why but this Black Eyed Peas song reminds me of her. Somehow it feels like she never left… That same night, I saw the Saturday Night Live episode with BEP as musical guest. I couldn’t help but look at Fergie the entire time. I wonder if the rumors about Josh Duhamel cavorting with a stripper are true. Sad for Fergie since they only tied the knot recently!

Tuesday: “Bad Romance”
Love Lady GaGa and her new songs from The Fame Monster, but I was altogether disappointed with her short guest stint in the Gossip Girl episode. She didn’t even interact with Blair! Would have loved to see Chuck flirt the (under)pants off her. Guess I’d have to settle with watching GaGa’s edgy music video.

Wednesday: “Dreaming of You”
My sister forced me to realize how cheesy I was by emailing me the lyrics to this song I secretly sang for one particular boy. In hindsight, he was a douche. Sadly, I was smitten. More than 10 years later, I still love this cheesy tune. Thank God I’m over that guy.

Thursday: “1901″
Had a cover shoot for our prom special. The photographer was digging this French alternative rock band called Phoenix. I realized I had some of their songs on my iPod because of Gossip Girl. Thank you awesome music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas! (Speaking of TV soundtracks, check out my top 10 list on Spot.ph.)

Friday: “Possibility” and “Satellite Heart”
Experiencing a post-New Moon haze. There are 13 other great songs on the soundtrack, but the haunting tracks by Lykke Li and Anya Marina are my current favorites!

What about you? What songs moved you this week?
Mimi m/

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Hi, guys!

I just got back from a trip to Penang, an island off the northwest coast of Malaysia. It’s supposed to be famous for the beautiful beaches and the historic Georgetown, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We stayed at a really nice resort on Batu Ferringhi, but frankly, the beach was disappointing. (I guess after seeing some of the Philippines’ best beaches, my standards have become really high. Haha!) But that didn’t stop me from having a great time. As I’ve learned on this trip, it’s not just the beauty of a place that makes or breaks a trip. There are other factors as well, such as…

1. Surprising Discoveries
When my friends and I were walking around Georgetown, we happened to pass by The Chocolate Boutique. It wasn’t part of our itinerary, but as soon as I saw the sign, I knew I had to go inside! The store had about 90 different varieties of chocolate (dark, milk, white, sweet, spicy, with fruits, with nuts, with green tea, etc) and coffee. The best part? Free tastes of everything! I was in chocolate heaven!

That’s me and my friend Maida with our baskets full of goodies. We had such a hard time deciding which chocolates to buy. I wanted a bit of everything!

2. The Food
An important part of any trip is having a taste of the local cuisine. I must have gained another five pounds on this trip because the food was really good!

Here is our spread of Indian food at a restaurant called Jewel of the North. I never really appreciated Indian food before, but I became a big fan after this meal!

This was at a hawker center on Gurney Drive where we tried some popular Malaysian food like the laksa, char kway teow, and nasi lemak. As you can see, we were too busy eating to notice the camera! Haha!

3. The Company
I had such a blast hanging out with my girls—Bong from Malaysia, Susan from Singapore, and Maida from the Philippines. (Our friends Neuy from Thailand and Wina from Indonesia were supposed to come too but they backed out due to work reasons.) It’s been awhile since I last saw them so on our last night together, we barely slept a wink because we talked for hours trying to catch up about everything!

Here we are by the 13.5 km Penang Bridge, which connects the island to the mainland. (There’s actually an international marathon there this weekend. If I had known, I would have joined! Haha!)

Here we are with our Pinoy friend Arlene (the guy in the middle) who works in Penang. He treated us to snacks and drinks at David Brown’s, a restaurant on Penang Hill, with a great view of the city. He also drove us around and served as our tour guide for the day—one of the perks of having a friend in a foreign country!

So that’s it for my Penang trip. I can’t wait for our next reunion! I’m sure we’ll have fun, no matter where we’ll be.

Missing Malaysia,
Angel

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Hey Candy Girls!

Yes, I’m back! My 1-month vacay has been the best trip I’ve even been to and I want to share you my experience. My first stop: PORTLAND!

I had the chance to visit my Tita and her family who was based in Portland. They were nice enough to take me around and bring me to the famous spots of the so called “Green City” of the US. They took me to the Viewpoint Inn where the prom scene of Twilight (oh how timely!) was shot. I’m honestly not a fan but the place is really nice.

Portland’s nature is really serene. You can see a lot of birds and squirrels everywhere! If you’re a nature lover, Portland is a must-see. The best part of it all – NO SALES TAX!!! Wuhoo!!! I think I overdid my Portland shopping and decided not to shop too much in other states anymore hehe

Can’t wait to share you my next destination!

<3,
Roch

BTW, for those who haven’t gotten your New Moon premiere tickets yet, you can claim your tickets (2—1 for you and 1 for your BFF) at the Summit office or in Mall of Asia at the screening night tomorrow. (:

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I know we all love talking about firsts and lasts, but I realized lately that talking about firsts and nexts can be equally insightful, and tons more empowering. Just the word itself—NEXT—implies there’s lots more in store for you, and that there is an infinite number of good things coming your way. Here are some of my fave Firsts and Nexts. I would love to hear about yours! Post them here or e-mail me at mia@candymag.com if you like

My first kiss was…sweet. Literally. It came right after a slice of apple pie.
My next kiss will be…
Slobbery. I’m a hundred percent sure my dog will be kissing me good night before sleeping.

My first favorite book was…a hardbound volume of fairy tales. I read it over and over, and begged my helper every afternoon after school to help me trace the pretty illustrations using carbon paper.
My next favorite book will be…
possibly Sarah Dessen’s new one, Along For The Ride. I bought it (last copy at the store I went to!) recently even though I swore I wouldn’t buy any more books till I finished my unread pile (okay, piles). I really loved her The Truth About Forever and think she’s one of the best young adult lit writers now. There just aren’t enough who can compare to Judy Blume. In my opinion, young adult lit is easy to read but hard to write. This new one of hers looks promising, and so far I can relate to the lead character, an insomniac like me.

My first ice cream obsession was…
Magnolia’s mocha in those retro plastic cups with the paper peel on top. My mouth still waters at the thought of it.
My next ice cream obsession will be…
Possibly Haagen Dazs’s dark chocolate orange, although right now I’m still crazy about the Oreo sundae at Icebergs and Chocolate Spoon. I’ve been having it every week since September! Bad, bad Mia; good, good ice cream.

My first best friend was…
my next-door neighbor. She was a year ahead in school and she always seemed just a tad more sophisticated in my eyes. She always had her milestones before I did, like having her first boyfriend, or getting her period, and I loved that I could live vicariously through her.
My next best friend turned out to be…my next-village neighbor. And it’s funny how we’re having our milestones at the same time, like having our first jobs, or getting engaged in the same month, and getting married in the same year. I love sharing experiences with her.

My first boyfriend was…
a geek and a jock. We were two nerds in a pod (yes, we’d get excited about new branches of National Bookstore opening, and we checked out books from the library even in the summer), except I was just a nerd, while he was a nerd in a varsity jacket, driving a car to school in high school. He helped me with my Chem project big time, but he was also a great dancer who helped me practice for prom (I’m useless on the dance floor, so help me God). I loved that he made me feel, by example, that I could be anything I wanted to be, and that categories only limit us if we let them.
My next boyfriend turned out to be…
an equal overachiever, if not more so. I loved that he was driven, but that he never let his accolades go to his head. I loved that someone so ambitious was so… normal. He was just a regular guy when he was with me, no big ego or mad scientist baggage in tow. It’s these sneaky normal-brilliant hybrids you have to watch out for, the ones who steal your heart before you know it.

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photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

1. Taylor Lautner is hot. Have you seen those abs?
2. Werewolves are warm and cuddly and make better huggers than vampires.
3. If Bella lived in the Philippines, she’d have to stick to the status quo and name her kid by combining her name with her husband’s. Jacobella sounds girly and princess-y (like Cinderella). Belledward just sounds weird.
4. It makes sense to be friends first: you have to be friends with someone before you can see him in a romantic light. You can’t just stare at each from across the cafeteria and go, “Okay, that’s it, I’mma run off into the woods with you now, yo.”
5. There’s so much fun you can have with the word “werewolf.” For example, a werewolf who is MIA is a nowherewolf, while a werewolf who always brushes up on his current affairs is an awarewolf. You also have tupperwarewolf (a werewolf who pretends to be nice to you but talks about you behind your back), softwarewolf (a computer geek werewolf), and nothingtowearwolf (a werewolf who needs to go shopping). Can you do that with “vampire?” I THINK NOT.
6. Taylor Lautner is super hot. I bet the sun has to put on shades when he’s around—that’s how hot he is.
7. In 1853, there was a battle between one werewolf and a dozen vampires. The werewolf ripped the twelve vampires to shreds in five minutes, then went off to hunt for more vampires because he was still totally feeling the vibe. How cool is that? (Okay, I completely made that up.)
8. With vampire books and movies popping up everywhere (i.e., The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Cirque du Freak, etc.) so many people are falling in love with them. Therefore, if you fall in love with a werewolf, you’re a non-conformist. You’re unique. You’re badass, baby.
9. Also, do you really want a boyfriend who sparkles? You’d be wearing one of your new glittery sequined tops, or a major piece of bling that cost you a fortune, and you’d be fishing for compliments from people around you, and they’d just be like, “Dude, what? I’m sorry, your boyfriend’s diamond skin is blinding my entire being.” It’ll be bad for your self-esteem, I tell you.
10. Taylor Lautner is really, really, REALLY hot. (I just feel like this has to be said in this blog entry more than once.)

New Moon hits theaters this Friday, November 20. Spread the word!

Big hugs,
Marla
:penguin:

PS: Dino Imperial strongly disagrees. He says, like this is a bad thing, “You just like him ’cause he has abs!” Well, yeah… and?
PPS: Who’s on Team Edward? Feel free to stand up for your golden boy!

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