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Hey Candy Girls!

Before you all get caught up in the madness of the holidays, let me take this opportunity to greet you and all your loved ones a very joyous Christmas from the Candy team.

I hope you’ll be able to take a moment to appreciate the effort put into setting up the twinkling decors all over the metro, hear the angels singing the carols, and most of all, experience real love from the people around you.

Mmmmmmmmmmmwah!
Mimi

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Chicago!!! I’ve spent most of my vacation here where most of my relatives from my mother’s side reside. It’s been 11 years since I came back and I can say it hasn’t changed. It’s still how I left it, except for new infrastructures and malls downtown. Chicago is a big part of me (because I was born there) and I’m proud to say that it is one of the best cities in the US. Angel went there before and she loved it! Let me give you a brief tour of Chicago.

Willis Tower

Glass Balcony

103 floors off the ground

Skyscrapers of Chicago

Formerly called the Sears Tower, this 108-story skyscraper is the tallest building in the United States. We went up to the 103rd floor of the building for the Skydeck. It only took us 1 minute to get to the floor and believe me; the pressure in our ears was intense! You can see the whole Chicago from up there. You can also see far over plains of the state of Illinois and across Lake Michigan to Indiana and Wisconsin. The view was just breathtaking! The glass balcony was also a hit! It’’s not scary at all… Just don’t look down.

The Shedd Aquarium

By the steps

Philippines

It is Chicago’s #1 cultural attraction! It houses a lot of fishes, whales, turtles, and penguins too! What’s so great about the Shedd Aquarium is that they have one floor dedicated to the Wild Reefs of the Philippines. Awesome!

Navy Pier

Navy Pier sign

Horror Haunt

Fooling around

This is where all cruises, boats, and ships are parked in Chicago by the Indiana Lake. One Saturday night in October, my cousins, their friends, and I went to Navy Pier for their Horror Haunt. It was freezing cold and there weren’t much people so we thought of fooling around like little kids. Too bad the huge Ferris wheel wasn’t open because of the weather but we had a blast making fun of ourselves and make fun of the fake mumus everywhere.

Chicago Grant Park

Agora

I love Fall Trees!

Bus Stop in Michigan Avenue

This is where parks, sculptures, and a lot of trees are found. It is located along Michigan Avenue where famous hotels and infrastructures are lined up. It’s nice to place to jog, stroll around, read a good book, and just relax.

Millennium Park

The Bean

The Crown Fountain

Chicago Ampitheater

It was my first time here and I really got amazed. Here you can find the famous Cloud Gate or “The Bean,” The Crown Fountain, and the Millennium Park Amphitheater. Everything looks so modern and well made! The Amphitheater is one of the best architectures I’ve seen.

Chicago’s Architecture

Chicago

Chicago is famous for their unique infrastructures and building architectures. It ranges from modern to old style buildings. Fun Fact: Batman Begins was filmed in Chicago.

If ever you plan to visit Chicago soon, make sure to visit these places and you’re trip might probably be one of the best you’ll ever have.

See you on my next stop,
Roch <3

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We all have holiday traditions. Simbang gabi, Noche Buena, gift-giving, and family reunions are all part of the Filipino Christmas culture—we make this season as festive as we can manage it to be, no matter how many gloomy things threaten to take over the joy in our hearts. I’d like to think we’ve become pretty good at looking on the bright side: we keep smiles on our faces, decorate our homes with twinkling lights, and wish everyone a meaningful Yuletide season. We do all of this, tirelessly and optimistically, and maybe that in itself is reason enough to celebrate.

I think these holiday traditions remind us of everything that’s important—family and friends and forgiveness and laughter and hope. I think they remind us that no matter how many changes occur over the years, there are things that remain constant, things we can count on and look forward to. Here are a few of my traditions:

The annual family photo

In 2006, my mom decided we should all dress up in red. In 2007, we wore matching green outfits, and last year, we went back to red. It’s a green theme again this year, and it’s going to be extra special because we have six new family members—our beagle Charm and her five babies! I’m going to attempt a Jenny Humphrey and make green scarves for all of them, so please wish me luck. (Also, I have no idea how ALL of us will fit in the frame. Haha!)

Dressing up with the Candy Girls

One of the many things I love about the Candy Girls is that they’re always game to do crazy stuff nobody else gets—like dressing up as billiard balls for the office Christmas party! We love working as a team, which probably explains why we love group costumes. What are we doing this year, girls? I vote Glee!

Love Actually

This is one of my all-time favorite films, and my regular Christmas movie. I love the idea that life gives us a million possibilities every day, and that there is a thread that connects each one of us to total strangers on the opposite side of the world. I love the idea of everyone writing their own life stories, but having a common plot (loving and losing and finding love again) underneath all the differences. I love the fact that love is at its strongest and most powerful form this time of the year.

Merry Christmas, everyone! What are YOUR holiday traditions?

Warm fuzzy hugs in this December sweater weather,
Marla
:penguin:

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A good friend of mine wanted to borrow my Shopaholic books, so I had to go through my clear containers to find them. During the process, I came across my old dusty photo albums and unearthed some photos to share with you. These were taken with my trusty old-school camera and I’ve lost the negatives somewhere along the way, so you can imagine how much I treasure these snapshots.

I know I mentioned that I’ve been with Candy for nine years, but I’ve actually been working for the mag longer than that. Here’s a secret, I was one of Candy‘s first interns! Here’s a photo with then EIC Maya Calica, then ed assistant Mia F, and my college block mate/fellow intern Serina. We worked on a couple of interesting projects for Candy (more on that later).

The first celebrities I encountered were the stars of ABS CBN’s Tabing Ilog. It was fun seeing what they were like when the cameras weren’t rolling. That’s Jodi Sta. Maria getting made up and Desiree Del Valle beside me.

For my first company party, I was coerced—no, more like forced—to sing. That night, I remember performing an M2M song with Seventeen‘s Lille Bosse. I was giggling onstage because I couldn’t figure out how to share one mic for the blending part.

Over the years, I’ve been able to visit so many beautiful places. We have our annual summer shoots which take us to exciting spots such as Palawan, Boracay, and Bohol. (These are some of the Candy editors over the years. I miss the ones who’ve moved on, especially Noelle who I feel is still watching us from above.)

Someone took a picture of me while I was working on the first Candy Cuties Special with then art director, Mikke. (See zoomed in printouts of the boys.) My friend Serina actually helped me work on this project, and for that, I shall forever be grateful.

Speaking of Mikke, I had the amazing opportunity to work on WITCH magazine with him. I loved the fact that he’d always leave me cute notes with caricatures, so I kept them all. I believe he was the first to get hitched in the team—so we all came to support him on his big day (even if we were late!).

I’m so excited for the things that’ll be happening in the next few weeks and the years to come. Despite all the team additions/subtractions, major redesigns, minor fights, and big shocking changes, one thing remains the same:

Don’t you agree?
Mimi

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Only two weeks have passed and I’m already feeling the Christmas spirit ’cause of all the festivities! Here’s what has made my December a merry month so far…

1. A Winter Wedding

I had so much fun at my friend Alanna’s wedding! Technically, it happened on November 28, but since the theme was Winter Wonderland, it was a nice prelude to the Christmas season. Here we are with the beautiful bride and the dashing groom.

2. Brainstorming + Rock Band with the Candy Girls

Here we are in Margaux’s house beside the beautiful tree she decorated herself. After brainstorming, we played Rock Band. That’s me on drums, Roch on guitar, and Mimi on vocals. Woohoo!

3. Prayer Session

Here I am with my prayer group. Most of us have been together since college so we’ve really been through a lot. For our last PS of the year, we reflected on the blessings we received in 2009—a great way to feel thankful as the New Year comes in!

4. Bonding over Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Fondue

My friends Rae, Luni, Maida and I had a feast at Haagen-Dazs. (Rae’s face is like that because she’s allergic to chocolate. Boo! But we ordered the “Fruity Journey” too and she had it all to herself! Hehe.) As if that wasn’t enough, Luni also brought some of her baked goods for us to try.

Her Jelly Thumbprint cookies, Russian snowballs, and Dark choco chunk cookies are AWESOME! Place your orders at cafeflorentina.multiply.com.

5. Mia’s Birthday Treat + COC9 Dinner

Mia treated us to lunch at Burgoo in Rockwell. After that, we bought Christmas presents for each other. FUN!

That evening, we met the COC9 for early dinner at Joey Pepperoni’s. We even got to try Mia’s DQ Ice Cream Cake. Yummy!

What are your happy thoughts for December? Here’s hoping the rest of the month will be just as fun!

Spreading good cheer,
Angel

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