CandyMag.Com

Hi Candy Girls!

It’s Friday, but I’m still experiencing a post-concert high. Just last Wednesday, some of the Candy editors and I trekked to SM MoA to watch Boys Like Girls. It was actually the second time Marla and I were watching them live (we watched their first Glorietta mall show back in September 2008), but we were still equally excited to hear what they were going to play.

A day before the concert, I whipped out their first CD. As I was listening to the songs, I felt giddy when I saw that one of the boys (I think it was John) had crossed out Girls and replaced it with my name. Haha! Babaw, I know, but still.

While waiting in line, the girls with BLG shirts (namely Macy, Koko, and I) decided to recreate our Katy Perry concert photo (we still wore our shirts then despite the fact that BLG had already backed out). As you can see, we were all happy to wear these tees again.

When we entered the VIP section, we were a little disappointed to see the number of people inside the venue (sadly, I think most of you girls weren’t allowed to watch because it was held on a school night!). However, we were quite happy to be standing at the very front—which is a rare occurrence for concerts these days! Roch got tired waiting for the boys to come out so she decided to take a seat. Check out the disapproving looks we cast towards her. HAHA!

The boys finally came out at about 9 pm and delivered an explosive show (literally and figuratively!). There were fireworks during the “Hero/Heroine” performance, and band was able to maintain their high energy for one solid hour. They sang 13 different tracks from their first and second albums, but I particularly loved the acoustic version of “Two is Better Than One.” Martin’s red guitar was pretty awesome too! (On a side note: We were happy to be facing the left side of the stage because it was where guitarist Paul was stationed most of the night!)

That’s Martin, Bryan, and Paul rockin’ out with their guitars. View more photos here.

I wouldn’t say it was the best concert I’ve seen, but it was definitely a great way to kick off 2010. Aside from hearing the boys play live, it was equally nice to run into friends afterwards. I had fun catching up with Ging (an old Summiteer who used to write for Candy) and seeing Mikko once more.

Whose concerts are you girls excited to watch this 2010? Be sure to post your answers in the comments section so we can cover them for you!
Mimi

My mom celebrates her 54th birthday today! Here are 10 reasons why I think I have the best mom in the world.

1. She takes great care of everyone around her—me, my dad, my sisters, my lola, her brothers and sisters, and pretty much everyone who needs her.

2. She takes good care of herself, too! I admire her for always eating right and exercising. I love how people think she’s my older sister. (But I hate the fact that she is sexier than me. Hahaha!)

3. She’s a dancing queen. All her trophies and awards prove it!

4. She’s a really good teacher. When my sisters and I were younger, I remember how she used to make reviewers for us and help us study for exams. Perhaps that’s why we always got good grades!

5. She’s passionate about everything she does. Whether it’s her dancing, teaching, or numerous other activities, she always gives her 101 per cent!

6. She’s a great cook. She taught our current cook everything she knows! Hmm, no wonder it’s so hard for my dad, my sisters, and I to go on a diet.

7. She’s a great host and events organizer. When I had my debut, she organized everything! She also loves throwing parties at home and I’m sure all the people who have ever attended a party at our house will agree that it’s always fun and filling!

8. She’s always supportive of our endeavors. I don’t think she’s ever missed a graduation, piano recital, ballet recital, or any other big event in our lives.

9. She’s truly one of the kindest, most generous people I know. Even though I’m working already, she continues to give me treats, whether it’s food, clothes, beauty products, trips, and more!

10. She’s one of my best friends. I know I can always turn to her for advice and she’s there whenever I need a shoulder to cry on.

Happy birthday, Ma! My wish for you is to have a longer, happier, healthier life. I may not be able to repay you for everything you’ve done for me, but when I have kids of my own, my only hope is to be as great a mom to them as you are to me, Liz, and Sabs.

We love you!!!

Angel

(Don’t worry, this is the last installment of my travel blog. :P)

I’ve been to so many places during my vacation but the best part was spent with my family. My cousins from Chicago and I drove up to Canada from Chicago (bloody 8-hour drive!) to visit our cousins in Mississauga and spend Halloween with them. It’s been 8 years since I last saw them and we thought it’s time for us people down south to visit our loved ones in the north. It was 6 days of pure bonding and fun.

Before heading to the city, we stopped over the borderline of Canada to see the Niagara Falls. Though we didn’t bother going to the main falls, we had fun fooling around at the Niagara Falls Park.

As soon as we got to our Tito’s house, we drove to the other end of Mississauga to visit my other cousins from my dad’s side. It was surreal seeing 2 of my families in one house. They didn’t know each other at first but I was glad everyone got along pretty well.

Our main objective in our trip was to have family time and catch up on each other’s lives. No one changed. Everyone remained to be the goofy Guzman we were known for. We fooled around, played games, laugh our hearts out, and enjoyed the rare moment we have together.

Missing everyone,
Roch <3

The Blind Side is so much more than just the film that won Sandra Bullock the Best Actress award in this year’s Golden Globes. The plot seems simple enough: A kid from the wrong side of town encounters a privileged family who takes him in, helps him realize his full potential, and drives him to succeed. But the simple plot expertly revolves around several themes—family and love and hope and forgiveness—tying them all together to create a thought-provoking, inspiring, and ultimately feel-good story. I haven’t seen a movie with this much heart in a really long time, and I realized that this film actually (and ironically?) opened my eyes to several things:

1. We are too quick to judge and too slow to trust. As human beings, our general instinct is to protect ourselves. We judge because at some twisted level, it makes us feel better, and we refuse to trust because we have been hurt and betrayed many, many times. But this movie argues otherwise—as human beings, we are capable of giving the benefit of the doubt; we are capable of opening our hearts to strangers and taking a chance on them.

2. Bad people don’t necessarily come from bad families, and the worst parents don’t automatically produce bad children. But a good person almost always comes from the best kind of family, growing up in a home that always made (and will always make) him or her feel safe and warm and loved.

3. The most successful relationships are the ones where both parties can be completely honest with one another, knowing that they will be accepted no matter what.

4. People CAN change. People DO change. All it takes is one person who will believe in you—not just in your talents and skills, but also in the goodness within you. And when you’ve got more than one person believing in you, consider yourself very, very blessed. Because that’s really all you need to start believing in yourself, too.

5. Everything comes back to us a hundredfold. When Leigh Anne encouraged Michael to discover and develop his potential for football and academic excellence, she unknowingly developed her own potential to be the best mother, wife, and person she can be. She found her own happy ending by helping someone else get his. It’s been said so many times and in so many ways, but it remains one of life’s greatest truths: A tiny act of love spreads far and wide, gaining power and speed so that it returns to you bigger and stronger and better. A tiny act of love can change your life.

The Blind Side touches down in Manila this month, starring Sandra Bullock, Quentin Aaron, Tim McGraw, Lily Collins, and Jae Head.

Big hugs,
Marla

Hi, guys!

I just came from a walking food tour of Chinatown this morning and it was all kinds of awesome! We actually featured this particular tour back in the May 2007 issue of Candy, but since I wasn’t able to go last time, I was so excited to finally be able to try it! Though some things have changed since then, the tour was still full of good food and pleasant surprises.

Our first stop was Cafe Mezzanine (the volunteer firemen’s coffee shop) for the classic Hokkien dish, Kiampung. I know Macy and Mimi love this!

Next, tasty Dong Bei dumplings. There are two kinds of sauce: normal and spicy. I go for the spicy one!

Guess who we bumped into while walking around Binondo? The “ube man” himself, Mr. Chua Chiu Hong of Eng Bee Tin!

Shopping for Chinese delicacies while having a bite of this tasty siopao with veggies and tofu.

No, it’s not a burrito. It’s lumpia from the New Po-Heng Lumpia House—undoubtedly one of the best I’ve ever tasted!

Here I am with Roland (who took the pics I posted here), Tita Mae (who is a balikbayan from the US), Tita Yet, my mom, Tita Pie, and our Binondo-bred tour guide, Ivan Man Dy.

We had other food stops on the tour, but I’ll leave you to discover those for yourself! It was also interesting to know about the history of the Chinese in Manila from Ivan’s perspective (way more interesting than a history teacher’s version!). Just log on to Old Manila Walks to book a tour. (They’re on Facebook too!) I promise it will be worth it. And the best part? You get a souvenir map of Binondo with all the food stops as recommended by Ivan. I can’t wait to go back and explore the other places on my own!

New Binondo foodie,
Angel