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As a kid, I was always made to perform in front of my mom’s friends. I took piano lessons in Yamaha and would perform my pieces in the living room, much to the amusement of my titos and titas. Back in Marikina, I remember how I would always plug in my “One Moment In Time” minus one and proceed to belt out as if I were performing at the Olympics. My mom had a frilly dress made for me and I would dance the lambada in our living room for parties.

I guess even if I generally come across as a shy person, I’m really not. Hahaha. I love performing! I guess after I get over the initial bout with stage fright, I am in my happy place onstage. In college, we’d have classes that required us to perform stories in front of the class. I almost got a perfect score in our Oral Interpretation class when I did Kurt Vonnegut’s A Long Walk To Forever. Too bad I giggled towards the end.

You know, I even had a short-lived dream of becoming a broadcaster. Haha! Hey, if you have that same dream, we kind of might be able to make that come true.

Well, would you look at that. Me already on stage in preschool!

This year, we’re looking for Candy Girls (and Boys, too!) who love not only love to write but also speak. Think of yourselves as teen reporters for the best teen website for the Filipina teen. Do you think you’ve got what it takes? We’re holding auditions next Wednesday here at the Candy HQ! Don’t worry, it’s not going to be scary. We’ll do fun dares and ask you questions and basically just get down to the basic question: Why do you want to be part of Candymag.com? So sign up and let’s see if you’re the next Candymag.com Correspondent!

Posted in Candy, Candy Rap | 2 Comments »

For a dismal lack of things to blog about (I doubt you guys would want to hear about the barely noticeable two-inch trim I got last weekend, or the Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos and chocolate truffle ice cream I had last night, or this super awesome, potentially life-changing baby I firmly believe will be mine someday), I am taking the easy way out and posting this YouTube video instead.

You might think, “Blog entries with links to YouTube videos are so impersonal and lame. Bleh. I’m closing this tab.” But hold your horses—this video is actually about me! Well, sort of. I’ve been listening to Grizzly Bear for the past several days (you might have heard their song “Slow Life” in the New Moon soundtrack; I love “Two Weeks” and “While You Wait for the Others”), and guess what I found? They have a song called… wait for it… “Marla!”

I would have wanted it to be a happy, sunshine-y song that makes you want to dance and makes you think of rainbows and unicorns and puppies in baskets with bows around their necks, but NOOO. It is totally creepy on so many levels, and sounds like something from a horror movie! Yikes. Some people even say it’s about a ghost haunting an old house, looking for redemption. Double yikes.

So here’s some wise advice for you, Candy Girls: Before you get all kilig over some random song that has your name for its title, check the lyrics first. I guess this also goes for some random song some random boy supposedly wrote for you—check the lyrics first, and maybe while you’re at it, try to check if he told other girls he wrote that song for them, too. These days, you can never be too careful. I may or may not be speaking from experience. I will neither confirm nor deny.

Also, these days, I can’t figure out what to wear because it is SHRN! Yes, I just found out last night that SHRN means So Hot Right Now, and I feel so hip and cool and therefore I’m trying to use it as much as I can in my daily conversations. SHRN!

Big hugs,
Marla
:penguin:

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Hi Candy Girls!

I love summer and the opportunities it gives me to see more of the world! This month, Candy has a four-page travel special that will make you rush out to see the different islands of the Philippines. I’ve only actually been to six of the eight amazing sights Angel wrote about, but I’d like to share my recent experience about one of these über-cool spots.

Last March, my office friends and I planned an adrenalin-filled trip to Cagayan de Oro. After weeks of planning, we decided to go for the Mapawa River Trek Angel did with her friends. I must say that the highlight of that adventure was jumping off a 30-foot cliff.

See the marked jump-off points (I leaped off the left side while my friends settled for the lower point. Chickens. Haha!), me asking the guide if the cliff was safe, practicing my run, then actually doing the jump! Too bad the guide didn’t manage to capture my jump. It was a frightening but liberating experience.

When you’re in CDO, you must also try white water rafting! I’m not a big fan of H2O (and all the icky stuff you might find underneath), but somehow, my friends and I managed to survive going through 21 crazy rapids for half a day. My knees were seriously shaking and I was saying a prayer moments before riding the raft (I’ve heard scary stories about paddles hitting faces and experiencing “washing machine” moments underwater), but I started to relax after we successfully rode through the first rapid. It also helped that our guide was a natural comedian who entertained us with jokes and stories about the rapids.

All-girl posse (that’s Jo, Maggie, me, and Koko) plus a high five with our newfound rafting buddies.

Our raft going through the first rapid (look at my scared/serious face), while another raft capsizes! Thank God that’s not me hanging on for dear life.

Going under some rock formations for the thrill of it (I was worried our faces would get scraped!), then spotting a snake coiled around some branches. Scaaary!

We were all so proud that no one fell off our raft… that is until we “surfed” down the second to the last rapid! See the actual video here. Some people got injured or even ingested a few liters of water, but strangely enough, the flip became one of the highlights of our CDO trip.

This weekend, I’m off to Bicol with my BFF Karen to visit the beautiful Calaguas Island. I’m worried about camping out and having no actual toilet/bathroom for a day, but I’m sure it’ll be a unique experience worth sharing with you Candy Girls!

Till next week,
Mimi

Posted in Bond, Girl!, Candy, Reality Bytes | No Comments »

I used to hate him. I’d stay as far away as I can. If I could help it, I’d only be with him for a few minutes then start walking away. He always left me out of breath and weak in the knees. But in 2005, everything changed. I was forced to spend more time with him. What started out as five minutes became 10, 30, and eventually, a whole hour. As we spent more time together, I grew to like him a little. I hated the fact that I had to wake up early in the morning just for him and how it sometimes pained me to be with him, but I loved how he made me feel energized and alive.

Since then, we’ve had a love-hate relationship. Sometimes, I’d be so excited about him, but other times, I just didn’t want to deal with him. There’d be times when I’d see him every day, and other times when I wouldn’t see him for weeks. But like that crush you just can’t get out of your system, he was a force to be reckoned with. Lately, I’ve found myself falling in love with him again. I realized that I need him and that he can really make me a happier, healthier person.

Who am I talking about?

Running!

I’ve decided to make this year a running year. I really want to make running a permanent part of my life. As I said, I’ve been doing it on and off for the past five years, but this time, I really want to commit!

Check out this pretty pair of Newton Trainers that I bought last month from Runnr in Bonifacio High Street. It’s a great pair of shoes for serious runners. After just a few weeks of training with it, I already feel faster and lighter!

Here I am running with my guy at the Globe Run for Home last March 21. We ran 15-km. Next week, we’re off to Baguio for a 21-km trail run! (I’ll tell you our love story some other time. Hehe.)

I love the rush I get whenever I cross the finish line of any race. Even if I didn’t win, it feels good knowing I pushed myself and defied my limits.

This was taken at the Ninoy Aquino memorial in Ayala triangle after the Globe run. It’s the first time I ran along Ayala and Makati Ave. They closed those streets just for us!

Here I am with Marie Calica, editor in chief of Runner’s World Philippines. Their first issue is packed with awesome tips and advice for runners, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned expert. It comes with the April issue of Women’s Health and Men’s Health. Go grab a copy!

This summer, I dare you to have your own love affair with running. Just like any relationship, it will have its fair share of challenges. But once you commit to it, your life will be so much brighter and more meaningful.

Running out the door now,
Angel

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Stephie and I swap links we find on this cute Flickr group all the time. We’ve submitted a few, too. We always get thrilled when people comment that they like what’s in our bag—or our bag. Haha!

When this week’s question was sent, I remembered I took a photo of the bag I brought when I went to the beach a few weeks ago:

I know, I know. This isn’t everything I brought with me! I had a huge bag with my clothes, bikinis, sunblock, tanning oil, towels, etc.

I’m packing for another trip this weekend (I super can’t wait to hit the beach!) and I’m thinking of what to bring. Knowing me, I’ll probably pack five cameras (haha, okay, maybe three?), Keebler’s Chocolate Lovers, Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream (my ultimate snacking partners), and my trusty iPod Elphaba with my favorite songs (right now I’m listening to Club 8—rumor has it, they’re coming to Manila in May!).

What do you pack in your bag for a trip and where are you going this summer? Spill! If you have a pic, upload it in our Bag Attack! gallery on Snaps. (:

Posted in Candy, Reality Bytes | 3 Comments »