CandyMag.Com

This month, I’m celebrating two anniversaries.

Five years ago, I first joined the Candy team! Check out this old photo of me with Parokya ni Edgar at the Candy Rap Awards in March 2005—just one week after I first started working. Back then, I was a bright, wide-eyed, straight-haired gal just a year out of college and learning as much as I could on my first job. Today, I’m no longer straight-haired nor fresh out of college, but I can say that I am still enjoying myself and learning every day!

Four years ago, I became someone’s girlfriend. This was taken during our climb of Mt. Kinabalu, Malaysia in March 2006—about a week after Roland and I got together. I had liked some guys before him but either I was too terrified to take the plunge or things just didn’t work out. With Roland, things somehow fell into place. Some people say that being committed to someone limits who you are and what you can do, but that’s not always the case. I think being in a good relationship will allow you to grow, flourish, and be the best version of yourself.

When I look back on the past five years with Candy and the past four years with Roland, I feel so blessed for having been in two long-term relationships that have brought me so many exciting adventures, challenges that helped me to grow, love, laughter, and lifelong friendships.

So what anniversaries are you looking forward to celebrating this year? Let’s drink to that!

Cheers,
Angel

Five reasons why you should watch this amazingly twisted flick!

1. The Colorful Characters. In this movie, you’ll once again meet the motley of unique and interesting characters you loved in the original book. Aside from Alice (played by Mia Wasikowska), there’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and more.

2. The Battle of Good versus Evil. Who doesn’t love a good action flick? In the movie, the mean, big-headed Red Queen (played to a creepy tee by Helena Bonham Carter) challenges the kind, gentle White Queen (Anne Hathaway) for the Wonderland crown. See how Alice plays her part in this battle!

3. It’s all about girl power. Aside from the fact that there are two queens (and no kings) in Wonderland, I found it really cool how Alice refused to let others dictate what she should do and believe in. Instead of following social conventions, she forged her own path and lived her life the way she thought was best for her.

4. Achieving the impossible. I loved how Alice “believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” From growing taller by eating a piece of cake to slaying evil creatures, Alice proves that you can do anything you set your mind to!

5. It’s in 3D! The movie watching experience just hasn’t been the same since the invention of 3D technology. Try watching it in the new Shang Digital Cinema—the first in the country to make use of XpanD active 3D glasses, to enhance your cinematic pleasure.

So what are you waiting for? Go watch Alice in Wonderland and let me know what you think!

Mad as the Mad Hatter,
Angel

Do you have an idea brewing in your head about a business opportunity that could impact your community in a positive way? Selling artwork made by street kids, perhaps? Or helping local coffee farmers in your province market their products?

You have the idea and you have a plan… but no money to implement it. Does that mean you have to give up on your dream? Not at all! You can join the British Council’s “I am a Changemaker”—a business plan competition that aims to look for young entrepreneurs who can change society for the better by spotting social problems and issues and finding innovative ways to address them.

This nationwide competition is open to organizations with members between 16-28 years of age. There will be four winners—one each from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and NCR. Each winning team will receive P100,000 as seed capital for their business proposal. Finalists will also have an opportunity to attend a four-day training course on Social Enterprise Planning and Development.

Deadline for applications is on April 15, 2010. For more information on the competition guidelines and application procedures, log on to www.britishcouncil.org.ph or call the British Council at 914-1011 to 14.

What are you waiting for? Time to turn that dream into a reality!

Angel

Hi, Candy girls!

Last weekend, my guy and I headed to Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna to participate in this year’s TNF Trail Run. What made it extra special was that it fell on Chinese New Year / Valentine’s Day!

As per our tradition to carbo-load before a race, we drove a little further to Tagaytay so we could have an early dinner at Hawaiian BBQ, one of my fave restaurants of all time. Their spam rice and barbecue ribs are the best! The cool, refreshing breeze and the nice view made it even more worth it.

After just a few hours of sleep, we headed to Nuvali at the crack of dawn together with our friends for the start of the 11-km trail run. The race itself was challenging but fun! The Nuvali trail did not disappoint as we ran across hills and corn fields, crossed shallow rivers, and saw a majestic sunrise.

At the end of the race, couples had to cross the finish line while holding hands. The girls were even given roses by the organizers. This definitely beats an ordinary movie-dinner date! One of my friends ran the race together with her parents who are more than 70 years old. They were given a special award and a standing ovation when they crossed the finish line. They’re amazing. I hope Roland and I will still be running together at that age too!

So how did you spend your Chinese New Year / Valentine’s Day? Hope you all had a blast with your loved ones!

Angel

Hi, Candy Girls!

Last weekend, my guy and I ate at a quaint, cozy restaurant in Serendra called The Healthy Kitchen. As the name suggests, the items on their menu are mostly made up of healthy stuff!

Here’s what we ordered:

Chicken Spinach Pasta (made with whole wheat noodles) and Lory’s Multi-grain Pizza—the base is made of low-fat Alfredo sauce, topped with turkey bacon, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, and lots and lots of mozzarella cheese! Who says healthy food has to be bland and boring? We were stuffed after this meal!

For dessert, we got the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie, made with dark chocolate chips and multi-grains. It was sooo good! The only thing missing was a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Our healthy dinner served as our carbo-loading for the next day’s Condura Run for the Dolphins! Here’s a mash-up of our photos from the event. Last year, we ran 21-km for the whale sharks or butandings of Donsol, Sorsogon. This year, we ran 10-km for the dolphins of Pamilacan Island, Bohol. (It’s not that we love dolphins less. It’s just that we had less training this year! Hehe.) My sister Liz joined a marathon for the first time too. She ran 5-km—so proud of her!

After every run, it’s a must to replenish our lost energy by drinking lots of water—and having breakfast, of course! We ate at Pancake House. Check out this tall stack of mini pancakes with cream cheese and honey orange syrup. So much for all the calories we burned! :p

This weekend, we have another marathon, but this time it’s an 11-km trail run at Nuvali, Laguna. Roland and I signed up for the couples run! Hehe! Wish us luck!

Have a Happy Valentine’s Weekend, Candy Girls!

Angel