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Busy, busy day today at the office. It’s almost time to go and yet I still have two more things on my to-do list, which I will probably do on the car ride home or after dinner at my house. Days like today, I need a ready supply of motivational thoughts. Today, it’s thoughts of Cam Sur that have been playing in my head.

I’m super excited to hit the water this year. Haven’t been to the beach in ages! Can’t wait till I go in April. Want to see the beach towel I’ll be using?

I’m also thinking of using their new tote from their Garden Collection for my baon and water jug.

I’m kind of too old for it (okay a lot old), but I figure if it puts a smile on my face, why not use it, right? I’m also loving the wallet from their Stained Glass Collection (to go with my beach towel!) and their plush toy (flowered feet! kind of look like my dog’s paws) and diary (with a tiny lock! so cute) from the Garden Collection, but I have to draw the line somewhere. They’re enough to make me wish I were a kid again!

All Hello Kitty items are available at Gift Gate.

I clocked in way more than 12 hours today at the Candy office. To wit: I came in so early that the air conditioning was still switched off, the floor was empty, and the male janitor was still leisurely cleaning the female wash room. I’m leaving late, late enough that I’m worried I won’t find a yummy resto still open for me to take home dinner.

Which would be a real disaster since I have been thinking of food and not much else this whole day. Well, okay, I was also looking forward to Web Editor Macy’s dance concert on Friday, but I was also wondering where my guy and I would have our yummy dinner date afterwards. Yup, food on the brain.

Which is why I am actually torturing myself by posting these photos here and now. Meet the meat that’s been on my mind all day on this hungry, hardworking Tuesday. If you ever feel the urge to feed the hungry, send me a couple of these Greenwich babies pronto. Let it be your good deed for the day. Please address to Mia Custodio, Candy Magazine, 6th Floor, Cybergate Tower 3, Pioneer Avenue, Mandaluyong. Grazie!

P.S. If you have money for only one, let it be the lasagna. Please.

Greenwich’s Meatball Spaghetti

Greenwich’s New Lasagna

Greenwich’s Three-Cheese and Sausage Macaroni

I haven’t been spending much time with our Chow Chow Kelly lately, and it’s been breaking my heart every time I have to say goodbye to her when the weekend ends. She loves going out so I made it a point to take her on a doggie date yesterday. Air conditioning ranks high on her list of priorities, so we took her to Eastwood’s new mall.

As soon as we arrived, we bumped into a super adorable Chow Chow named Jacob, who could pass for her relative. Jacob’s much bigger though, and his coat is a beautiful shade of almond.

He kept trying to get close to Kelly, and his master even asked if we could check with our vet about Kelly having babies, because Jacob is looking for a girlfriend.

That’s Kelly on the right, fat paws and all.

She was such a good girl the whole time, and even waited patiently by the couch as I tried on two pairs at a shoe store.

We also had a quick dinner at Uncle Cheffy’s—their panizzas are good. She was eyeing the lechon in my guy’s salad (lechon in salad, so mind-boggling, I know) but I put my foot down and said no can do.

You won’t believe how happy she looked on the way home, like she was so incredibly happy she got to see new people and dogs, and got to spend the whole day with us. Can’t wait to take her out again

On a related doggie note, my friend Maggie (K-Zone’s Editor) has new fur kids—her fur kid Gable’s kids actually. Meet Monroe and Mr. Knightly. Check out their photos—so greeting card worthy!!!

My last high school summer (the one right before I entered college), I read John Knowles’s A Separate Peace. I loved Phineas’s character and could see myself in Gene’s. I was incredibly moved by the story, and was delighted to find a classic that I could totally relate to.

A couple of years later, I read The Catcher in The Rye, and couldn’t get enough of J.D. Salinger’s Holden Caulfield because he was such a riot—funny, smart, outrageous, and a true individual.

These days, I notice really good books are hard to come by. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are a lot of great writers out there, and there are definitely titles that can make an impressive list of all-new classics (there’s an oxymoron). But sometimes it’s not easy finding a good read in a best-sellers list. Reading a badly written book, especially one with a great plot, can be really painful and frustrating—vampire or no vampire—because you can imagine how much nicer it would be in the hands of a better author.

Lately, I’ve been delighting in new covers of old faves. These were done by one of my fave illustrators, Mary Engelbriet. They came with free pendants that matched the book’s theme.

Here’s a peek at my next-in-line pile for reading and re-reading. I’m also excited about Konigsburg’s The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World, because I loved From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler so much (Features Editor Angel loved it too!). Let me know which classics you’re loving, and which new books you consider new classics—would love to check them out!

Right about now you’re probably busy finishing a million papers and projects for school, and gearing up for finals too. Hang in there, Candy Girls, it’ll be summer vacay before you know it! Then it’s one blissful day outdoors after another.

Strictly speaking, I don’t have summer vacations, which is a pity since I truly love being outdoors. For me, heaven is a sunny day spent outdoors; wide open spaces all around and loved ones beside you. I had exactly that just the other day, when my guy surprised me by taking me to this year’s hot air balloon festival. All he told me the night before was to wear flats and that we’d be outdoors. I love surprises but it drove me crazy not knowing where we were going or how I should dress! (yes, i do obsess about stupid things like which flats or what bag to use, and how much makeup is appropriate. but i do obsess about important things too. that’s why i hardly sleep. for this outdoor day, i chose a really old pair of flats, a small saddle bag, and no makeup save for gloss)

Here’s what had me smiling all day:

Awesome seeing tons of kites all at once. I wish we had a nearby park where I could fly a kite and let my fur kids loose.

They had several air shows. I hope I get to try this one day. The propellers allowed them to whiz by so fast, it looked like so much fun!

Seeing this chopper brought back happy childhood memories for me, memories of spending weekends in the province and visiting my dad where he worked.

The atmosphere was so festive, just like a high school fair or theme park. So festive that I scarfed down 2 hotdogs, a snow cone, a KitKat ice cream drumstick (!), and gallons of iced tea and water, without worrying I’d be spoiling my appetite for dinner (it wasn’t spoiled at all, i tucked into a burger dinner with gusto, hehe!). I was looking for fish balls and cotton candy but they didn’t have any.

Loved the wide open field. Waiting for the balloons to set up at this point.

One of my fave balloons had huge hearts all over. Yup, am a sucker for Valentine’s! But only because I take it as a day to celebrate with all your loved ones—friends, family, fur kids.

My other fave balloon, with the rainbow stripes.

They had a lights show in the evening, with fireworks

I also got to celebrate Valentine’s with my fur kids (a walk in their fave airconditioned mall!), my friends (we visited Nash and her newborn!), my bro (a table for two foodies!), and my whole family plus my guy (we were so many we took up two rows at the theater!). Meet our Three Marias—Sophia, Marga (guess she doesn’t like paparazzi), and Bella. We heart Percy!