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I still can’t believe that Justin Timberlake is coming to the Philippines! He’s coming to my home! I’ve been a fan ever since his ‘NSync days and I can’t wait to be able to watch him live again.

I was lucky enough to see one of his concerts in New Jersey in 2006—right after he released the Future Sex Love Sounds album. I watched with my older sister, and we were screaming our lungs out the whole time. It was an awesome show! JT is really one of the best performers I’ve ever seen live. I love how you can see that he’s just having fun on stage.

Timbaland also came out during that concert—he and JT make a great duo! Here’s a video I took of a cool mix they did of “Promiscuous Girl” and “Sexy Back.” Please excuse my shaky hand and screaming. Hehe.

I can’t describe how excited I am to watch their concert here! How can you go wrong with all these amazing artists in 1 night?  My sisters and I bought tickets as soon as we found out about it. All 3 of us are ENORMOUS Justin fans and are praying that we get to meet him somehow. We’ve already been rehearsing our “what-if-I-get-to-meet-JT” lines. Hehe. I still can’t think of anything that sounds original though. Any suggestions?

Leave a comment if you’re a JT fan like me! Hope to see you at the concert on March 27! Wheeeeeeee!

Love,
Margaux

Dear Candy girls,

On March 11-12, 2010, athletes from all over the Philippines trooped to the Philsports Arena to participate in the National Athletics Games. But these are no ordinary athletes—they’re special!

Being “special” means having an intellectual disability, such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and Down syndrome (DS). The Special Olympics is a worldwide organization with over three million registered athletes from 170 countries. Their mission is to show the world that intellectually disabled persons are not inferior—that they are indeed special individuals who deserve our love and acceptance.

I witnessed this for myself when I attended the Special Olympics National Games last week. The athletes were driven, focused, and best of all, they were just having fun (they had impromptu dance-offs in between games!). They had events like standing long jump, shot put, and running. Some of them could run even faster than me!

In the Philippines, they have about 10,500 members. In the 2007 Special Olympics World Games held in Shanghai, China, the Philippines sent 51 athletes and came home with 52 medals—nine of which were gold! National Program Director Alex Babst says, “In all these competitions, the Filipino intellectually challenged athlete has proven that he is not a failure. We’re really showcasing our athletes because we want to show our community that through sports they have the ability to succeed, to do their best, and to become winners.”

So what does it really mean to be special? I think it’s about being patient, accepting others for who they are, reaching out, giving your all (whether it’s in sports or any other passion you may have), and simply living in the moment.

To learn more, be a volunteer, or be an advocate for special kids, log on to www.sophilippines.org or contact Tan Doroin at 0917-8668616.
It’ll change your life in a positive way, I promise.

Feeling special,
Angel

Last Friday, my college org, the UP StreetDance Club celebrated 10 years of dance through Street Fuzion X: Decade, Vision, Dance. I remember being a wide-eyed freshman sitting in the audience of the first Street Fuzion ever. We were required to attend because I was part of the StreetDance PE class under Jerome Dimalanta, who incidentally was the moderator of The Club. I was completely blown away. I remembered thinking, I have to join this org. I have to.

A year later, I was dancing Nelly’s “Ride Wit’ Me” onstage, proud to call myself a member of the UP StreetDance Club. I have a lot of good memories with the org. I developed my marketing skills when I became part of the team tasked to look for sponsors for the concert. I upped my dancing—learned how to do basic breakdance (I can do a six-step, alba, and a double arm planche). I met friends who’ve remained dear to me until now.

So nine years after I joined The Club, I jumped at the chance to be part of the Alumni number. We only started learning the routine last January, but I’m super proud to say, we did a mighty good job:

I had a lot of fun and was thrilled that the Candy team was in the audience that night! They even made a sign for me. So sweet!

Do you love dancing? Check out the summer workshops at Groove Central. They have some of the best instructors you can ever learn from. Visit Groove Central on Facebook or Multiply to know more.

Just dance,
Macy

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.

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