I won’t deny it: I spend way too much time online. Mostly I’m just stalking people on Facebook and Instagram, other times I’m doing something more useful like reading articles on style and teen sites as research for work. But once in a while I find gems that make me grateful that the Internet was invented, that we have access to other people’s wonderful words even when they’re half a world away, and that we are all connected through our online presence and the love and wisdom that somehow manages to seep into the cracks between useless rants and gratuitous selfies.

A young writer posted this poem called “Here” by Aracelis Girmay on Tumblr a couple of weeks ago, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve read it every day since then. It reminded me of a photo I took early last year while on vacation with my family; in the photo my shadow is split, and it would take a while for you to spot the other half. But it’s right there, captured, and lately I’ve been thinking that life is a lot like this, too: It often feels like something is missing, but what we don’t realize is that our hearts are more full than they seem. You are already here, and so is everything you need.

Dive into Girmay’s full poem here, and let me know if you loved it as much as I did.

xx,
Marla

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Here’s another post inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Rachel of ThatsChic.net. Feel free to make your own list on your blog!

Music Monday

Caught my favorite artist in concert again and loved every minute of it. I first saw Jason Mraz in 2004 in Aliw Theater. Though he rarely plays old stuff, I still get blown away every single time I see him perform live. And even if I’ve seen him in concert already, I will keep watching him as long as he keeps coming back to Manila. I love you, Mr. A-Z! <3

Tasty Tuesday

Headed to the NBC Tent yesterday to check out Yummy Eats 2013, a cooking and eating fair that our sister mag Yummy organizes every year. Got to sample some of the best treats in the metro that afternoon. My standout favorites: The Blue Toque’s The Ultimate, Mad Meats Bacon, Alchemy’s Macarons, and Pio’s Kitchen’s Paella Bagnet.

Wishful Wednesday

Who wouldn’t want a vanity filled with makeup, right? Erin, Jed, and I checked out the stuff from The Makeup Factory. They’ve got a wide range of products that we can’t wait to try! I’d love to get my hands on their colored liners because I’m a fan of eye makeup. (:

Thoughtful Thursday

Have you submitted your entries to this week’s Fresh Thought theme on the Carefree Fresh Corner? It’s been interesting looking through the “words that get you by.” Here are a few of mine. Isn’t it comforting to know that not everyone is perfect? Somewhere, someone made the same mistake you did and got over it. So you can too!

Fashion Friday

Check out our ride to the Candy Style Awards. NOT. Haha, the winners of our Whisper Unstoppable VIP Prom Experience promo got to ride this limo to the event. How fancy, right? We simply took a photo and sat in it so we could feel like VIPs too.

Will you post this on your blog too? Leave a comment with the link so I can check it out!

Love,
Macy

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I’m not a K-Pop fan and I’ve never watched any Koreanovelas, so when my friends decided to go to Korea for our next barkada trip, I was only moderately excited. But after spending five whole days there, I began to realize why so many people keep raving about this unique and beautiful country. Here are a few things that made me fall in love with Korea:

1. Hiking up Mt. Namsan
We actually weren’t prepared to climb up this mountain to get to Seoul Tower, but since the taxi driver dropped us off at Namsan park, we had no choice! It was totally worth it though as we saw so many cherry blossoms and such breathtaking views. Good thing we were able to take the cable car on the way down.

2. Seeing the Teddy Bear Museum
This unique museum which showcases Korean history and culture is located in Seoul Tower. The teddy bears were adorable—and some of them even move!

3. Biking around Nami Island
Nami is about two hours away from Seoul and it’s the island where the Koreanovela Winter Sonata was filmed. My guy and I enjoyed tandem biking and seeing the beautiful natural wonders found here.

4. Eating spicy Korean food
This authentic bibimbap was TDF! *drools*

And check this out: Love in my lunch! So cute!

5. Dressing up in Korean costumes
My friends and I had a blast trying out different Korean outfits in Hanok Village—and posing for photos! Think we can pass for real Koreans?

6. Hanging out at the cutest cafes
There are all sorts of coffee shops on the streets of Seoul, but the Hello Kitty Cafe is definitely the most adorable one of all!

7. Shopping and spotting celebrities
Myeongdong is one of the most famous shopping spots in Seoul. After hours of shopping, we were resting in Dunkin Donuts when we spotted this celebrity couple! I honestly don’t know who they are but people swarmed all over them and started taking pics—so of course, I had to snap one too! Do you know who they are?

There are so many other wonderful spots in Korea and I wish I could have explored them all. I will definitely go back there someday! And maybe I’ll start listening to some K-pop and start watching Koreanovelas too! Any recommendations?

An Nyeong Hi Ga Se Yo!

Angel

Posted in Candy, Travel | 5 Comments »

Guess what landed on my desk this morning?

I am so excited for you girls to see it. This year’s diary features the super duper cute illustrations of Raine Sarmiento (check out her adorable blog here) and has tons of stickers too! Have you gotten your copy already? Tweet or instagram us a pic @candymagdotcom!

Love,
Steph

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Yes, I know I’m sooo late to the party. But I made up for it by watching all 100 episodes—just about five minutes each—in four days! For those who are as late to the party as I am, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a web series based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Basically, Lizzie the single grad student vlogs about her life. It’s still got Austen canon like Lizzie’s mom’s eternal struggle to marry off her daughters, but it also has the coolest modern twists: Mr. Bingley is now Mr. Bing Lee (gedditttt), Darcy’s a corporate hipster, and more. I love how they modernized Charlotte and Mr. Collins’ “arrangement,” the George and Lydia debacle, and all kinds of other stuff I don’t want to spoil.

If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice or seen the Keira Knightley movie, I suggest you Wikipedia the original plot so you can better appreciate all the little twists. And when you do decide to watch LBD, make sure you’ve got pillows to hug and to muffle your kilig squeals. I was not prepared for how life-ruining it was, so I found myself flailing, running around my room, and screaming at my laptop in the dead of the night, waking up not a few neighbors. Oh, and go to the bathroom before you start watching! Umm, gross tip, but I promise you won’t be able to tear yourself away for hours.

In case you need more convincing, here are Lizzie and Darcy looking ADORABLE at LBD events.

Awkward dancing (yihee!)

Not-so awkward dancing (double yihee!)

Best picture of ‘em all

Walang mapaglagyan ng kilig (haha!),
Dyan

*Photos courtesy of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries Facebook page

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