CandyMag.Com

(Photo via weheartit)

My one-book-a-week project was a complete epic fail. Having no time to pursue my reading, what with all the other schoolworks I am involved in, I gave up a week after. My other excuse? Reading one book a week was kind of a hassle. My reading span varies  depending on the book. It may take me more than a week to finish one, or maybe less if I’m really interested in the story. But I wasn’t that quick to give up. Therefore, I resigned to giving myself an ultimatum: 15 books or more for 365 days. So far, I’ve read four books this year, and I am just starting on the fifth. Two of these books are part of my 2010 Reading List/Book List. What’s on the list, you may ask? I have:

1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
2. PS. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
3. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
4. Gossip Girl by Cecily von Zeigesar
5. Nights In Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
7. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
8. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
9. Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli
10. LA Candy by Lauren Conrad
11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol
13. Animal Farm by George Orwell
14. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
15. A B N K K B S N P L AKO by Bob Ong

All in all, the books on the list are quite an odd combination. I wasn’t thinking of a specific genre when I put the titles together. Furthermore, I’ve decided to add a few books I’ve already read before—such as Alice, New Moon, Bob Ong, and Gossip Girl—for it’ll help in completing the list faster. I’m very excited. Although I am a bit lagging behind on my reading list, I’m confident I’ll be able to finish before 2010 ends.

silently reading at the corner,
alekx

As another school year ends, a new adventure is about to begin, but before you grab your swimsuit and flip-flops, here is a list of 11 things you can do to gear up for that adventure called “summer.”

1. Study and ace your tests. March… now before you sigh, exclaim, and joyfully await the summer season, there’s still a lot more work to be done. End your school year with a bang and in flying colors! Don’t miss your last chance to impress your teacher and classmates with your stellar grades.
2. Plant a tree or two. Aid against Global Warming and make summer better by contributing to Mother Nature. Summer is a lot more beautiful, one tree at a time.
3. Keep fit. Don’t waste your last few days in school by pigging out on those potato chips. Welcome summer vacation with a new body appropriate for that swimsuit you’ve been eyeing.
4. Prettify your toes. Match your new bikini with a brand new mani-pedi. Have your nails done in bright colors that complement the joyful spirit of the summer season.
5. Take off that mascara. Summer is all about embracing the natural outdoors. So, let your skin breathe. What better way to face that summer air with a fresh face?! Feeling incomplete without make-up? Go au naturel and trade your plum peepers for beige and light greens that identify with in and now the colors of the season.
6. Make MORE friends. When is it not a time to create new friendship? Two months is short so why not start now? When the next school year begins, you have more people to include into your social circle.
7. Rebuild broken bonds. Summer will be two months of no school and no social circle. Save yourself from the awkwardness when the next school year starts and link broken relationships back together. If you’re leaving High School or College, all the more reason to recreate ties with friends you’ll surely miss five or ten years from now.
8. Load up your wallet. Summer is vacation and vacation means the annual barkada summer trip to one of your friend’s family rest house in Tagaytay. Don’t miss out on all the fun you can have and start saving for your next trip. The next shopping opportunity might be just around the corner!
9. Clean. With all the hassle you’ve had to face the entire school year, it’s no wonder you can hardly see what’s on the bottom of your pyramid of clothes. Give your mom a break and begin putting stuff into order. Remember, summer is no excuse to be disorganized!
10. Plan Ahead. In less than a month, you’ll have more free time than you can handle. Use it wisely and avoid to procrastinate. Get the help of a trusty planner and keep to it faithfully. Plan your ventures ahead so you won’t get overwhelmed with all the new activities you want to try doing this summer.
11. Read the March issue of Candy. Jess and I have scoured far and wide for  activities you can do over the hot summer days. Compiled in an incredibly-awesome article, you’ll be poring over the pages thinking of what to do next. March 2010 is Candy’s 11th birthday so make sure you get a copy!

Have a great month!

All the love,
Alekx

9:22AM

We’ve heard about the earthquake that greatly devastated Chile and the tsunami that might or might not hit (hopefully not!) countries bordering the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines included. I wasn’t as aware as I am now until last night when I decided to check news websites. A tsunami is expected in the country between 1PM-2:30PM. The information scares me and until now, we can only hope for the safety of many of the people in that area.

On a lighter note.

Last week, the College Scholastican Community celebrated a two-day event, the annual Freshmen Ball Night. First year college students celebrate a culminating activity for our Physical Education subject where we presented different dance numbers inspired by Retro and Latin music. My block was assigned a Latin dance number to be performed on Friday, February 26.

My block has the least number of students so it was a challenge for us to stand out from all the other block sections. Also, my block mates and I have varying schedules so finding time for practices was quite difficult.

We didn’t win, but we certainly had fun. We danced the night away in a euphoric bliss in the middle of flashing lights and blurring fog from fog machines. It’s a wonderful surprise to see your lovely boyish friends turn into swan-like Gracie Harts. Or your shy seat mate getting down (♫ down down down down! ♪) on the dance floor. As for me, it was definitely one of those experiences that made me smile and say, “I want this to last longer.” But eventually, like everything else in this world, the night ended, not on a sad note, though. My block mates and I have gotten closer than ever and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Quite a bittersweet ending for February.

March is fast approaching and I can’t believe that ten months of schooling, of college, would already have gone by. How fast time flies. Sounds trite, but it does have a ring of truth into it.

Lately I have been so immersed in school tasks, everything feels like a routine. Go to school, do your schoolwork. I guess I never really appreciated High School for how easy it was back then, now I realize. When I was in High School, I thought everything was already hard. When I finally arrived in college, I realized I was mistaken. College isn’t hard. It’s difficult. We have papers to submit almost everyday, quizzes every week, and a lot more random school stuff being thrown at us every now and then.

The good thing is our school’s Guidance Councilor was very kind enough to share with us a few things that would help us overcome the stressful pace and pitfalls of college life. If you’re like me, who is a bit of a workaholic, you probably don’t have time to remember these tips. But fret do not, these are only five words to live by. Breathe. Eat. Drink. Sleep. And Smile.

1. Breathe. First thing to do is to breathe. C’mon! Breathe… Isn’t so hard to do, right? Breathing fresh air helps clean the lungs and it has a relaxing feeling. Fewer than 10 deep breaths a minute for seven minutes a day allows you to keep your blood pressure in check, since it slows your heart rate and relaxes you.
2. Eat. Honey, that project might be on a deadline, but you’ll only make things worse by not eating! Putting off eating is very bad for your health. Grab a healthy snack before doing your homework because it’ll give you more energy to cope up with your studies.  Candy has a suggestion on what healthy foods you could eat in the Jan-Feb 2010 Body Buzz section.
3. Drink lots and lots of water. Take a break and freshen up with a glass of cool water. Not only does this make you feel more awake, but it also boosts your metabolism. So drink up!
4. Sleep. The average human being should sleep at least 8 times a day. However, with all the projects, home works, quizzes, and deadlines on your hands, finding time for sleep seems a lot harder to do than to say. So the best way to get the most out of your sleep is to have a routine. Don’t mess up your body clock. If you sleep at ten in the evening, make it a habit to sleep at 10PM every single day. The same thing goes when you wake up. Our body is repairing cells, tissues, and organs while we sleep so we might as well help it.
5. Smile. We’ve heard the song “Smile and maybe tomorrow, you’ll see the sun come shining through for you,” and the cliché “No one is fully dressed without a smile.” A smile gives the person confidence and optimism. It also sends a message to the brain that everything is going to be alright. A smile is contagious that when others see the glowing happiness inside you, they will begin to get it too. Try closing your eyes and smiling. It won’t take long before your smile turns into one hilarious laughter, enough to keep you going through the rest of the day.

So dearest Candy Girls… just because you have so many things to do, it doesn’t mean you have to accomplish all of them at the expense of your health. Achieving wouldn’t be as rewarding if you do not love your body for what it is, and yourself for who you are.

Stressbusting,
Alekx.xo.

Bonjour! Bonjour!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, what are your plans? Rewind to a few days ago, Keisha has given us awesome things to try out during the Happy Heart’s Day. So I have figured, what better way to accompany our meanderings than a personalized Valentine’s Day soundtrack. I made mine just a few days ago and I would like to share them with you, dear Candy Girls. I specially picked these songs, because I think they all speak of love in a unique way. Enjoy!

(via) (http://weheartit.com/entry/1364138)

1. “All of Your Life (You Need Love)” - Backstreet Boys
   You need love
   Please don’t change the way you are
   Soon you’ll live within my heart
   You deserve it, you know it
   You’ve been searching for it all of your life
2. “Season of Love” - Shiny Toy Guns
   Where did it come from
   and where does it go
   If it were right in front of me
   Would I know
   Love love love
   Love love love!
   Love love love!
3. “She’s Got You High” - Mumm-Ra
   Whats this about? I figured love would shine through
   We’ve lost romance this world has turned so see through
   Open your mind, believe it’s going to come to
   Romance alive and hope she’s going to tell you
4. “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” - Natalie Cole
   You’ve brought a lot of sunshine into my life
   You’ve filled me with happiness I never knew
   You gave me more joy than I ever dreamed of
   And no one, no one can take the place of you
5. “Love Me Tender” - Adam Levy feat. Norah Jones (Elvis Presley Cover)
   Love me tender, love me true
   All my dreams fulfill
   For, my darling I love you
   And I always will.
6. “Miracles Happen” - Myra
   You showed me dreams come to life
   That taking a chance on us was right
   All things will come with a little time
   When You believe

We all have varying perceptions of LOVE, but whether single, in a relationship, or it’s complicated , it all boils down to how genuine our love is for one another, then can we only know our love is true.

How about you? What songs are included in your Valentine’s play list? Hit the comment link and share… we’d love to hear from you!

Of chocolates and red roses,
Alekx