When I finished reading Sarah Dessen’s latest book Along for the Ride, I realized a lot of things and one of those is that life is like learning how to ride a bike. You will encounter bumps along the way but it is part of the learning process. It’s okay to crash because you learn from your mistake once you get on the bike again. Nothing is right the first time. No matter how many times you fall, it’s alright. At least you tried and you worked hard. This book has become one of my favorites. It helped me realize that screwing up will always be a part of life. If everything will be smooth and perfect, life will not be challenging at all and we won’t enjoy it.

When you feel like giving up, ask yourself first “do I really have to give up?” Don’t abandon the ride Candy Girls! When you fail, it doesn’t mean that you’re not good enough. You just have to do better. Keep in mind that “if you’re not getting hurt, you’re not riding hard enough.” This quote from the book really stuck with me and it never failed to remind me to go on with my journey. So Candy Girls, always remember to get back on the bike and go along the ride of your life.

Jesselle

Dear Professor ________,

The University of the Philippines—it’s every student’s dream. And now that the first semester of my first year in college is drawing to an end, I would love to be able to say that I made a mark as a student. I would want nothing more right now than to look back on these past few months and see myself as the ideal student—the kind that always had her hand up in the air, always had insanely high scores, always came to class on time, always brought her Math I module, always raced to find the answers before anyone else. I wanted to be known by name, not just by my student number. I hoped to be the kind of student no teacher could ever forget.

But looking back, I can’t seem to see even a shadow of that ideal student. All I see is a student who, in between taking down notes and listening, paused every so often to a.) Whip out her phone and text nothing of actual importance or b.) Take a bite of whatever it was she bought from the cafeteria before entering the classroom. I remember crossing my fingers and silently praying that my index card would remain hidden in the pile so I wouldn’t have to recite in class. I don’t remember waking up on a certain Monday/Thursday and feeling all psyched and raring to get to math class. You can pretty much say I failed at becoming the student I thought I was destined to become. Despite all the fresh beginnings and resolutions to change, I let my biases against math get to me once again. My entire Math I class passed right through me.

But I guess that just about sums up the most important thing I learned in Math I which, coincidentally, has nothing to do with math—there are no ideal students. There are no factory-made, cookie-cutter-type students, only those who try their best and whose efforts are recognized, encouraged, and pushed further by their teachers. There is no predestination—you become your own “ideal student” by working through it day after day. I can honestly say that this is the first time I’ve ever actually thought of trying harder. I’ve been so used to taking the backseat when it came to math—I always let the others race ahead of me. But for some reason, Math I made me want to try harder. It challenged me to do better. Throughout the whole semester, I did my best to try and keep up with the rest of them. There were times when I felt I was at the top of my game, but there were also times when I was panting like crazy and struggling to keep up. I didn’t finish first, but I got to the finish line.

The truth is I will never love math. I will never look at a page full of numbers and feel thrilled or excited or challenged. I will never jump to my feet and be assertive when it comes to matters involving even the slightest bit of math. The “Oh-no,-math-again?” sigh I’ve perfected over time will never be replaced by a shout of glee. I will never love math, but what I can do is learn to appreciate it. I’d like to think I’m not a lost cause yet. One day, the light bulb in my head will go off with a *ting!*, and I know that that will be the moment when I finally get math. And when that time finally comes, I’m sure I’m going to remember the math professor who once told me that it was okay to fail—making him one that I would never forget.
I’d like to end this letter with nothing but happy thoughts and good wishes to you, Sir, but that would fall under “following the rules,” wouldn’t it? So instead, I’ll extend my greeting to your future students—I hope they realize how lucky they are.

P.S.
You once told us that, if by the end of the semester, we were able to look you in the eyes and tell you we did our best, you would be proud of us, regardless of the grades we’ve earned. Well, I hate to break it to you, Sir, but I’m not exactly sure if I did my absolute best. I can tell you one thing I’m sure of, though: not once during this semester did I think of giving up, because I knew I had a teacher who would not give up on me.

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

It’s more like: How The Girl With The Big Bag of Chips Wins

Everyone fancied a game of DOTA a couple of days ago. We were supposed to have a Singles’ Day Out, but Alice in Wonderland was out of tickets, and we were just too tired to argue between Cop-Out and Miss You Like Crazy. Standing in uniform in the midst of casually-dressed Saturday cinema sukis, everyone decided that a) they wanted to play DOTA or that b) they wanted to learn how to play DOTA.

Now, I’m no good at DOTA. I can play, sure, but I suck so much The Sentinel killed me. I suck so much, I’m not even sure if I got the last sentence right. (Boys, feel free to verify). If there’s anything I’m good at in DOTA, it’s running away. See a battalion of opponent reinforcements coming towards you, and I’m the first one running out of the location to the home base.

Pwede ‘bang Plants VS Zombies na lang? Or Super Mario?

So this time, I chose not to play DOTA, and opted to watch instead.

Now, if you’ve ever chanced upon an internet café with a bunch of boys (and occasionally girls) playing DOTA, you will realize that it is not a silent game. Sure, for a while, the tension gets to everyone, and it’s down to the last few inches of your life to make that one shot so you can finally recover the manna you lost after being pwned, but when the climax has been reached, you will hear jeering at maximum level, Trash-talking optional.

In a way, you can consider that fun.

I don’t know if this works, but if you’re interested in knowing anyway, one good way of making a DOTA boy fall in love with you is to at least get interested in the game.

Because really, all you girls know that once a boy is front of the screen, nothing, NOTHING comes between them. Not even a bazillion text messages and loads of missed calls. The only way they can notice you is if you’re at least 1-inch tall, monstrous and could help kill the kalaban.

So go try and play. You don’t have to like it, but at least you’d know what in heaven’s name he’s talking about. You don’t have to be particularly good at it (It’s hard to be good in a game when everyone you know has been playing it for at least 3 years), but at least get familiar. Your guy goes around with you when you go shopping, why can’t you sit down in front of the PC and try to make your hero move?

The boys appreciate it. When I first tried to play, the next day, all my guy friends were like, “WOW Vicky, nagdoDOTA na! Goojab!” (pat on the back/head/shoulder) and they kept on yapping about DOTA stuff, only 5% of which I understood.

If that doesn’t work, go out and buy a big bag of chips. (Or Sour Cream Ruffles, in my case) Yes, they allow you to bring food inside.

If you want to have boys eating out of the palm of your hand like mum rabbits, then control freak, this one’s for you.

No stupid boy would let his eyes leave the screen, so if you offer, he’d say no. At first.

But, if you get a piece of chip and put it near his mouth, he sure as heck will bite that outta your hand.

You get a monopoly of their energy! Mwahahah. >:)

So you still win. You got the boys to pay attention to you, and now they feel more-ish. Kind of like how you feel when you eat one piece of Stick-O. You can’t stop eating until the whole jar is empty.

I know this is a useless manual, but hey, I tried. No DOTA boy has fallen in love with me yet, anyway.

Would I want a DOTA boy to fall in love with me?

Who knows.
Vicky

Rereading the Twilight saga is awesome. I’m not a big Twilight fan, but Stephenie Meyer’s articulation is so amazing, you can’t help but get drawn into the characters. I like that the books are descriptive, creative, and absolutely mind-blowing. I just wish that the coming movie adaptations would live up to Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. The Twilight and the New Moon movies are kind of a let-down. —Alekx

Jazmin’s got her yogurt fix: You Go Gurt?, Red Mango, Yogurt Froz, Tutti Frutti, and Cali Berry. New places to try out: Golden Spoon and The White Hat—both located at the Shangri-La Mall. Hope this helps your cravings! Or did it just make you crave more? Whoops! On a magic carpet with yogurt on a waffle cone. —Jazmin

I’m loving the bum life! Though I kinda miss doing a lot of things, I am happy because I am finally saying goodbye to the stress and workload of college! Graduation day is fast approaching and I am very excited about it. —Jesselle

Oreo Doughnut from Krispy Kreme. Chocolate Doughnut. Rich, cream frosting. Oreo bits with a crunch. Only one word can describe this deliciously sinful piece of dessert: Heaven. With every bite I take, I feel all my sorrows and worries just melt away and I seem to forget what I was stressing about in the first place. Even though it’s already summertime and I’m getting ready to put my summer diet into action, I think it’s worth the extra poundage if this delicious Oreo doughnut is the one thing that makes me a little less harried and a little bit happier. Don’t mind the calories, a good doughnut doesn’t come around often. —Keisha

After all those months of grueling schoolwork, I decided to celebrate my (temporary) freedom by reuniting with books. It feels good to be able to sit down with a good book at hand and have time to spare without worrying about grades. After 3 months without fiction, I’m finally reading again and I decided to start with Sixteen, edited by Megan McCafferty. —Leslie

My Journalism 102 professor had organized a press conference with Presidential candidate Nicanor Perlas for our class, and we were all given the chance to ask questions about his plans for the country. I was impressed not only by his confidence and answers, but also by his willingness to spend time obliging our questions despite his hectic schedule, and the fact that a lot of politicians wouldn’t bother going to small press cons like ours. I’ll be a first-time voter this May, and though I’m not yet sure about whom I’ll be rooting for, encounters like this help a lot in making my decision. I’m really hoping all the voters out there would pick our leaders responsibly! —Mars

Since I’m out of books to read, I make sure that I watch at least one FRIENDS episode every night. It’s become so habitual that my bedtime gets pushed till about 1 AM, which does not make my mother happy. FRIENDS makes me happy. It preserves my sanity. —Vicky

(photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Television)

1. The camp masters were Reema Chanco and DJ TonyToni, and they were just so amazingly fun to be with! The campers were also really nice, really cool teens who are poised to become the next hottest stars in the local showbiz world. Among the campers were Regine Angeles from ABS-CBN’s Rubi, Beauty Gonzalez, Nicole Uysiuseng and Fred Payawan from ABS-CBN’s Pinoy Big Brother, Models John James Uy and Janeena Chan, and Ian Batherson from GMA’s Starstruck.
   
2. Punta Fuego was simply gorgeous, like it was made to be taken pictures of. The picture-taking opportunities were simply endless, and every shot taken of the landscape seemed to be effortlessly beautiful. In fact, this greeted us the moment we stepped in the country club:
   
   isn’t that beautiful?
3. There were workshops that were very practical for the modern style-savvy teen, and they were all handled by the best people in the industry. There was a DJ Workshop with DJ Mars Miranda and DJ Mike, a Fashion Workshop with Robbie Carmona and Sassa Jimenez, and a Headshot Workshop with Niccolo Cosme, and these were all capped by activities where the campers can show off what they learned. How cool is that?
   
4. All work and no play is a definite no-no in any camp, and that’s why all the hard work the campers put in the workshops was balanced by enjoyable pool and beachside games and themed parties for each night. The final night was made all the more special with a mini-concert by Callalily!
   
5. Last but not the least, the freebies! ‘Nuff said.
   

Honestly, I could rave about the experience for days. And yes, it was a perfect weekend, despite the fact that when I headed to the beach to work on getting some tan lines, I got jellyfish stings instead. haha! But really, Camp Nivea was an experience I’ll really never forget, jellyfish stings included. Now, if only time-turners existed…

1. Yahoo! Mail/Gmail
   College life would never be complete without Yahoo! Groups for classes and organizations. Teachers usually take advantage of technology to make information dissemination easier and so I check my mail everyday in case of updates (such as free cuts *wink*). Now that I’m done with that, I check my mail for work-related purposes and letters from my best friend.
2. Plurk
   I have been using Plurk since September 2008 and I believe I have grown quite attached to it. I have already reached 100.00 Karma and there are days that the fear of a Karma drop is the only thing that keeps it alive but a lot of my friends still Plurk so I still find it useful.
3. Twitter
   Thank God Twitter is not as needy as Plurk. I tweet less often because it’s not as high-maintenance but I frequently visit it for the latest updates on friends and my favorite websites/celebrities.
4. Multiply
   It’s sad how Multiply used to be the place where everyone uploaded photo albums of the latest getaways. Now that there’s Facebook, only a few people use Multiply. I, however, prefer uploading in Multiply because it’s already like a scrapbook of memories. I also upload photos in Facebook though whenever I feel like I’ll have fun tagging and when my friends specifically request it.
5. LiveJournal
   Aside from making them, I love reading blog entries. I visit my LiveJournal site and click the “friends” link to read the latest entries from my friends. Since I have added Sarah Dessen and Libba Bray on my blog roll, I get to read theirs too (and they update a lot!). My LiveJournal blog is also quite special to me because I have been using it since 2005 and I have had special and happy, happy memories with it.
6. Tumblr
   The fun in Tumblr actually starts when you finally follow the right people. Who are the right people, though? It’s different for everyone. Following the right people = following the people with similar interests as yours. I actually learn a lot through Tumblr, and there are a lot of pretty photos/words/ideas in there so I never want to miss a post. I back read until I reach a post I’ve seen, even if it takes 80 pages.
7. Facebook
   There are actually a lot of things you find out through Facebook that you would not have known if it weren’t for Facebook. And you get to know a person more by looking through the pages they are a fan of. HAHA! I also used to be addicted to some Facebook games like Geo Challenge (I loved it to bits!) but now I don’t play anymore.
8. Candymag
   I visit Candymag everyday because I look forward to reading the posts of the Candy editors and my COC friends. I hope you enjoy the posts too!

How about you, what are your cyber dailies?

Nothing actually went according to plan. For starters, we only had the intention (and the strength) to register for the 3k marathon. But someone must have been pretty amused since 3k and 5k were already full, so… we ended up signing up for the 10k one. Yep, you got that right.

My friends slept over Saturday night so we could all go at the same time the next morning. We ended up waking really early but still, no matter how hard we try, we always seem to end up late for things. When we got there, it was still dark and the sun hasn’t risen yet. We were trying to look for the baggage area when we asked this lady for help. And as always, good fortune comes disguised in an old lady’s physical, and thanks to her we were only a little late for the start of the marathon.

Only just a couple of minutes into the start of the race when we suddenly burst into the start and ran our ass off. There was so much light and it was so blinding that I couldn’t see any of the spectators cheering for us on the sides—I prefer to think of it as cheering—and in a way it really made me confident to run my best.

I did run the 10k. Well.. half of it I ran, and half I jogged. But nevertheless! I still finished the whole 10k. I still can’t believe it though. It seems kinda hazy now that I think about it. Even though it was just the other day, I can’t seem to remember it now if it wasn’t for the resounding numbness in my calves and ankles.

Still, it really was worth the pain. And I can certainly say that joining this marathon really made my senior year memorable!

There are times when I find myself staring into the blank and empty world of nothingness. Maybe you’re wondering now what am I talking about. Doing nothing is such a waste of time. Since nothingness is the same as emptiness, I fill the spaces by spending time with myself. The moments of aloneness are what I call, “me time.” It’s absolutely boring if I don’t do anything at all so I do the things which I can’t do during class hours or things to free myself from stress. I want to share with you a few things that I do during “me time” so you can also get some ideas on how to spend quality time with yourselves:

Daydreaming. Daydreaming exercises the power of my imagination. Sometimes, I get inspiration from it and I put it down into writing essays and stories. I also figure out the answers to essay questions given in class like philosophical ones. Out of the blue, the answers just pop out of my mind.

Doodling. This helps me bring out my emotions and creativeness. Doodling can be tempting to do in class when you start getting bored but why not try it in your “me time?” During my free time, I doodle in my diary to pour out all my feelings and it makes me feel better. I also draw some figures and stick people to bring out my creative juices as well as entertain myself.

Read a book. Reading is a hobby that I grew up with. Reading has always been fun for me. It’s like an adventure where it took me to different places through my imagination. Not only that, it helped me enhance my vocabulary and grammar skills. In “me time,” I don’t read subject-related books because there’s a world outside of definition and terms. I don’t keep myself occupied with subject-related materials. That’s what “me time” is for—doing things that will help detach one’s self from stress.

Nothingness is never meaningless. Spending precious time with one’s self is good because it enables a person to connect with his mind, body, and soul. A person should always remember to give time for himself. He shouldn’t give in to too much stress to avoid sickness, have a happy disposition, a healthy body and a positive outlook in life. Stop worrying and thinking about so many things. Just relax and remember, it’s all about you.

Enjoy your “Me time” Candy Girls!

Jesselle

It is simple.
It is heartfelt.
It is dynamic.
It is real.

I stumbled upon it today and thought that I just had to share it to the candy girls out there.

It teaches a lot about sensitivity. Something we always seem to forget when we gossip the night away whilst gossip girl is playing.
( Don’t deny it girls! )

With no further ado.

COLOUR
By Malcolm X

When I was born, I was black.
When I grow up, I’m black.
When I’m ill, I’m black.
When I go out in the sun, I’m black.
When I’m cold, I’m black.
When I die, I’m black.

But you -

When you’re born, you’re pink.
When you grow up, you’re white.
When you’re ill, you’re green.
When you go out in the sun, you go red.
When you’re cold, you go blue.
When you die, you’re purple.

And you have the nerve to call me coloured?

Cheers!
Jazmin Reyes