Life Candy

5th Annual Top 5 List: Who's on your list?

2012-05-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

It's the 5th day of the 5th month of the year! You know what that means, right?! Yup, it's time for me to review, renew, and republish my annual Top 5 List. :)

You know what I mean by "List", right? No? Okay, long story short, this is the list of 5 pretend boyfriends (or girlfriends, depending on which side your bread's buttered on) -- the folks I have permission to fool around with, assuming I can get them to fool around with me, of course.
It's all in fun, of course, so you don't have to worry about me coming over and demanding that you have your little perverted way with Jessica Alba, or David Hasselhoff or whatever.

Anyway, you can check out my old lists too: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.

As this is the special 5th year of the Top 5, we're celebrating! Share your own list, and you could win an awesome prize package I assembled on a recent shopping trip. I'll choose the winner by random number generation on the morning of Friday, May 11, and announce the winner in my blog post that day.

Okay, I'm sharing mine now... so you better share yours in the comments too!

Here we go...

1: Gerard Butler
Yes, he's still my pretend boyfriend, although it was a close one considering who is at #2. But still, Gerry's funny, cute, scruffy, tall, and that Scottish accent are still so dreamy. And he still reminds me of my husband.

2: Chris Hemsworth
Thor. Sigh. But I first saw him as James T. Kirk's father in Star Trek (2009), and already, I thought he was adorable. If you read my list from last year, he barely made the list as an Honourable Mention. He's a definite member of the list at #2 this year, thanks to the constant "He is Christian Grey" I've been getting from Maria. I'd probably be able to finish the 50 Shades of Grey Series if I keep that in mind.

3: Bradley Cooper
He's hot, and he speaks French. Period.

4: Bill Campbell
The first time I saw him was in "The Rocketeer". Then in Star Trek:TNG, which is where this pic's from. He's aged so freakin' well. He's tall, dark, and handsome. See?

5: Clive Owen
Just look at this picture. OMG, look at him!!!

Okay, go!

how earth hour turned us into 10 year olds.

2012-04-12T17:50:00.004-05:00

Illustration by Lam

Earth Hour is a big deal in our eco-savvy treehugger home. We've done it every year for the past four years.

In the beginning, we did it to teach the kids...

- about climate change,
- of the impact that one hour of turning our lights off would have,
- what it's like to be a part of a world community event,
- that the fate of our planet is in our hands,
- and that if we all pull together, we can really make a difference.

See? We hug trees here.

Okay, here Roomie's talking math, not trees or hugging said trees.

In the years since then, we still do it for all those reasons, of course, but we do it also because I love burning honey beeswax candles, it's the one rare hour in our lives when we're all together in one room, we are able to talk to each other without distractions, and everything. is. quiet.

See? This is my kids being quiet.

I'm so not kidding, folks. The TV is off, the laptops and desktops are powered down, and the DSLite and 3DS are closed. We gather around the table, and all is silent. It's a good thing.

Me: I like how the house sounds with that computer off.

Roomie: Yeah, it's pleasantly quiet for a change. Except for that egg timer.

Me: It's to let us know when the hour's over. You want me to turn that off?

Roomie: Yes, you should. Like I asked you to before.

Me: Sheesh, you're so grumpy on Earth Night. Okay, there, it's off.

Roomie: There. Isn't it better to have the silence?

Me (grumpy): Yes. Now be silent.

Roomie (giggling): You be silent.

Me (smiling): No, you be silent.

Roomie (giggling more): No. You be silent.

Me: You shut up...

monday after spring break surprise. an award. for me.

2012-04-04T17:15:00.006-05:00

I miss my kids. Or at least I did the first 10 minutes after they left for school with Roomie. Then, for the first time in 9 days, I heard it. Or rather I heard NOTHING. Yes, folks...

Silence. Sweet, delicious silence.

I could hear myself think. I could finish a thought. I could read my email without being interrupted, telling a child to keep it down, or stop an argument over which tv show should be watched.

And OMG, I realized I was ALONE! I could do naked cartwheels in my livingroom again!!! Okay, I lied. I can't do a single cartwheel to save my life.

Then, BAM! I found out that I won this lovely Sunshine Award...

Holy Geez! Will the surprises never cease?! Good grief, I hope not!!!

Thank you SO MUCH to my fellow bloggy girl Cham at eat ur banana for giving me this awesome award.
I don't get many of these anymore, so I love it when I do. And I'm such a lucky girl to get one from my lovely fellow Filipina friend!

Okay, my duties associated with this honour are as follows...

Post 7-10 Things About Yourself.
Choose and Tag 7 Other People/ Awardees!
Go to Their Blogs and Tell Them You Tagged Them.
Have Fun!

Hmmm... what 7-10 things have I not told you about myself? Well...

1: I put my hair up in a bun with a scrunchy when I go to bed at night. My hair is very wavy, and this way, my hair doesn't bug me in the middle of the night, and I wake up with bouncy, wavy hair. I just run my fingers through it in the morning, and I'm done. It's perfect because I'm ~~lazy~~ low-maintenance.

2: I love burning candles. Especially Canadian-made honey beeswax candles by Honey Candles®. Makes my house smell nice.

3: I'm going to my 25th year high school reunion this September. I can't wait to see all my old girls (I went to an all-girls high school), my favourite teachers, and my old stomping grounds. I wish I could be exciting and say I was a rebel back then, but I wasn't.

4: I have to take dance class next year because I've already bought the dance shoes. I told you I'm all backward-y.

5: After 5 years and fearing that the hole had closed up, I'm once again wearing a second earring in my left earlobe. The hole didn't close after all. I'm also wearing my earcuff again. I may not be a rebel, but I look like one... at the tender age of 42.

6: I watched The Hunger Games, and of course, I loved it! (Update April 4, 2012: I loved it so much, I watched it again. Today.) Aside from a couple of scenes from the book I believe they shouldn't have left out in the movie, it captured the feeling and mood of the book perfectly. My favourite character: Cinna.

7: At one time in my life, I had braces, glasses, and a perm ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Please. Stop drooling over that sexy image. sigh. Needless to say, I didn't get many dates that year. Especially since I went to an all-girls school. And didn't know any boys.

Okay, this award goes to...

Toni at Wifely Steps

Su at Vively Online

Adam at Avitable.com

Loukia at Lou Lou's Views

Haley-O at Cheaty Monkey

Harmzie at Harmzie's Way

Shai at Studio Notes by Shai Coggins

These are my oldies with whom I've been hangin' since I started blogging in '07. I wonder if they've gotten any of these awards lately. Well, they have one now!

Thanks again, Cham, for the lovely award! You rock!

happy st. patty's day!

2012-03-17T13:13:00.001-05:00

Oh boy, oh boy...

the hunger games. the brain version.

2012-03-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, one of my besties Myrtle and I met up for coffee-lunch, which is what you get when you meet at Starbucks after dropping off your kids at school then talk for so long that you end up having lunch as well. It happens a lot with us.

During this latest edition of the ever-awesome coffee-lunch, we had our long awaited post-"Hunger Games Trilogy" recap and discussion. Myrtle had already read the books. As for me, from February 28 to March 6, I read all 3 books -- Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay -- unable to put them down to sleep, eat, or even go to the bathroom. I also learned that sleeping on the corner of a hard cover book doesn't hurt that much and that I can do most things with one hand if I absolutely have to.

Anyway, Myrtle and I like to get together to discuss movies we've seen and books we've read, and finally it was time for our shot with the Hunger Games to share both big and seemingly-insignificant thoughts, why Peeta had to be The One, how we would've improved the ending, what the point of that scene was, how we couldn't wait to see the movie, and overall, feed our latest obsession.

One HUGE topic of conversation was casting. You know how sometimes, when you read a book, your brain conjures up existing people, usually actors, for each character to give them a face while you read? Yeah, that.

Well, Myrtle and I couldn't help but compare the actors we kept picturing in our heads while we read the books with the actors actually cast in the upcoming movie...

1: Katniss, Gale, and Cinna.
We thought they were well cast. Especially Gale. Cute and capable of making a lasting impression that would last through the whole movie.
I still kinda think Jennifer Lawrence is a little tall as Katniss, because by Catching Fire, her 14-year-old sister Prim was supposed to be as tall as her, but having said that, Jennifer L. is Katniss.
And Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Inspired! I have to confess that I couldn't picture a proper Cinna. Lenny K as a Tom Ford-esque Cinna sounded perfect to me.

2: Peeta.
At first, we were stunned by the choice of Josh Hutcherson because he's the same height as Jennifer Lawrence, and we always thought of Peeta as being tall and stocky, at least, enough to envelop Katniss and make her feel safe. In fact, Myrtle pictured Gale as shorter and slimmer like Josh H, and Peeta as a blond Liam Hemsworth. Which is why when I said that I thought of Liam's older brother and Thor star Chris Hemsworth as Peeta when I read the books, she totally agreed with me.
But after seeing the trailers, we knew Josh, no matter his height, was our Peeta.

3: Haymitch.
I think Woody Harrelson is a great casting call. However, he does seem too "cleaned" up in the trailers to be a convincing drunkard, so we'll see how he appears in the rest of the movie, during more drunky scenes, like when Haymitch falls down at the reaping.
When I was reading the books, the Haymitch of my mind was played by Gary Oldman.

4: President Snow.
Donald Sutherland is and always will be Mr. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Period. He's too tall and kindly. He's a sweet Canadian.
Snow is short and creepy, and in my mind, he looked like song-and-dance man Joel Grey. Seriously, couldn't you imagine this man with a white rose in his lapel?!

5: Seneca Crane.
Wes Bentley is probably the most surprising casting decision of the whole movie. Seneca is supposed to be much older, right? I couldn't picture him in my mind either, but he certainly wasn't THAT young.

6: Caesar Flickerman.
I couldn't picture someone blue. I really couldn't. So when I saw how they made up Stanley Tucci and how he became Caesar, I was sold. But Myrtle thought of someone more '70s gameshow host. I suggested Will Ferrel in Anchorman. I can see it.

7: Effie Trinket.
Elizabeth Banks was my Effie. But when Myrtle suggested that she be someone older, someone who'd been with the Games for years, I saw that she had a really good point. Myrtle pictured Imelda Staunton -- who you may recall played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- as Effie. I can really see that! Until I watch the movie, I think I'll be picturing Effie played by Imelda S. Really, can't you just picture it?!

But really, let's face it, just watching the book come to life on the Big Screen is going to be phenomenal. I felt that way about LOTR. And judging by the trailers, it's going to be great. I'm looking forward to it.

Who would you cast in *your* Hunger Games?

happy pi day!

2012-03-14T16:14:00.002-05:00

To you, my 3rd favourite number...

the soundtrack of my life.

2012-03-05T11:59:00.000-06:00

"What songs define you, and what songs make up the soundtrack to your life?"

That's what my friend Loukia asks in her most recent post on her blog. If you've been reading me a while or know me IRL, you'd know that music is a big deal in my life. And not in the negative "if my parents make me take up yet another musical instrument I detest, I'm going to stab someone in the face" kind of Big Deal.

No, it's in the positive way my heart lurches and turns over, my fingers itch to hold my bass guitar again, and the sudden urge to simultaneously laugh, cry and dance takes over me whenever I hear this song...

Yeah, that kind of Big Deal.

This is the very first song my band covered and the very first song we played at our very first public gig. We had our audience convinced that we'd been playing bars for ages. We were that good. Not bad for a bunch of kids closer to graduating high school than touring stadiums.

There have been many songs like that, that when I hear them again, they propel me back to my first crush, my first broken heart (and how much of an ass I thought he was), the freedom I felt when I'd jam with my band, hanging out at the mall with my best friend, screaming a song on the dance floor at an engineering social, watching video shows (before MTV) with my friends, long drives to California with my family and friends, being in my husband's arms at our wedding reception, driving several provinces over for our nerd's honeymoon, watching our children dancing, etc.

Here they are, in no specific order, the songs of the soundtrack of my life...

Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson
We Run - Strange Advance
I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Girls on Film - Duran Duran
Like a Virgin - Madonna
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Riders
Two for the Road - Andrea Marcovicci
Somewhere Down That Crazy River - Robbie Robertson
Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham
Don't Give Up - Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel
If You Leave - OMD
Control - Janet Jackson
Thriller - Michael Jackson
Everything Counts - Depeche Mode
Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Rock Lobster - B-52's
Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
The Time Warp - The Cast of Rock Horror Picture Show
Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
It's a Beautiful Life - Ace of Base
The Look of Love - ABC
Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
I've Had The Time Of My Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Step By Step - New Kids On The Block
Let Your Backbone Slide - Maestro Fresh Wes
New Year's Day - U2
At Last - Etta James
Natural - S Club 7

How about you? What songs define you, have influenced you, become the soundtrack of your life?

random confessions of a happy girl III: thinkings and doings.

2012-02-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

Life Candy's been very cleanse-centric lately, hasn't it? Yeah.

Well, worry not, my lovelies. Although I'm now doing the healthy lifestyle thing to improve upon and maintain the results of my 30-day cleanse, the level of food and fitness talk here will likely return to previous frequency and intensity.

Except with less "holy crap, I'm getting fat!" and more "eat this paleo thing -- it will keep you healthy, yo!" I know, right?!

Okay, contrary to popular belief, I did more than just cleanse, work out, and eat salads over the past while. I did a lot of other thinking and doing too. So did my family. I will talk about that stuff...

NOW!...

Late last year, Roomie had a cavity in his wisdom tooth that became infected and made it almost impossible for him to eat, sleep, or talk FOR A MONTH. He lost a solid 10 pounds at least. After emergency dental surgery, he asked for the tooth so he could look at it under a microscope and take pics that his wife can share with all her internets. Look at the size of that freakin' hole!!! No wonder the poor guy was in so much pain...

I am about to start reading The Hunger Games series. Sleep will not be a part of my schedule. It's the Twilight Saga all over again! Gah!...

I am a pinning machine!

My daughter has discovered the magic of nail polish. So now, every nail surface MUST. BE. COVERED. Which means Daddy gets a pedicure...

Once again, I'm experimenting. This time, it's with argan oil. As a moisturizer. It supposedly helps fade minor scars and brown spots. I'll post pics in a couple of weeks. Hopefully not of me looking like Jocelyn Wildenstein. Or Michael Jackson.

I'm considering adding John Stamos to my List. We're talking strictly eye candy. "No, no, John. Please. Don't speak. No, seriously. Don't." He's improved since he passed the age of 45, leaving the days of Uncle Jessie far behind him.

I can't help but laugh when people say that the characters on The Big Bang Theory could never be real. Good grief, people, those are the very nerds I lived, studied and worked with from the ages of 17 to 30!

Oddly, my favourite character is Zack.

Milk Dud?

I did not watch the Academy Awards.

That is all. For now.

my Isagenix cleanse: it's like I'm a totally new woman. just ask my husband.

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

"You glow!" "So slim!" "You're skin is so clear." "You look SO much healthier..."

Yes, my Life Candy peeps, I got all of those compliments -- and more! -- every since I started my very first ever Isagenix 30-day cleanse.

OMG, I wish I could tell you exactly how awesome it's been. I'm going to try. And I'm INCREDIBLY EXCITED about all of this, so I may just start to sound like some crazy televangelist. If I do, please don't hurt me. Or hate me. Or throw chips and cinnamon buns at me, because I won't eat them, and they'll just make a big mess on my floor.

Alright, here we go.

BEFORE

I'm nervous. Seriously, as I contemplate pushing the "Publish" button, I can't feel my legs. And the reason is because, before I did this cleanse, everyone thought I was "just fine", "normal looking", and "didn't have to lose any weight".

No one knew the truth about the steaming unhealthy mess I hid all these years. Under parkas. Under black "slimming" clothes. Under baggy clothes. When I'm sucking in 'til I'm blue in the face!

So, with all those misconceptions, the sight of my Before pic may come as a shock. Or cause a coronary. You may want to have a paramedic nearby.

Granted, I'm not 200 pounds. But when your doctor strongly suggests you do a cleanse, you're likely not the 110 pound waif everyone seems to think you are.

Okay. Go ahead -- you'll see what I mean...

chest: 38 inches
waist: 39 inches
hips: 39 inches
weight: 147 pounds
(This pic was taken on Jan. 7 -- 5 days after my official start -- although my measurements were taken on Dec. 31.)

- Couldn't lose the last stubborn 10pounds, gained 10pounds more, and couldn't lose that!
- Couldn't run to save my life.
- Always tired. Highly dependent on caffeine and sugar for energy.
- Woke up constantly in the middle of the night sweating and feeling nervous, and always felt tired in the morning.
- Unable to handle stressful situations.
- Excess belly fat (from the side, I looked about 8 months pregnant) and swollen extremities.
- Felt and looked older. People stopped saying I look younger than my age.
- was wide enough to make my head look tiny. Seriously, look at me!
- Dull dark complexion.

And the real kicker is that I'm sucking in my stomach in this picture and I still couldn't button up my pants or pull my shirt over my huge belly!

AFTER 30 DAYS

total weight loss: 15 pounds
inches lost all over: 18.25 inches

- SO MUCH ENERGY, despite the lack of caffeine and sugar! One week into the program, I had the energy to do workouts, volunteer at my kids' school, and even consider opening up my hula dance school again!
- I get second glances from guys... and girls too!... again. LOL
- Shirt completely covers my belly and comes all the way down to my butt, and my pants are completely buttoned up!
- Fit into a size 8 jeans again. Oh, wait, those jeans in the pic are size 7!
- Skin is glowing, clear and soft! One of my besties Renee even said so!
- Can now wear the wedding ring I couldn't wear since 2009.
- Huge head in this pic because my body is slimmer in comparison.
- Stressful situations don't throw me off as they used to.- Feel calm and mellow ALL THE TIME (except, of course, when my kids act like monkeys on caffeine and uppers. Armed with boxing gloves and spears.).