Notes from a Fangirl

I get inspired by a lot of things, but few have impacted me the way she did.

I grew up having lots of dreams of what I wanted to be in the future; my ambitions changed almost on a monthly basis, ranging from wanting to be a ballerina to a scientist to an actress to a VJ. All this changed when I got my first copy of Candy magazine when I was thirteen, and it's all because of one person.

Most girls my age (especially my Seventeen Sigaw sisters) would understand me when I say that Mia Fausto-Cruz was a major influence during our teenage years. She was Candy's editor-in-chief when I started subscribing to the magazine, and she did a really great job with it! I looked forward to each month because I knew a new issue is on its way. Candy magazine sated my appetite for all things girly, fed my mind with new information, and developed my imagination with its monthly dose of new ideas to try! Oh boy, those were the days.

One of my favorite sections was the Ed's Letter. In it, Mia would tell some personal anecdotes then relate them to the theme of the month's ish. Each letter ends with something inspirational or motivating, and I always thought those were the best bits. She had such a unique "voice" and I really felt that she wrote each letter specifically for me. I was such a BIG fan! I love many different authors, but to be honest, Mia is the one who really inspired me to want to write. She was such a big influence to me, and hers is the voice I wanted to emulate (note: emulate, not imitate). When I did my OJT with Summit Media, I walked to the office everyday hoping for a glimpse of her but wasn't very successful (haha I sound like a stalker here). I've always wanted to send her a note to show my appreciation but I was too shy... And yeah, I was also a bit afraid that she would turn out to be Miranda Priestly-like.

She then took over Seventeen Philippines magazine, where I "followed" her until the very last issue. I've started buying other magazine titles since but they never affected me the way my old Candy issues did. I never got to meet Mia in person, but kept a secret wish to do so.

Guess what? That secret wish got granted earlier today :)

I was in Ortigas for an event earlier, and she was also one of the invited guests! I tried to keep my cool all throughout the event but to tell you the truth my inner teenage girl was screaming with glee :D After the event, Julia of Bless My Bag was kind enough to help me come up to her, introduce myself, and ask for a photo. (Sucks to be this painfully shy x_x) Lookie lookie:

Mia and Krissy ♥

The heroine of my teenage years! She was so warm and sweet, and it's not hard to imagine her as the same Mia who signed all those Ed's Letters years before. And she instantly knew I was a Candy girl! She must have gotten the same reaction from girls my age quite a lot - only goes to show how many girls look up to her. She asked me if I'm there as a member of the press, but I told her I'm a blogger. She was just so nice and I just wanted to hug her ♥ This is so embarrassing, but I almost cried (maybe because of happiness, or maybe relief that she wasn't Miranda Priestly-like at all), and I thought I might never get the chance again, so I mustered all courage to ask her to write something on my planner.

AND SHE DID!

The same penmanship and signature I remember, down to the heart and smiley :)

I almost want to cry while writing this :,)

All those money I spent on my Candy magazines (because P85 monthly at the time can get quite expensive to a high school student after a while) and all those time spent poring after them and reading them again and again didn't go to waste. Because of them I learned where my passions really lie, and for P85 multiplied by 11 months per year, I think that's already a good, good bargain. I mean, I turned out good, didn't I? ♥

Reposting this photo from an ooold blog post (look how I didn't have my own URL back then)
My Candy magazines all covered with plastic and lined up chronologically on the right side.

I still read these old magazines sometimes, because unlike some of today's teen mags, the sections and articles in them are actually timeless and still never fail to transport me back to simpler days where all I had to worry about were my homework, my braces, and whether or not my crush likes me back ;)