Like many girls (or indeed, like many women) I am not ashamed to admit that every once in a while, I would find myself craving for sweets. Chocolates, are, of course, a given, but I have to say that sometimes even chocolates just don't cut it €" I find myself wanting something with more €oomph€. Or at least, I would start to crave for any candy, and I would stop caring about which sweet I'd want to have as long as I get to pick out from hundreds of yummy choices. As many people would claim, it is often not the destination but rather the journey that makes everything worthwhile. And I, as a bit of a foodie, would like to concur and add that this could be applied to the quest for the ultimate sweet snack.

Which is why I'm really working as hard as I can to try and earn enough money to travel. Because apart from actually wanting to see new places €" some of you may know that I'm interested in seeing Bakersfield and Rhode Island €" I also want to have a taste of what they have to offer. And I hear that Balboa Island is potentially the sweets mecca of the world, considering the fact that the frozen chocolate banana was supposedly first marketed there (have you ever tasted one of those? I could only imagine how good they are!). The fact that I have recently discovered that Balboa Island is home to an old-style candy store just added to my interest, because I have never in my life been inside a proper candy store before.

Being the big kid (or is it €child-like adult€?) that I am, I started to get more than a little giddy about running into Balboa Island's most extensive candy store, €Balboa Candy€, on top of wandering about Balboa Island itself and sampling (as well as comparing) the many different versions of frozen chocolate banana. I mean, what person wouldn't want to relive a childhood they never had by means of a sugar wonderland? Mind you, just because I'm rushing into the store doesn't mean rushing when picking out my sweeties. I'm very much determined to take my time.

First, I'm going to decide if I want €old€ or €new€ candy €" that is to say, if I want the kinds of candy that were initially conceived around the fifties or sixties (I wasn't alive yet, but wouldn't it be cool have candy that my mom used to have?), or if I want more €modern€ candy. Then, I have to decide what kind of sweet I want to have €" do I want it sugary sweet, fruity sweet, chocolaty sweet? Or do I even want a sweet sweet at all €" perhaps I want something sour, slightly salty, or even a little bit bitter? Then do I want something chewy, crunchy, soft or hard? Do I feel like sucking or biting into the treat? There are so many things to consider when choosing candy!

While some of you may ask: €Oh, but why not grab whatever you want and take them all?€ I have to point out that my funds are limited, and have been since I was young. And as such, I have learned to carefully consider what things to get €" and I'm determined to get it right the first time. Secondly, I find it offensive that wonderful things such as candy are thought of as so inconsequential that they would just be €thrown into the bag€. My friends, I solemnly declare to you all that there is an art to choosing sweets, as much as there is an art to eating them. Part of it is getting dirty, of course, but the whole other part is enjoying it €" and the way you can enjoy it is knowing the right place, the right time, and the right sort of candy to indulge in.

Balboa Island, as far as I can tell, has gotten it right; which is why it's my goal to get there before I turn forty. Why forty? Just because.