A Renaissance Woman Named Candace Rae

There is no denying she is beautiful. She is the kind of beautiful that sucks the air right out of your lungs when you first see her, like a frozen wind on a particularly frigid Chicago winter day or the dive into a lake where the water is much colder than you first thought. Is it the red hair? Is it her eyes that seem both playful and seductive? Is it the easy and gorgeous smile? Is it the curves? The hips, the chest, the legs? Is it all of the above?

Whatever it is, there is no denying that Candace Rae is one of the most beautiful women on this planet and probably this, or any other, universe. She has a way of being as glamorous as any woman on the cover of Vogue of Cosmopolitan or looking, in some photos, right at you and almost convincing you that you and she have just spent a very naughty, but memorable, night together. However if, like far too many, you were to just stop there you would only be seeing the very tip of the part of the iceberg that you can see above sea-level. Because beneath all of that is someone truly remarkable.

Yes, Candace Rae has become an online celebrity thanks, mostly, to her page on Facebook and her Twitter account and her time working as a hostess for an online men's publication. She has a remarkable ability to project her intensely fun personality using both mediums and she actually responds to friends and fans. You see, Candace Rae is a true renaissance woman of the new millennium. She can act. She can write. She plays a pink guitar (she says pretty well). She runs her own websites. She has designed lingerie. She has lived in far-flung regions of the world. She has an interest in politics and in showing the world just how the rest of the world lives. In short, Candace Rae classifies herself as an "earthling." She wants you to consider yourself one too.

Candace Rae started as a simple girl growing up in Canada. However, once she reached her early teens, she broke out of her shell and began looking at the world itself as a kind of challenge. Before long she was traveling the world and, soon, she would become an Internet sensation.

All of this and, right now, she is having trouble getting Skype to work right so we can do the interview we have planned. She calls on her boyfriend to help. Finally we end up with a convoluted solution where I am able to see her, resplendent and still gorgeous in sweats, via MSN instant messaging but she is able to see me (much less resplendent in sweats) and type through Skype.

Candace Rae: I think the cat says pink cow.

Bryan Alaspa: Really? You could take him or her on the road.

CR: Of course, excellent idea! Will make millions (laughing like Dr. Evil from Austin Powers).

BA: So, tell me your story. How did you become the Candace Rae you are now?

CE: Well on a hot night in Winnipeg, my parents... oh wait too far back? I joke. I joke. Well I started modeling when I was living in Bermuda when I was about 23. A photographer/ editor named Steven Stiefel, who worked for a an online men's magazine asked me to come down to Atlanta. But even before that I found the website when I was online that had an article about Formula One racing and in order for me to read the full article I had to log in. So, I signed up, filled out my profile and put my picture up. It turns out they had this contest on the site called the " Is She Hot" contest and readers and site members could vote. I also started blogging on the site and writing about my life and about how I was now living outside of Canada for the first time. I was finally talked into entering the contest and I did and for the two months I entered, I came in second both times.

BA: Second! Someone actually beat you?

CR: Yes. Her name was Jennie and she and I are still friends. I love that girl. She is a true stunner. But, it got me noticed and Steven emailed me the Christmas of 2006 and asked me to come down to Atlanta and shoot a pictorial. I was to be a surprise feature for 2007.

BA: So, you weren't really planning on becoming a model at that point? You just sort of fell into it?

CR: Yes, I was working for the United Bermuda Party, a political group in Bermuda, and my background before that was a training supervisor in retail. In Bermuda I was their webmaster and the Assistant Deputy Field Coordinator. I made sure all of the constituents knew where to canvas. I loved it. It was the best job ever. I worked there for a year before this all happened and I still do my best to keep in contact with people in the party. The leader of the party was such a genuine nice human and I just fell in love with politics and how one human could make positive changes in the community.

BA: Was it hard to give that up or was the opportunity outside of that too good to pass up?

CR: Yeah, well, I was working for the party and the men's magazine. Because of the popularity my photo shoot, the magazine hired me to work about 15 hours a week to blog and talk to people and be the hostess of the website. I worked for the political party at the same time. All of that went on for about 6 months and then the owner of the magazine told me they were opening an office in Australia. They asked if I would be interested in working there. I said yes - Australia! Let's do it!

BA: So, this is how you ended up in Australia?

CR: (laughing) Well, not at first. My paperwork had to clear in Australia so I could live there. So, I went freelance for a while and ended up in Malaysia.

BA: Malaysia? Why there? Had you always had a deep desire to live in Malaysia?

CR: Well, I was still working for the political party in Bermuda but they didn't need me to work in their office, my job had changed to just uploading the parties' content on their website for them, so they didn't need me to work in the office. I had been taken to Malaysia the year before to see my first Formula One race, and fell in love with the country.

BA: So, how long were you there in Malaysia? What did you love about it so much?

CR: I was in Asia for six months. It's a Muslim country, Malaysia and I learned a lot living there. The only way of living I knew was under the British Empire. You know, Bermuda and Canada are still under the British monarchy. Malaysia was different, that's for sure. Things we take for granted seem so hard there, but there are so many things I learned and loved about their culture. The key was to keep an open mind. We all have the ability to see the beauty, the traditions, the way of other cultures if we can accept and learn. I believe everyone should live for a few months in another country under a different government and political system.

BA: So, your love for politics grew there? You still love it today?

CR: I read a lot about politics and I find most of it to be frustrating. You read the paper or an article paper and you want to be able to make a change and do something, but you sometimes feel helpless. I think that is an issue a lot of people face. That feeling of "what can I do?" You have to ask yourself, "OK, but what really happened?" I mean you don't watch FOX News and believe everything do you?

BA: How long were you in Malaysia before you ended up in Australia?

CR: I was there for about six months and then moved to Australia. I lived in Sydney up until 2009, which was about two and a half years. Then I came back to North America for some PR and, while visiting my home town, I was asked to be interviewed by my favorite radio station and DJ at power97. I fell head over heels in love with my interviewer. (Yes, guys, she is spoken for. And while I spoke to him for all of five seconds during the interview, he seems like a cool guy...dammit).

BA: So, are you staying in Canada?

CR: Well, the work seems better for me here. But I'm not much of a planner. I'll see where the work goes and where life takes me.

BA: What were you like as a little girl? I mean, were you always this outgoing? Were you always hoping to take on the world?

CR: Always. Well, that is, I was shy till I was about 12 but always a bit "funny" according to my family. Then, I just came out of my shell. I am very "full on." I will always tell you what I think, if you ask, and not sugar coat it. Like they say, opinions are like a**holes everyone has one. (laughs)

BA: So, do you have a plan for yourself going forward? What's next? What do you want to do next with your career and your life?

CR: I never plan too far ahead. I just live for the now. Too many times you plan for something and then life just takes you down a different path. I live for the moment and enjoy things and make my decisions based on the way I feel at the time.

BA: You might want to keep that secret if you intend to run for office some day.

CR: (laughing) Well, having a plan for a country is different than having a plan for yourself. I can come up with a plan for a country or district, but as for me, I take it one day at a time. I do think some level of politics is in my future. In the end kindness will always win out, and that is the message I want people to remember. People can be so aggressive. When I was living in Bermuda, while walking down the street, you would say "good morning" or "good afternoon." I was flown to New York for a radio interview and let's say my "good mornings" were taken with a sideways glance (laughs). Sure, it's funny, but it is also so sad. People just don't take the time to be kind.

BA: Are you surprised by how things have gone and by how popular you seem to be becoming?

CR: I have always been popular you just got on the train (laughs). Nah! I am, a little bit. I sometimes ask why do people want me in front of the camera? I am not 105 pounds and I'm not five foot seven. But I am comfortable in my body, my curves, my mind and my way of thinking. The notoriety of magazine interviews and such is welcome but you take it with a grain of salt. Everyone gets there 15 minutes of fame.

BA: OK, so, back to my earlier question where do you want to go next? What is in store for you now that you can talk about?

CR: Well if I could really have my dream job, and it wasn't ruling the planet, it would DEFINITELY be working for a Formula One team. I heart Formula One. Right now I have a few things in the works that I can't really talk about - a few irons in the fire. I have some magazine covers and such.

BA: Also, something in the works with a certain magazine whose creator likes to spend his entire day in his pajamas and has a mansion with a part of the pool known as "the Grotto."

CR: (smiling) Maybe. Something. I'll be sure to let you know more once I can.

BA: Has there been a worst thing about this whole adventure for you? Or has it just all been good?

CR: All good and I am so thankful. Of course there have been bad days, bad times and a few bad things, people think it's all glamorous flying around all the time. I do love it, don't get me wrong, but living in a hotel and eating alone after a while can become a mountain. You are constantly striving for consistencies. But the key to life is really about positivity. People should be thinking the best of the situation, finding the solutions to the problems, and not dwelling on the things you can't change.

BA: So, politics maybe? President of the planet, maybe?

CR: (laughing again) Yes, President of the planet would be great. (more laughter). The problem with that, at least as far as the rest of the world is concerned, is that there would be a lot more Formula One, hockey and footie everywhere! But sure, I would love to represent the planet in an intergalactic society. This may be a silly thought to some people but the truth is, we will NEVER have world peace unless something bigger than we know - aliens lets say - make contact with us and we realize that we are not alone. Only then would our planet really realize that we have to be one people and a planet with heart, not a planet of greed.

BA: That is a pretty bold and ambitious platform. Anything else?

CR: Oh and BEER, everyone can have free beer! Those have to fit in there somehow too (laughs). I just wish people were more happy. They should be. There's a lot to be happy about in this world if you just look for it. People should really live and really go after what they want. They should be happy and love and live and be true to themselves, because at the end of the day, they only have to answer to themselves. (she shrugs). I don't know, maybe they should all buy Ferraris! (laughs again)

So, the world is at the feet of this beautiful redhead who wants everyone to know that, in reality, she is just like everyone else. This may be when you get down to the base DNA, but she has enough energy to power most cities and more ambitions than most people. Still, spending any time with Candace Rae is to get caught up in that energy. Spending time with her is to come away wanting to be a better person for yourself and, in some ways, for her as well.

If you don't know who Candace Rae is, yet, you had better prepare yourself. The world had better prepare itself for this woman who has the face of an angel, but the heart of a politician. Will she change the world? It's hard to say. The world is full of so much hate, and rage, but if there is anyone who's sheer force of will might be able to do it, it would be the will of Candace Rae.