Moi with Kuya Blogie at Wordcamp 2009 (Photo by Chattee Lara)

Last Saturday, I braved through the traffic and all the troubles of commuting from Fairview to Makati to attend the 2nd WordCamp at AIM. It was pretty tough, I don’t commute this far everyday and I was horrible at estimating my ETA.

Normally, I would have come from my place in Makati but I was on leave from work for four days and decided to spend it at a relative’s house in Fairview which should be renamed to FARview imo.

I was an hour and a half late (sorry Glenn!) but we still managed to catch Beau’s talk about WordPress and their upcoming projects. Seth of Mozilla Firefox also gave a talk about their localizations projects and the open web. His presentation made me ooh and aah a lot and wonder why the people at work are still bent on using IE.

Afterwards there were talks about video and tech blogging, using wordpress for portfolio sites, and more. I didn’t bring my laptop with me since I was commuting and was really afraid that I’ll be mugged or something (paranoid, I know) so I didn’t take any notes and decided to wait for the speakers to post their presentations online.

I learned a lot, some of which I could really use at work. Working with wordpress kinda launched my career as a tech support specialist and it certainly sparked my interest in new media, and it’s a story I really should write soon.

The freebies were cool, too bad I didn’t get a firefox lanyard, but we got us some firefox and wordpress pins, a mousepad from OLX and of course, a wordpress shirt. Yay!

It was nice to see the Mindanao Bloggers- Kuya Blogie, Migs, Chattee, and Dulce as well. I didn’t get to hang around much because I had to go back to Fareview that night via MRT, which in fairness merits another post. More about wordcamp in the next few days, this fever is making the screen too blurry and shaky. Ciao!

Clooney, Pitt in one movie. I could not ask for more, right? Wrong. Watching this latest hit from the Coen brothers would be more enjoyable if you could watch it with, say… a group of friends? Or co-nuffnangers! Hehe.

Aside from the fact that I love Brad’s ass, I would really want to meet some new friends here in Manila. And what better way to make friends than a good movie with two delicious stars you can gush over later?

Woot! I’m here in General Santos for the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit and I’m having loads and loads of fun. Never mind if I haven’t slept yet…amf! Anyway, we left Davao by bus at 4 in the morning. We here refers to Chatee, Dulce, and Sara.

The theme for this year’s summit is Mindanawon, Paminawon Intawon: Blogging the Mindanao Consciousness. The speakers are already here and the Jester-in-Exile is here too! And yep… na-starstruck ang lola! Toinks!

The place so far is okay and the wifi provided by Globe is fast slow and inconsistent. So far I’ve seen a lot of familiar faces and some friends too! I had a very long chat with Mikko a while ago and did a little camwhoring on the side. haha.

Mayche, a sorority sister’s here too, Lesele, another friend from UP Min, and Elton, and many many more are here as well! Ooops, gotta go now, will write more about the summit later. For the mean time here a few of our photos, hosted on picasa because the connection is sooo slow.

MBS2

I missed the summit last year but I’m definitely not passing up on the chance to join MBS 2. Nevermind if the host city is a 3 or 4 hour ride away from Davao. Can’t wait to see General Santos again.

MBS 2 or Mindanao Bloggers Summit is a venue for Mindanao based bloggers to meet up, eat good food, and most of all, share insights about blogging and everything that comes with it.

Last year it was held here in Davao City but I didn’t get a chance to join because of a journ-related workshop. For this year, the summit will be hosted by the Tuna Capital of the Philippines, General Santos City. I’ve been to this city once, for a frat-soro leadership training with Atty. Dan Calica though I never got to explore what the city has to offer.

The tour comes in second place to the discussions at the summit of course. I’m raring to know what are the views of other bloggers regarding the role of the blogging community in the Philippines. Specifically, I would like to hear more about the potential of blogging as a tool for peace, social awareness, and advocacy campaigns.

Now if only I can find a way to fix the schedule so the summit and my trip to Baguio won’t clash. Yoohoo, PS, please cooperate. hehehe.

Thank you to the following for making 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit possible:

CO-PRESENTERS:
City Mayor Pedro B. Acharon, Jr.
Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio
NOKIA
Department of Tourism XII
ABS-CBN Regional Network Group
Bariles Republic
Gen. Santos City Tourism Association
SOCCSKSARGEN Blogers

GOLD SPONSORS:
Friendster
Globe
AMA Computer Learning Center
Grab A Crab Restaurant and Coffee Club 101
Gregoria Printing Press

SILVER SPONSORS:
Nokiahost.Com
Asia United Bank
Family Country Hotel & Convention Center
East Asia Royale Hotel
Fine Pixel Advertising
IDEAS

BRONZE SPONSORS
GenSan Sale.Com
Blogging from Home Book
Pacific Seas Seafood Market
Generals Logimark Exponent
Prints and You
Writing Edge.Com
Forest Lake San Carlos Park
Rolee Bakery & Cafe
Jehzlau Concepts
Techykid.Com
Jaypee Online.Net
Blue Media Communications
International Container Terminal Services, Inc
Shalom Wizard Academy
Dreamworld Travel and Tours
Sta. Cruz Seafoods, Inc.
Dellosa Design Build Services
Kristan Bookstore
DOLE Philippines
Husky Bus Lines
Shakey’s Pizza
Family Brand Sardines
Gaisano Mall of GenSan
Chowking – KCC
Jollibee National Highway
Procter & Gamble Philis., Inc
Mega Sardinesc

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Thanks kuya avel, for the heads up.

I’ll blog about the clip later. For now I’ll have to brave the rain coz I have to go home. Sigh.

Movies

And this is where BatangYagit.com comes in. During one of my blog hopping sessions, I bumped into BatangYagit’s blog and thought, whoa… he looks familiar. Surprise, surprise, Batang Yagit was actually Winston Almendras, one of the popular guys in DCNHS, way way back in highschool. we were not  talking friends, he was older and the opportunity never came I guess, but I remember feeling a little relieved at finally seeing a familiar face in cyberspace. I started following his entries which  led me to other interesting blogs from fellow dabawenyos.

Batangyagit sort of introduced moi to the world of blogging, not just the writing part, but with the idea of an actual and real network, where people actually meet, talk, and organize events. By listening to him and his cohorts (Ria, Andrew, Migs, and Blogie) I learned about the intricacies and the potential of blogging as a communication tool.

Batangyagit does not scrimp on giving tips either. He gave me valuable tips and ideas when I was just playing around with getting my own domain. The language of blogging still baffles me at times, especially when they start talking about codes, APIs, and etc. Often times I’d find myself going over their blogs, looking for entries that would help me with my problem, or as it happens more often, I hear BatangYagit discussing something with Andrew, Ria, and Migs. What I hear I try to remember so I could pull it out later at home and try it by myself or read more about it.

Inadvertently, BatangYagit.com is responsible for sparking my interest in blogging. For that alone, he deserves my vote in the 2008 Philippine Bloggers’ Choice Awards.

Update: Nanalo si Batang Yagit kasama si Andrew of Alleba.com. Congrats Congrats!

]]> http://tiarara.com/im-voting-for-batangyagitcom/feed/ 16 http://tiarara.com/avenida-restaurant-lispher-inn/ http://tiarara.com/avenida-restaurant-lispher-inn/#comments Sat, 16 Feb 2008 07:26:24 +0000 Tiara http://dabawenyangiska.com/avenida-restaurant-lispher-inn/

Davao City never fails to surprise me. Who would have thought that a cozy business inn like Lispher Inn would boast of a restaurant that serves great tasting Filipino dishes at very affordable prices?

This leg of the Davao Food trip was at Avenida, a restaurant that specializes in Filipino cuisine. They prepared a set dinner for us, letting us try the most ordered dishes in their restaurant. Pearl and I arrived at the place a bit early and had the chance to look around, chat with Mikko, and assess the coziness of the place. The place is simple but elegant in a way.

Blogie raved about their beef misono and I wasn’t disappointed at all. The Beef Misono is I think a must try for everyone who drops by at Avenida. Served with flavored rice and gravy on the side, the dish which costs P35 only is a winner. The beef is tender, with a hint of garlic. I liked the gravy too, because it’s on the side, you can have as many or as little as you want, depending on how you like your beef.

Avenida’s Bangus Belly is also good. I admit to uhm…having second thoughts about the veggies with the Bangus but in the end I liked it. The dish had a strong garlic flavor which works for me. I’m a garlic lover just as I am an onion hater. hehehe. Avenida’s Bangus Belly costs P90 per dish and is good for 2 or 3 people.

Last dish for the night was the sizzling squid sisig with yellow sauce on the side (P60). It was sizzling hot…lol. how redundant. hehe. The sisig had paksiw overtones. A bit sour for me, but still tasty enough to keep me coming back for more.

The verdict: Avenida is perfect not only for the locals but for tourists in the area. The food is affordable and very filipino. An added bonus is the location. Lispher Inn is right in the middle of one of the busiest districts in the city and is just a few minutes away from SM, NCCC Mall, and Matina Town Square.

Avenida Restaurant
Lispher Inn, 13 Juna Avenue,
Juna Subdivision, Matina,
Davao City, Philippines
Tel No.: (6382) 299-1610

Photo credits: Lispher.ph & mydavaocity.com

]]> http://tiarara.com/avenida-restaurant-lispher-inn/feed/ 0 http://tiarara.com/boracay/ http://tiarara.com/boracay/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:39:07 +0000 Tiara http://dabawenyangiska.com/?p=243

Uh huh. Blog hopping again. This time I stumbled on a travel blog by Ivan Henares, winner of best travel blog for 2007. And, he’s giving away a SEAIR roundtrip ticket to Boracay! Wow oh wow. Just last night I was talking to Loi about how much fun I had there last summer. Is this fate or what?

So here I am, trying my hand out at this one. I want to go back to Boracay because:

1. I want to take more pictures of the island ( I was too shy last time and too busy getting drunk)

2. I didn’t get to strut around in a bikini

3. Some of my best cousins live there (I know, I’m so lucky…hehe.)

4. I want to try my hand at parasailing. Last time I didn’t because my mom thought it was sooo expensive. hmph.

5. Full moon sailing. One of the reasons why I won’t forget Boracay, ever.

There are more really. But that’s the top 5. Of course I’d jump at the chance at seeing my relatives again, especially the Tumaob side of the family. I don’t get to see them often now that we’re based here in Davao. And, just knowing that you can head back and spend days in Bora without your mom hovering over your every action is enough to make me beg for the ticket.lol.

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