There are around 10 days left in 2010. Needless to say, it has been a good year for me. Despite everything bad or scary that happened, I am happy to be alive. Career-wise, I am very happy with everything, even if it has been challenging. For the first time in 20 years, I won't be celebrating New Year with my relatives. They're all going to Hong Kong. The New Year Celebration might be different for me this year in both good and bad ways. On one hand, it will be a bit lonely. On the other hand, I can think of a new way to enjoy it. Might go out of town. But this post is not about that. It's about 2011 and how epic it's going to be. Why do I say that? Because I want it to be epic. Career-wise 2010 has been a landmark year in the sense that I was able to accomplish a lot as a blogger and writer. Moreover, new doors and opportunities opened for me. As a person, I overcame hurdles I never thought I'd have to hurdle. And while there were relatives and friends who helped along the way, it was a…
Category: hobbies and interests
State of the Philippine Blogosphere
The last of the major blogging events for this year was the BlogFest Soccsksargen held at General Santos City on December 11, 2010. It was successfully organized by the Sox Bloggers in only 3 weeks. Avel Manansala gave me the task of opening the BlogFest with a talk on the "State of the Philippine Blogosphere." I had a hard time gathering my thoughts and inputs while I made my presentation. I depended on Ratified data and the input of many Filipino bloggers before I finalized my talk. Here is the slide show presentation that accompanied my talk: State of the Philippine BlogosphereView more presentations from Avatar Media. I divided my talk into three parts focusing on current trends, the development of blogging communities, and the landmark blogging events of 2010. 30 minutes is definitely not enough to summarize how vibrant and controversial the Philippine Blogosphere has been in 2010. I refused to focus on the controversies and divisive issues and highlighted the best moments of the Filipino bloggers and Philippine blogs. Surprisingly, the theme of my talk coincided with the theme of the Philippine Blog Awards 2010, which is "Beyond Blogging." Most of the other speakers during BlogFest also emphasized…
Ang Sipyat
I was fortunate to have been part of the jury of the 6th Mindanao Film Fest. And together with film historian Teddy Co of the NCCA and local filmmaker Rudolph Alama, I watched, critiqued, and chose the best among the field of contenders. It was an enjoyable task, but very much taxing. I liked one of the films very much. It was, in fact, my personal favorite. (Obviously, I was outvoted. Hehe!) The film is Director Ronald Gary Bautista's Ang Sipyat which he made in collaboration with his brother and student Leo Jeorge Bautista under the production outfit Studio Beta. The film won Best in Sound in the 6th MFF and was a strong contender in most categories. Ang Sipyat (The Error) is the story of a famed thief who made the mistake of victimizing a girl. His victim, it turns out, has two siblings who are skilled in martial arts. The story seems simple enough. Shallow, in fact. But upon watching the film, as cliche as it sounds, there is more to it than the summary says. The story has a slight but not off putting twist. Can't tell you more coz it would spoil the fun of watching…
Acceptance Speech: Top Video Posts and Podcasts for 2010
Last Sunday, I was awarded by the Philippine Blog Awards with the Top Video Posts and Podcasts for 2010. I was not able to attend the awards ceremony but my friend, Winston, accepted the award for me. The award is for Podcast 6: Being Friends with the Ex. Here is the speech I was supposed to deliver when I accept the award: Thank you to the Plurkers, Facebook friends, and blog commenters who inspire me with new topics and issues to discuss! Thank you to my relatives and friends who listen to my endless blabbing! I share this award with my badet friends Kring and Poyt. I also share this award with the boys and men who broke my heart and help me get insights for good podcast topics. Daghang salamat! Thank you to the Philippine Blog Awards, Inc for recognizing the best and brightest of the Philippine blogosphere! I know what you're doing isn't hard and it's not for personal gain of profit. Many, many thanks! I would also like to thank my colleagues at Avatar Media, Davao Bloggers, and Mindanao New Media who inspire me everyday to be a better blogger and person! May we continue to work…
Vote for Life with Ria
Hi there! Welcome to my blog! I am voting for my own blog, Life with Ria for the Philippine Blog Awards 2010 Bloggers Choice Award. I am voting for my blog because I have blogged sincerely and earnestly the past year. I have shared my life, my knowledge and skills, my interests and passions, and all that I have through this blog. You can say that my life has been an open blog. LOL! I try to be witty sometimes. I hope you'll consider voting for my blog too. For your consideration, here are some of my blog posts from the past year that I think best represent my blog and the things I am passionate about: Julie and Julia... and Me: "It’s not about cooking and baking. But love and passion." This is Mindanao: "The artwork highlights the differences in beliefs, culture, and lifestyle of the three groups. It is the aspiration of every Davaeoño, every Mindanaoan that these three groups will live in peace together, cooperating to uplift and develop our land of promise… Mindanao." Being a Duck: "Paddling… crazy ass fighting of emotions, struggling to beat the odds, to survive this crazy life. As I’ve told a…
WordCamp Philippines 2010 Opening Remarks
I am still too tired to blog about my WordCamp Philippines 2010 experience but I would like to share here the Opening Remarks which I delivered to kick off the event held at the College of St. Benilde on October 2, 2010. After almost 11 months of planning, countless meetings, email exchanges, phone calls and SMS, we are finally here today. Mr. Matt Mullenweg, speakers, organizers, volunteers, campers, and guests, good morning and welcome to WordCamp Philippines 2010! WordCamp was conceptualized and has grown popular with the idea of building and strengthening the community of users and developers of WordPress. Through events such as this, users and developers learn new techniques, build networks with like-minded individuals, and come up with new and exciting ideas. With the vision of a bigger, better, more productive, and more interactive WordCamp Philippines, this year’s organizers, with two years of WordCamps under their belt, took on the challenge of offering something new and exciting to the Philippine WordPress community. Though some faces may seem the same, the Philippine blogosphere and WordPress community has changed a lot since WordCamp Philippines 2008. We had to think up of something fresh, unique, and exciting. In order to meet…