I attended my first iBlog last year and it’s easily the biggest blogger education event in the entire blogging calendar. Honestly speaking, it can be quite a mixed bag, but for a relatively new blogger, thepresentations are very enlightening and interesting. The annual iBlog summit is also one of the few times where bloggers could actually lock horns and have their time discussing controversial topics swirling in the blogging community.

I will be one of the speakers for this years iBlog and my topic will delve on  the do’s and don’ts of blogging. I will be sharing the segment with Juned Sonido.

The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit will be on 09 May 2009 at the Malcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman, from 8 am to 5 pm. Admission is free but  seats are limited so make sure to register for iBlog5.

Morning session: (some can be sponsored talk)

• 9:00 – 9:20 Blogging 101 (Micaela Rodriguez & AJ Matela)
• 9:30 – 9:50 Photo Blogging 101 (Faith Salazar and Fritz Tentativa)
• 10:00 – 10:15 Break
• 10:15 to 10:35 Video Blogging 101 (Azrael Coladilla)
• 10:45 – 11:05 Mobile Blogging 101 (Edwin “Ka Edong” Soriano)
• 11:15 – 11:35 Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging 101 (Benj Espina and Juned Sonido)
• 11:45 – 12:05 Blog Promotion & Traffic Generation Strategies 101 (Winston Almendras and Coy Caballes)
• 12:05 – 1:00 Lunch break

Afternoon session:

• 1:00 – 1:20 Legal issues in Blogging
• 1:30 – 2:30 Preparing Bloggers for the 2010 Elections
  - COMELEC on Blogging & Bloggers (Dir. James Jimenez, COMELEC-EID Director)
  - Citizen Journalism for the 2010 Elections (Oliver Robillo, NAMFREL Chairman – Davao City)
  - The Bloggers Election Handbook project release (Janette Toral)
• 2:40 – 3:30 Blog Advertising Situation in the Philippines (Yehey and 2 sponsors)
• 3:30 – 3:45 Break
• 3:45 – 4:45 Blogging to the Next Level (Fitz Villafuerte
  and Anton Diaz)
• 4:45 – 5:00 Raffle & Group picture taking

7:00 pm onwards After-Event Party (sponsored)

Viewed 50051 times by 7864 viewers

This blog is actually the first search result for “AXN Asia Big Challenge” – an adventure race that AXN-Asia will be holding this weekend. At least one team has already received word about their participation for this Saturday’s event at the SM Mall of Asia, but my team has yet to get any confirmation! I hope they call us soon.

Viewed 12861 times by 2134 viewers

While the recent 90-day Rossiya poll to come up with the greatest Russian to have ever lived straddles the fine lines between nationalism, historical editing and plain old kitschy nostalgia, it still generated enough momentum to be reported by various media outfits overseas. The state-run TV station came up with a short list of twelve candidates for the prestigious title of “The Name of Russia”. The voting was hardly scientific and the methodology was very reminiscent of how Pop Idol decides who gets eliminated.’

The results did raise eyebrows as Joseph Stalin emerged as the third highest vote getter ahead of great authors like Pushkin and Dostoevsky . Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions due to starvation and the establishment of manual labor camps in the wastes of the Gulag. Alexander Nevsky and Pyotr Stolypin -two leaders with relatively greater mass market appeal among Russians – edged out Stalin at first and second, respectively.

—

Now for a change in pace here in Filipino Voices, let’s venture into a realm wherein hypothetical scenarios and crystal balling will not fall into the category of “tililing rampages”. Let’s immerse ourselves in actual mental experiments and ask ourselves, if Filipinos were to vote for the BEST FILIPINO who ever lived, who would most likely be in the short list and who will get the most votes? I know this doesn’t quite help bring justice to the poor kid who got mauled in a golf course or reduce our foreign debt but it sure does make one think in a whole new other perspective. There are no right or wrong answers – just convincing cases preached to the right crowd. And besides, Pinoys love Idol-based shows (heck, we even had text votes cast to decide the winner of Survivor!) so it should be a perfect match.

Let’s get down to business. To make it simple, let’s follow what the Russians and Britons did (they picked Winston Churchill, by the way): only the dead may be part of the short list. They started it with hundreds of candidates and eventually whittled the list down to the final 12.

The Shoo-ins

The biggest shoo-ins are probably in your purse. History teachers and book writers love to romanticize events by singling out people responsible for the great events that changed our destiny as a nation so heroes like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio have an edge. Both belong to the biggest ethnic group in the country (the Tagalogs) and are still very much relevant to our daily lives thanks to their continued presence in our paper bank notes and coins.

Among other heroes, Lapu-lapu could also get strong consideration. He is credited for challenging the first throws of the Spanish invasion as well as being one of the first Filipino paragons of bravery and pride. It also helps that his inclusion satisfies the almost implicitly required addition of someone from Cebu -one of the largest provinces in the country and an area that is associated with the most commonly used language outside of FIlipino.

Past leaders

If Gloria can have her way, her father Diosdado Macapagal would definitely be in the short list. But if we were to be realistic about it, the two presidents most likely to be within sniffing distance of the ballot would be the extremely popular Ramon Magsaysay and the immensely polarizing Ferdinand Marcos. Magsaysay comes from the Central Luzon while Marcos hails from the North. No other dead president can come close – ok, maybe Manuel Quezon has something to say about that, but if there were only two spots, Marcos and Magsaysay would take them.

TV stations love drama so they would probably play up the Yellow vs Red tussle here. Tarlac’s Benigno Aquino never became president but many people believe that he could’ve been a fine chief executive. The way he was killed as well as how his legacy has been preserved in society elevates him to hero status- almost at the same level as Rizal and Bonifacio.

The Arts

It’s a good thing that Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos are both very much alive because if they were six feet under, you know that the vote would only between the two of them. Entertainment has become so pervasive that it will not be shock if Fernando Poe Jr. will be among the favorites to take the title. As proven by the 2004 National Elections, the King of Philippine Movies has proven that he has what it takes to be relatable to people across the archipelago.

Honorata ‘Atang’ de la Rama could also generate buzz. She is widely seen as a pioneer in theater and in film as well as being the recipient of countless awards and citations. Her inclusion could also fulfill one of the unspoken requirements of the list – having a woman. The feminist movement is quite young in the country so the committee would be pretty hard pressed to take other individuals of comparable caliber. Atang is a stalwart in her field regardless of affirmative action.

Women

In our hypothetical poll, the organizers will be pressured to at least make women comprise a third of the possible candidates. Unfortunately, due to the gender roles back then and the way historians have emphasized how women have played second fiddle to the men in their lives, it’s fairly unlikely that a woman will have a realistic chance of winning. This could change soon though depending on when the polls are to be done and how fast the cancer spreads.

The Saints

When all is said and done though, I will not be surprised if Lorenzo Ruiz -the first Filipino Saint — gets the distinction of being the “Best Filipino”. Catholic influence is so immense that Jaime Sin and Pedro Calungsod could even be a dark horse.

Kitschy Fun

It’s obviously fluff, smoke and mirrors but I’m sure people will gain a renewed appreciation of their heritage and culture through this exercise should it ever materialize. If you feel I missed out on some obvious choices, feel free to sound off in the comment box.

Viewed 20359 times by 3352 viewers

‘MENSA IQ CHALLENGE’ TO BE HELD NOVEMBER 30

AT FULLY BOOKED BONIFACIO HIGH STREET

Mensa Philippines – the local organization of the international high IQ society Mensa International – will be holding its qualifying test for individuals aged 14 and above who are seeking membership in Mensa.

The testing, dubbed “The Mensa IQ Challenge”, will be held on November 30, 2008 (Sunday) at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street, Taguig. Tests will be given every hour from 11am to 5pm.

The only criterion for Mensa membership is to score within the top 2% (98^th percentile and up) of the test. The test is culture-fair and does not test for math or language skills.

Limited slots are available to those interested in taking the Mensa test. To avail of these slots, interested parties can pre-register at the online facility available at mensaphilippines.blogspot.com. The deadline for pre-registration is before 12 midnight of November 28.

During the test, exam takers will need to bring a valid ID and a testing fee of P500. Undergraduate students with valid student IDs are entitled to a discounted fee of P300. Note that payments will only be received at the testing venue itself.

Mensa has over 100,000 members in over 80 countries worldwide. Actress/Olympian archer Geena Davis, comedian John Cleese and science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov are some of the more prominent Mensa members.

Mensa’s aims are to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity; to encourage research in the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence; and to promote stimulating and social opportunities for its members.

For reference:

Dimpy Jazmines

Director for Publicity

Contact nos.: 0917-5268641 / 449-4612

Email: cmjazmines@bayan.com.ph

Viewed 27104 times by 4727 viewers

I received this piece of news from Couchsurfing:

My friend, Sheng Tienzo, is in the Intensive Care Unit of Makati Medical Center. She has been continuously bleeding after giving birth to her fourth child. It was her third revival last Saturday. Her condition is critical and we urgently need at least 40 donors of blood per day till the end of this week in order to save her life. She needs plenty of O+ blood, but we can donate any blood type so we could get O+ from the Blood Bank. We are trying to find all the help we can get. Kindly text me if you’re willing to help save a life. My number is 09186091214.

Chai Montero

Updates:
To all friends who reached out to help our dearest Sheng, we would just like to to inform all of you that tonight, we had an overwhelming attendance of donors for Sheng that Makati Medica Center had to turn them down because they ran out of storage. Thank you for spreading the word, for going out of your way to donate, and for your willingness to help. It’s humbling and amazing to see how much people, even strangers, care. MMC’s blood bank could no longer accommodate more units AS OF THE MOMENT, so we’re just awaiting further notice as to when they can accept donors for Sheng again. Sheng is now stable, though still in critical condition, but she has dramatically improved since yesterday. Thanks to everyone’s help and concern. We will keep you all posted as donors might still be needed soon. Let’s keep praying that she gets through this!  Many thanks again.

This story strikes a cord in me because my just like Sheng, my Mom also bled profusely after the delivery of my brother. My brother died hours after his birth while my Mom endured 3 operations before being wheeled out of the ICU to a regular hospital room. This all happened sixteen years ago in the days preceding October 20 – the day my brother died.

I hope people who work in the area could help. Donating blood takes less than 10 minutes and is virtually painless (I’ve tried it myself 2 months ago). You may get drowsy after donating but you’ll be okay after a few minutes of resting. That’s a small inconvenience considering the life-saving benefit that you could potentially be giving to someone else.

Viewed 22924 times by 3386 viewers

Save for a few people who had more than a decade-old experience with Laser Tag, the bloggers who played in last weekend’s Lazer Tag Event at LazerXtreme were on an equal playing field. The fourteen players had no idea what the maze looked like and what the best strategy was for accumulating the most points.

Players score by making beams of laser hit blinking pads on an opposing player’s armor located on the shoulders, torso and back.   The laser is propagated from a phasor (i.e. the  laser gun). The game is made more interesting by the fact that the phasor itself is a valid target. Once a player is hit, his phasor shuts down and is rendered helpless for a few seconds. Not all hits are equal -tags made to the front of the armor carry more weight than the other sensors. Players could also score  by shooting down an opposing team’s base suspended from the arena ceiling.

There are elevated portions in the arena. The place is pitch black and the only thing that you’ll see are the blinking lights from the armor.  It’s literally a labirynth of walls, windows and ramps but it’s hard to get lost inside. You’ll almost always have two options at any single time. This makes navigating through it fairly easy. This also makes predicting the movement of other players more tedious and challenging.The pictures were taken with flash so it may seem like the arena was well lit.

THE TEAMS

The Red Team
Jayvee, Rico, AJ and Poyt

Green Team – AKA Team Visit Sagada + Jehzlau
Benj, Angel, Jeff and Jehzlau

*yes, that’s green, the room’s LIGHTING is just BLUE. hehe

Here are the techniques employed by the bloggers. Later in this article, we will appraise whether or not each style did anything to improve their score. LOL.  These were all taken by Poyt during the second game.

The Sniper Strategy

People who I saw do this: Jayvee and Benj

It’s fairly straight-forward. You watch out for blinking lights from the second level and shoot everything that doesn’t look like darkness. LOL. It’s so simple and yet so effective! It’s also good that most of the players that you tag this way aren’t likely to be looking up as you’re shooting them. This makes them less likely to identify you as a target.

The downside of course is that you’re in plain view of almost everyone.

Double Team!

 People who I saw do this: Juned and Jehzlau

There’s safety in numbers! Like wildebeests trying to evade hungry crocodiles, you can easily evade enemy fire if there are more targets for the enemy to shoot. These two tried to traverse the maze with the back-to-back to protect one side of the armor while still maintaining a threatening offensive presence. This bogs down your pace and drastically affects the number of points you can amass – you’re literally splitting points with your teammate. We’re all for teamwork but the goal is to score the most points.

The Action Star Stake Out

The guilty party: Angel

By staying low and hiding behind walls, you protect yourself from being hit as well as maximize the time to keep on shooting. This would require identifying the choke points in the map and contingency plans should you get cornered in your bunker. The risk of getting tagged is nothing compared to the potential to catch other people by surprise.

Of course players mix up the strategy for the duration of the 15-minute game.

So who were the best? Here are the total points for two games.

 THE BEST

1. Angel – 29 000 pts

2. Estelle – 20 100 pts  *and oh, she’s been back!

3. Rico – 18 100 pts

4. Jayvee – 16 600 pts

5. Jehzlau – 16400 pts

AND THE REST

6. Poyt – 13 950 pts

7. Benj -  13 650 pts

8. AJ – 12 900 pts

8. Fritz – 12 900 pts

10. Jeff – 11 100 pts

11. Juned – 7 200 pts

Viewed 14137 times by 3718 viewers

Thanks to the generosity of LazerXtreme – a newly-opened establishment that resurrects laser tag again in the Philippines – a select group of bloggers were given the chance to give the place a spin. The participants were a mix laser tag veterans having had fond childhood memories of playing in now-closed shops in SM Megamall and Shangri-La EDSA and laser tag virgins who had no idea what the laser tag was about.

Here’s the lucky group who got to play. I’m sure you know most of them already.  People in this shot: Atheista, Atheista’s brother BJ, Lakwatsero, Teknostik, Baratillo Cubao, Fool45, A Bugged Life, Tanggera, Rebel Pixel, Fritzified, Bakla Ako and Jehzlau Concepts. Not in the shot: Estelle and her mom.

I will be posting more details about our two games in the coming days. Hours after, I  could still vividly recall the unbelievable experience of tearing across a maze in pursuit of players from opposing teams. It’s such a fun game and  it’s so easy to learn. The staff conduct a briefing section in an impressive looking enclosure (USS Enterprise -esque sliding doors!) before giving players a crack of the maze.

All players wear a vest that blinks a certain way according to which team a  player is on. There are laser sensors on certain areas of the vest. Once the lit parts of the vest are hit, the player’s phasor (i.e. the laser gun)  locks up for as much as 4 seconds.  The phasor is also a valid target. At the end of the game, players are given a score card wherein their number of hits are registered. It’s really cool that you could see how many times you tagged a player and on which parts of the vest you’re best in shooting at. Naturally, shots made to the front and shoulders count for more points compared to hits made to the back sensors and phasor.

LazerXtreme is located at the 4th Level of Market! Market! (Fort Bonifacio Global City) near PC  Express. Each game lasts 15 minutes.  Trust me, that’s more than enough to make your break a sweat!

Related Posts:

LazerXtreme Resurrects Lazer Tag in the Philippines

Blogger Wars

Viewed 15154 times by 4656 viewers

My team better win more games soon.  I trust my teammates. I know we can!

I’m obviously the one wearing Dirk’s number. We’re at 0-3 right now but things are looking up. Mike will play the rest of the season barring any untoward incidents.

*not in pic, my brother’s also with the Black team.

Uniform palang, champion na! :p

Unbeaten! We’ll play them this Saturday before I go on duty. LOL.

PinoyExchange Basketball League

Want to watch? Go to St. Paul Seminary at San Antonio Village, Makati this Saturday. The first game starts at 2pm sharp.

Viewed 12320 times by 3692 viewers

For last year and much of 2008, the blogging community has been flung with allegations of irresponsible posting and unwaranted harshness. Though much of the acts that were seen as offensive by observers (i.e. those from old media) were done by anonymous cowards who are probably not even bloggers themselves, the community has absorbed considerable damages in its reputation. This is why I believe that it is in our best interest to take charge and be responsible when making choices on which particular examples we will choose to represent us a niche and as a sector.

I appeal to everyone to NOT vote for Brian Gorrell’s blog. Sure, it’s his right to fight for what he believes in and get his money back but do we really have to back something that is built on the destruction of reputations of people set to repetitive heehawing? Do we really want to be represented by such mediocrity? More power to him and I hope he gets whatever justice he deserves but he is no position to represent a community that is vibrant, responsible, credible and relevant.

I earlier mentioned Visit Sagada as my first nominee. The blog has a very specialized niche, but in the few short months that it has been in existence it has dominated that niche and emerged as the quintessential resource site for backpackers going to Sagada. We are the most relevant/among the most relevant search results for the anything related to Sagada just three months into this project. And yes, the five of us may not be exactly blog superstars, but taken as a group, we are definitely a force to reckon with (LOL).

I’m very humbled that our efforts have been appreciated by those who voted early. Thank you very much.

Here’s the rest of my ten.

2. Phildebate – Phildebate emerges as one of the most relevant, organized and user friendly sources of debate-related news in the Philippines just mere months after it was launched. The Philippines has a proud and rich debating tradition and Phildebate showcases it by being a one-stop-shop for tournament schedules, results and scores.

3. Filipino Voices – Five years from now, this blog could very well be the single-most influential blog in the Philippines. It combines writers from all backgrounds to state their take on particular issues affecting our country. I think this site is the odds-on favorite to top the vote.

4. Spread Rationality – This is a group blog that encourages readers to expand their horizons through actual thought-provoking articles and discoveries.

4. Pinoy Mountaineer – endorsed and justified here.

5. Teen Atheist – I’m continuously wowed at how passionate she is about writing about Atheism. For such a young lady, she argues and discusses her points eloquently and adequately. Teen Atheist, I took the liberty of buying you teenatheist.com. Tell me what you want to do with it. :p

6. Cecile Maris – Compared to all the personal blogs that won last year, I think Cecile: Ang Batang Palaboy manages to push the standards of this competition even higher. All her articles are well-written and despite the relative “newness” of her blog, she writes as if she’s been doing this for a very long time already. She knows what she’s doing and that’s not something that you could say for every other blogger out there.

7. Missing Carlo – Sometimes, votes are cast not only for the influential – but for those who you want to be influential for the simple reason that it exposes a side of blogging that is barely touched by current dominant niches. Missing Carlo chronicles the experiences of a big sister who is thousands of miles away from her brother diagnosed with autism. Autism is a dead issue as far as the Philippine Blogging Community is concerned but the incidence is alarmingly increasing.

8. Fritzified – Seriously, why are people forgetting about him? Fritz is probably the break out star of 2007 after whipping up one of the best looking themes we’ve seen in a while (but, he’s no longer using that now). He has made his mark as someone who could act as an elder statesman, a photography guru or the unfortunate victim to OmarItaygate. Yes people, YOU CAN VOTE FOR FRITZ.

9. Teknostik – Fire eyed boy gets a fresh coat of paint of ’08 and re-emerges as Teknostik – a blog of a weight training junkie who likes to write short stories and tech punditry bits on the side.

10. Lakwatsero – Again, yet another upstart making waves both in terms of statistics and authority. I think this competition truly is for upstarts and those who really start out of the gates strong deserve some credit.

There you go. Again, YOU MAY STILL JOIN WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD. Just head on to the Ten Emerging and Influential Blogs Page to learn the mechanics. You may win $100 in the raffle as well. Make sure that your favorite blogs make it!

Viewed 9463 times by 3457 viewers

Viewed 8748 times by 3291 viewers

FISH MUCUS AND FOOT FUNGUS
by Gian Dapul
When I was in 6th grade, I hated Mathematics. You would have, too, if you had my teacher. He would drop huge workbooks on our tables and croak, “Thirty problems, fifty minutes.” A lot of these problems seemed unsolvable, so we complained: “Sir, there are no answers to these!” But then he’d reply, “To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution.”

Although I’m only sixteen years old and an incoming 4th year high school student, I know that my country has more problems than any Mathematics book. Strangely enough, the answers to some of our problems are fish mucus and foot fungus. These seemingly improbable items are products of what we call scientific research.

Research turns our guesses into real knowledge, serving as the sifting pan of our hypotheses. It challenges what we assume, because, as they say, if you only learn from what you ASS-UME, you make an “ass” out of”u” and “me”.
In the early 1800s, someone warned that the streets of London would be filled with horse manure due to the uncontrolled use of horse-drawn carriages. Of course, that never happened. Combustion engines,products of research and invention, replaced horses, and the manure piled up in Parliament instead.

While on the subject, few people know that the most expensive coffee in the world is taken from the droppings of the Asian Palm Civet found in the Philippines and Indonesia. The small mammal excretes the coffee berries it eats, and forest trackers recycle the fruity feces to create what is known as Kopi Luwak in Indonesia or Kape Alamid in our country. Research has led to a synthetic process that simulates the droppings’ exotic flavor and quality.
So, who’s had coffee with their breakfast? Well, soon nobody will have had coffee and breakfast if the looming global food crisis worsens.Are you all feeling fine? Well, nobody might be fine for long if some new disease creeps up on us.
Health can be enhanced and life can be extended. The nudibranch, a beautiful, soft-bodied creature unfairly called a “sea slug” — a favorite among underwater photographers for its marvelous colors and shapes — has actually been used in tumor research. Samples of fish mucus have also displayed certain antibacterial properties.
And as the Home Shopping Network would say, “Wait! There’s more.”

Certain types of infectious fungi that coat some of your toes here form beneficial relationships that support plant growth. The International Rice Research Institute based in the Philippines continues to develop ways to improve rice growth and help alleviate the current food crisis.

New challenges are coming, and they will always confront us. What we need is an army of scientific researchers that will help find the solutions in advance. I want to be part of that army that would cross the new frontiers first.
If only we could make science fairs and contests as popular as the thriving “Pop Idol” franchise. Although I’m not sure if Simon Cowell’s sardonic comments will sit well with my peers. But we need the same hard-hitting passion in research and invention.

To conduct research is to be innovative; avant-garde. Researchers are like artists with test tubes and lab gowns instead of paintbrushes and smocks. When I graduate from the Philippine Science High School next year, I want to begin my “masterpiece” and apply for a university degree in Biochemistry.

But sometimes, I am discouraged by those who say that a researcher from a Third-World nation is like a Jesuit adhering to a vow of poverty, or worse, like a Benedictine monk observing the vow of chastity. It is indeed a challenge, but it’s also another frontier to cross, for me and many young people like me.

We Filipinos are well known for their dedication to service, in foreign homes, hospitals and hotels. In the hotel, I found three Filipinos working there. I want to be one of the pioneers that will make the Philippines known for its excellence in scientific research,as part of the driving force that will expand our horizons towards tomorrow. And I intend as a 1to have a lot of fun while doing it.

Going back to my math teacher, I eventually realized that, well, he was right. As he said, “To every question there is an answer, to every problem there is a solution.” We just have to go looking for the right ones. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll be answering the questions that haven’t been asked yet.

Viewed 19872 times by 7195 viewers

If a person is shown this picture,  most people would recognize the dramatic conical contour of the mountain and snow-capped summit and immediately think of Japan. Yes, Mount Fuji is an icon that already represents the island chain of Japan. This place has seen an immense number of tourists from all over the world.

The green section of South America in the northwestern segment is the Amazon Rainforest. It’s not exactly a tourist destination, but we are all aware of its immense size and the valuable contribution that it makes to our planet’s oxygen supply. Just like Fuji, most people would know about the Amazon Rainforest.

 —

Why am I saying these things? The New7wonders Foundation has recently launched a project to list the seven top natural wonders via  a popular vote. From all the nominees, the top 21 will be subjected to SMS votingto finally decide which candidates get the distinction of being in the top 7.

This is not different from their original project – the New 7  Wonders of the World — that was widely controversial due to the entry of questionable winners – most notably Corcovado de Christ in Rio de Janeiro. Though the statue in itself is the largest Christian statue in the world, it is still considerably dwarfed by religious edifices from other faiths and other mysterious and interesting sites like Easter Island. Clearly, Brazil had a GREAT advantage of having a big population. Easter Island on the other hand  is virtually uninhabited (but still managed to finish 8th in the voting).

Rio de Janeiro’s win left a bitter taste in the mouth. Does anyone really see it as equals with the Great Wall of China and the Colloseum? Is it even as remotely inspiring as Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula? Simply put, Rio de Janeiro’s win was a joke fueled by misplaced nationalism and fanaticism.

Filipinos as a race tend to be a little insecure and due to this, most would try to capitalize on things that would prop up the flagging and sinking national pride that people have. In a desperate attempt to boost tourism (as most quarters would claim), Pinoys have been power voting for sites like Tubbataha Reef, Chocolate Hills, Mayon Volcano and Puerto Prinsesa for the 21 slots in the short list. Knowing the Filipinos penchant for voting like crazy, Tubbataha and Chocolate Hills seem to be headed for the  SMS  runoff.

It sickens me a lot that most people who are voting for Tubbataha have never really been there and only heard about the site through this project. It’s pathetic when they keep on harping on the improvement of tourism without citing that ecotourism makes the preservation of these sites even harder.

If we win, people would think it’s a joke. No one would respect those type of results. Three Pinoy sites in the top 7 trumping more notable ones like Mount Everest, the Amazon Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. This is very similar to the mentality that Pinoys should vote for a Filipino in a singing contest to make sure that he/she wins regardless of performance. It sucks.

Read the comments here and see how crazed these people are.

Viewed 14159 times by 6059 viewers

As someone who’s slowly easing into my mid 20′s, it’s high time that I actually start thinking about saving for the future – for that so-called rainy day.We all have our financial needs and somehow, someway, we have to stretch our cash to cover at least the necessities of daily living. Everyday, we’re bombarded with what we have to do with our money. Is it wiser to invest it in stocks? Should we go on mutual funds? Is it a good time to buy real estate? Without quality  information, it’s easy to feel like you’re in unfamiliar territory every time you make a purchase.

Sites that help  you get ahead truly help. Read  up. The link above has more than 1300 articles  nuanced to current market conditions.

Viewed 3564 times by 965 viewers

Human growth hormone – or simply HGH — have now reached the forefront in terms of alternative medicine and therapeutics. This hormone is produced at high levels early in life and this increased secretion fuels the development at this crucial point in time. As we age however, the levels of HGH dramatically decrease and this is correlated to the inability of the body to respond to the stresses of daily living. Growth Hormone is believed to be of benefit to aid in skin regeneration, bone strengthening, promote healthy weight gain and an overall deceleration in the aging process. With increased research going towards the direction of HGH, it’s not doubtful that it would be a  mainstay of geriatric therapy in the future.

Viewed 3127 times by 707 viewers

If you’ve been reading this blog religiously, you might have already chanced upon my minor episodes of self-promotion. I’m a big geography geek and I’ve been one for as long as I can remember (try age seven). That’s why when I found about Travelpod‘s nifty Traveler IQ application on Facebook, I was very excited to pit my cartographic memory against the best that the world could offer. The game basically challenges you to pin point particular locales on the nearly featureless world map. Of course, it can be prone to cheating so it’s a good thing that there’s a 10-second time limit. The closer you are to the actual location, the higher the score. You also get bonus points for being quick.

Just like any other game, it starts of easy and the locations are places that most people could point to on a globe. The game requires you to achieve a certain number of points per stage (the game has 12 stages) to proceed to the next one.

To my disappointment, my performance was hardly world class.

Though my score is already high relative to my Facebook friends, it pains me that more than 10,000 people have beaten my score. The top score is 708,457 and that’s just simply way higher than my paltry 619,525 point total. It’s hard to be precise in the game.

Why is the game hard?

• It’s not simply about knowing what a country looks like in a map. To be able to get good scores, you must know where the actual cities lie within the territory of that country. You think you know that US well? You’re probably used to a map with the 48 continental states delineated. Try pointing at Des Moines without knowing where state boundaries lie.
• As I said, the map is virtually featureless. There are countries that are hardly visible. There are plenty of countries in Europe that are less than half an inch across on your screen. Islands in the Caribbean are even harder to see (if they even exist in the map at all).
• If you’re a geography geek worth your salt, you’ll (and should) know where Ushuaia (the city closest to the South Pole) and Vladivostok are. But would you know where Boquet Island and Iqualit are? There are a couple of places here that I’ve never heard of before! At least it’s a learning experience, right?
• Precision is a major issue. Being off by just a few pixels will cost you points. The closest I’ve been to a location was 2 kilometers. This was for Edinburgh Castle. It’s really tough.

If you have the time, please do try it. And yeah, tell me about your score. I’d like to publicly challenge the following people:

1. Ronnie – He’s number two on my list and he’s a real seasoned traveler.

2. Doc Ian – He has beaten me TWICE in the UP College of Medicine’s annual trivia contest so any opportunity to beat him will have to be exploited to the hilt. Haha.

3. Adrian – Easily one of the most competitive people I know. He’ll definitely give this his best shot. Do visit his blog! It’s very informative.

4. Drew – He’s my blockmate and we’re so geeky of Geography that it is usually our topic of choice outside of discussing possible medical differentials. I really thought he could beat me but he didn’t even get out of Level 11! Hahaha. :p

5. JP Esteban – Trivia master extraordinaire! Yes, he also beat me at the College’s  trivia contest.  He’s selling yummy Belgian Chocolates by the way!

6. You!

Good luck!

Viewed 5573 times by 1691 viewers