Each year, I write myself out of MY BLOG.  Blogging for me started out as an outlet and now it’s about everything and nothing in particular – all at once.

I am not my job.  (If you notice, I don’t write much about my livelihood.)  I am not my reviews.  I am not about the events I get to go to, the interesting people that I meet, or the things that I eventually end up doing.

I am how I act like at my job.  I am how I feel about reviews.  I am how I approach events, the first impression I leave on people (for worse or for absolute better, there’s only one me) and how I do the things I end up doing.

That realization makes me think — am I a character I write about, or am I the digitized memories of the person writing this?  (at.this.exact.moment?)

Sometimes, I even wonder — do I write for you, or do I write for me?

This Friday, Friendster will be launching it’s revamp — and the new direction they’ll be taking, in order to strengthen the brand.

See?!  It comes in green!  Lovely! With the new look, comes new, better features — which have all been developed to meet the wants/needs of their target market: the youth!

It’s now easier to upload/organize photos — and from what I hear, high-res photo uploads will also be supported.  Customization of profiles is also still there, in case you don’t like the new green look.  (And why would you not?)  Ben Dunn, (VP Philippines & Global Head of Brand Experience) even jokes about people mistaking Friendster’s new direction to be … green. 

More entertainment options!  “A brand is a product that has great personality,” as Ben Dunn relates, and what they want to happen is when you mention “fun” or “entertainment,” you think of Friendster. There will be wrapped digital gifts and music and that definitely moves things forward, in terms of being a social network.  These are what people are into, and that’s exactly what Friendster will be providing.

Here’s Cheftonio‘s video from the talk the other night:

“A brand is, what a brand does,” as Ben says, and getting to see that the people working on the Friendster are young, happy, cool, spirited and positive — we can only see how that shows in the revamp.

Eliciting and displaying the same values as their target market, they aim to capture the passion — when you see that new white-over-green Friendster logo, they expect you to smile — as their new tagline is “Connecting smiles.”

So log-on this Friday to see the new Friendster!  Add me up! 

***

A special thanks to the Friendster team and Ben Dunn for the official photos, the video and the talk.

***

I still owe Friendster for helping me locate my crush from elementary school.  :p

***

Here are some pictures from the presentation:

Say “Fit ‘n Right” and immediately you picture the sweet Del Monte drink running down your throat, making you feel healthy.  Del Monte and SM Taste Asia presented a unique health/wellness/lifestyle blogging event called Dare to be Fit ‘n Right last Friday.

Fitness isn’t all about being thin enough to fit in a pair of x-sized jeans, nor is it about being buff, as master Coach Jim Saret relates — it’s about being healthy, losing x-number-of-pounds or developing biceps is just a bi-product.  It’s about being well-rounded.

He’s done talks for offices, corporations — trains atheletes/champions, even, but give him bloggers — the diverse diversity of mostly-on-their-chairs/in-front-of-computers/junkfood-munching/perpetually-caffeine-hooked (mostly)/probably-too-busy-with-other-things-to-workout types — well, he’s got just the thing for that.

The human body (and how it works) is a science, and he’s a sports scientist.

The group get a full-on scientific explanation (basically) on why we’re … unhealthy.  Sedentary lifestyles coupled with unhealthy nutrition equates to most of us.  The inactive body, may, on its own, burn off 1800 calories a day by being inactive, but couple that with that giant burger, soda and other various junk?  That equates to more calories than the inactive body can burn out in a day.

I’ll try and encapsulate the futile efforts for being unhealthy, based on Coach Jim Saret’s presentation:

If you’re not getting any results, then you must have a lot of reasons.

That’s why he developed the FIT method.

The FIT method is a workout strategy designed to burn off as much as 400 calories by doing just 2/4-minute exercises.  Which is perfect for people-on-the-go, really.  It takes advantage of his extensive knowledge of how the body works, the science and backed by the testing he’s done via-athlete/champion-training.  It’s worked for champions — why shouldn’t it work for you?

But that’s just part of the equation.  Health also means a balanced nutrition.

Del Monte’s Fit ‘n Right has L-Carnitine, a naturally-occuring substance in the human body that, on living cells, helps transport the fatty acids into the mitochondria during the breakdown of the fats and helps generate metabolic energy.  (Essentially, a way for weight loss is speeding up metabolism.)

It also contains B and C vitamins which do all sorts of great things like speed up metabolism, maintain healthy skin tone and promote cell growth and division.

It also really helps that Fit ‘n Right comes in delicious flavors — of which, apple and watermelon are my favorites.  They also announced (and my mum likes this bit) that Fit ‘n Right now comes in liter bottles!  (A cousin points out that this is being advertised, but I haven’t seen television in quite a while to verify.)

***

Also, Del Monte, in partnership with SM has organized the Dare to be Fit ‘n Right Fun Run 2009 — a running event on November 22 at the SM Mall of Asia.  Runners may register and choose the race they want to participate in: 3K, 5K or 10K, and is open to both men and women.

It’s also worth noting that there will be big prizes and it is for the benefit of typhoon victims through SM Foundation. 

***

It was a pretty fun and educational event.  A big plus was getting to see some of my blogger friends to try out the FIT method — active participation after the discussion!  Also, Coach mistook my flab for a 6-pack, so that’s something.  (I held my breath that time. )

A very big special THANKS to Del Monte Fit ‘n Right and SM Taste Asia for this great opportunity for a healthy change. 

Thanks to Azrael for the heads up and blogger friends for the awesome time. 

***

Also, line for the night: “nasa labas, nagpapa-picture.”  Blast.  :p

***

[Image above from Azrael's album. ]

October 17, 2009 — Samsung brought in a little more color to  SM North as it launched its newest mobile baby: The Samsung Corby.  (model:  S3650)

This mobile baby, to be precise, is a new full-touch handset that is designed for the socially-connected lifestyles of the youth.  (rather than trying to fashion a business phone that can ALSO do that)

With built-in support for the BIG big boys of social networks, (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, flickr, etc) this might be the phone that makes you ditch that big bulky (or mebbe sleek and sexy?) computer of yours at home.

“We see strong growth opportunities in this sector and will continue to pioneer new markets with innovative technology. The Corby is consistent with Samsung’s legacy of developing new products and technologies designed for specific audiences and bringing new devices quickly to market,” explained Charlse Choi – VP Hand Held phones, SEPCO

Having the youth in mind, (and realizing their desire to be different) the Corby shall be known for its sleek body design and bold colors.  Having interchangeable slip-on battery covers (called “Fashion Jackets”) in different colors + designs (Jamaican Yellow!  Cupid Pink!  Minimal White!  Festival Orange!  They deserve exclamation points!) makes the phone stand up and shout, “No!  I will not be just another phone that everyone else has!”

The phone’s UI also has what they dub the “Pop-up SNS” notification, to inform you of any new updates and live feeds from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.  It also incorporates device features into these social networks, meaning a video of your dog going bonkers over its own tail can be posted directly to YouTube, or that secret stalker picture you took from the Corby of your crush can be uploaded directly to flickr, Picasa or Photobucket.

“Globally, we are number one for full-screen touch phones and recognize the importance of social networks in the modern mobile industry. Samsung’s target audiences are at the heart of its business strategy and the design and functionality of Samsung Corby meets the needs of a highly digitally connected and style conscious youth audience – as does the affordable price point,” continued Choi.

The full-touch design makes it easier for Corby owners to manipulate on-screen widgets (of which, it was mentioned, are customizable!), or utilize “one finger zoom,” which allows users to zoom in or out USING ONLY ONE FINGER.  There’s also the “smart unlock” feature, which unlocks the phone when the user draws a specific letter, or symbol.

Aside from the colorful phones, there were games, performances that involved orange/pink/yellow-colored girls on stage and a raffle for not one, but two Samsung Corby phones (whose winners are both not me :p ).

For the more technical-detail-looking-reader, here’s the tech specs for the Corby:

***

A very special thanks to Samsung and Kat (who invited me to the event, of whom FOR SURE grew like 2-3 inches since the last time I saw her?)

Imagine hulking out right.this.second. — you feel a supernatural energy running down your biceps, to your forearms, to your hands — you wonder what’s the nearest thing you could unleash this awesome force unto — then you see the television...

That’s the sort of statement that Flippish was making during their launch party, which was held at Fiama last night.  (The night that television died!  Or when the tv’s death clock got a-ticking.)

Not that you’d reach for the family tv while your nanay is watching her soaps — so you could chuck the tv out the window —- thing is, (as mentioned in their radio guestings) tv ain’t dead yet, but it’s running on life support, and primetime isn’t primetime anymore, at least not in the sense where the nightly shows would be done with by 9, and the news would be over just before 11 in the evening, — AND — most especially when you’re competing with new media — where ANY time is primetime.

Chris Tan of Flippish makes an interesting point about the television’s death rattle — more and more people are tuning in to the internet machine upon reaching home, instead of the tube — and in one of those “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” sort-of-affairs, — he, along with the Video Producers (ViPs!) and the rest of Flippish have pioneered a network of original, top-notch, and exclusive content for the internet-machine junkies.  These aren’t your camera phone videos — the content (shows!) on Flippish are done up like the shows you’d be seeing on tv — treated with first-rate writing/directing/editing and high-tech equipment.

The program, hosted by Roxy Barcelo (Xandy!) started off with the introduction of Flippish, and a peek of what’s in store.  There was also the introduction of the ViPs — FunnySexy/Kring, Chrina, Roman, Dos and Jay — and aren’t they the luckiest people, really — getting to do what they love, and getting paid for it?  Entertainment was provided by a band featured on the Flippish show LSS: Indios, and Biboy Garcia of Queso asking us to say “OH!” when he says “Flippish!”  (Correct me on this one.)

If Flippish has been entertaining the rest of us for the past couple of months, there they go announcing a slew of new shows (Weekend Warriors, Brain Freeze, etc) to keep the net connection streaming (and the viewers hooked) — at.any.time.you(we).like.

Had a blast hanging out with blogger friends — (some of whom I just met there!) with The Bar providing the intoxication.

So, what’re you waiting for?  Go, shoo!  Check out Flippish! Tell your friends!

***

A special thanks to (belated-happy-birthday-girl) Kring for the invite, and the rest of the Flippish team for making it happen.  Congratulations, kids!

***

***

[07/05/2009 UPDATE! ]

In a way that better serves Flippish — the Flippish Launch MEGAPOST on VideoCHOPS!  Includes some EXCLUSIVE video features about the video site, o yeh!

***

[Pictures from Azrael]

Coy from CokskiBlue unleashed a sexy beast of a project yesterday: VideoCHOPS!

In essence, it’s sort of a repository of vlogs/clips from your favorite (or soon-to-be) favorite vloggers, a hub for events coverage, opinions/techniques/reviews and a place for aspiring make-it-big-and-spread-like-a-viral pinoy viral vids.  (I’ll let the site itself explain the CHOPS part :p )

Why is this such a good idea?  Because there’s Pinoy vlog talent lurking ‘round the web, and maybe most of us haven’t discovered some of them yet.  — And — and, and, and this being a brainchild collab (correct me if I’m wrong on this one, as usual) of vloggers themselves — you know that there’s already a plan, a passion for making this so.  It wasn’t here the day before, they open it up for consumption, THEY (the other THEY, the THEY I wasn’t referring to on the first part of that lovely sentence fragment) will come.  Discovery through others, beybeh.

Give VideoCHOPS a visit!

P.S. Also, ‘CHOPS’ makes me think of porkchops, which is always always always right.  Like the site.

“Honestly, I don’t know why I got invited here — I mean, I’ve been to several fashion events before, but really, I wonder why — I look like a garbage can 90% of the time — well, except today, may presentation ako — bottomline is, I may not know a whole lot about fashion, but as a personal blogger, I believe that new experiences are a must.”

-Paolo, On attending the f*art event

Got invited by Azrael to come to f*art for the soft launch of FADAL Manila (Fashion Designers Alliance of Manila).  Scroll up: Ugh, did I just quote myself?

Upon arriving at the venue, I bumped into Mike Unson, whom I just watched the night before over at Toyz.  He, of course, is part of the Comedy Cartel — a local group of stand-up comedians, magicians and whatnot.  (He has the best job!  Think about it, stand-up comedy is cheaper than getting a therapist.  :p)  I spent a good couple of minutes looking busy in the middle of the store, looking awkward, when I heard him and Viva mention that there are bloggers upstairs…

But wait, let’s back up a bit — what is f*art?

Behold a new concept store set to captivate lovers of fashion and art. Fashion ART (F*ART) is a fusion of fashion and art, where anything is possible and what you imagine is within your reach. That is because F*ART allows you to interact with Filipino fashion designers and artists so you can customize the products you really want to have, according to your taste and needs. Conveniently located in the heart of Quezon City, near ABS-CBN and GMA-7 studios, it is a place where young, fast rising fashion designers and artists showcase their freshest creations. Enjoy expressing your individuality. Plus, support Filipino world-class talent and products when you shop at F*ART.

F*ART offers funky fashionable finds fit for fab fun Filipinos. Come and explore the exciting fusion of Filipino Fashion and Art.

F*ART is an idea conceptualized by Happy and Viva Andrada, sisters who share a passion for life, travel, adventure, fashion and art. As the movers and shakers of Fashion ART, these creative sisters want to give space for Filipino talent to bloom and grow. Viva and Happy are amazed with what Filipinos can do. They believe in Filipino talent. They encourage others to be proud of what Filipinos can do by buying Filipino.

Filipino fashion designers and artists now have a place to showcase the best of what they have to offer. F*ART is the new home of freshest creations made by talented Filipinos.

(and wouldn’t you want your designers to be proudly Filipino?  )

The event/party was hosted by the sisters, Happy and Viva Andrada(who had us shouting “FART!  FART!” when the event began), as a sort of introduction of the officers and members of FaDAl Manila.

While this started out as sort of an “Away Mission” for me, it ended with a great realization: these are a group of dynamic talent, waiting to be unleashed unto the world.  Think an empty vessel, filling to the brim — the formation of FaDAl might just be the outburst.  Here they were, putting the Philippines on the map, by means of fashion design — clothing — however they can.  I think Kel (of whom I watched the night before, and talked to, the Saturday before at iBlog) hit it right when he said that he was there because he supports any and all forms of artistic endeavors.

It’s sort of geeky, but it reminded me of my artist friends — and really, the f*art store?  It’s just conducive to that sort of thinking — that creation and whimsy DO go hand-in-hand — and with both, anything is possible.

After the bloggers introduced themselves (hah!) to the designers, Mike Unson does what he does best — tickle your ribs senseless with his comedy.   (with an extra-lengthy set, might I add)  Surprise, surprise, then, that after that, a magic performance by Kel!

***

DO NOT BE SURPRISED if you hear about FaDAl Manila becoming big in the future.

***

Here’s my best wishes to Happy and Viva, and to the other members of FaDAl Manila!  Thank you so much for letting us be part of this “hey-know-what?-i-was-there-when-it-happened” feeling. 

***

LOCATED: J. Erestian (formerly K-D) cor. K1st, Kamuning Q.C.
STORE HOURS: 10 A.M- 8 PM MONDAY- SATURDAY
Call US: 4127311 / 0915-5705303 / 0917-8397534
Email: fashionartshop@yahoo.com

Site: www.happyfart.com

MAP

***

Also, hello to the new blogger friends (from different circles, fashion bloggers!) I met during that night.  Especially Jennie who mistook me for someone who had a great talk at iBlog, lol 

***

Pictures!  (More from Azrael’s Multiply!)

mga sawi sa PERYA

Viva and Happy, plus the rest of FaDAl and the bloggers:

Mike Unson + bloggers:

Viva Andrada + Mike Unson

Is it wrong of me to maybe want to dress up like this guy? 

***

[Images from Azrael/the presskit]

Bloggers are mutants.

Think about it: they wield various powers, they are given access to doors that are otherwise closed to your average everyday computer user, not everyone is aware of their presence, some go off to become socially-responsible voices of TRUTH + JUSTICE and sometimes, they band together for common causes — like attending iBlog and discussing the future of Pinoy blogger-kind.

My name is Paolo, and I’m a proud mutant.

In hindsight, attending the 11 PM showing of Star Trek the night before did not, in fact, do me any good for iBlog5 — I was late and I looked like a raccoon.  (Mutant!)

As with any of the good stuff that has happened to my life up to now — I was late.  While jotting down my registration details (178, hah!), the girl by the registration booth was telling me that I was just in time for the break.

I walked just in the middle(?  Three-fourths?) of P0yt‘s and Fritz Tentativa’s talk on Photoblogging.  And, (of course this would happen later on in the day, but I’ll choose to apply it now) I sorta learned that I write unbearably-long blog entries, so I’ll do the (seemingly) condensed version way:

Don’t be rude when taking photographs.  (‘Cept when you’re doing ‘em sex-ay or risque candid shots, of which you keep in your personal collection — hah!)  Ask for permission if you don’t feel right about taking someone’s picture.  The rule of thirds.  (Of which I still don’t know.)  Pare down — not everything you shoot needs to be posted, most especially if it misses the subject.  (Then what’s the point, really?)  There’s no signal for Globe phones inside the venue.  Azrael discusses the advantages of videoblogging — it brings that extra bit of personality from the blogger — in a way that normal text blog entries couldn’t.  Not that each vlog has to be about the person, really — it can also be used as a tool for instantaneous on-the-spot citizen journalism, while things/event are going down.  Kring discusses the more technical side of videoblogging — from equipment to techniques, of which she lovingly practices every day.  Also, shadows are evil little bastards that rob you of your chance to show off your pretty little mug when shooting your vlog.  (And by now you would’ve probably heard of the fabOUlous thing. :p)  Ka Edong steps in to discuss the various available options for bloggers-on-the-go to post their thoughts right.this.second. via mobile blogging.  ”The present moment is the field on which the game of life happens.”  Benj Espina quite passionately discusses that ”Each blogger is a representative of the whole blogging community.”  Juned Espino follows up with a discussion of the lack of the unwritten rule of bloggers — not to oversimplify, — always always always cite your sources, don’t take credit for something that isn’t from your mindbrain, ask permission when borrowing something, don’t take it if you aren’t given permission and do not be a prick among your fellow bloggers/man/persons.  Coy and Winston Almendras demystify creating traffic for your blog: clever (and unique) branding, social bookmarks, creating massively-explosive brilliant viral-things, and getting nominated/winning blog awards.  :)  Lunch follows — Dengue Alert: Wear Your Pants.  Also, hanging out by the trash from time to time isn’t too bad — saw Kring and P0yt as they were getting back from buying a pair of shoes.  Do not smoke right outside the venue, as the guard points out.  Several cigarette sticks (3 for me) and bottles of Cola (2) later, we were back in the venue.   Atty. JJ Disini teaches everyone that intellectual property starts at the second your fingers hit the keyboard, and that legally, you can’t back into the corner of “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that.”  Two bottles of cola will make you go to the bathroom, boxing talk when I got back — also, as Janette Toral points out — bloggers can become socially-responsible machines for reporting everyone’s civic duty of voting.  May it (blogging, social networks) not be an advertisment tool to be abused by upcoming politicians, and may it become the source of TRUTH.  Kring and P0yt can do the lolli-loli-loli-pop-pop!  What follows are various speakers discussing the monetization of blogs, and of how it could potentially become a decent source of income.  Former-boss Laz talks of Yehey’s position on the blog event circle — to become blog event organizers.  SMO talk follows, which is, in a nutshell, leveraging social media platforms to get your message across — a.k.a. the thing I’ve been doing since last year up ’til the current job.  Anton Diaz shares bits of his expertise, which, I think, is missing parts of what he discussed in the WhyNot? Forum.  Raffle!  Picture-taking!  Sitting-in-chairs-waiting-for-people!  After-party beers!

I did it again, didn’t I?  Use my mutant power for writing unbearably-long blog entries?  Here’s to iBlog5, and looking forward to the next one!  :D

***

Congratulations to Ms. Janette Toral and the other organizers for another successful iBlog!

***

Also, a bunch of hellos to the allies who were met and seen at the event!  Yes, I will remember you, even if it takes a while.  :D

***

Other photos to follow, once I get the film rolls developed!  :p

***

Also, Kring and Azrael’s VS video:

***

[Edit!: Link-lovin' from Ms. Janette Toral]

Live stream feed last May 9

• Blogging 101 by AJ and Mica 1/2 (2/2)
• Photo Blogging 101 by Faith and Fritz 1/2 (2/2)
• Mobile Blogging by Edwin 1/2 (2/2)
• Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging by Benj and Juned 1/2 (2/2)
• Blog Promotion and Traffic Generation Strategies by Coy and Winston 1/2 (2/2)
• Legal Issues in Blogging by JJ
• COMELEC on Blogging and Bloggers by James Jimenez 1/2 (2/2)
• Corporate Blogging by Mannix Pabalan of AyosDito.ph
• Blog Marketing & Advertising insights by Jayvee
• Problogging by Fitz 1/2 (2/2)
• The Secret Behind Taking Your Blog to the Next Level by Anton

Video

• RPs Blogging Community Preparing for the 2010 Polls (GMA News)
• iBlog5 (Sonnie)
• Interview on iBlog5, iBlog6, and the Top 10 Emerging Blogs Project (Carlo)

Photos

• Skiper
• Aethen
• AJ
• Focal Glass
• Ada
• Dexter
• Jen
• Rochelle
• Nina
• Xere
• Azrael
• Ada
• Arbet
• Rommel
• Noemi

Blog posts

• iBlog5: PhotoBlogging Discussion Complement (Fritz)
• iBlog5 Summit
• My iBlog5 Experience
• iBlog5: Bloggers are Mutants
• Chronicles of iBlog 5 (Jorich)
• iBlog5: The Philippine Blogging Summit Aftermath (Micaela)
• Bakla Goes to iBlog5 (AJ)
• iBlog5 tackles blogger’s role in election (Patricia)
• iBlog5: Back to the Basics of Blogging (John)
• The iBlog5 Experience (Marhgil)
• iBlog 5: My first blogging event (Randy)
• My iBlog5 Experience (Maureen)
• The Thirsty Blogger Attends iBlog 5 (Fitz)
• Success of iBlog5: Congratulations (Gilbert)
• IBLOG5 and Taboo (Juned)
• Deconstructing the iBlog5 Summit (Fencesitter)
• How to blog about blogging (Tikisoka)
• Timeline of unreported noteworthy occurrences at the 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (V)
• The Secret in Taking Your Blog to the Next Level (Anton)
• The iBlog5 Experience (N.F. Trapa)
• COMELEC is PHAIL (Laya)
• iBlog5 is the 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Jehzlau)
• Ukay-ukay Escapades at iBlog5! (Madz)
• Are you Evolving as a Blogger? (by Anton Diaz @ iBlog5) (Lawrence)
• Post iblog5 (Christa)
• My iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit Experience (Jeffrey)
• iBlog5 (Carl)
• Photoblogging 102, tequila shots, dancing and hulabaloo at iBlog5 (Poyt)
• Blogging for Bloggers (Rene)
• My iBlog5 Aftermath (Leira)
• iBlog Experience (Maria Katrina)
• iBlog5 5th Philippine Blogging Summit at UP Diliman (Tonyo)
• Top 5 Tips That Probloggers Will Usually Not Tell You About Making Money Online (Fitz)
• At iBlog5 (Arbet)
• Blogger Evolution and 4 Types of Bloggers (Carlo)
• iBlog5: So many bloggers… so little time… (Roy)
• 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Benito)
• iBlog5 Thoughts (Regnard)
• Live Blogging at Iblog 5 | Pictures and Experience @ iblog 5 (Dexter)
• iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Jen)
• iBlog5: The 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Rochelle)
• iBlog5 Summit and It’s Munificent Speakers (Ada)
• iblog5 – A Success (Mon)
• iBlog5, therefore I am (Kevin)
• iBlog5: A FabOUlous Event (Kring)
• The iBlog5 Summit (EdZee)
• iBlog5 Postscript – of Mobile Blogging and the Elections (Edwin)
• What I Learned From The iBlog5 Philippine Blogging Summit (Earth)
• I Blog 5 (Rommel)
• My iBlog5 Experience (Snow)
• iBlog5 Post Event Coverage and Reasons Why You Should Go to iBlog6 (Carlo)
• iBlog5- 5th Philippine Blogging Summit (Noemi)
• iBlog5: The Philippine Blogging Summit (Villa)
• iBlog5, and Coffee With Girl Friday (Judd)
• Blogging About My iBlog5 Experience (Louis)
• iBlog 5 (Niki)
• Ako Mismo a hot topic on iBlog5 (Lawrence)

#iblog5

• Twitter
• Plurk

Picture this: a bunch of bright minds peeking out of their own skulls, discussing (and subsequently, sharing) ideas, dreams and experiences with other bright minds, all for their mutual benefits.  Ever wonder how it would feel like sitting in-between that?

My name is Paolo, and I did just that.

Having had the opportunity of being told about the 6th Why Not? Forum — I jumped at the chance of attending.  (Also, what won me over was the LomoManila talk.  Because of Hrulga.  Ironically, it was drizzling here at home, so I left the house without Hrulga/Beybehtar and wore a sweater.  Ugh, it was sunny in Ortigas.)

This being my first WhyNot? Forum, I had no ideas what tribes were — and why Marcus Fenix and a Lego man were standing just inside Alchemy, right after the registration booth.  Bam Aquino hosted the forum, introducing first, how and why the edgier (the alternatives) Filipino obsessions — lomography, gaming, cosplay, doodling, graffiti, entrepreneurship, backpacking, all-manner-of-geekery, nationalism, comics and foodtripping — will prolly save the lot of us, and of the tribes that have formed around these interests.

Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet goes in first — sharing his story, his ULTIMATE day and some tips behind the succses of his blog-turned-entrepreneurship.  How awesome indeed, is working 4-hour days … from home? 

This was followed by introductions from the people behind One Tama and Youth Vote Philippines, essentially urging the audience to be a little bit more responsible.

Phil Cahiwat of Level Up Games and Gabby Dizon of Flipside Games followed, with a tandem talk about gaming.  Phil’s talk was focused on how games that are centered on community-building promote certain values that one might find taught in schools, like teamwork, etc.  Gabby’s was more of how you could turn your passion into your profession, and how there’s so much talent here in the Philippines that would probably make a good fit for the games development industry.

The people behind Y Trip, Entrepbuff and J Zone are all then introduced, sharing their unique takes on how to better your life — may it be via travel, entrepreneurship or spiritual growth.

Bong Rojales of LomoManila followed, giving a little lesson of what lomography essentially is, and how it brings people together — like photographs, we’re not all perfect, but each has a story to tell, only differing in how the storyteller delivers.  (Around his neck was a Mr. Pink Diana F+, of which Ven wants.  :p)

Beside me, The Out of Body Special shared how love for music, even if it doesn’t fit a certain genre, or if your bandmates come from different backgrounds, can get you featured on Time Magazine.

The cameras followed Bam outside, as he showcased WeWillDoodle and PilipinasStreetPlan working on their separate pieces outside, of how we could tell stories via doodling, or graffiti(-ing?).

Rej Layug of New Worlds Alliance then followed with an interesting talk of how AWESUM being a geek is — I refrain from asking my “So, how will you show Star Wars to your children?  Original trilogy, then prequels, or prequels->original trilogy?” — and of how, you will find acceptance and understanding with your fellow geeks — end even potential-future-fiancés.  What followed was a little showcase from Cosplay.ph — and a little contest.  Lego man won, of course, through sheer … Lego-ness.

Several comic creators, Jaime, Elbert Or and Jonas Diego share how they’re using their medium in delivering their message.  Also, Elbert Or was wearing a “The More the Manyer” shirt!  (“The More the Manyer” is a funny little book about several Pinoy cliches — my copy, I got from a kris kringle, from Cheekie!  (Of whom, I saw this past week, when my phone was going bonkers.  And yes, this is a parenthesis-within-a-parenthesis, and a sentence beginning with a preposition.))

FLOY QUINTOS SUCKED ALL THE AIR IN THE ROOM.  And held it ’til his talk was over.  Almost everyone held their breath while he was giving his talk on the current state of “Pop”.  (Which also made me think — am I merely mirroring what I think is individualism, or am I BEING an individual?)  He also raised certain points about the strengths (and ultimately, weaknesses) of Pop culture.  Because what may be fresh for now, will be dated — it will lose its relevance, and of the individual talk that revolve around -insert-popular-thing-to-talk-about-here- will often resolve in a glibbening contest.  Of who has the last say, for the sake of having something to say.

What struck me most is his advice: for whatever art/craft you may be playing with, it is always, always, always better to have a foundation in it, so you could break it, and eventually, build your own.

The forum then closed with a performance by TriboManila — house music with a festive (and definitely Pinoy) flavor.  What’s even more surprising, is that the band features members who aren’t purely from Manila — only that their love for the Filipino sound has anchored them here.

I left soon after — I was seated where the lights were blinding my eyes, and, well, I needed a cigarette.

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Many thanks to The WhyNuts and Azrael, for sharing this interesting event!

Listening to: a lot of Badly Drawn Boy, some of Damien Rice’s O, Mandalay, some girly pop for good measure

Re-watching the first Matrix film did not, in fact, add any sort of personality quirk worth blogging about.  (Although, I’d have to say I *did* forget about the “hackers” part of the film.)  Now it’s time to fix the missing blogroll, because, apparently, you can’t export links in WordPress.  (Or I didn’t know how to.)

Why not drop by a few of ‘em while at it?  Channel surf time!

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Want to know how the L4D logo came to be?  Check out the official L4D blog for an in-depth look on how the artists at Valve designed the now-well-known L4D box art.  (Plus, we get a sneak peek at how it could’ve turned out!)

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Arpee’s discovery of the ’til-the-end-of-the-month S & R Garlic Shrimp pizza is worth looking over, because, well, I know most of you (like me) love a good pizza.  Although I can’t eat that one — I’m allergic to shell foods.  (boooooo!)

My (cousin) Ate Gee’s entry on her second daughter (my pamangkin?) Gelai’s “Moving Up” day.  I didn’t even know they call Graduations “Moving Up” nowadays.  :p  Did I mention her entries get published in the papers there? 

Here’s something to get the Iron-fans excited — over @ Azrael’s blog: Marvel shared a few images of Iron Man 2 shooting in-progress!  Also, the extra Iron Man heart?  It looks like a lunch box.  :p  (Also, make sure to check out the index of his blog — some major updates about TF:Revenge of the Fallen, The Simpsons stamp, that Ecko Unltd contest, and much, much more)

Cheftonio’s latest entry (of which I’m still waiting for Pocky updates… :p ) is about his talk with DPWH Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane.

Over @ Poopsies, Coeli (sorta) reviews her new love: Miyamoto Musashi. 

Haze’s (sorta) open-letter about her son’s Moving Up/Graduation/Recognition Day is sweet.   (See, it has so many names!)

Joriben’s review of Fast & Furious.  (Yes they dropped the ‘The’ in the title.  Now they’re saying not any specific ‘The’ people aren’t mutually fast, and, well, furious, but the whole movie is.)  I know it’s been out for awhile, so if you’re still not sure, check the review.  (Clue: it’s a Vin Diesel/car movie.  If you’re a Vin Diesel/car person, you’ve probably seen it.)

Apparently, Kring can’t eat sfice foods! — no curry, no spicy-white-hot-sauce-thing sa shawarmang tupa!  Also, here’s her coverage of Ozine Fest ’09 — HARD GAY!  (Plus, you could now embed Flippish vids on yer blogs and whatnot!  AWESUM!)

Laz is still taking those beautiful, beautiful photographs.  Check it!

Mikko still makes reviews/updates on new figures, so if you’re into that, here’s HobbySnacks.

P0yt’s latest update is about Yocard’s ‘Visuals with a Vision’ contest.  Not sure what Yocards are?  Check out her blog post about Yocards here!  Also, if you’re not sure where to pick ‘em up, check out the official site for locations, whee!

Renzie’s Earth Hour post is a couple weeks old, but is still very relevant.  Here’s a secret: I LOVE NATURE — so why not have Earth Hour a couple times a month?  Here are several unplugged activities to help you do that.  (Check number 5!)

I may love nature, but I’m also my favorite omnivore.  Have some of Sexy Ryan’s forays into Dreamland’s giant slabs of meat!  O yeh, good for the HEART!

Ugh.  Didn’t even know Sarah has a new blog.  Click for a picture of a panda showing Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream some lovin’.  I’d ask her to bring some back home as pasalubong, but I wouldn’t know how that would go with the ice cream melting.  :p

Here’s a new blogger friend’s (Sire!) review of Slumdog that’d make you appreciate living in the Philippines.

Here’s Ven’s frustration on clamshell packaging.  I honestly hate clamshell packaging — they’re a pain to open, you can’t open ‘em without damaging, it’s a trouble to keep with its easily-bend-and-mess-up properties.

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As it turns out I didn’t have too many links to put in the blogroll.  :p  Plus, I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting some other links though … WELL, time to get back to smoking, and maybe watch “This is Spinal Tap,” of which, Cheekie, in her infinite (indie/shoegaze/sublime) wisdom has asked/told me about on 3 separate occasions.  :p  Later, kids!

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And, keeping true to the title, have some Badly Drawn Boy: