Stargazer

Thanks to Getty they have at least a stock of what a lunar eclipse would have looked like. Australia had very good view of the lunar eclipse last Tuesday night but not us here in Western Australia. The weather spoiled my planned moon gazing activity.

I first fell in love with star gazing during a trip to the Manila Planetarium when I was an elementary student. The centre was jampacked then that I had to lie down on the floor to see the film showing. Lying on the floor was in fact the best position to watch the film as we watch about a film documentary about space (the film was projected on the centre’s dome roofing). It was the first time that I took notice of such beautiful bodies… albeit heavenly bodies Orion, the bear, the big dipper and the moon.

Since then, stargazing has been my favorite past time especially whenever I get to a pitch black place. I remember my first lunar eclipse experience was also back when I was in elementary. The moon looked very big and my friends were telling horror stories during that night but it was certainly an awesome sight as the moon looks so huge and perfectly round.

When I first arrived here in Australia, I was amazed with the weather, which was most of the time clear skies during the night that one could get a very good view of the heavens. It is surely an awesome and exhilarating experience. So investing on a good telescope is not worthless for any stargazer.

Anyway, I missed this latest total lunar eclipse. I’ll definitely mark the next one–December 2011–as to where I’ll be by that time, I’m not yet sure but I’ll definitely not going to miss it unless cloudy weather prevails again.

Youtube returns to Thailand

For the first time since about four months Thailand blocked Youtube, I got to access the site here Down Under and watch some of my favorite clips online.

Then barely five months since Thailand blocked Youtube last April 3, Youtube is online again in Thailand according to The Bangkok Post. This came after lengthy negotiations between Google and the Thai Government with Google agreeing to remove the clips. However, the removal of the clips did not materialize as Google insisted that they might break rights of other users to free speech. The Thai government agreed to Google’s move install filters for Thai Youtube users. This means if you are a user in Thailand, you will still be able to access Youtube but you will not be able to access any identified offensive video clips against the monarchy.

Some Thai media experts were not happy with this as it was just a partial success for free speech advocate. Google won to have Youtube online in Thailand but “with conditions.”

The Thai government is happy with the outcome anyway and at least Google gave in to the Thai Government’s “request” albeit after a long dragged negotiations. Everybody happy.

Thailand has boundaries and this case has showed that in cyberspace there are still rules and there are still boundaries. As to how far would a country/organization could impose its rules/laws, it is still a vague concept I suppose. What do you think?

A little bit over

Well, well, well, it’s been a looooong hibernation. Snake alert is already out (meaning spring is near) and I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back to blogging. Well, I’m back (again–how many times did I’ve gone to blogging hiatus these past few weeks???). Well, I thought I wouldn’t be able to come back. I’m still trying to finish three reports but at least I’m a bit relaxed now as I was able to finish some parts of the three drafts (well, I’ve been trying hard to write everything at the same time ).

While I was on hiatus there’s so much abuzz over the blogosphere, I don’t need to link them here but I know you know. Mr. Pogi accuses Ms. Kind-hearted as a self-serving blogger, while a print journalist goes OFW bashing and getting the ire of almost every blogger on the blogosphere and I’m sure even over Friendster! I’m not adding my note to these two big stories as it seems anything that should be blogged about from these two cases have been blogged already.

Well, the best news that I couldn’t resist not blogging about is blogbastic is one year old. I’m soooooo vane. eheheh! forgive me just give me this moment. ciao!

Flu

After assisting in the public awareness of bird flu for almost two years, I think I’m becoming callous just hearing the word “flu.” As if I hadn’t had enough–there’s been an outbreak of human flu here in Australia, deaths were recorded especially in young children.

A few weeks ago, Australia watched cautiously as Japan reported its first horse flu in decades. Australia is the only country in the world without the disease and many breeding stallions from Australia travel as far as Japan just to service some of the horses there.

This week, Australia reported its first outbreak of equine flu or horse flu last week and the implication to its horse racing and breeding industry is shooting billions of Australian dollars! Despite excellent response to the initial outbreak the disease seem to be spreading in a blink of an eye. After decades of being free, Australia is now contemplating vaccination. The implication of this is that the country will have to wait for about two years to gain certification from the World Organization for Animal Health or OIE that it is free from equine flu.

The current outbreak is feared to have an effect on the Melbourne Cup in November, well horse trainers, bettors, jockeys are still hoping that at least it would just be partial. Well, partial or not I’m coming to Melbourne albeit not to the Cup but to a conference. But I hope I would have the chance to have a side trip at the sidelines at Melbourne Cup.

Blogbastic turns 1!

I almost missed it because of the almost never ending chase for report deadlines among others–imagine, I’m still chasing up reports almost three weeks after I ended my contract in Bangkok. Well, it’s a long story but to cut it short my research topic is closely connected with my work in Southeast Asia that any output is of great importance to my research.

Anyway, what I almost missed–Blogbastic is one year old!

My good online buddy, Massa P. marked the day and made sure that she greeted me! Thanks Massa P!

Well, it’s been one year since I moved to WordPress to explore further the wonders of blogging and while I’m currently sidetracked with the stressful reality of the academe and just waking up from realities of working for an international organization, I’m still loving it! It’s good to just look back to how blogbastic developed from being a personal blog to a blog about news (well, it still sometimes function as a “pseudo-personal” blog as Jayvee F. puts it although I’m not sure whether it IS my true calling–well that’s another story).

I’m still blogbastic! Thanks all. Keep on blogging!

Aussie Idol enjoys second-best debut : thewest.com.au

One of my favorite shows when I was doing my studies here in Australia back in 2004 was Australian Idol. It was the second year of the British Franchise here in the Commonwealth and my kids and I enjoyed it. From the talented aspirants to downright hilarious unforgettable wannabes.

This season’s Aussie Idol became the second-best debut for the franchise. My kids loved Sebastian, the 2003 Australian Idol because of his charming voice and good looks and we also enjoyed the competition of Season 2 and the talent of all the 12 finalist and even to the showdown between Casey Donovan and Anthony Callea.

Well, it was indeed exciting for me back in 2004 and hopefully, this year’s Aussie Idol will live up to last night’s and tonight’s episodes, which are a real stress reliever.

One thing I’ve noticed is they now have four judges here. They were only three back in 2004 in the tradition of Simon, Paula and Randy. Now they have Mark, Marcia, Dicko (who went on leave on 2005 and 2006) and Kyle. From the looks of the candidates for this year’s contest, I think the judges will have a very hard time picking the best as most of the aspiring singers that made it were musician-composers. Now, let’s wait and see.

Eight not so interesting facts about me

Well, this post is part of my payment to my tag dues I have to a number of people. I’m now tagged by three people for almost the same thing! This is what you get when you fail to update your blog regularly, not that I’m complaining! I’m quite happy to do this.

Sorry for not posting this the soonest now I’m answering three tags from Alma, Jonas and Chuckie. Anyway, I’m following Alma’s format here.

The rules:

• Each player must post these rules first.
• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Fair?! Here’s Blogbastic’s lucky eight facts

1. I love Eraserheads so much that I and my friends bravely held a gig during one open house in our dormitory–I was the trying hard Ely, by the way (sorry I wont upload any podcast of any of our piece for your sanity’s sake!–whehehe! lest I hear a Dicko or a Simon comment from one of you! ). Oh yes, the crowd loved it–well, they were so drunk they didn’t know if I sounded great, I think.
2. I’m a hell-rider that I figured in an accident when I was about 10. I slammed my racer into thorny bushes at the side of the road and somersaulted three times before missing an unfinished drainage hole with protruding twisted metals, which I just missed by a foot.
3. My parents seldom know that part of my extra curricular activities is earning money (selling cigarettes, salvaging junk, selling bread among others) that they reported me to the police missing one time when I failed to come home for lunch.
4. I was so shy as a child that just telling the baker that I wanted to sell bread for them took me three days to muster all the courage–imagine waking up about 3am just waiting outside the bakery and looking inside doing nothing walking back and forth??!!! (*sigh* those were the days).
5. Two professional musician friends tried to train me on the reading notes to play the guitar and drums but I never got to learn it. I was also signed up for personal lessons with a senior citizen neighbor of ours (may he rest in peace) to play the octavina, which I also never got to learn that much. I eventually learned and loved to play the guitar, bass guitar, keyboard (piano) and drums at the end of my high school and assisted the musical director at our church in arranging songs. (I’m an intro boy by the way not your typical Sting or Jim Paredes musician).
6. I only got into a fight when I was in elementary–punching my playmate’s face, which swelled like a basketball. Well, the fight was instigated by our much older playmates (I was about ten then) and I thought he was not giving in to their instigation then he goes berserk and the last thing I remember was just giving him a right hook–there he goes flying twice in the air and landing on his butt saying “sumbong kita sa Mommy ko!” (I’ll tell my Mother!). Well, I never got scolded by her mother after she learned that it was the son who started it.
7. I’m a show-off when I was a kid that when a playmate played with a human skull, which we got from the cemetery, I grabbed the stick and paraded it in our village–only to be scolded by our elders that it was disrespectful to do that–I got so scared that I returned the skull myself (with the moral support of my playmates) and praying for the peace of the soul of the skull’s owner (and that he won’t haunt me that night! well, he didn’t anyway)
8. I was almost kicked out of college due to a number of failed subjects without my parents knowing it. (but ei, the end justify the means, at least I proved many of my critics wrong–well to God be the glory!)

Now, I’m not sure if these are not so interesting facts, what do you reckon? (Naks, nakatungtong lang ng Australia, may twang na?! hahaha! )

Now, I have to tag 8 bloggers. Here are the lucky blogs/bloggers: Mimie, Czille, Elaine, Jun, Sheila, Ivy, Ana and Lynette.

Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2007

The results are out. Glad to know that at least one of my nomination was judged as one of the top 10 emerging influential blogs for 2007.

Fruityoaty made it to the list and also took home at US$100 for blogging about it! How lucky could this blogger get?? The list of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2007 are as follows: 

1. An Apple a Day
   The Philosophical Bastard
2. The D Spot
3. CokskiBlue
4. Make Money Online with a 13-Year Old
5. Culture Shiok!
   Utakgago
6. Kubiertos
7. FruityOaty
   PinoyBlogero
8. The Dork Factor
   The Anitokid Chronikos
9. Gibbs Cadiz
10. Confessions of a Hopeless Romantic

The following bloggers are US$100 richer.

1. Maryrose
2. Sofia for BiSEAN
3. J Angelo Racoma
4. Heneroso
5. Fruityoaty
6. Annamanila
7. Webbyman
8. Marie Casas
9. Mira
10. Jehzeel Laurente

As with all successful writing project on the blogosphere, there were suggestions and few observations regarding the blogs nominated and even the bloggers who participated. Shari was complaining a bit on the representation of blogs. She argued that most of the bloggers who participated were Filipinos and most of the blogs were owned by part or full blooded Filipinos.

Actually, when I blogged about it, I was afraid that it will not get much international coverage when it became evident by week 3 that most of the bloggers and even the nominated blogs were Filipinos/Filipino owned. However, if the contest was only dedicated to Filipino Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs, I guess there might be a few choices despite the growing number of Filipino bloggers.

But hey, this is just the first year of this writing project. Who knows what will happen next year? Well, I hope that more bloggers will participate and this will be one of the most ”popular” popularity contests on the blogosphere after the bloggy and other award giving “bodies.”

Of Perth and delays

Finally after months of waiting for THE day, it finally came. We left Bangkok, Thailand with a bit of sadness and excitement. Sadness to leave our beloved friends in Bangkok and excited to start another chapter in a country we learned to like. We maximized everything–time spent with friends, places, eating among others even our baggage allowance–125 kilos of checked-in baggage and another 35 kilos of hand-carried luggage.

We will definitely miss Bangkok but we are very happy that we are moving to Perth to finally pursue my studies and enjoy another chapter of our life in Australia, this time, in its Golden State.