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Pinoy Blog Mascots *** Check out the juicy updates as of 05/30/07 ***

This post is a collection of blogs that I admire because of the blogger's:
1. Passion and love for designer toys,
2. Travel "gnome" inspired by the 2001 movie Amelie where she brings her father's gnome in her travels.
3. Cosplay (costume-play) Characters

Please share with me if you came across interesting blogs with their own "mascots" (for the lack of a better term).

Title: Mistula's Uno (www.mistula.com/uno/) by Joey

I'm amazed at this so called Ball Jointed Dolls (some call it Asian Ball Jointed Dolls) or BJDs for short. It costs at a minimum P30,000 a piece and Joey of Mistula is the first pinoy to have a BJD in the Philippines aptly called Uno. You have to buy it straight from the manufacturers from Korea or Japan. To date, Joey would have 4-6 BJDs already and you can see her dolls in her Mistula.Com Uno site. The dolls are 2 feet tall and looks creepy according to Nina and I would have to agree from the photos on the blog.

What are Ball-jointed dolls (BJDs) or Asian Ball-jointed Dolls (ABJDs)? They are realistically proportioned dolls, usually manufactured in east Asian countries (primarily South Korea and Japan). These dolls are fully articulated with ball joints at the appropriate locations on their bodies. These dolls are fully poseable and customizable, with removable wigs, eyes, hands, feet and heads. Many different variations are available. Clothing, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories are also available. Much like collectable porcelain dolls, BJDs are often collected by adults. Like many vinyl baby dolls, they are often anatomically correct.

Ball-jointed dolls follow a traditional Asian view in their aesthetics. The designs are diverse and range from anime-inspired to the hyper-realistic. They are often considered to be collectors items. Many owners assign their dolls to a certain personalized character, and they are sometimes used as subjects of artistic works, such as photography.

Title: Be@r Brick Love (bearbricklove.blogspot.com) by Juan Ariel Comia

What is a be@rbrick? "Be@rbrick is a collectible toy designed and produced by MediCom Toy Incorporated. The name is derived from the fact that the figure is a cartoon-style representation of a bear, and that it is a variation of MediCom's Kubrick design. The @ sign in the place of the letter a is a visual device that is a part of the Be@rbrick brand, and as such, a trademark of MediCom Toy."

It is fascinating to see the different kinds of cute little bears which resembles a Lego bear. This young blog is dedicated to Ariel's love for these little creatures and his own personal Be@rBrick collection. I like the way he creates stories out of each be@rbrick complimented by a well composed portrait. I actually wanted to buy one after reading Ariel's blog, especially if there would be a Pinoy be@rbrick version.

Title: Teenage Kicks (isabetlog.multiply.com) by Isabelle Ramos

Here is an interesting concept which provides a fitting tribute to the "Tabo" as a symbol of pinoy culture. Being a part of NU 107, she has the privileged to interact with artists and she was able to convince them to have a creative pose with the "Tabo". I like the Nina Sandejas blowing Tabo pose. I wonder what was her inspiration for this Tabo series. I wish I could meet her someday and probably have Aidan pose with the Tabo too.

It started out as a conversation on toilets and bathrooms between Kage Gozun (kagey.multiply.com) and Millie's random-conversations-about-bathrooms. This was the blog post that gave life to the whole group: What do you do with a tabo?! This gave birth to the legion of tabo travelers.

Title: Where in the World is Spiderman? (spiderman.kwentongtambay.com) by Batjay

This spiderman "gnome" has been to more countries than I do. This is probably one of the longest running "gnome" pinoy blog which started 3 years ago (June 2004). Since this is a Batjay's blog, you should expect to see funny poses of spiderman and sometimes, rated R kind of poses. I wanted to have a similar companion for all my travels in the Philippines but I'm still waiting for someone to give me a travel "gnome".

Philippine Blog Awards 2007 - Oh What a Night!

Anton of Our Awesome Planet, Joel of Market Manila, and Lori of Dessert Comes First

This was so memorable for me -- this is the first time I met Lori and the first time that the three of us were together in one room. I was really excited like a baby, and I have so much things to ask Lori that night but I was star strucked :) All of us were finalists in the Home & Living Category which should stand for everything that is about the home, food and lifestyle. As it turned out, there was a big upset (in terms of sportsmanship) and Toni of Wifely Steps won the category because her blog is the finest really in the Home & Living category. It was a pleasure seeing Toni and her big smile during that night -- well deserved!

Of course, as expected Market Manila won the 2007 Bloggers Choice Awards and this is the most prestigious of them all! According to the organizers, he got around 59 unique votes out of 600+ votes and he was my choice as well. We will make a big protest if he did not win that award! Also, congratulations to Lori for winning Globe's special Deli Blog Award! Lori, you were so fabulous in your dress and I was pleasantly surprise to see a fit and beautiful Lori :)

Our Awesome Planet meets Bryan Boy

The celebrity of the night is no other than Bryan Boy and I did not hesitate to have a picture (or is it the other way around -- I wish :) He really arrived in style in the red carpet during that time and he posed for the cameras to the max. He was very nice and easy to talk to and his celebrity status did not get in the way of meeting other people. He was the most photographed person that night and he was also the talk of the town because he brought his yaya with him in full maid custome (how cute could that be). Congratulations again Bryan Boy for winning the Fashion Category ! You should host the next Philippine Blog Awards!

Philippine Blog Awards Interview

Home & Living Blog Finalist @ 2007 Philippine Blog Awards
dessert comes first
Finestkind Clinic and fish market
MarketManila.com
Our Awesome Planet
Wifely Steps

Jhay, of The Four-eyed Journal (http://jrocas.com.ph) sent me a list of interview questions for the Philippine Blog Awards for his blogging series entitled: " The road to the PhilippineBlogAwards: Nominees Spotlight". I decided to answer some of them.

How does it feel to be nominated for the PBA?
I'm honored to be one of the finalist in the Home & Living Category. Although, honestly, I would have wanted to be in the Photoblog or Travel Category.

Who do you think will win in your category?
I think categorically in terms of hits, popularity, and alignment with the category, Joel, of Marketmanila.com will win this.

Why do you think you should win?
If ever, it is because I'm passionate about promoting the best of the Philippines.

What would you do if you win?
Good Question. Win or lose, we will party after the awards night!

What do you think of the Philippineblogawards?
It is about time. This should be a lot lot better than the webby awards.

Is there a blog that's not nominated but deserves to be nominated in the PBA?
We should also honor the bloggers who are part of the committee :)

Would you join the next Philippineblogawards?
I would join to meet new blogger friends.

Any messages to your fellow nominees?
Lets party on March 31!!

email: anton@diaz.ph

Photoblogging Success Story @ Iblog 3

I'm sharing a bit of my photo blogging success story @ the iBlog3: the 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit. It will be held in School of Economics Auditorium, in UP Diliman, Quezon City on April 14, 2007, Saturday. I'm speaking after the famous Yuga and I do hope to inspire more people to photo blog their way to success. The event is free and you just need to sign up before the event.

April 14, 2007 Agenda
Blogging for Newbies
9:00 - 9:20 Abraham Olandres: Blogging Success Story (Philippines’ Most Read Blogger)
9:20 - 9:40 Photoblogging Success Story (Anton Diaz)
9:40 - 10:00 Philippine Politics and the Blogosphere (Manuel L. Quezon III)
10:00 to 10:30 Break

Secret Online Multiply Stores in Manila

Shopping is not my forte. But I can sense a hot trend from a mile away and online stores are booming in Manila. Specifically, online multiply stores selling accessories and jewelries. These stores are hot, convenient and addicting! The smart women shoppers are now turning into these online stores to shop conveniently at home and get fabulous finds that you can't even see in tiangge's or actual physical store. The mode of payment is cash either via depositing in a bank account or via G-cash. The jewelries are delivered directly to your home and returning them is very convenient via the store's preferred carrier. These fabulous sites are passed on through word of mouth via blogs and other "multipliers".

Just a word of caution, for the lady readers, these sites are addicting. You can waste time and money just by visiting these sites. For the men readers, these are good sites to buy jewelries or accessories for your special someone. You can ask your friends to choose them for you, in the comforts of your computer.

There are hundreds of multiply sites out there because it is free, it is easy to setup, and you can customize it to the theme that you like. To save you from the trouble of finding out which are the hot and trusted ones, these are so far the top 10 Secret Online Multiply Stores!!

Top 10 Pinay Celebrity Bloggers

*** Updated 2/22/07 ***

I admire celebrities who blog and don't let their celebrity status get in the way of self expression. Most of the time I find the celebrities who blog are smart, witty and able to convey what they think clearly without being afraid of what others would think. It is also entertaining to read their blogs and let readers/ fans have a sneak peek at their lives.

1. The Diary of a Supergirl Wannabe by SuperBianca also known as Bianca Gonzalez. (http://superbianca.blogspot.com/) She has been on blogging hiatus for a year ever since she entered Pinoy Big Brother around Nov 2005. Recently, she started to post again to the delight of her readers/ fans last Feb.7. She wrote:

" what a year 2006 has been for me. what a year, i tell you. lahat ng posibleng maramdaman ng isang tao sa buhay, naramdaman ko lahat sa loob ng isang taon.extreme happiness, extreme sadness, love, extreme love, fear, guilt, excitement, peace, uncertainty, certainty, denial, longing, comfort, security, satisfaction, embarrassment, pride, confidence, strength, anxiety, jealousy, helplessness, reassurance, courage, faith, hope.. and the list goes on."

I admire Bianca for blogging ever since September 2003 way before she became famous. Remember, most of the known bloggers in the Philippines only started in 2005. Blog on, Bianca.

2. Lemon.Chamomile by Kooki also known as KC Concepcion. (http://kooki.multiply.com/journal) There are a lot of fake celebrity blogs out there hoping to get accidental traffic and earn a few bucks. KC wrote in her multiply:

"This is my ONLY online journal, meaning I have NO Friendster, NO MySpace, NO OTHER BLOG ACCOUNT out there. Just this one."

It is hard not to fall in love with KC after reading her blog. She is very witty, smart and cute. No wonder, FHM, Maxim and Manual agrees that KC is one of their dream covers for their magazine. Her Europe adventures are colorful and her love for languages is infectious.

3. DaphneOP by Daphne Osena. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/daphneosena/) It is refreshing to see a celebrity having an online photo blog like Daphne. It is great to see her family pictures with her kids and she takes time to post the photos and put caption on them. Her Flickr account also serves as a showroom for her necklace business and my wife loves to look at them. It is fun to see the photos of Daphne as if watching a reality F show using photos. She often interacts with ka-flickrs and I admire her openness in sharing her lives in the photos of her family.

4. indie · boys · are · neurotic by sugarcandypop also known as Mitch Dulce (http://sugarcandypop.livejournal.com/). I've known Mitch blog because she is one of the designers and owners of the Store for All Season (SFAS) along Mandaluyong. To refresh your memory, Mitch was part of the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition and she was the up and coming Fashion Designer in that batch. She was one of those more popular LJ bloggers who is not afraid to speak her mind out. I love her stories on Mich Dulce school of passion.

5. Ala-ism by VJ Ala. (http://ala-ism.pansitan.net/) Daughter of Apo Hiking Society's Jim Paredes who regularly blogs also at Writing on Air (http://haringliwanag.pansitan.net/). I love her cute valentines posts on: How to make Ala Paredes fall in love with you. She wrote:

"1) Feed me well. Take me to really good places to eat. Give me unforgettable gastronomic experiences. Overeat with me. I will love you to pieces.
2) Indulge my geekiness. Ask me about my Mac. Engage in heated debates with me over the advantages of OS X versus Windows. Gift me with flashdrives instead of flowers. Be able to understand the humor behind 'Dilbert'. Compose a love letter in binary... you have to be able to tell when I'm kidding, ok?
....
8) Be able to make me laugh. You have no license to kiss me until you've proven that you can.
....
12) And now that you know all the rules, surprise me totally."

I am definitely hooked. She has been blogging ever since July of 2003 (can you imagine?)

Flickristas @ The Jewellery (Ika-2 Banat)

Aidan putting a favorite blue button sticker on Poppa's photo.

I'm a member of Flickr Philippines, otherwise known as Flickristas. The Flickristas Exhibit @ the 2nd Floor Jewellery in Greenhills is still on-going until January 31. If you happen to be shopping in the Greenhills area, don't forget to drop by the Jewellery and check out the photo exhibit.

Market Manila Eyeball !

The Blogging Families. Merry Christmas Shot :)

It was a great and successful eyeball, Marketman! Finally, we met MM, MMM (Mrs. MM), and the kid. The eyeball ended at 10pm, after 4 hours of chikahan and kamustahan. The time was not enough to meet everybody. I learned a lot during that night and it was a night of pleasant surprises for me. We came for the conversations with the intent to truly build online friends. We also have a lot of questions for Marketman but those would continue to be unanswered specially on the impact of blogging on the family.

Generally, we don't enjoy buffet food that much because of the mess it creates on your plate and sometimes it is served cold. In short, I wasn't able to really indulge myself with the food last night aside from making more acquaintances of the bloggers who were there. There were lots of desserts and for us, the winner for the night was Dimpy Camara's Frozen Brazo de Mercedes. I can't wait to order an entire cake all to ourselves! This was featured by Wysgal last month in her post, Icebox Brazo de Mercedes but it was Debbie who brought this awesome dessert to the party. Thanks Debbie!!

I was not able to take a lot of photos because I realized some people might not want their identities revealed. I missed a lot of foodie EBs due to travel. There have been three already -- Marketman's First EB, Lori's Tea Party with parade of desserts, and Lori's Nestle cooking demo. But for those who were not able to attend, here is a glimpse of what happened during that night.

Thanks to Chris for hosting the eyeball in Gourdo's!