Filipino Bloggers Worldwide's First Grand Eyeball in Photos

Note for the pictures: No editing was done except for resizing for the web. If you see your photo here, please do grab but make sure to give credit to the photographer (me). I didn't put any watermarks here so you may print them for personal use.

 

First, I would like to thank everyone from Filipino Bloggers Worldwide for trusting me to be one of the photographers during the event. This means a lot to me as I know I have to start building my portfolio and hopefully earn in the process. 

By the time I got to SM Megamall at around 6:00pm, a few bloggers starts to come in signaling the beginning of the registration  process. 

 I had to make sure to take note of some requests like taking pictures of items from our sponsors. This event won't be possible if it wasn't for the Admins and Volunteers who gave their best in making this event a success.

At around 7:00pm or so, the program proper has already started. FBW Admins Ness and Franc did the honors of hosting the event. Both of them did a great job. A slideshow was presented featuring the FBW Admins c/o Tristan. 

To make the event even more livelier, a human bingo (I think that's what is called) was played for the audience to interact with fellow bloggers. I think this would be the best way to keep them busy for a while and at the same time, get to know other bloggers as well.

Then, dinner time. Almost all of us queued-up to get our fill, thanks to Sir Orly Ballesteros of Ex-Link Events for making this possible as almost all of us got hungry XD.

Everyone had a good time especially during the raffle portion. I think almost all bloggers won at least twice (except for me XD) and I'm sure they're all smiles when they got their prize.

Also, Mr. Mel Cortez of Bawal Magshoot Dito (BMSD) paid us a visit with some tokens to raffle-off.

After the first round of giving away some prizes, it was time for some serious learning. Jason Cruz of

Of course I was able to take some snapshots of other people while listening to Jason as well.

By that time, I was already enjoying taking pictures more. I didn't noticed I had 300 shots in only a short span of time. XD

After Jason's talk, we had more raffle prizes that were given away...

All smiles once their names were called during the raffle part. XD

The top 10 travel bloggers were also awarded during the event with three of them available for picture taking.

After awarding the top 10 travel bloggers, another set of prizes were raffled off care of our sponsors. XD

And despite those hiccups and mishaps happened during the event, I could say it was still a success. I'm sure the next grand eb would be planned ahead a year from now (I think). The backdrop for the photobooth was used by some as most people were starting to leave already.

Of course, the event won't be complete without a group picture. Again, I would like to thank the FBW Admins for trusting me to be one of the photographers for the event. ^_^

This event won't be possible without the help of our sponsors.

Again, Thank You!

Sorry for the very long post. XD

The Week That Was (December 2 - 8)

Sunday: Got up early so I could go online for a few minutes before getting myself Sunday's paper. Then my wife left for Divisoria before I took off to Don Enrique Heights Clubhouse for our annual Christmas Party with Sir Jo. I just made sure Migmig was taken care of by her aunts who paid us a visit. Going to the event venue was easy except that at Don Enrique Heights Village, they don't let public transportation in so I took a cab just to get in. I was able to reach the clubhouse by 1:00pm and secured a seat for myself plus I got my "Pangit pangit pangit..." shirt as well. Had some lunch and snacks c/o Goldilocks and a few bottles of beer. The party was fun though I only won a Schutzen Notebook and almost got included in the final 15 of our print exchange. After the event, I head home but not without having coffee at Starbucks along the way. When I got home, I noticed that my wife and baby was not there so I went to Nanay's store and they were spending the entire afternoon outside. Our evening were spent at home awaiting for next week.

Monday: Got up at around 8:00am as my body still aches from yesterday's activity. After my usual morning routine, I took a bath and got ready as I need to have my wife's Globe SIM replaced with a new one retaining her old number. By the time I got to SM Megamall at 1:30pm, I had a quick lunch at Bar-B-King. I seem to like their selection as I may soon take my wife and Migmig with me there to enjoy some of their food. Then, I was able to find the frame that I need at SM Megamall and all I need is to find the place to have it gift wrapped. I head off to Globe Wireless center at the Cyberzone only to find out that they don't have the SIM that has a corresponding code to my wife's number. Then, I head off to Podium to try my luck there but to no avail. Next stop, Robinson's Galeria. Fortunately, they have the SIM that I need and I hope its working. Then I head back to SM Megamall to have my wife's portrait framed and wrapped for our 3rd anniversary. Then, I got to meet a few bloggers behind Filipino Bloggers Worldwide (FBW). I didn't stay there for long as I had to go home before my wife does XD.

Tuesday: Got up at around 8:00am after hitting the snooze button twice (6:00am and 7:00am). Though I slept early, my body seem to want to get some more sleep. I was able to go online for a few minutes before Migmig got up. Then I took her to Jollibee so she could have some breakfast. We got back at almost 10:00am as my wife was getting ready for work. By 12:00pm, Migmig fell asleep again. She slept for around 3 hours which helped me go online and do some work uninterrupted. By 3:00pm, we went down so she could have her lunch. I went out to have my lunch before going back home. Since her aunt will be going some where, I took care of Migmig for the rest of the afternoon as we tried getting some sleep. We went out so we could get some cool air and to let her run around with my supervision. We got to spend the rest of the night back home as my daughter was still in hyper-mode XD.

Wednesday: Got up at around 6:00am as I try to get started and go online early as I have a lot of things to be done. By 3:30pm, I went to SM Manila to buy some groceries for my baby and at the same time, kill some time. I got back home at past 5:00pm as Migmig didn't sleep in the afternoon. We decided to wait for her mom outside when Migmig fell asleep on my shoulders. My wife was surprised to find out that Migmig was sleeping on my shoulders for almost 30 minutes and she carried her upstairs.

Thursday: Got up at 7:00am as I still feel the chills from last nights aircon. I did some morning rituals before going online until Migmig gets up. Then I was able to put her to sleep until 1:30pm where we need to go to Robinson's Galeria to have my wife's sim replaced again. When we got to the mall, we had our lunch first at Bonchon, making sure my daughter gets her fill first. Then we went to Globe only to find out that my wife's sim wasn't registered that's why it wasn't working even after its replaced. After that, we strolled around the mall particularly at the bookstore. With time not on our side, we took a bus ride going to Cubao then an LRT ride to Katipunan before taking a tricycle going to my wife's office to surprise her. Well, she wasn't expecting us as she's pretty busy with work. It was supposed to be a fun day but as my wife was busy at work, I can't help it but feel frustrated. Maybe I won't do it again moving forward and instead live that day normally as is. Migmig and I were suppose to go home instead but my wife left work as been told by her boss to comfort Migmig who was crying at that time as her mom was busy with work. We just had dinner at Mom and Tina's though they didn't have any high-chairs for toddlers. When we got home, I made sure that my invite for Friday's EB was already printed when my wife told me there's no one to take care of Migmig the next day.

Friday: Got up at past 9:00am as my body still feels the fatigue from yesterday's activities. Migmig got up late at 9:30am which affects everyone's chores including mine. I was able to put Migmig to sleep at 2:00pm after scolding her for excessive "kakulitan" (bad daddy bad!). Good thing my sister-in-law arrived home early from her interview. Then I got myself ready to cover the Filipino Bloggers Worldwide First Grand EB at SM Megamall (I'll write a blog about this). I had to pass by Bo's Coffee at Robinson's Galeria to get mt caffaine fix and keep me awake while covering the event. By the time I got home at 11:00pm, my wife told me that our daughter fall asleep crying while waiting for the both of us at 10:00pm (my wife came home also late at 10:30pm).

Saturday: I had to get up at 6:45am so I could go online and do some catching-up. When Migmig got up, I took her down so she could have breakfast. Her mom was the one who put her to sleep while I went out to go online to update some blogs and upload some old pictures from Multiply. I took care of Migmig late in the afternoon till early evening as I need to be at Tides in Mandaluyong to attend FHM Bullboard's Christmas Party. The last time I attended this event was 4 years ago when most of us were still single. It was nice to see old faces as well as new ones. I kinda missed getting more than 2 bottles of beer and enjoying the company of old friends and I hope I could attend next year. We ended at around 1:30am with me winning two tickets to the Pacquiao-Marquez 4 match at the Elbow Room. I got home at 2:00am and had a late dinner before finally going to bed at 3:00am.

Swabeng Thoughts: Why I DIDN'T JOIN this year's Canon Photomarathon

The following post is a personal opinion made by yours truly. If you don't agree with the contents, deal with it and either press the "X" mark on your upper right corner of your screen or simply click Alt+F4. Again, all personal opinions are all mine =P

By the time I'm done writing this post, most Canon Photographers (both CMPI and non-CMPI) are already staring to line-up for the registration. 

After last year's success of the Canon Photomarathon which around 2000 participants have joined and shoot, Canon has decided to hold their 2012 Photomarathon at the historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila.

From Canon's Facebook Page

Not bad right? But wait till you see the new process for registration wherein cameras bought from online sellers and those not authorized distributors of Canon have to pay a 500-peso joining fee. They say the 500-peso fee would go straight to the Smiles Foundation.

From Canon's Facebook Page

As most CMPI-users liked this idea, gray users (non-CMPI-users) like me has hesitations on this idea. As one poster on a forum said that it will get rid of the freeloaders which means less participants leading to bigger prizes for the winners. AFAIK, successful contests like these should keep on growing which means expect more participants than the previous ones. Also, I don't find the term freeloader appropriate for what he said. Hence, I find what he said RIDICULOUS. You don't get rid of free-loaders, rather, you get rid of non-CMPI users whom what they all want is to join the contest and improve on their craft =P. But here's the thing, when I tried to register, I was informed that I have to pay 500 pesos before December 3. Then last Tuesday, I received a text message saying that deadline for payment is on December 5. Then last Thursday, They (Canon Philippines) posted on their facebook page that deadline of payment was yesterday of 12:00pm. I wonder why they keep on moving the deadline for the payment... =P

Another poster said that those who are loyal to CMPI deserves priority treatment since the price difference of a CMPI-camera is pretty huge against getting it from an online seller. I got my Canon 7D last February of this year from an online seller at 56K compared to getting it to CMPI at 89K. Notice the big difference right? I also made some comparison with other DSLR Cameras and Lens and there are huge differences in terms of cost and online sellers do also give freebies as well. If only they could sell their gadgets at a more affordable prices, buyers don't have to settle for a non-CMPI unit.

If you ask me, I don't mind they (Photomarathon Organizers) prioritize CMPI users over non-CMPI users first as long as there is equal treatment in the process. If they charge a 500-peso joining fee, why not charge it to all participants be it a CMPI or non-CMPI. I'm sure The Smiles Foundation would appreciate it much more don't you think?

Until they change their policies on how they treat CMPI and non-CMPI users especially on charging the latter, I would definitely skip this event again. 

Again, these are just my f/2 thoughts (and some rants as well =P).

The Week That Was (November 25 - December 1)

Sunday: Got up early but instead of going online in the morning, I bought Sunday's paper and I was able to read them right before Migmig got up. The morning was almost the same as I made sure I put Migmig to her morning nap after her bath. I was suppose to edit some pictures but since I feel sleepy, I dozed-off and got up by the time my daughter got up as well. By the time we both got up, my wife wanted to go out and I decided to head-off to Robinson By the time we got there, I looked for Powerbooks but unfortunately, their branch there already pulled-off. For dinner, we had Hainanese Chicken from The Chicken Rice Shop. Though for the past few weeks, I wasn't able to blog any of our food experience as I have yet to post my 2012 foodtrips with my wife and baby. We took a cab home and spend the rest of the night. I went online again to do my jobhunt and I think I slept at almost 3:00am again XD.

Monday: Got up at around 8:00am so I could go online and manually download some old pictures from multiply. My daughter got up at almost 9:00am as the weather gets hotter and hotter and its almost Christmas time. After her bath, I was able to put my baby to bed and she got up at almost 1:30pm which is fine by me. By 2:30pm, Migmig and I went to Harrison Plaza to visit my mom. We just took an ordinary ride going there and let her walk a few meters before meeting my mom. Then I had my late lunch at Chowking before going to SM so my mom could buy some toys for her grandchild. Migmig wanted a doll worth almost a thousand pesos but I told her to get the other one that is less expensive though my mom has more than enough money to buy Migmig that doll. Then we took a cab going home and my baby fell asleep on my shoulder only to get up by the time I put her to bed for a few minutes. We enjoyed the rest of the night as Migmig played with all of her new toys bought this afternoon.

Tuesday: I was bale to get-up before 8:00am and started to download some old pictures manually from multiply. I made sure I was able to put Migmig to sleep before getting dressed and ready. I left home at 1:00pm for Makati and got to Chihuahua at almost 2:30pm for my late lunch (I'll write a blog about it). I left Chihuahua full and a bit dizzy as I browsed for some books at both Fully Booked and Powerbooks within the Greenbelt Area. Then I took a bus to BGC to check some more books at Fully Booked. That branch could make me stay from opening till closing with all interesting books to read at. I mean I could take Migmig with me and I would still enjoy it there. Feeling a little bit sleepy, I had my caffaine fix at Starbucks for a few minutes before going to Jamba Juice to chill. I was able to relax and update my 2012 expenses before finally heading home. To my surprise, Migmig was still up waiting for me so I freshen up and head to bed.

Wednesday: Got up at around 8:00am as my body is still feeling the fatigue from yesterday. I was able to go online for a few minutes before Migmig got up. I bought pandesal for breakfast as we started our day. Migmig slept at past 12:00pm and got up almost 2 hours later. I went to Chowking to have lunch there before going online for an hour. When I got back, Migmig was upstairs with her aunt as I was able to watch TV. The night was almost the same with the others as I spend it with them.

Thursday: Got up at past 8:00am as I'm having a hard time getting up with only a few hours of sleep. I did some morning rituals before taking Migmig out for a walk and had breakfast at Jollibee. She ate a lot as she keeps on touching the food. When we got back home at 9:30am, I was surprised that my wife was still sleeping. She left home a bit late which made our daughter a bit cranky as she throws tantrums left and right. After putting my daughter to sleep, I went to Netopia in SM Centerpoint to download some pictures from multiply. I was able to download all old pictures using our old point-and-shoot but with old photos using DSLR, this could be a challenge. I was able to download a few sets until the connection went slow. Then I logged-off to have my late lunch at Bonchon. When I got home, the door was locked and I guess they're fast asleep so I downloaded some more at a nearby cafe which yielded better results. I got back home at 8:00pm and spend the rest of the night with them.

Friday: Got up at 7:00am as I need to do a few things for today. First, I went to Digiprint to have 2 of my pictures printed but they're closed on a holiday. So I decided to head off to SM Mall of Asia to see where I can go to. I had some coffee at Starbucks to keep me awake and charge my batteries at the same time. By 10:00am, I went to SMX to attend the 20th Defense and Arms Sporting Show and Manila Auto Salon which was held at the hall itself (I'll create two separate blogs for them). By 12:00pm, I had mongolian barbeque for lunch and spent the next hour there before going back to SMX. For some reason, I left the venue at 3:00pm and grabbed a Jamba Juice before going home. I made sure to pass by SM Manila to claim some doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. But heavy traffic was waiting for me since there was an ongoing rally at Mendiola (I took a mental note not to miss this next year). When I got home, I made sure to spend time with my baby until I went to bed.

Saturday: Got up at 6:00am so I could go online and catch up. Migmig got up at past 8:00am and I took her with me to digiprint to have my photo printed. When I finally got my print, I was somehow satisfied with one of my print though I felt that I need to work more on the other one. Then we took a cab back home and had late breakfast at Jollibee. Then after Migmig took her bath, it was my turn as I need to head to Edsa Shangri-La Mall for the Book Signing of Stanley Chi's Pogi Points (I'll write a blog about this). But I need to put Migmig to sleep first for me to go ahead only to get up at 1:00pm (I felt that I slept for a couple of minutes as well XD). I had lunch outside before taking an FX ride to the venue. By 6:00pm, I looked for a place to eat only to end up at Masuki in SM Megamall. Then I took an FX ride back home to spend the rest of the night with my family.

Swabeng Event: Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball

This is a Swabeng Press Release of the Event.

Finally! After over a year of inception, Filipino Bloggers Worldwide (FBW), in partnership with Ex-Links Events, presents Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball.

Get to meet your favorite Filipino bloggers and mingle with like-minded individuals this December 7, 2012 at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall 2 from 6pm to 10pm, and enjoy a night packed with fun learning, interactive games, meaningful conversations and special surprises!

Brand partners on the other hand, can expect not just additional exposure to blogger attendees, but a long-term, fruitful relationship and support from Filipino Bloggers Worldwide.


About Filipino Bloggers Worldwide:

Filipino Bloggers Worldwide (FBW) started as a Facebook group on November 1, 2011. As the name implies, the group’s purpose is to unite all Filipino bloggers around the world. The group was easily recognized in the blogosphere in just less than a month. Since then, Filipino Bloggers Worldwide became the number one Facebook Filipino bloggers group. Furthermore, FBW was recently awarded as one of the Top Emerging Influential Blogs for 2012. The creators of FBW expressed that every blogger may have different reasons when it comes to blogging, but each and everyone in the community strives to make FBW an active and supportive group for Filipino bloggers worldwide. 

So come, join us in this momentous event, and be a proud Filipino blogger worldwide!

Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball is brought to you by Filipino Bloggers Worldwide, Ex-Link Events, Bo’s Coffee, ShareTea Philippines, B’s Cupcakes, Water For Less Purifying System, Breakfast Magazine, Azta Urban Salon, Ystilo Salon, Beauty by Ria, Bagellia Filipinas, Tough Brat Bags, VESTI, Always 10 List, Frank & Carol’s, Pinky Toes PH, Jana Kathryn, Kikay Konek, Astigirl by Tweet Sering, Blogger Manila, Gadget Gambit, Towercamp Phils., Inc., Say It Nessie, Budget Biyahera, The Purple Doll, Shopping with Juan, and Smart Mommy Online.

PS. I'll be one of the photographers for the event so please smile when I take a picture of you okay. ^_^