Bisaya Bloggers

The problem of mass media and advertising:
Their message is individualistic, competitive and materialistic:

1. Get an education
2. Get a job
3. Make as much money as you can!

Just last week, was the Bloggers Party at Casa Leticia and I volunteered to come up with the music for the night.  Yes, I still have those pangs from good ol’ memories of disk jockeying days, so every opportunity to decide a playlist is such a BIG deal for me.  Now, part of the BIG deal of it all is to make sure that the music fit the crowd but at the same time, you wouldn’t want something that distracted them from socializing with each other.  Aside from the obvious factor of making sure that each song didn’t segue to each other awkwardly, I wanted to use a Music software that’d employ a really smooth crossfade between each song.  Then Ria texted and told me to just burn a couple of CDs, heh, I ended up doing that, yes.  But it doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about the more software-oriented approach of playing your party tunes.

Now, I have a clear bias for the disk jockey software I was used to before, and I really think that it’s still the best way of smoothly transitioning songs with one another.  I am specifically fond of the program OtsDJ from OtsLabs but unfortunately only the trial version is available online and they come with annoying OtsDJ stingers that I can’t remove.  So that alone eliminated the prospect of my using it for the party.  Its full version is obviously minus the stingers but cost about a whopping USD 999.95.  But that price is good for professional Radio Broadcasting companies, without going through the trouble of renewing their license for the use of the product.  Clearly, Ots targets a niche market but if ordinary people could get their grubby paws on this thing, it’d top ordinary party music players.  It has its own audio leveling initiative, that even if you transition songs manually, it gives you a hint of where to start off without the songs sounding weird next to each other.  Radio networks try to cheat this awkward transitioning by putting on stingers in between say for example, it’d be strange to put a JayZ song next to something from…Josh Groban.  So you put something in between that cleverly inserts your station ID “Killerboop FM, your music priority” blah blah.  (Which reminds me, I have yet to write about HOW to make a good music compilation since the same principles apply). With the case of Ots, it crossfades the songs smoothly next to each other with or without anything inbetween.  You can continuously play music and it’ll fix things for you automatically.

Since I wrote off Ots from my list, I had to come up with a FREE alternative.  And I chose from four different softwares, namely: Virtual DJ, iTunes, Windows Media Player, and Rhapsody.

Virtual DJ probably has the nearest features to Ots but again it’s not for free.  I  managed to buy an installer from a shop in Manila and have the full version installed on my laptop.  The great thing about Virtual DJ is that, as the name implies, its really made for a DJ.  Not the kind of DJ I used to be, but DJs who play for clubs and are technically playing club music.  I didn’t want to play an all club music playlist for the party because of the moderately “behaved” crowd, if you don’t mind me saying.  But had I intended to play for a crowd more open to House music, this would be the most excellent software to use.  It features an Auto Sync beatmapping thing that lets you match the tempo of a song automatically.  It also gives you an option to transition the beats by the number of bar counts in between.  Okay, that’s DJ talk already.  Mind you, this is ALSO another niche product which hits a happy nerve among its enthusiasts.  Plus, if you really get in to the mixing thing, you can record your entire mix via the program, leaving out the hassle of recording hardware that can burn a hole in your pocket. The next thing you know, you can burn your own music mix straight from the desktop.

Moving on to the poor man’s media players?  I hope not.  We all know how GREAT the almighty Apple iTunes is, but let’s measure how functional this player can be for parties.  First of all, I love its crossfade effect.  It’s as smooth as the visual transition interface used for the iPod, hard to explain really.  But by the sound of it, its the best among cheap downloadable music players.  I’ve also noted that building a playlist with iTunes is by far the easiest to deal with.  I like the idea that I can organize all my playlists in a viewable area at the left sidebar, and drag and drop music files from anywhere: even from other media players!  And some music software won’t let you do that.  My big problem with iTunes has more to do with its rather bland aesthetics.  If it’s music and functionality you’re looking for, you wouldn’t mind playing it on a software that looks like a spreadsheet.

I hardly want to talk about Windows Media Player since it’s practically a local software but I considered it because of its really familiar interface.  The newest version out there, which I use on Windows Vista is one that eliminates the standard row of functions, only to appear if you press ALT.  What I don’t like about Media Player is its rather juvenile Visualizations that come along with the package, which the newest version of Winamp has already beat.  (Note: I didn’t include Winamp in this review because I think it deserves an entire post, to follow).  Where was I?  Yes, WMP is so uninteresting these days.  What I do like about it is NOT the fact that you can change the surface colors but that you can incorporate it in such a stylish way on the taskbar.  It’s not on the system tray it’s on the left side of the bar when minimized as you can see in this picture:

Never mind the product placement there.  Anyway, it’s posited at that side of taskbar you get what I mean?  You can set it up via the taskbar properties.  It’s a great way for Windows to monopolize features all over again!

Last but not the least is the most elusive Rhapsody.

My friend uses this for their bar and it’s a great software to use if you want to attend to everyone’s request. Why?  Because it’s powered by no less than the internet!

Real Rhapsody has iTunes’ playlist building flexibility whereas you can access the internet for full albums from your favorite artists.  Its dashboard is intuitive that it makes an artist suggestion for you based on the kind genre of the artists that you look up on Rhapsody.  And because you can access songs so easily from the internet, it’s likewise more accessible when it comes to building a playlist from a database larger than the ones you have on file.  Unfortunately, it comes with a catch: you have to pay.  At least for either a monthly subscription of USD 9.95 or a yearly sum worth USD 20.00, and those are the last prices I checked before the oil hike, yikes. The software itself is downloadable for free and is fairly respectable when it comes to archiving your music without getting confused.  It’s just that, you can get away with other music players that uses less memory for local music playing.

Out of all of the poor man’s category, I’d say iTunes wins this one and I’d recommend this for an easygoing mp3 player experience. As for the other players, most features I liked are superficial ones, and among those who’ve I’ve lauded for their systematic depth of function, it’s such a drag having to dole out so much cash so that you can appreciate some music.  You’d rather burn a CD.

Today is the birth anniversary of the national hero of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was born in 19 June 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. He was the 7th child in a brood of 11 children, and showed signs of being a child prodigy from the age of 3.

What I admire in him the most is his love for the language of his land. At age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, “‘Sa Aking Mga Kabata,’ the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language,” according to biographer Teofilo Montemayor. Rizal spoke — nay, mastered — 22 languages.

He was martyred at the age of 35.

Know more about our national hero at www.joserizal.ph.

To all fathers out there, may this day inspire you to continue providing guidance, nourishment, protection and love to your children!

Although I have a feeling “Father’s Day” was just a creation of a certain greeting card company for commercial gain, I think it’s a good celebration to have. Fathers the world over should indeed be honored by their offspring and by their peers. While it is the mother who nurtures, I believe it is the father who gives direction.

Just like in my case, I learned to take notice of the small but important things from Mom. But the ability to see the big picture, I got from Pop.

My father taught me the value of patience, and how to persevere to arrive at one’s goals. He was the source of so many life lessons, and I am eternally grateful to him for all the strengths that I possess.

I appreciate the way that he brought me up: not with excessive strictness (although I did get the belt a few times), but with kindness and, when needed, sternness.

But one of the teachings that I attribute to Pop the most is open-mindedness. I learned from my father that it never pays to be narrow-minded, and that broadening one’s horizons is the sure way to succeed in life. He didn’t really spell this out for me, but showed me and my siblings by example. For example, he and Mom are staunch Catholics, but not once did I hear either of them declare anything against non-Catholics. And, I remember clearly one day when I was still in high school, Pop let me read The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Thanks to the examples set by my father, I live a life that is productive and meaningful. Although I will most probably never be a father myself, I hope someday I will be able to contribute to someone’s life as much as Pop has to mine.

Mga kababayan! Are there events that you’d like to announce to the world? Add your Filipino Event online and help the Filipino community on the Web grow to unprecedented heights!

Yesterday, that is June 12th, was the commemoration of the very elusive Independence day of the Philippines (since some historians argue among themselves whether it took place during the late 1800s or Post-Commonwealth). In fact, I’ve heard smart alecky remarks from some that we’re not a free nation at all so the theory in practice is rather pointless. But never mind that, ABS-CBN enshrines freedom and have televised that “symbolic interaction” by simultaneously doing a 411 primary school flag ceremony in all ABS-CBN headquarters nationwide. Back at the mothership you realize that they come across as unpretentious, just as long as you think about Eugenio Lopez in all his dignified exuberance say the words, “Mabuhay ang Lahi ng Kayumanggi” without first expounding this profound idea. It’s interesting really, so many social issues to digest in such a short declaration. Are we really a nation who embraces Kayumanggi? What with all this hype of Glutathione and Eskinol sikerto ng mga gwapo? What is the social construct behind Kayumanggi? Was Lopez particularly lauding an idealistic view of our lahi? What does that mean also? Race? Culture? Essence?

You can only relate to this if you’re a Filipino and watched TV most of the day like I did.

A particularly odd segment followed this commemoration: the media coverage of the funeral service dedicated to Rudy Fernandez, a Filipino action star. We’re not close or anything, but since he’s dead I guess it’s okay to say at this point, “Too bad we never get to see a movie starring Rudy Fernandez and Lorna Tolentino”. If Rudy was well enough there was a script waiting for him and his wife. I don’t own the rights to the script but the premise of the story is based on a woman’s unwavering love for her partner despite her own personal desires. This would have been their life story. Anyway, what is my conclusion about Rudy’s death? I roughly quote my friend, “Reality is more unbelievable than fiction. Fiction (film) is there to convince us that they are unbelievable indeed.”

My condolences to the actor’s family.

Anyway, did Noli de Castro turn his back on his ABS-CBN family, finally? By smashing the oligarchs no less! Smash, smash, smash. Why are you talking just now de Castro? Are you disappointed in how they’re handling the Ces Drilon kidnapping? I’m glad you could air your testimonial about being kidnapped by the Abusayyaf yourself. He throws a caveat, “Never let the station handle the negotiation with the group.” When he says this you can just see the traces of disappointment in his voice. He’s making parinig ABS-CBN twice in one day! Wow. I wonder if PGMA promised him a cut in the Meralco hostile takeover…

So much for a free nation. Cheers to the social entrapments we are in and the bright box that tells us all about it.

Tags: TV, ABS-CBN, Rudy Fernandez, Lorna Tolentino, Eugenio Lopez, Noli de Castro, Meralco

Happy Independence Day!!!

Every June, our nation’s flag is displayed in more places than usual. And every June, we see the national colors displayed erroneously by an alarming number of people and establishments. Last week when I was in Metro Manila, at a restaurant with some blogger friends, I saw a couple of waiters hanging the flag vertically… but they did it the wrong way. Same with a mall here in Davao.

The Flag of the Philippines, when being displayed vertically, must show the blue field on the left side during peacetime. Only in time of war is the red field of the flag shown on the left side.

To avoid confusion or point-of-view arguments, here’s the rule of thumb: the vertical flag must be considered facing the outside of the building when displayed on the latter’s facade. I’m bringing this up because someone remarked that the flag, which was installed on a glass wall at that restaurant in Ortigas last week, wasn’t displayed improperly since customers inside the establishment were looking at the flag the right way.

It’s rather embarrassing that there are Filipinos who do not appreciate the flag. It is our symbol of national pride, therefore we should know it and hold it in the highest regard. Some might think it’s superfluous to subscribe to such ideas — but many times, ideas can be the start of something big. Perhaps we should start paying more attention to the ideas of nationalism, and perhaps we’ll become a much better country for it.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

The husband and I planned last Friday night that we will go check Akihabara for new laptop by Saturday. But we went to Shinjuku instead. I wanted to buy a new laptop but diverted my money to another things! lol So, we then planned to just go there by Sunday to just stroll since my intended money was spent already . But again, we decided to go malling in Shinjuku! God is sooo good that he never let us go there! You know why? Because there was a rampage incident! A man began stabbing shoppers in the street that killed 7 people!!! I was so scared to hear the news because we could have been there at that time around 12pm. My gosh! Japanese were shocked of the incident because it’s not something you hear people killing another people in the street just like that. We have been living here for almost 7 years and this is the first time I heard something so sad and scary! And to think it’s in a biggest electronic district, Akihabara! Our place is only minutes away there…Sigh..I was so scared ;(

Here’s an excerpt from WP;

Tomohiro Kato drove a white two-ton rental truck into a crowd of pedestrians, running over at least three people and then emerging from the truck with a large knife, according to police and witnesses.

Indiscriminately slashing and stabbing as he went, Kato then ran and walked through the center of the Akihabara neighborhood, where thousands of young men from Japan and around the world gather for electronic gadgets and comic books, computer games and nerdy fellowship.

“I am tired of life,” Kato later told police. “I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn’t matter who they were. I came alone.” - The Washington Post

Anyway, let us offer some prayers to those 7 people who lost their lives..It was so scary..I was scared because we were about to go to that place..God is good…You can read the whole news here.

When you go around town, you’ll notice quite a few ongoing construction projects and new restaurants and coffee shops. There are more businesses registered with the Department of Trade & Industry, albeit mostly SMEs. It really looks like Davao City is a boomtown again. But if you look closely, you might notice some things that are a bit disappointing. Like how they’re half-baked.

For example, a restaurant that looks magnificent on the outside, and might even be quite presentable inside… but doesn’t spend a peso on staff training. Or — and here’s a pet peeve of mine — a well-designed and glossy brochure that you know cost an arm and a leg to produce… but the literature is poorly written.

Tonight my friends and I were at the “seawall” (where the Statue of David stands), and we were laughing at why the management felt they had to put signs on everything. Reading them just made us laugh even harder. The English was bad, for one — they could’ve written it in Tagalog or Visayan instead — and they just didn’t make much sense at all.

I happen to like the place, actually. It’s cool, refreshing and peaceful (except when there are rowdy teenagers with blaring car speakers). It’s obvious that the owners spent a sum to build the statues (there’s an impressive replica of The Little Mermaid as well), roads, gazebos, fish ponds… So why not buy the whole package?? Why stop at the infrastructure?

I mean, if we’re to become a global city (something that investment promoters, including myself, have been trumpeting), we should be more aware and conscious of the overall image for Davao. We could hire the best PR agency in the Philippines, but if what we’re selling isn’t on a par with international standards, we might be setting ourselves up for a huge embarrassment. Putting out half-baked goods just won’t do.

Of course we can’t change overnight. What’s imperative, though, is that we all start to realize that we’re not just a city in the Philippine South, but one that is participating more and more in the international arena each year. If all of us appreciate what this means and take positive action, then the aggregate of our actions would surely result in a much-improved version and truly marketable package of our beloved city.

The Nursing Board Examinations have just been conducted, and thousands upon tens of thousands of Filipino nursing students are now nervously looking forward to February 2008 when the exam results are released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Plenty of websites and blogs cater to this need. When the nursing board exam results come out, presumably around February 2008, sites such as prcboardexamresults.com are hotspots for expectant nurses-to-be.

The PRC Board Exam Results site, the brainchild of Winston Almendras and Jehzeel Laurente (both Dabawenyos), is a high-value site that offers not only results for the nursing board, but those for other PRC-conducted examinations as well. (more…)

It’s not officially Christmas season yet, but in the Philippines it already is. It’s not even December yet, but malls, restaurants, shops, etc. have started adorning their places with Christmas decor. Such is the Filipino Christmas spirit. And it’s no different in Davao.

Take a look at Victoria Plaza. Their Christmas tree — which has become an expected fixture during the Yuletide season — is already up and brightly shining. The mall’s suurounding parking area is festooned with a thousand colorful lights, it looks so festive!

The annual Christmas Bazaar at the Davao Trade & Convention Center is now announcing that it will be opening soon. Check out the billboard in front of DTCC along F. Torres Street. The Christmas Bazaar at Davao Trade is always an excellent place to shop for quality items, including toys, pastries and other foodstuffs. Other bazaars are sure to materialize all over the city.

On the airwaves, Christmas jingles and carols abound, especially in department stores and supermarkets. It’s like they’re running a Christmas songs marathon! Is this a ploy by business owners to lure shoppers into buying more gifts?

Speaking of malls and shops, in this day and age, it’s not uncommon to hear about people shopping online. Of course cyberstores have also begun to offer Christmas goodies on their online catalogues. Anybody in the world — especially our Filipino OFWs — can send a Christmas gift to the Philippines via Barangay.ph. Check it out!

I’ll have photos of Christmas 2007 in Davao when the festivities really go into high gear!

Recently, a reader left a comment on one of my posts regarding the importance of blogging as a means of getting a message across. Curious, I clicked on her name’s link, and it brought me to an advocacy blog called In Defense of our Safety. The way I see it, the blog is (1) an effort to document the blog owners’ activities concerning an issue they feel strongly about; and, (2) a way to let the community know about what’s going on.

What is going on? Well, apparently, there is a growing concern for the safety of the residents of Trinidad Greenhills in Ma-a. New housing developments, in their drive to complete more residential projects, are reportedly neglecting the safety of existing homeowners and their properties. (more…)

Seeing the need for an online presence — and perhaps a group image — the bloggers known as The Usual Suspects have finally come up with a blog site: http://tus.davaoblogs.com. With all the references to “The Usual Suspects” in various blogs now floating around, it wouldn’t hurt to have a site to link to.

T.U.S. is made up of the following bloggers: Andrew, Gwing, Jun, Kim, Marc, Migs, Ria, and myself. To date, we have organized the Davao Bloggers Party #1 and the 1st Mindanao Bloggers Summit, which also had an attached event, the Bloggers Fellowship Night. Can that count as Davao Bloggers Party #2?

The T.U.S. blog is where Davao- and Mindanao-based bloggers can keep themselves updated on our activities, of which there will be many more in the coming months. Andrew has thought up of Araw ng Dabaw 2008 activities for us, and in the interim, Ria and I will be conducting blogging seminars & workshops. The latter will be conducted in favor of beginners, but we will also plan intermediate-level workshops.

Blog on!

Undas. Kalag-kalag. Day of the Dead. Technically — according to the Catholic Church — 1 November is actually All Saints’ Day; it’s the day after that’s supposed to be the day for remembering our departed relatives. But in traditional practice (one might even say it’s now part of our culture), millions of Filipinos troop to cemeteries on the 1st of November. That’s why each year, the President has to declare that day a non-working holiday.

(This year, even 2 November has been declared a holiday, by virtue of its being sandwiched between a holiday and the weekend. Is it logical? Go ask business owners. But that’s for another post….) (more…)

The past years’ Kadayawan sa Dabaw celebrations, it’s been thought, have veered away from the authentic spirit of this most important of Davao’s festivals. People have started talking about how ‘commercialized’ the Kadayawan has become over the years. And this probably explains the knee-jerk reaction by this year’s organizers — their unexpected move to change the festival’s schedule.

The city officials responsible for Kadayawan 2007 have reasoned that, since this festival is all about the harvest season, then it should be celebrated during the actual time of harvest, which is early August. This was monumentally unwise. But it’s a good thing that the festival highlights (the Indak-Indak and the floral float parade) were kept on the same period as usual (middle of August). (more…)

I heard from a reliable source in the travel industry that the organizers of the Kadayawan sa Dabaw are seriously considering moving the festival’s dates! This is going to be a huge mistake, if it happens. Philippine festivals are probably our #1 tourist attraction: that is, it’s our best way of pulling tourist arrivals. What does this mean? Simple: visitors to Davao, especially those who come for Kadayawan, plan their vacations way ahead of August.

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Took this photo while in a cab, just before the ramp of Bankerohan Bridge. By now we all know the traffic situation in that part of the city due to the impassability of Bankerohan Bridge I. And look! Right above these jaywalkers is a pedestrian overpass….

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