I was fortunate to have been part of the jury of the 6th Mindanao Film Fest. And together with film historian Teddy Co of the NCCA and local filmmaker Rudolph Alama, I watched, critiqued, and chose the best among the field of contenders. It was an enjoyable task, but very much taxing. I liked one of the films very much. It was, in fact, my personal favorite. (Obviously, I was outvoted. Hehe!) The film is Director Ronald Gary Bautista's Ang Sipyat which he made in collaboration with his brother and student Leo Jeorge Bautista under the production outfit Studio Beta. The film won Best in Sound in the 6th MFF and was a strong contender in most categories. Ang Sipyat (The Error) is the story of a famed thief who made the mistake of victimizing a girl. His victim, it turns out, has two siblings who are skilled in martial arts. The story seems simple enough. Shallow, in fact. But upon watching the film, as cliche as it sounds, there is more to it than the summary says. The story has a slight but not off putting twist. Can't tell you more coz it would spoil the fun of watching…
Category: hobbies and interests
Acceptance Speech: Top Video Posts and Podcasts for 2010
Last Sunday, I was awarded by the Philippine Blog Awards with the Top Video Posts and Podcasts for 2010. I was not able to attend the awards ceremony but my friend, Winston, accepted the award for me. The award is for Podcast 6: Being Friends with the Ex. Here is the speech I was supposed to deliver when I accept the award: Thank you to the Plurkers, Facebook friends, and blog commenters who inspire me with new topics and issues to discuss! Thank you to my relatives and friends who listen to my endless blabbing! I share this award with my badet friends Kring and Poyt. I also share this award with the boys and men who broke my heart and help me get insights for good podcast topics. Daghang salamat! Thank you to the Philippine Blog Awards, Inc for recognizing the best and brightest of the Philippine blogosphere! I know what you're doing isn't hard and it's not for personal gain of profit. Many, many thanks! I would also like to thank my colleagues at Avatar Media, Davao Bloggers, and Mindanao New Media who inspire me everyday to be a better blogger and person! May we continue to work…
Vote for Life with Ria
Hi there! Welcome to my blog! I am voting for my own blog, Life with Ria for the Philippine Blog Awards 2010 Bloggers Choice Award. I am voting for my blog because I have blogged sincerely and earnestly the past year. I have shared my life, my knowledge and skills, my interests and passions, and all that I have through this blog. You can say that my life has been an open blog. LOL! I try to be witty sometimes. I hope you'll consider voting for my blog too. For your consideration, here are some of my blog posts from the past year that I think best represent my blog and the things I am passionate about: Julie and Julia... and Me: "It’s not about cooking and baking. But love and passion." This is Mindanao: "The artwork highlights the differences in beliefs, culture, and lifestyle of the three groups. It is the aspiration of every Davaeoño, every Mindanaoan that these three groups will live in peace together, cooperating to uplift and develop our land of promise… Mindanao." Being a Duck: "Paddling… crazy ass fighting of emotions, struggling to beat the odds, to survive this crazy life. As I’ve told a…
WordCamp Philippines 2010 Opening Remarks
I am still too tired to blog about my WordCamp Philippines 2010 experience but I would like to share here the Opening Remarks which I delivered to kick off the event held at the College of St. Benilde on October 2, 2010. After almost 11 months of planning, countless meetings, email exchanges, phone calls and SMS, we are finally here today. Mr. Matt Mullenweg, speakers, organizers, volunteers, campers, and guests, good morning and welcome to WordCamp Philippines 2010! WordCamp was conceptualized and has grown popular with the idea of building and strengthening the community of users and developers of WordPress. Through events such as this, users and developers learn new techniques, build networks with like-minded individuals, and come up with new and exciting ideas. With the vision of a bigger, better, more productive, and more interactive WordCamp Philippines, this year’s organizers, with two years of WordCamps under their belt, took on the challenge of offering something new and exciting to the Philippine WordPress community. Though some faces may seem the same, the Philippine blogosphere and WordPress community has changed a lot since WordCamp Philippines 2008. We had to think up of something fresh, unique, and exciting. In order to meet…
Riaity Bites: Of Rules and Exceptions
This is my article for my Riality Bites column on SunStar Davao's Lifetsyle section, published on September 22, 2010. Since it premiered on the cable channel, the romantic comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You” (HJNTIY) has been played and re-played over and over again on the HBO Channel. I first heard about “He’s Just Not That Into You” the when it was mentioned in the hit TV show Sex and the City. The book from which the film was adapted from was actually a self-help book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. It was published in 2004 and was even featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2009, a film adaptation of the book was made an all-star ensemble cast which included Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansonn, Ben Affleck, and Justin Long. It featured multiple storylines of guys meeting girls, guys breaking up with girls, and various permutations and combinations of romantic entanglements. Guys and girls alike were equally amused and annoyed by the characters and their stories. Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), the narrator probably earned the most thumbs downs. She was dumb and stupid about love and relationships. And even when she was made aware of…
Why Travel?
Our physical body both allows us to experience the world. At the same time, it also limits our experience of the world. In this connected world that we live in, we can learn and experience the world through other people's words, photos, videos, and stories. We can virtually experience the world at our own homes. However, travelling and actually experiencing other places is still an experience that one should always crave for. Much as I love Davao City, I also love going to other places. Why? Because it is an opportunity to try and learn unique things, experience exciting adventures, eat exotic food, meet new people, gain fresh perspectives, and grow as a person I believe that one of life's goals is to learn in order to grow. And travelling is one way of achieving this goal. By travelling, your senses as assaulted by a multitude of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures that enrich your mind and add to your data bank of knowledge. With these, one's appreciation of things, food, artifacts, and places is broadened and enriched. Through these sensations experience by our body, our minds are broadened, our soul is enriched. Travelling also exposes a person a…