And finally, I am able to complete my list for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2010, and am proud to post my choices here.

With the deadline I believe still in August, I think my post is just in time. And maybe, those who have incomplete list may find this list useful to complete theirs.

Without much further ado, here’s my complete list for the 2010 Top 10 EIB

1. Realm of Thoughts
A blog by my eldest son, Ralph Emerson. Don’t be surprised by the name, having a poet for a father, it’s not far fetched that he got his name from a poet/writer too.

And it was, I believe, prophetic. Not just because he’s my son, but I always believe that Ralph thinks deep, and has a lot to share. And if giving his father a wake-up call isn’t influential, I don’t know what is.

2. Short Stories Blog
My attempt to be a short story writer too. It is by far the most visited of all my blogs as of late. And it encourages me to come up with more original stories  of love, life, humor and every subject I can think of.

It’s challenging and fulfilling at the same time. This is my way of introducing my short story blog to the world who may not know that I am a short story writer too.

3. The Thirsty Blogger
An expert in giving money making and saving tips with sense, Fitz found a blogging niche that is not yet explored. Not really surprising for a man who knows how to spot an opportunity.

4. Sex and Sensibilities
A blog that I discovered by reviewing the list of other entries. With all those hullabaloo on sex education these days in our country, this blog is very timely.While sex education is aimed in teaching kids at school, I believe most adults, as well, need to re-learn their understanding of sex before they can even teach it to the young ones.

5. Tara na!
I like the fact that Erica is starting her journey in her backyard, before she explores food and cultures in other places. Yes, this is a food and travel blog, and a personal blog as well.

To complete the list of my Top 10 are:

6. Mequeni Cabalen
7. Your My Love Poems
8.  Wag Na Lang
9. When In Manila
10. NomNom Club

To know why the last five are included in my list. You can see my write up in my initial post for the Top 10 list.

And as always, this writing project is made possible through the kindness of the following sponsors: Events and Corporate Video, Budget Hotel In Makati, Pinoy Party Food, Copyediting Services, PR Agency Philippines, Budget Travel Philippines, Send Gifts to the Philippines, Black Friday Deals, Roomrent – units for rent, Search Profile Index and Corporate Events Organizer.

So there you go, my complete list of  Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2010.

Check them out and to see why they got in my list.

Blog-hopping, it is not uncommon that you will find interesting blog of notes that you would want to bookmark, go back to, and keep up with the succeeding posts.

Interesting blogs that really capture your attention and you feel that you want to share it for other bloggers to see… not that they need it, because I’m sure these blogs I’ll mention will eventually find their way to you one way or another.

Still, I want to give them a special space in my blog… somewhat a tradition  that I started last year for my birthday month. And now, I’d like to share to you these three interesting blogs.

Wag na lang!
A blog that is run by King del Rosario who describes his blog as

Wag na lang is a contraction(?) of a popular Filipino remark “Huwag na lang” which means either “No thanks” or “Don’t bother” in English. My translation sucks, but you get the point. Hehehe.

His blog features the humorous side (with messages in between) of life, through pictures. I believe, some were made by him, and the others he gets elsewhere.

But it is his captions (his two-cents) that make the pictures even more interesting.

Your My Love Poems
On the blog title alone, you can tell that this blog is about love and poetry.

Although Paige’s blog posts are not really limted to poetry as of late, as she writes  and give advice about relationships — sensible, practical, and realistic.

If you are looking for a good read about love and relationship, Paige’s page should be your direction.

Robot President
This blog is not about robots nor the presidents, nor politics. Although I won’t be surprised if Arvil would post those topics in his blog just to prove me wrong.

Written in straight and beautiful Tagalog, this blog contains deep thoughts and Arvil’s observation of the things that happen around him.

If you want to get your dose of pure Filipino writing, written in the most honest form like only Arvil can, visit his Robot President.

I’m sure you noticed, I haven’t written much about them… just a teaser of sort.  Truth to tell, I’m just starting to explore these blogs, yet I have already been ‘captured’ by their entries that I feel I need to make a post about them so that you may know of them  too.

Needless to say, these blogs are currently in my shortlist for the Emerging Influential Blogs of 2010, nothing’s final yet. But definitely, they are among those being considered.

I suggest, you visit them to see why they are in my shortlist.

As much as I would like to make another post about my UNLIMITED experience, I have to defer it to a special announcement — an invitation to all badminton players especially those who are near Angeles City.

Our high school batch, the PrimeMovers 85 will be holding it’s first badminton tournament on May 22, 2010 at the Smash Power Center at Telabastagan, City of San Fernando, Pampanga.

It will be a one-day event starting at 7:00 a.m. up to 8:00 p.m.

This badminton tournament is open to all club players, including those who want to travel all the way to Angeles City and meet new friends, most especially the friendly Batch ‘85 of Holy Angel University.

Categories are: MD, LD & MXC
Level B, C. D and E

Registration fee for the tournament is only P700/player inclusive of the tournament t-shirt.

Winners will receive customized trophies and other freebies.

Those who are interested to join can call or text our batchmates Erwin Tongol (0915757670716), Joy Henson Naguiat (0928505437) or Ninie (045 888-8888 or 636-6336)

Register early.

We are also accepting sponsor for the badminton tournament. Those who want to inquire about the sponsorship may contact Joy at the number given above.

Come and join The 1st PrimeMovers ‘85 Badminton Tournament!

And this post has nothing to do with short messages sending or “texting.”

This is the UNLIMITED by Philip D. Torres, a fashion show in celebration of his 25 years in the fashion industry… and I am invited as one of those who will cover the event!

You don’t believe me?  here’s my proof!

Yes! That is a press pass I am holding, which means I am a legitimate guest in this major fashion event.

Not a gatecrasher, mind you. But an invited guest attending the event in my capacity as an independent blogger.

I can’t tell you how excited I am in my first major event, and what an event to start with.

Yes, I’m all hyped now.

Now, wait a minute. This is a fashion event. What am I going to wear?! I cannot go there just wearing anything… it has to be fashionable… but I’m a “fashion disaster” personified. What shall I do?

Okay, okay. So, I won’t be the one strutting on the ramp. I guess I’m the least of their concern. Maybe, I can pull this one. After all, I am smart. Unfashionable maybe, but smart.

But Mr. Worrier me has thought of another concern (dang!). Of course, since this is an event, a fashion show even, everybody will be taking pictures, and that includes me.

So, while the others pull out their DSLR cameras shooting left and right, with lights flashing all over, I would be in one corner trying to hide my low-end digital camera from everyone’s eye. I do hope I can take decent pictures while trying to cover my camera with my hands.

Okay. Quit worrying. I can get through this. After all, this is UNLIMITED and I am just starting explore how far I can go.

So, who is Philip D. Torres and what is UNLIMITED?
Enough about me. I guess you’re all interested to know what really is this event I am talking about.

Philip Dizon Torres is a top fashion designer who hails from Angeles City. He has been in the fashion industry for twenty five years.

Philip joined almost every group fashion competition in the province when he was still starting as a budding designer back in 1985. His first major break came when he was introduced by Rudy Fuentes in the fashion mainstream in 1992 — a break he so deserved because of his being passionate and dedicated in his work.

It wasn’t long before he was holding his own several one-man shows in the region and one in the United States where he displayed his exquisite signatures gowns.

He even served as costume designer in the field of show business and served some celebrities and fashion personalities. His list include Melanie Marquez, Tweety de Leon, Gardo Versoza, Antoinette and Tom Taus, among others.

Philip has also been active being one of the organizers of the city’s Mutya ning Angeles.

Because of his dedication in perfecting his craft, his gown creations received several citations and awards in various regional and national beauty pageants.

UNLIMITED is Philip’s way of giving back to the community for all the blessings he received and the achievements he has reached.

A fashion event that took 25 years in the making, it will be held on April 24, 2010 at the Fontana Convention Center in Clark Field, Pampanga.

Ticket price is Php1,000.00 only. Cocktails will be served throughout the evening. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

To get your tickets, you can call the following number: (045) 3221765, 09189364240, 09327323200 and 09153001932.

And I did say, he is giving back to community, right? Because he is, this fashion event is for the benefit of the Bahay Pag-Ibig and Munting Tahanan ng Nazareth under the Archdiocese of San Fernando.

Come and be part of the biggest social event of the year!

Just because the iBlog6 blogging summit is all about blogging, it doesn’t mean the day’s proceedings would be confined to search engine optimization, making money online and niche marketing. After all, blogging involved a medley of interests.

That is why it is not surprising that in the recent iBlog6, there was an intermission number performed by The UP Concert Chorus, courtesy of fellow blogger and friend Rey Rombawa Jr.

The UP Concert Chorus or UPCC, is a five-time Aliw Awardee for Best Choral Group, the group that performed were just some of the members as many are on tour performing in different parts of the world (yes, we were fortunate to be graced upon by an internationally acclaimed choral group).

But small as they are in numbers, their performance was definitely not lacking, as they sang three songs in a very beautiful a capella rendition. The first one was Alleluia, followed by Martin Nievera’s Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin, and Pamulinawen being their last song.

Here are the videos of their intermission number at the iblog6. Pardon the poor quality of the video, as I was using a low-end type of digital camera.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_HJTqI-Qxs

with their first song Alleluia

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrqJbBax7FI

their second song Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV-65YQcQ_c

and their last number Pamulinawen

Thank you Rey and the rest of the UPCC for gracing the blogging summit, and again, can I request Atin Cu Pung Singsing next time?

In this rather late post, I would like to enumerate some of the blogging events in 2010 that I have been a part of, or at least have heard about, last year. I said late because I already made a post on the two of them.

Anyway, these are some of the blogging events that I wish to attend this year.

The first blogging event that will take place this April, which is now on its 6th installment.

iBlog6 will be held on April 16 & 17, 2010 at the Malcolm Hall, UP College of Law, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

Spearheaded by the energetic Janette Toral, the 6th Philippine Blogging Summit will tackle subjects like, relevance of blogging to business, creating buzz through blogs, the different blogging niche… and yes, including Blogging 101 for those who want to start blogging.

Register here for free and see you at the iBlog6!

The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2010 will kick off this May. Winners will be announced and awarded in a major blogging event this August.

This is one project where I have been a very active part of last year, and I wish to bring in that same enthusiasm this year if only give back what this event has done for me.

Another project by Janette, The Emerging Influential Blogs award aims to give, not only recognition, but to encourage new blogs and blogger to continue developing their craft and to take an active part in this wonderful world called blogging.

The Philippine Blog Awards is another annual event “that aims to give recognition to outstanding blogs in, but not limited to the Filipino Blogging Community.”

I was never a part of this last year, I don’t think I was even able to vote (if ever there was voting involved) on those who were nominated for this award.

Recognitions are given to blogs in different categories, like technology, personal, business, travel and news, among others.

No date is still given for this year’s event, although it was usually held at the latter part of the year.

“Excited” would be an understatement if I would describe the feeling I have in anticipation of this event.

Without prejudice to the other events, this is the event that I want to attend most this year. Perhaps the term “word” in the WordCamp have some psychological effect to this trying-hard-wannabe-aspiring-writer.

Truth to tell, I am clueless about this event and really don’t know what to expect. But I am curious and I really want to know what this camp for “worders” is all about.

The date for this year is set on October 2, 1010 although there are still no information given as to the venue of the event. Stay tuned to this blog for more information.

Of course, Kapampangans won’t be outdone. Thanks to Kabalen Rachel who spearheaded the Pampanga Blogging Workshop 101 which will be held on April 24, 2010 at the Universe Internet Cafe, 2nd floor,  SM City, City of San Fernando, Pampanga (Beside SM Cinema 4, 5 & 6)

Rachel will have no less than Janette Toral as the resource person in this first major blogging event in Pampanga.

To all Kapampangans (and non-Kapampangans alike), who want to know what is a blog and to learn how to blog, this event is for you. And tor all Kapampangan bloggers, this is a great opportunity for us to meet and see the people behind the blogs.

For more information on this blogging workshop, visit Rachel’s post.

There you are, some of the blogging events this year that I hope to take part of. If you know of other blogging events, do give me a buzz. It’s one of my blogging goal this year… to reach out and get to meet more bloggers.

Yes, this early Janette Toral sent out her invitation for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2010 via her teaser post.

There will be modifications in the rules for this year’s EIB nominees, and I believe, the same  requirements also apply to the blogs who will make the nomination.

The Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2010 will officially start on May this year, but Janette already posted some of the changes this year, which are:

• Recognition of blogs (and their bloggers) will be in a major blogging event happening this August.
• Blogs created from March 2009 to the present are qualified to be cited as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs for 2010.
• A blog must be at least 3 months old in order to participate in the writing project. (for further clarification)

Since last week, in spite of my busy schedule, I have been scouting around (silently) for my nominees this year. I want my list to be as diverse as possible.

And yes! If you’re asking, I’m still joining this writing project and supporting Janette in this cause, because I see the project for what it really is.

More updates as the writing project progresses.

Just a short buzz to say that the Earth Hour 2010 is scheduled on March 27, 2010. from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.

That means for one straight hour, all lights, and appliances would all be turned off. It will be total darknes… or at least it is supposed to be.

And just like what we did during last year’s Earth Hour, we will all be stationed  in one corner of the house and just wait for the hour to pass as we tell jokes, share stories and keep ourselves updated of the country’s news and development.

Started in Sydney in 2007 as a one-city environmental campaign, the Earth Hour has since attracted worldwide attention and evolved into an international event.

This campaign is spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund.

Remember the  date, March 27, 2009, from 8:30 to 9:30 PM – lights out!

Oh, yes! It’s another writing contest, and unlike the first one which requires traveling experience, I can join this one… AND SO CAN YOU!

So here’s the detail of this writing contest…

We all have our personal icons. People who have a special influence on us, people who inspired us, awakened us, shook us… in short, had a big impact in our lives.

This is the chance to let them (just in case they don’t know it yet), and world, know how they have made a difference in our life.

In the writing contest dubbed, “My Icon, My Hero” by the Philippine Star, contestants need to write about their personal hero — he/she could be a famous and distinguished achiever, he/she may be young or old, rich or poor, he could even be an unknown, unsung hero like your next door neighbor who you try to emulate… the only requirement is that, your hero must be Filipino.

Write about your hero, in the most creative way you can, sharing to the world how he or she made an impact in your life. Needless to say, the best written story would win, and one of the prizes include being one of Philippine Star’s contributing writer.

Now, that is really getting me excited.

But before I get carried away, here are more details of this writing contest:

HOW TO JOIN:

1. Write your article on your icon or hero in approximately 1,200 words. We accept only original, unpublished works. You may submit as many entries as you wish. But you may win only once.

2. Enclose your passport-size photo, a short biodata, with your address and contact number.

3.E-mail these to philstar_ lifestyleawards@yahoo.com. Or send a CD with printout to The Philippine Star Lifestyle Journalism Awards 2010, The Philippine Star, Roberto Oca St. corner Railroad St., Port Area, Manila.

4. Submit your entries on or before April 17, 2010. The 10 winners will be announced in June and will receive their prizes in a venue to be announced later. The winning entries will be published in The Philippine Star.

It’s great to know that we are not limited to a single, because I do have too many personal icons I want to write about.

By the way, at stake at this contest are:
A total of P204,900 worth of prizes for each of the 10 winners. That’s a P50,000 writing contract from The Philippine Star, P50,000 in cash from HSBC, P50,000 in gift certificates from Stores Specialists, Inc. Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, and a 37-inch LCD TV set from Samsung worth P54,900.

Now, I got work and write about my icon… my hero.

I saw on today’s Travel and Tourism section of the Philippine Star newspaper. The first thing that caught my attention were the words “380-words story writing contest.”

With the intention of joining, I went on to read the rest of the article… only to find out that it is not for me.

The complete title of the article was “Singapore Airlines launches 380-word story writing contest” and is a contest for all who have experienced Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) A380.

Since I haven’t really traveled through air in my entire life, not even a domestic one, I really no stories to share about this. Easily, I can always do a made-up story just to join this contest… but then, it isn’t my style.

So, I’m doing the next best thing — blog about it!

There might be some people who have stories to share about this, and yet are not aware of this contest.

The contest is dubbed “SIA A38 & Me,” a writing contest by Singapore Airlines in cooperation with the Philippine Star. The contest is open to Philippine residents who has traveled on SIA’s flagship superjumbo aircraft — the A380.

And in line with the name of the aircraft, the contest challenges participants to describe their A380 experience in “no more than 380 words.”

This writing contest runs from March 14 to May 30, 2010.

Taken from the Philippine Star article, here are the rules for the contest.

How to join:

1. To join, a participant must be a Philippine resident, must have taken a flight on the A380, indicate the date of their travel on the A380 and the destination.

2. All entries must be sent with the published contest coupon cut out from the Philippine STAR Lifestyle Section. These coupons will be printed thrice weekly until May 30.

3. Entries can either be mailed or dropped off in two areas: SIA Manila office 33rd floor LKG Tower Ayala Avenue Makati or the Philippine STAR, Classifinder, in Greenbelt 1, Makati.

4. The most unique and interesting experiences will be chosen by the panel of judges.

5. The winners will be notified by June 20, 2010.

Prizes for this contest are:
First prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to any of SIA’s seven A380 destination (Zurich, Paris, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Tokyo or Hong Kong).

Second prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to Sydney or Melbourne on the A380.

Third prize — roundtrip economy class ticket to Hong Kong via Singapore on A380.

Eight consolation prizes will also be given.

Hmm… personally, I don’t like the sound of the “economy class” on the prizes. But sometimes, you don’t really care about the prizes, but the opportunity to express your creativity through these writing contests… and that’s the only reason I blogged about it.