AirPhil Express is Flying to Iligan

YES.  Airphil Express is flying to Iligan City.

But, NO, we don't have an airport yet.  hehehe...

AirPhil Express is flying to Iligan City on October 29, 2011 as they are one of the major sponsors of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011.

The Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. is definitely very fortunate to have been able to partner with big companies in the country for the conduct of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011. 

AirPhil Express shouldered the round trip tickets of two of the guests of the summit.  Not only that, they will also give away 2 more round trip tickets to be raffled off to the participants during the summit.   Wow, isn't that great?   And to add more excitement and fun to the summit, AirPhil Express is also preparing 100 loot bags to be distributed to the participants.   Yehey!  The participants to the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011 sure are very lucky.  They not only get to have great quality information from expert speakers, they also get to bring home lots of goodies from AirPhil Express, as well as from other sponsors. 

Oh, how I wish I am a participant too.   But, sad to say, I am part of the working committee and the host team.  tsk.tsk.tsk.  :-(

I hope AirPhil Express would reserve one loot bag for me.   *praying*  :-)

Around the Globe for Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011

As October 29 draws near, I and the other members of the Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. feel the tension and excitement as we are on our final stage of the preparation for the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011.  

 

Speakers?  Check.  Program?  Check.  Summit Kit?  Check.  Certificates?  Check.  Venue?  Check.   Emcee?  Check.   Sponsors?  Check. 

Hmm... speaking of sponsors, the Iligan Bloggers Society, Inc. is privileged to have hooked up with Globe  as a big sponsor to the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011.   Yeheeeeeeey!  This sure made our day!

And there's more, aside from being a big sponsor to the Summit, Globe also extended its generosity to the participants as they offer interested blogger participants to sponsor the registration fee thereby letting them enjoy the Summit for FREE!   It is not everyday that Globe gives this kind of offer.  And IBS, Inc. is thankful for Globe's support to the Summit. 

Now I can truly say, the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011 is now around the GLOBE.   :-)

Preparation for Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011

Seven Days. 

In seven days will be the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 2011 which will be held at Celadon Pensionne House, Pala-o, here in Iligan City.    It has been a very hectic past 3 months for me and the other members of the Iligan Bloggers Society as we prepare for this big event.

Identifying speakers.   Writing communication letters.  Identifying sponsors.  Writing communication letters.  Identifying items needed for the summit.  The program.  The certificates.  The tokens.  The meals.  The tour.   And meetings, meetings, meetings.  Whew.   I literally had headaches and had a fever.  Thank God, it didn't get worst.  I was back on my feet after two days.  :-)

Now, excitement has overridden the tension I was feeling.  With a few more days left and the preparations almost complete.  :-)

Iligan Bloggers Society is a young organization, less than a year old actually, first time to host an event, and a big one at that.   Yet, I am very grateful to be part of the team.   To be able to experience the fun in spite of the stress.   :-)

I pray that we'd be able to pull through this hosting and have a successful conduct of the summit.  God be with us always.  :-)

2011 Worldwide Photowalk

It was another first for me.  

Last October 1, 2011 Pat and I joined the Worldwide Photowalk of Scott Kelby.  For every area of a photowalk, only 50 participants are accepted in the online registration.  When the registrants reach 50, the rest would be in the Waiting List, in case someone unregisters two days before the event.  The registered participants were then able to participate in the worldwide photo contest.   In Iligan, Robert Booc, owner of Kodak Express/X-Sight Imaging, was the Walk Organizer.  And of course, with many professional and amateur photographers in Iligan, there were more than 50 registrants.   

The group met at Chicken Ati-Atihan at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.   Most of the participants really have that photographer look and get-up. While I was like, a joker - just tagging along. hehehe...   Anyway, I actually didn't mind because I joined the event not to compete with them but to have fun and at the same time practice using my camera in Manual mode.  I have always been using the Program or Smart Auto mode only, hehe..

A brief orientation before starting the walk

Group photo of the Photowalk participants, courtesy of Bobby Timonera

We started our walk at Mugna in Barangay Tubod, passed by coastline at Barangay Tambacan for a sunset shoot and ended at Rizal Park in Barangay Poblacion.  

As it was my first photowalk, I didn't know at first what subjects I would take.  So, instead of taking pictures of things and people in Mugna that interest me, I took photos of the photographers.  It sort of became a documentation of the photowalk.  :-D

 Bobby Timonera, Photojournalist

 Pat D. Noel, my ever supportive husband, hehe

Some of the photowalk participants with a military personnel escorting us during the photowalk

I was laughing at my pictures.   I told myself, if I don't concentrate I'd end up with a photowalk documentation. hehehe...  But as I got the hang of taking photos, I finally started finding subjects that caught my attention.

A confused kid eating popcorn.

In yellow and pink Ferris wheel passenger car 

 A boy at the sidewalk.  

He was trying to peel the lollipop covering using his teeth and this is what I caught on cam.   :-D

But the subject I liked the best was when we reached the coastline of Barangay Tambacan.  And the sunset started to unfold before my very eyes.   And I was sure glad I brought my tripod with me.  :-)

 Just when the sun was beginning to set.

 The orange color became stronger already but I also adjusted my camera setting to get the effect. :-) 

Though I cannot anymore remember the technical adjustments I made.  I was just concerned of how the sunset would look when I view on the LCD display of my camera.  hehehe...

 

 There are also many children in the area who are very eager to pose for the camera. 

My favorite sunset photo of all the sunset photos I have taken.   

Why?  The silhouette is Pat's.  :-D

Souvenir photo with the sunset, using Pat's camera on tripod.

From left :  Richard, Jam, me and Pat

I would have love to stay and keep on watching the sunset turning more beautiful.  I have always been so awed by the beauty of a sunset unfold before my very eyes.  And to think that no two sunsets are ever the same, I never get tired of watching it whenever I have the chance.   However, it's sad to say, that we have to leave and hurry up as the rest of the group is already in Rizal Park.  

I really enjoyed very much the photowalk.   In fact, it got me addicted, hehehe.   Pat and I planned on doing it again with the other members of the Iligan Bloggers Society. 

Till the next photowalk...

The Meeting of Two PINAYs

Two PINAYs.  Both bloggers.  

They love to travel.

They enjoy exploring new things.

They are young.

They are bubbly.

They are outspoken

And, they are living life to the fullest.

This is what I saw when I witnessed the meeting of two PINAYs last September 27, 2011.
Two PINAYs - PINAY Travelista and Possibly PINAY.
No. It's not their names, of course.  These are the names of the blog they maintain.


Pinay Travelista is my friend and co-member of the Iligan Bloggers Society.  She is Lisa Marie Mirasol or Lai for short.

Possibly Pinay is a freelance writer for the Experience Travel and Lifestyle Magazine. She is in Iligan to make an article for the said magazine about Iligan and Iligan's celebration of the Diyandi Festival.   She is Eileen Campos.

Lai and Eileen have been together the whole day going around the city with other IBS members.   And I was at work, being tortured by the fun they are having.   Finally, 5 o'clock came and I was off to meet them at 9rs.

As I was not feeling so well by late afternoon, I thought of just having dinner with them and then go home to  rest and probably sleep early.  But as we ate dinner and the conversations got more interesting, though a bit formal, I changed my mind and decided right then and there to tag along with them.  And think of rest later. hehehe... I told myself, I already missed a lot the whole day, I might as well have some fun  with what's remained of their itinerary for the night.

After dinner, we went to MSU-IIT to see for a few minutes the Coronation Night of Miss Iligan 2011.   From there, we headed for the Iliganon Restobar.  And this is where the fun started as the venue became more relaxed and casual. 

This was an important night for Lai.  She joined a contest sponsored by Eileen through her Possibly Pinay Blog and Lai won the contest.   Eileen said she was happy to have been assigned in Iligan City as she will meet in person the winner of her contest, and at the same time save on shipping cost, hehe.  The main prize of the contest is a travel bag with wheels.  I personally liked the bag.  It's nice.  

More prizes for Lai

 

 This is also a very important day for Eileen.  It's her birthday!  She said it was the first time that she was on the road on her birthday.  The photo above is taken by Pat.  A modeling pose of Eileen, kind of endorsing the Iliganon Shake.  :-D

For Eileen's birthday, we treated her with Iliganon Pizza and Durian Shake.

The IBS bloggers.  

I took the picture but I have never thought of joining them.  It never crossed my mind to join them in the photo.  I could have let Pat take the picture.  Tsk. tsk. tsk.

Well at least I have a photo of me over at 9rs taken by Pat. 

I think we separated ways past 10pm.  But I was very happy I tagged along.  Even when I was late for work the following day, it was worth it.  I had fun.  And that's all that mattered to me.  :-D