Hana, Markku, Blogie, Janette @ Outback Makati

I’m flying to Washington, D.C. in a couple of hours, to attend a conference where U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver a talk on global freedom of speech vis-à-vis the Internet, and where I’m to participate in a panel discussion on the same topic. It’s a great honor, and I’m looking forward to the learning experiences ahead of me.

There is also a San Francisco leg of this Voluntary Visitor’s Program that I’ve been invited to by the State Department. I will hopefully be able to visit the offices of online media enablers such as Facebook and Twitter.

I shall document my official business in America via BlogPress.ph, with the direction of my friend and colleague, Janette Toral.

And since I’m going to be in the States already, I might as well stay and take a short vacation, yes? Yes! So, my personal itinerary will include New York City, Los Angeles, and possibly a few more destinations. I can’t wait!! This is my first time to go to America, by the way. And it won’t be my last (I got a 10-year valid, multiple-entry visa!!) this year, if plans to go back in July or August push through.

My flight’s boarding in an hour. Wish me luck!

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GoDaddy iPhone App

It was pure delight to find out that GoDaddy — arguably the #1 domain registrar in the world — has an app for the iPhone / iPod touch. According to the App Store, it was posted late last year. Sometimes I get an inspiration for a domain name, and it’s now so much easier and more convenient for me to just whip out my trustee mobile device and access GoDaddy.com via mobile.

It’s a great little app: you can do pretty much all the basic domain-name registration stuff, plus a little more. Purchasing domain names, of course, is the main feature. But aside from that, you can also manage your domains, including updating nameservers and other DNS-specific records, domain ownership details, auto-renew settings, etc.

Here are a few screen shots of the GoDaddy iPod app in action, taken when I was acquiring yet another piece of Web real estate.

Domain Registration

Domain Administration

Whois service

There’s even a way for you to check who beat you to that domain name you’d wanted to get. An online whois service right on the palm of your hand. Actually, you can also do a whois on the domain name search results screen.

I have 60+ domain names registered, and as heavy user of mobile platforms, this GoDaddy app is now one of the most indispensable tools in my iPod touch. There are still some glitches, but I’m fairly certain GoDaddy’s going to be updating this application faithfully. Also, there’s only one way to pay: credit card; no PayPal payments accepted via this app yet. But other than that, it’s awesome!

Problem is, it might cause even more domain-buying sprees…

The reason for our endurance may be attributed to the successes that we have witnessed as well in 2009. We Filipinos have found heroes among our ranks, in spite of a government that has left more to be desired… if indeed this present regime intends to leave.

So now we’re on the threshold of a new year, and at the tail-end of a waning decade. I pray we will have much opportunities to conclude the first ten years of the new millennium on a positive note!

And on a lighter note, here are photos of the Christmas lights display that has become a tradition in the city, courtesy of Mana-Davao. Last Christmas was when I started documenting this spectacle, although I’d been making a point of enjoying Mana’s Christmas lights for some years already. This year, most probably due to a growing audience each year, they’ve put on a more spectacular exhibit.

Here’s a short video I took of Mana yesterday. It’s amazing how many people now visit the place, just to take in the sights.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I’m posting this on v2.9, and I must say, it feels like the purr of a well-oiled machine. The “Move to Trash” link and the fact that WordPress now has a global trash bin make for more peace of mind. The media-handling capabilities, as well, give the new version an even cooler CMS experience.

WP2.9 ships with quite a number of under-the-hood enhancements, or improvements to the code, in other words. It’s exciting to see how plugin developers and theme authors will take advantage of these new tools at their disposal. I’m especially eager to see what my favorite theme developers, WooThemes, will dish out in the next couple of weeks.

Upgrade to WordPress 2.9 now!

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1. WP2.9 to hit the Web soon

As expected, we’ll see major enhancements to the way WordPress handles media files. Beta-testing v2.9 RC-1, I’ve seen those cool new features, such as on-the-fly image editing (crop, rotate, flip, resize), and more meta data (separate alt caption texts), among others.

What I’ve been wanting for the longest time, which will now be available in v2.9, is a gallery option that lets you exclude images from being displayed when using the [gallery] shortcode. Sometimes it’s necessary to display a post’s gallery of images, but with one or a few images left out. For example, you have a restaurant review post with a number of foodnographic shots, plus the logo of the restaurant. You might want to display the food photos as thumbnails (gallery-style), but without the resto logo, which you’ll probably place at the top of the post.

For this purpose, WP2.9 will let you use the exclude switch inside the shortcode. Problem is — and I hope they fix this — this is to be inserted manually into the [gallery] shortcode; no menu item for this yet in the gallery’s user interface. And, the usage is still rather cryptic. After a brief hit-and-miss session, I finally figured out that the value that the exclude option accepts is the post ID of the image (not the post’s ID where the image is attached). To wit:

[gallery exclude="##"]
(For excluding multiple images: separate ## values with a comma.)

WordPress stores images’ meta data in the wp_posts database table (assuming you didn’t change the WP prefix in wp-config.php), so that each uploaded image gets its own unique ID. There is as yet no way to see images’ IDs within WordPress — I had to browse the database table via PHPMyAdmin to check for them.

(There is also an include switch, and I suppose this is for manually including images attached to other posts.)

What’s more, v2.9 will now have a recycle bin for posts, pages, attachments and comments. How many times have you deleted a post or a comment and regretted it?

There are a host of enhancements and additions to this awesomest of content management systems, some major and some cosmetic (including a much-improved default first post upon installation). RC-1 is pretty stable already, so if you’re feeling adventurous, why don’t you download and play around with it now?

Kudos to Automattic for an exciting new version!

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Automattic sent me a Moleskine notebook yesterday, as a token for having organized WordCamp Philippines 2009. It’s way cool — the “legendary notebook” embossed with the WordPress logo on the front cover!

Last year, Maya, Matt’s indefatigable girl friday, sent me a WP hoodie for my efforts in 2008.

It’s certainly heart-warming, to be given such simple yet memorable gifts. Advocating the use of WordPress is its own reward, but tokens of appreciation do lift the spirit up when they are received.

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It was a well-represented group of concerned parties: there were delegates from mainstream media, non-traditional media outfits such as Mindanao Film & Television Development Foundation, government agencies, the Armed Forces, and from church and civic organizations. The objectives centered around how various entities communicated “Mindanao” to the rest of the world, and what could be achieved to improve this. Much like what was accomplished — or tried to — at Media Nation a few years back. But this time, the initiative came from Mindanaoans.

Supported by the Action for Conflict Transformation (ACT) for Peace Programme, the forum is also seen as a knowledge-sharing venue expected to gather communication practitioners of the various development programs in Mindanao and partner organizations working for Mindanao peace and development, as well as representatives of alternative media, such as bloggers and filmmakers in Mindanao.
(Source: Medco)

I was able to present the purpose and goals of the Mindanao Bloggers Community, and to interface with other organizations, such as Click Mindanao and the Young Moro Professionals Network for possible sharing of ideas and cooperation in joint projects in the foreseeable future.

Although the forum had been in the pipeline for sometime, it came at the heels of the Maguindanao massacre. And it was timely in that it addressed a pressing need to educate the rest of the nation’s communicators in the way they reported on Mindanao issues. In my view, I saw a somewhat more responsible national media — although there were hiccups, such as when a popular broadsheet printed “the lawless Mindanao island” — in its reportage of the mass murders in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

If the forum participants strive to forge on and see the goals through, the MINDPeace forum can be instrumental in influencing the way Mindanao is perceived from now on. There is a very big danger that the efforts of the MB Community and other like-minded groups in presenting a more holistic view of Mindanao, will go down the drain due to the senseless and deplorable crime committed in Maguindanao Province. But if we persevere, we’ll have a good chance of preventing another mass misconception of Mindanao’s image.

But more than that, the communicators’ forum was meant to be a significant contributing factor “to the ongoing formulation of the Mindanao 2020 Peace and Development Framework Plan, with emphasis on the role of media and communication, to setting the direction for Mindanao in the next decade.”

The MB Community, for its part, will certainly contribute actively to this effort towards peace and development in Mindanao.

It should be said right away, Canibad isn’t for resort-goers. It’s more for the adventure-seeking types, because the “beach resorts” there offer little more than basic accommodations with the barest of facilities. But that’s the charm of the place, in my view. (When I decided to go, it was actually to field-test my new Coleman tent.) There’s no electricity, and only some of the properties have working generators — which means, however, that you’ll have a fantastic view of the stars at night. And a bit of good news: there’s a strong source of spring water, and they’ve been able to draw the sweet water into a rudimentary waterworks system.

My timing was almost perfect when I got to the beach Friday night, because the moon had just been full the previous day. When the large, golden, near-perfect orb began to rise from behind a picturesque outcropping of reefs, the sight was breathtaking. (Too bad I wasn’t able to take pictures of it, as I didn’t have the proper equipment for a night shot.)

The following day, I rose very early and took my first pictures of sunrise. And how glorious it was! You see, the most beautiful few minutes of sunrise cannot be seen from Davao City, because Samal Island blocks the view. But on Canibad Beach, which faces the east, you can witness the morning sun’s first peek above the low horizon.

I needed a brief respite to recharge, and Canibad was, for me, the perfect place to do just that. It’s very far from the hustle and bustle of city life, and it’s not easy to get there. The remoteness allowed me to temporarily break connection from everything, even just for a little while. So, on this idyllic tropical getaway, you can chill out to your heart’s content, soak up the sun, do a little boating… And don’t forget to jump off of the reef cliff!

They say that, if you didn’t jump from that reef into the azure waters, you weren’t able to experience Canibad at all. So, after mustering enough courage — and successfully quelling all fears — I did finally take the plunge! But only once, because the second time I went back up the cliff, I found my knees knocking even harder.

What got me to jump? A school of fish. That’s right: a very large school of very small fish (which locals call bolinao) that intermittently jumped in and out of the water a few times. It was like they were cheering me on. Of course, there were the other people on the cliff, too.

I find it quite refreshing how you can, somehow, easily meet and get to know other weekend warriors in far-off getaways. In Canibad, I chanced upon a big group of youngsters who also came from Davao. They were on the cliff when I met them, and while they were teasing each other, they happily and encouragingly urged me on — to jump a cliff that’s 3 or 4 storeys high!

The rest of my stay on Samal was spent listening to soothing music and chatting with my new friends. They “adopted” me there, so I didn’t have to worry about food or entertainment. Thanks, guys!!

It’s not very easy to get to Canibad Beach, though. From Davao City, you can take the ferry or a banca to Babak, or one of the regular inter-island routes to Peñaplata. From any of the points on Samal, hire a motorbike (with driver) to Canibad Beach, which is in Barangay Aundanao, Peñaplata District of the Island Garden City of Samal. The land trip will set you back around ₱150 and will take about 45 minutes to an hour. Most of the way is rough dirt roads, so be prepared for an unpleasant and bumpy ride. All in all, the trip from Davao City to Canibad will take more or less two hours.

Upon arrival, one more hurdle: a steep climb down a long stairway (which will be hell when you have to climb back up on your way home!). But once you step onto the beach, all your aches and pains will melt away. The off-white sand underfoot is very fine and cool (even at noon). There are lots of pebbles and smooth coral and shells strewn all over the strand. The sea… what can I say? It’s no wonder many call it the source of life. The sea in Canibad is what you’ve always imagined its perfection to be.

Don’t expect much, though, when it comes to dining. You have to bring your own food, otherwise you’ll have to settle for locally-caught fish. You can ask your hosts to cook the food for you, but it won’t be much of a gourmet experience. Like I said, it’s still mostly unspoilt and bare — a state in which I wish Canibad would remain for a few more years.

But–alas!–developers and prospective buyers have already found this tropical retreat. It won’t be long before we see more honest-to-goodness beach resorts out there, which will mean more visitors and a flourishing tourism industry in the near future. Whether that’s good or bad will depend on how you feel about nature, about the environment…

I’m glad I was able to see Canibad while it was still relatively untouched. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit again very soon!

Here are more pictures of my Canibad trip. And to get an idea of the location, here’s a terrain map, courtesy of Google Maps.

View Samal Island in a larger map