Pinoy Blog Superstar February 2008 Nominees!

UPDATE: Newest entries are published below this post.  All you have to do is to scroll down.

It’s that most wonderful time in Pinoy Blogosphere, when bloggers compete to become…

Pinoy Blog SOOperstar!

This contest does not ask for much. All Empress Maruja asks of you is to link her beautiful blog to yours, and she’ll do the difficult job of choosing the best blog writers each month as long as you meet the following requirements:

1) Aside from linking the Empress Maruja blog to your site, the author should create at least 5 posts every month. However, only the last 3 entries will be included in judging. In the case of podcasters, three entries are a minimum.

2) Nominees of the previous month are included in the Red Team, while recently-linked blogs are part of the White Team. The rest in the blogroll are randomly sorted.

To those who are new in this competition, here’s how the nominees are chosen:

1) Each blog is judged according to the following preliminary criteria:

* Is the author passionate with blogging?
* Does the author write with quality content?
* Does the author write with original content?

2) The blogs that stand out from these criteria would then undergo a second round of judging according to the following criteria:

* Does the author write in a consistent style?
* Has it kept you engaged in reading?
* Does the blog deserve more readers?

3) Only one nominee (I swear to keep it this time) is chosen in every team.

And again, to those who were not nominated, please don’t feel bad about me. It’s a really really really hard decision to make. Eyneeweys…

Let’s start with the Jollibee Red Team…

Our nominees last month continued to provide great content to their readers, and after a hotly-contested judging one blogger manages to inch her way to the nomination…

Wifely Steps

Toni continues to provide simple yet effective ways to organize your home, and even your blog!

I posted about my Aunt’s supplies basket several months ago, and finally I put together my own. Having a central location for supplies has been a great help at home! When H needs a pair of scissors, he no longer has to look under the magazines and books strewn all over our living room. He just heads over to our supplies basket and there he’ll see the scissors. Now if only I could get him to put things back where he gets them! At least we no longer go on scavenger hunts when it comes to supplies.

The thing with baskets is that sometimes you’ll feel the urge to just throw stuff in. I’ve fallen prey to the comfort of just tossing pens into the basket after using them. The result is a mess of supplies. A messy supplies organizer — can you smell the oxymoron there? Put care in putting back the items into the basket too.

— from “What goes in a supplies basket?”

Next on the list is the nominee from Enervon Orange Team. Three bloggers made the cut, but I only had to choose one…

The Zen Bitch Speaks

A second nomination for Zen Bitch, whose every post is like reading an engaging chapter in a novel.

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday at 2.30PM and checked into Istana Hotel at around 4PM. After reviewing the documents I needed to study for the stakeholders’ meeting, I took a quick shower and fell asleep unintentionally. I woke up a few minutes before 7PM, hungry. I decided against ordering food from room service. I was looking forward to eating some Nasi Lemak and Nasi Goreng but I didn’t want to eat it in the hotel. My hotel is quite close to Bukit Bintang so I decided to walk towards it. I remember that Super Noodle House, the Chinese restaurant Yuen Mei took me to when I was last here in KL, is in this area. I suddenly craved for Chinese food.

When I got in, I ordered fried noodles with seafood, barbecue pork dumplings, and honey-lemon juice. The noodles were fresh and crispy, with just enough sauce and lots of shrimp, squid, and fish. The dumplings were just as good as I remembered them. While eating I locked eyes with an Indian-looking young man seating a table away from me. He was probably wondering why I, looking clearly non-Chinese, was eating at this restaurant. Well, I could say the same thing to him. I turned to my left, right, and back to check if he was really looking at me.

— from “Alone again (naturally)”

We go to another tight competition within the Lucky Me Yellow Team. After a long deliberation (within myself actually), this month’s nominee from this group is…

The Lyka Bergen Show

A first-time nomination for a star of Las Tres Estrellas gone solo, who does not miss any humor and blogging creativity.

Ala una ng umaga. San Francisco Time….. Plus 4 hours sa Ontario, Canada (where blogger Kiks is having his vacay), Chat Silayan ang dalawang baklang bloggers na hindi pa nagkita in person.

Lyka Bergen: Hi Mareng Marigold!
Lyka Bergen: Kamusta na ang paninda mo? Sariwa pa rin ba?
Lyka Bergen: may bumili na ba?
Kiko HK: ng bibingka?
Kiko HK: hahaha
Lyka Bergen: ng Mamon! Gagah!

(And of Course, di pwedeng walang sex sa topic).

Lyka Bergen: Ooh… bottom ka noon?
Kiko HK: gusto kong maging vers
Kiko HK: nasasaktan ako sa pagiging bottom
Kiko HK: pero dahil top si papa, go!
Lyka Bergen: aaay!
Lyka Bergen: Pinoy?
Kiko HK: chekwa
Lyka Bergen: chenes?
Kiko HK: amz. chenes si papa
Lyka Bergen: Chenes? As in Lucy Liu and Michelle Kwan?
Kiko HK: az in Jet Li, Lai Yu and Edison Chen
Lyka Bergen: Tse!

— from “Chat Silayan”

The Del Monte Green Team brought out a collection of great posts, yet one stood out from the rest…

The Pandemonium Fortress

Written by the blogger formerly known as The Arabian Paladin, MikMik slowly but surely develops his blog writing style into something that is worth reading.

Libo libong mga puso, Hawak ko sa ‘king kamay
Dulot ay ligaya sa ‘king buhay

Mink: Mikmik, Ano ba ang nagpapaligaya sa iyo?
Mikmik: Maraming dahilan para maging masaya sa mundong ito, pero bukod sa mga material na bagay na lumilipas at naglalaho, ano pa ba ang nagpapasaya sa isang tao kundi ang pagmamahal ng binibigay ng mga taong importante sa kanya – Pamilya at kaibigan. Ang mga simpleng ngiti, yakap at halik nila ay lubos nang nagpapaligaya sa isang malungkot na batang kagaya ko na siguro uhaw sa ganun.

Ngunit iisang puso lamang, nais kong angkinin
Ikaw lang ang kailangan ko, sabihin mong ika’y akin

Mink: Ano pa ba ang kailangan ng isang tao na kagaya ni Mikmik?
Mikmik: Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa Diyos kasi nabigyan nya ako ng pagkakataon na marating ang kung ano man ang narating ko ngayon, na maiahon sa kahirapan ng buhay ang aking pamilya, na mapatunayan ang aking kakayahan at makatulong sa mga taong nangangailangan. Pero, sa paglubog ng araw, parang may kulang pa sa buhay ko, ayoko mang isipin, pero malaki, hindi ko pa siguro panahon ngayon na mapunan iyon, tsaka hindi naman daw hinahanap iyon, hinihintay… at ipinagdarasal…

— from “*100 SPINS: SABIHIN MO LANG”

The bloggers over at Pepsi Blue Team do not fail to deliver great posts and insightful content. Three of them were worthy of a nomination, but I have to choose one…

Window Exit

The recent travels of NGO worker Gibo to India has created a river of beautiful anecdotes and thoughts.

Caste system, extreme poverty amidst excessive wealth, drought, homeless people, lack of sanitation, etc. Isama ko na rin ang excesses ng Bollywood. Kung ililista at isasabit ang bawat problema sa India, kulang ang isang giant Christmas tree.

Sa tingin ko, kailangan ng India ng 28 na rebolusyon at 28 na milgaro para ma-solve ang marami nilang problema. Dalawampu’t walo, para sa 28 na States sa India.

Kapag tinanong mo ang mga Indians, lalo na ang mga magsasaka at agricultural workers, meron silang kongkretong solusyon: i-abolish ang caste system, implement agrarian reform, nationalization ng industries, at marami pang iba.

— from “Ang Panalangin Kay Mother Teresa”

Three bloggers were also vying for a nomination in Pantene Violet Team, but one of them stood out…

Anukayayun

Humor blogger Coldman decided to dabble on photography, with great results!

One of the reasons why I flew to Colorado Springs (besides soul searching) was to take good landscape pictures for my project in my photography class. Luckily, I’m not disappointed with the results. It was really an amazing scenery.

The Garden of the Gods looks unreal. It’s hard to believe that the forces of nature conspire to create this amazingly beautiful rock garden, with Pikes Peak forming the beautiful backdrop. The rocks stood up majestically in various architecture.

— from “Garden of the Gods”

Meanwhile, two bloggers went toe-to-toe in Olay Pink Team. Although I wanted to nominate both of them, I have to keep my promise…

Kawadjan

Bangkok-based blogger Kawadjan stays true to his Filipino roots.

Last Tuesday evening, I dragged the Pranses to a restaurant that serves halo-halo right in the basement of a popular department store in Silom. I only knew through a Thai officemate that My Little Home, the name of the restaurant, serves halo-halo. The place does not even indicate in their menu that they serve other Filipino food such as adobo, pancit, and kare-kare. Only those who are in the know would actually order those dishes. While there are a couple of Filipino food stalls in BKK (inaccessible and chaotic Pratunam), I’m not sure if they serve halo-halo at all. The very day my colleague gave me the halo-halo tip I was instantly on craving mode.

So there I was sitting in My Little Home, beaming like a starving street child when my tall glass of halo-halo arrived on the table. Of course I had to start with the ice cream on top (yeah, we had special halo-halo) and worked my way down. I taught the Pranses how to first properly mix all the ingredients under the thick layer of ice and not until we finished that part of the ritual did we start stuffing ourselves with the delectable dessert.

Each country in Southeast Asia (I heard) has their own version of halo-halo… or at least anything that has crush ice, milk, and some beans or jelly mixed together. I’ve tried the Thai kind, which is equally interesting.

— from “Halo-Halo Delight”

Finally, I have glad to inform you that we have a record number of Mr. Clean White Team members with 13. However, some of them were actually newly-created so their entries in February weren’t enough (but it’s fun reading them…really). And after careful reading, one blogger earned his nomination…

reigningMiSiZ

An aspiring film director and critic suddenly finds himself become part of history.

friday night i received a text message:

“…dinner at 4pm with Jun Lozada…”

i don’t know what to say but:

“…for real?”

…

…

saturday came…i’m one of the fortunate student leaders who had a chance to meet this person…part na sia ng history natin! sia ang laman ng dyaryo, radyo at tv. honestly i don’t know what to feel about this particular event in my life (yes. isa siya siguro sa hiliyt ng buhay ko!) it’s already 330pm and laking gulat ko na our building ay punong puno ng guards…sabi ko nga:

“i never felt so secure and safe in my entire life!”

— from “lozada experience”

There you have it! Eight nominees for February 2008’s Pinoy Blog SOOperstar! Now, YOU have the power to vote for your favorite blogs!

TO VOTE:

1) Leave a comment in this post and vote for TWO of your favorite blogs. Any vote containing more or less than two blogs are not counted.

2) Nominees have the option to vote, but only with another co-nominee since they automatically have a vote for self. If a nominee votes for two other blogs, the vote for self is revoked.

3) Deadline of voting is on March 31, 2007, at 11:59 p.m.

So don’t delay! Vote now and decide who should be this month’s Pinoy Blog Superstar!