Crimson Crux

I was supposed to write this post last Sunday, but a bout of asthma (now running at five days) deprived me of the chance to do so. The Philippine Blog Awards Night wrapped up an exhausting week for me, and here’s a brief recap of the event.

Ia and I left the blog awards pretty much satisfied with the results (but not with the programme — more on that later). The complete list of winners can be found at the 2007 PBA site, but here I’m giving extra recognition to three of my blogger friends who bagged the big prizes:

• Best Socio-Political Blog: Dean Jorge Bocobo’s Philippine Commentary
• Best Blog Design: Jorge Cosgayon’s Far from Neutral Notions
• PhotoBlog of the Year: Eric Isaac’s Señor Enrique: Wish You Were Here

Ia didn’t win the Best Tech Blog plum, but she took home something…big. Really big, as in worth thousands upon thousands of pesos. Read her latest blog entry to know more. Hint: it’s from the Adobe User Group Philippines.

Now, some thoughts on how the event was held:

• The Philippine Blog Awards lived up to its name — “Philippine”. Specifically, Filipino time. We arrived at the RCBC Plaza slightly past 4:30 PM, just in time for the “sharp” start of the Awards at 5:03 PM (according to the email that Ia received). The whole thang began past 6:30 PM, if my memory serves me right.
• The dress code (”semi-formal to formal”) did give flair and elegance to the event, but certainly prevented some people from coming. (Case in point: the winner of the blog design award himself!) I think I saw guests in smart casual attire though, and they were admitted into the auditorium. Next time, I won’t take the dress code seriously, hehe.
• As Regnard Raquedan writes, “The program was herky-jerky at moments”. I concur.

That said, the Philippine Blog Awards was a milestone event, and I believe it can only get better with each year’s edition (similar to the iBlog Summit). On to another year of Pinoy blogs raising the standard of blogging!