Constructing and Maintaining a Beach Resort in Bohol by a Swiss Architect

Yuchengco Museum in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy Manila is presenting a series of lectures from November to January. Wondering what has Switzerland has something to do in the Philippines history? Three reasons: one Jose Rizal spent 3 weeks in this country and wrote here some of his literary pieces during his stay in Europe, second the Rizal monument in Luneta Park was done by the Swiss, Richard Kipling who won the second prize for the design competition of this monument and Switzerland opened its first Consulate in all of Asia in 1862 in Manila. These lectures are actually about the excellent reputation and high profile of Swiss architecture and engineering today that the local scene can get idea from.

Seeing a Ray of Hope

Really getting emotional for the past few weeks as I see my blog traffic has fallen down to the extreme! I was checking my Google Analytics and  seeing a few signs of improvement  for one or two traffic from Google on keywords I don't expect much to get from. The blog posts and keywords that give life to this blog are nowhere to be found in the first pages of search engines now. I just went back to zero. My Google PageRank Checker has returned a zero rank for now. My TopBlogsph link - a directory for blogs in the Philipines that measures traffic with 1 as the highest is showing me rank 364 . Before I was at 129 nearly approaching my target rank of at least 100 by the end of this year. But way, way to go! Need to keep going now matter what!

Getting Tested to the Fullest

I know this is the time I am being tested to the fullest of whether I end up quitting this blog and pursue other things because I am not getting any younger anymore. I want to go back to this language school, learn some vocational skills whatever blah blah... because I am not getting any younger anymore. In exactly three months from now I will be having my 29th birthday though I feel like my 28th birthday just happened yesterday.

Have to let go this time!

I am writing this in the 37th floor where I have a breathtaking view of Manila's skyline from four different angles (Makati, Ortigas, Pasig and Mandaluyong) trying to catch some fresh air.  I just came from Ilocos the other night and a few thing in my list was never done.  Worse is I am in my point on deciding which ones to keep and which ones to give up.  The traffic of my blog until now is at its worst as I check my Google analytics and Feedjit widget. This blog means so much to me as the time I have spent here are really huge!

I was thinking of using this blog as my portal to the path of entrepreneurship. This is the only way I know so far to be free from this seven year imprisonment within the four corners of a workstation that requires me to report to work on a scheduled time and even on holidays! I have been joining events to enrich my knowledge and trying to get to know successful people whom I can get an idea from. I can talk all day how I am inspired by these people really who are into coworking, collaboration, entrepreneurship etc. If anyone of you reading this and has been following my drama here on my blog I'd love to talk to you. Please send me a message and tell me anything. Don't care if it's bad or not I am here to get feedback or violent reaction maybe. Or if you are within Manila we can have some chamomile tea or light beer maybe.

ICOMOS International Conference on International Tourism in Vigan, Ilocos 2012

The ICOMOS International Conference on International Tourism is the reason why I am back to Ilocos. If you ask me personally I will whisper you my answer "the durong (malunggay flavored) pandesal, poqui-poqui pizza and vigan longganisa"!  Held in Ilocos Sur Provincial Capitol, I praise the management because of the excellent free wifi for me because I literally live online.

Here are the tidbits of info worth remembering for this day:

Sandra Millar, ICOMOS President International Cultural Tourism Committee reaches out to the audience to "involve more young people for not only heritage is for old people but for the future generation ". She also gave a hint of what is the next world heritage of the future could be a place in Canada where people are engaged into break dancing knows?

Augusto Villalon, President of ICOMOS Philippines explains the Intramuros Master Plan on the problem about informal settlers (squatters) community that is an eyesore.  It is all about making the problem a solution. First is a resettlement area that is 2 hours away from Intramuros and a free ride back to those who need to work back in the area. Second is to build them houses that bears the design of "unique Filipino architectural style" of old houses we see in Intramuros itself, Vigan, Iloilo, Bacolod and the rest of the country.


Philipine Tourism however cannot be explained in any way possible without acknowledging the cultural tourism aspect. Felipe de Leon, Chairman of National Culture and Arts challenges everyone on issues about erasing Asian memories instead of instilling local identity of the place like why is Legazpi City named after its colonizer and not the local chieftain who earlier founded a "government" in the place? On the second day another one also asked why is it that Plaza Salcedo in Vigan was also named by another "colonizer". It is like asking why our country is named after the king of one of our colonizers. DFA Assistant Secretary Fariñas calmly answered the question these issues of the past that we need accept as part of our Philipine history. What we need to do is move on and focus on the present.

Why call these old houses of "unique Filipino architectural style" NOT the usual "Spanish houses" we are used to? 

There is a dissertation study by a Spanish native himself, a former director of Instituto Cervantes Manila - a Spanish language School from Spain and which yours truly was a former student. I will research about this soon and make a blog post separately.

Why Vigan was the only Spanish colonial town spared during WW 11?

Because of a love story.  It is about a local woman, Belen Castillo and a Japanese general, Maj. Sakae Narioka who got married and had kids. During the World War II when the Japanese comrades are already losing against the Americans, they were ordered to leave and bomb every city or town they are stationed. But because Narioka loved his family, he asked his fellow soldiers not to destroy the place. His family remained safe but he was killed in the battle.

Holding on to the challenge!

Few days ago a student from Cologne, Germany who is doing her thesis about Chabacano language varieties Preserving the Chabacano Language in Zamboanga sent me a message. While it is very usual for me to receive emails from any parts of the world for so many reasons this one is I appreciated the most. The sudden domain change of my blog practically halted the traffic it gets from Google temporarily and I left “hanging” my avid blog readers without any notification. The most important are the blog links that have been attached by known authorities online that bring considerable topic to this blog are gone as well. One is Wikipedia where the official biography of Jose Rizal cited my post “Uncovering Controversial Facts about Jose Rizal”, Rappler on “Social Good Summit 2012 in Manila” and a million more reason.

Yes I am holding on!

As a matter of fact I am with a heavy heart will try to contact these websites and blogs who linked me in their pages. Do some petty explanation and to beg to update their listing. Yeah I know it is hard because this is requesting for an additional favor and will eat MUCH of my time. I have started volunteering as a freeware review editor to this tech site recently and I know I need to balance my time for everything in between.