The Unlawyer

Talk about timing. Mrs. Unlawyer and I thought we arrived late to the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards rites at the RCBC Plaza, but to our surprise, the ceremonies had yet to start by the time we finally made it. We had a few minutes to grab a bite to eat – never refuse free food, I always say – and let me tell you, a full stomach is a sure antidote for the butterflies I was beginning to feel as we entered the auditorium.

I got a real kick out of seeing a page from my site flashed on screen for everyone to see. Click here to see it in the original.

This was our first time to attend a blogger’s meetup anywhere, and I was finally able to match names and faces behind such blogs as Sassy Lawyer, Dessert Comes First, who happened to sit just in front of me, Market Manila, About My Recovery, as well as Rebelpixel, the developer of my photoblogging software iPAP, and the (in)famous Bryanboy. I also ran into Bikoy, who was very spiffy in his suit, as we rode the elevator on our way to the auditorium. We didn’t realize it then but we were also seated just a few seats beside Hipncoolmomma and Marie.

Later, Mrs. Unlawyer and I met such bloggers as Abe in the flesh, who she mistook for a law school classmate of hers, as well as Ajay, Migs, and Anton, who used to be an officemate of my brother’s, and who is a colleague of a college classmate of mine. It was a real pleasure to have met all of you in person at last.

It’s a pity I wasn’t able to meet my fellow nominees in the Business and Entrepreneur category, such as Jozzua, Manuel Viloria, and Sonnie’s Porch, as well as the winner, Reflections of a BizDriven Life, who I resolve to meet the next time I find myself in Cebu City.

It would have been great if I had bagged the prize, but as I mentioned earlier, being nominated was an honor enough for this obscure blogger.

[Photo courtesy of Mrs. Unlawyer - Ed.]

Speaking of prizes, should my company donate one next year to the winner of the Best Photo Blog?

As we left for home, these lines from Fr. Stephen Cuyos’ opening prayer gave me something to think about:

“… that we may find more time to ease the pain of someone in our own home than to reply to comments left by strangers,

that we may interact with our next door neighbors as often as we chat with our blogrolled friends,

that we may be more concerned about helping the less privileged than about the number of subscribers to our RSS feeds.”

[Emphasis mine - Ed.]

Indeed, Father, indeed.

[Photo courtesy of Mrs. Unlawyer - Ed.]

Congratulations to all the winners and finalists and I hope to see you all again at the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards!