September 8, 2008 | Prepys' Homepage

Warning: I’m terrible with names. You should hear the heavily made-up names I tend to blurt out during the most serious of times.

One word to describe the event is “awesome.” Another is “wow.” A more enthusiastic one can be, “Holipakshit!” Of course, since I rarely curse anyway other than the occasional poo and all, everyone has to be satisfied with my reserved choice of words.

Awesome! Wow!

Robby My brother Robby had to tag along with me at 5am, so no one should be surprised that he was one of the early birds who won one of the most coveted WordCamp mugs. Honestly speaking, I didn’t know nor expect that he would receive something, much less a WordCamp mug, so I was as surprised as everyone else when his name was called in front. My blood literally ran cold because my protective and defensive side kicked in (you’d know that my brother suffers from a mental disorder), but you didn’t really need to know that, did you?

I also cooked up some scheme with Ruther, a volunteer from AIM in CSB, to magically get my number picked from the bag for one of those yummy Google goodies. I loved the paper bag more than the notebook inside (actually, I could do without the shirt, mug, and other stuff; the paper bag was really just the coolest), but you also probably didn’t need to know that.

Call time for volunteers was 6am, and I came in fashionable late at 6:30am. I helped out with about 5 badges, then proceeded to do some double-checking for the t-shirts that were reserved by some campers. I must give my heartfelt thanks and apologies to my so-called assistant Kit (I hope I got the spelling of your name right…hell, I hope I got your name right) for manning the shirts table while I was gone — which was, like, almost the entire time. I got sidetracked a couple of times (per 5 minutes, heh) from my assigned job, and I was just relieved that nothing disastrous turned up lest Ria and/or Blogie loomed over me, donning their scary faces, for my incompetence.

Dre, Lexie, and Aja I wasn’t able to attend even one of the talks during the breakaway sessions, so I tried my hardest to at least be there for the plenary sessions. On the flip side, I was there when the people I’ve been dying to meet for the longest time made their entrance. Lexie got there early with Dre and Rex, while Aja showed his face a little before 9am. It was just incredible getting to see them personally after the thousand instant messages and conferences we shared.

I would have attended these talks:

Creating WordPress Themes & CSS Power by Gail
Aja and Lexie said they were hoping for a more advanced discussion, and judging from what I little I saw during this session, I must agree. However, I’m with Lexie that perhaps it’s for the benefit of the beginners. Maybe this is the effect of making the Codex a bible.
Developing WordPress Plugins by Markku
I was looking forward to getting some tips on WordPress plugins, since I was PHP-fluent enough to build my own during my geek days. I had hoped to bring the mojo back.
Blogging & Journalism by Sir Danny Arao
Exactly what you would expect from a former Journalism major, eh? Blogging and Journalism have sometimes made out to be oxymorons, if not complete opposites in the eyes of some. There has been much discussion about the mainstream media and this so-called new media, and I wanted to hear about Sir Arao’s take on this debate.

My brother Robby and Matt Mullenweg Nope, contrary to what some might be thinking, I didn’t rape Matt Mullenweg (though I did explicitly express my intention to do just that). I was too star-struck, too overwhelmed by his bright presence to say more than a mumbled greeting. Coming face to face with the founding developer of WordPress does that, and I am but a mere mortal who gets swept away by a charming guy (and I’m making this comment in Filipino so Matt doesn’t understand without the help of a translator: Ang sipsip ko, no? Biro lang yun, haha!). So anyway, thanks to Ria — who, by the way, did a number on Matt when she gave him his certificate of appreciation — I got introduced to Matt as someone from my past self (read: post-Philippine Blog Awards 2007 era), and he smiled that perfect smile of his and shook my hand. All the while I was thinking, “Oh, shoot! I look like a frigging mess, and I’m standing right in front of a hot guy!” Or was it, “This is my chance! Pounce! Pounce!”?

Oh, well. Whatever it was, it sure was powerful enough to render me speechless. I flashed Matt a shy smile, trying to make my eyes look a little less puffy and my right hand a little less clammy. Aja, Lexie, and Dre were waiting outside the room to ambush Matt and to do the following:

make Matt sign the excuse letter made by Aja for missing his classes that day
make Matt sign Lexie’s and Dre’s shirts
make Matt smile for the camera
make Matt as clearly engraved in their memory as possible

Matt never lost his smile, and put up with our antics for the rest of the day. I didn’t even want to think of how many cameras he smiled for, and how many people he pulled close to him for a picture, but he was still as gracious under the circumstances as anyone could possibly be.

Oh, by the way. He’s voting for Barack Obama.

I also should be glad that WordPress & Web Standards was included in the roster of topics. I was ecstatic when I saw that it was to be discussed by Regnard Raquedan, especially after I hinted that said topic should be considered. WordPress in itself adheres to Web Standards, and I couldn’t help being passionate about web standards (although my own code looks like shit; I have to cut this all talk, no practice crap I’ve been on for the past couple of months) since it should be basic practice. At the very least, some people ought to make their websites accessible enough for all internet users. I was glad Regnard mentioned the Philippine Web Accessibility Group during his talk; that should make a handful of people pay more attention to the group.

I would love to have a copy of Regnard’s presentation.

And while I’m at it, I can’t stop grinning like crazy. Web Standards Philippines is taking shape again, and hopefully, with the help of Regnard’s talk, more people will join the movement.

Ia, Mae, and Aja (Photo Credit: Aja) Ia, Mae, Aja, Lexie, and myself got to talk after the WordCamp program proper and we agreed upon some things regarding the group. I sincerely hope this would fly, because Mae graciously offered the .ph domain she won to the group. While the fact that we already had something tangible to start with would leave us more pressured to get going, there were still several factors that should be taken in consideration. We had difficulties in finding more members and sponsors because not many people understood the importance and perks of web standards. Some people deemed it unimportant unless it contributed to their money-making goals, and I admitted a few times that I resented that way of thinking. I felt that these people didn’t take time to stop and listen for a while, and if they did, they didn’t want to understand. (Photo credit: Aja)

Both Aja and Lexie have mentioned that Blogie’s Building a Blogging Community could be helpful, and I’m counting on them to recount what was talked about during that session (since I only have what’s in the kit that was given away).

The WordCamp Philippines 2008 Volunteers

I hate to be making this entry longer than it already is, so I guess I should end the babbling already. Before that, I want to thank the organizers, sponsors, speakers, and my fellow volunteer bloggers. This also goes to the CSB student volunteers from the Computer Business Association and Association of Information Management. You guys are the best! And, of course, would I even forget the most kicking-ass WordCamp attendees ever? Thank you, campers!