Hanging Out With The Amazing Race Asia 4 Contestants

I’ve been an Amazing Race/Amazing Race Asia fan for as long as I can remember, so you could just imagine how stoked I was to find an invite to meet the members of the two Philippine teams at the National Sports Bar in Greenbelt 3.

And yeah, this was going to be a promising evening, I thought to myself. First of all, I’m a huge fan of Team Jess & Lani– they’re cute, sassy and so much fun to watch on TV. And then, you also have Richard & Richard– quite possibly the strongest team in this season’s competition. It’s not everyday you get to meet some of your favorite TV personalities, so off I headed to Greenbelt 3.

From The Amazing Race Asia Season 4: Richard Hardin, Lani Pillinger and Richard Herrera, hanging out with me and fellow bloggers at National Sports Grill in Greenbelt 2.

Now, as of this writing, we’re 5 episodes into the 4th season of The Amazing Race (6, including the latest one), with 6 or 7 teams to go, including the teams of Jess & Lani, and Richard & Richard– and both our Philippine teams are performing rather well so far. It’s always good fun to catch it every week, and cheer your favorite teams along.

So as it turns out, the event was this viewing party with fellow bloggers, together with friends of the contestants (hey, it was their night after all) and the good people of AXN, and of course a meet-and-greet with Lani, Richard and Richard.

Lani Pillinger of Team Jess & Lani, mingling with the bloggers, sharing stories and all cool having her pic taken with everyone.

True enough, I walked into National Sports Grill (at the 3rd Level of Greenbelt 3, if you didn’t know), and the place was packed to the rafters.  Bloggers were already there, munching on bar chow with those nice beer towers at arm’s length, conveniently placed on every table.

Fellow blogger Dani staking her claim: one of National Sports Grill's ice-cold beer towers

Last week’s episode of The Amazing Race Asia was playing, shown off a screen in the center of the room, and going around pushing drinks, chatting with the bloggers, and essentially keeping the party going were Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera (TARA4 fans affectionately know them as “Richard & Richard”), and (representing my favorite team of the season) Lani Pillinger, half of Team “Jess & Lani”.

Lani Pillinger (of TARA4's Team Jess & Lani) was so adorable! Here she is, striking a pose with a starstruck Renzie.

Now, all you Jess & Lani fans were probably wondering: where was Jess this whole time, leaving Lani to fly solo for the night?  Lani said Jess went back home to Australia for a short while, but will definitely be back in time for their appearances in the coming weeks.

Naturally, we were all curious to know exactly what went down on The Amazing Race Asia itself.  You all might remember both Richards getting their heads shaved at some point in episode 4 (or was it 3?)– Richard Hardin had about a month-old growth of hair going on, though he said his hair probably grew faster than that, as a month hasn’t gone by yet since the team’s head-shaving incident at the Fast Forward.

TARA4's Lani, Richard and Richard keep the party going with a fun Q&A and awesome AXN/The Amazing Race Asia giveaways.

Try as we might to pry it out of them, none of the contestants could tell us who won The Amazing Race 4. As you all probably know, all contestants are bound by contract, preventing them from spilling the beans on the results (when did they get eliminated, or if they themselves already won the race), at least not until after the rest of the episodes go public.

What they did tell us was how much fun the entire experience was, and as we were all watching the live telecast of Episode 6 on AXN, we’d all get the occasional live commentary from the contestants as the rest of us cheered them on.

Noelle of kikayrunner.com scores herself a cool AXN premium item!

I personally think it was awesome that our country’s representatives to The Amazing Race Asia 4 were all generally pleasant. Yes, they’ve become celebrities virtually overnight, thanks to The Amazing Race Asia, but they were all essentially regular folks like you and me. All hanging out at National Sports Grill, having a good time with beers and friends. Plus, they made everyone feel so welcome– hopping from table to table, answering questions, having their pics taken.

It’s like our favorite TARA4 teams just got even more likeable. In fact, I’m adding them up on Facebook right after I finish this post. Then I’m catching the replay of this week’s episode on AXN to watch it all over again.

For everything you need to know about The Amazing Race Asia, check out the official site here.  Even better, go check out the page of Richard & Richard, and the page of Jess & Lani for bios, pics, updates and videos.  Pretty useful particularly so if you want to land a slot on upcoming seasons of The Amazing Race Asia– you could learn a thing or two from these guys.

Jess and Lani of The Amazing Race Asia Season 4

Richard & Richard of The Amazing Race Season 4

The Amazing Race Asia is now on its 4th Season, and you can catch a brand new episode every Thursday night on AXN.

Which Amazing Race Asia Season 4 team are you rooting for?

Does Renzie Make Money Blogging?

Share This Post: advice on blogging and internet marketing, with Renzie Baluyut.

A friend of mine asked me if I actually made money out of my blogging efforts.

The answer is: yes, I do, but not as much as I would want to. At least not yet.

It is not uncommon for new bloggers to get into the blogging lifestyle for the sole purpose of making money. So let me make one thing clear to all of you: there is no get-rich-quick-formula to blogging, contrary to what you might see in ads, or hear about from some friend of yours, or a friend of a friend of a friend, etc. You get the idea.

But yes, you can make money from your blog. However, just like any serious venture, you have to be willing to put in all the hard work that comes with it. You need to do things the right way, you need diligence, and above all, you need to have a real passion for discovering and sharing.

Yes, there are bloggers out there who make a substantial passive income from their blogs. Now you have to imagine the kind of work they must have put in to get to that point. It’s going to take patience and time. And a whole lot of effort.

Do I make money from blogging? A bit, yes. But mostly I get to land blogging gigs, or consultation gigs for clients, as well as get lots of free stuff.

As for me personally, I do make some money with my blogs. But nowhere near the kind of passive income some of my more successful blogging colleagues are making though. My main source of income really is from projects I get when the occasional client likes the way I write, so they ask me to develop content for their sites. Others ask for my help in getting a blog started. Still others enlist my aid on marketing ventures, or for projects that require a great deal of promotion, advertising or events management.

So while I don’t make that much money blogging, I do make cash from all sorts of gigs, projects and business ventures as a result of my efforts. I’d say I make enough. I’ve finally left the corporate world in early 2008, and no, I have no plans of heading back. I love the freedom and flexibility of being a digital entrepreneur, online freelancer and marketing consultant.

Then again, I’m not completely contented with my achievements so far. In fact, my long-term goal is to generate a substantial passive income from my blogs.

As far as making more money for yourself is concerned, there are many ways to go about this with your blog. Plug in all the Adsense/Chitika/Widgetbucks modules all you want, or go ahead and put up an Amazon A-Store or two, sign up for all kinds of affiliate marketing programs– the internet is full of all these make-money-from-your-blog strategies.

For me, I believe it’s still about content. Real stuff. Doesn’t have to be popular stuff, but at least something that appeals to a niche enough audience who are about as passionate as you are with the same things.

And you know what would help as well? A whole deal of internet marketing, search engine optimization, and a great deal of networking.

Tell you what, there are a couple of online talks going down that can really help you out if you’re serious about making money off your blogs.

First up, there is a webinar on how you can make money writing blog reviews and news articles on Sept. 17, 2009 at 7pm, Philippine time (GMT +8:00). It’s an online talk, so you can conveniently plug in from anywhere, as long as you have a decent PC or laptop and a stable internet connection. If you want to make some money blogging, or at least want to find out how, then go ahead and register right here, and attend the workshop once you get the confirmation. This particular webinar is free, so all you have to do really is register for it and attend it.

Next, you have slightly more intensive series of webinars– a certificate course where you can learn some real tips on how to optimize your site and make it more discoverable and search-friendly. I’m attending it myself, as I feel I have a serious need for it. You have a certificate course on Search Optimization Techniques, on October 6 (Tuesday), 8 (Thursday) and 10 (Saturday), 2009. All three classes are scheduled from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Philippine time (GMT +8:00). For that 3-day course, you can register for the series, and know more about payment details here.

Lastly, there is another online certificate course, but this one is all about link-building techniques, and is also spread out over 3 days: October 13 (Tuesday), 15 (Thursday) and 17 (Saturday), from 6 to 8pm. It is a direct continuation of the SEO certificate course, and for this set of webinars, you can register and know more about payment details here.

All of these courses are being conducted by Janette Toral, one of the Philippines’ foremost authorities in e-commerce and internet marketing. So yes, you will be in very capable hands.

So there you have it, if you want to make money from blogging, you’ve got three venues to learn how. I’ll be there myself, so I’ll see you then.

Cheers, everyone.

Renzie Celebrates One Internet Day 2009

Share This Post:  advocating the internet as a means of empowerment, with Renzie Baluyut.

The following post originally came out on my other blog, Keyboard Monkeys | Tips, Tricks and Advice for the Digital Entrepreneur.  I think One Internet Day 2009 is a cause well worth supporting, which is why I decided to put it on this blog as well.

It’s called One Internet Day, a day to celebrate the power of the Internet to bring people together. It’s about connectivity, empowerment, and synergy. One Internet Day encourages us to step back a bit to appreciate all the things we can now do online- whether for business, learning, discovering and sharing, or for recreation.

Janette Toral of Digital Filipino first came up with the idea in 2000, reaching out to around 300 people in Manila, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Davao City to celebrate One Internet Day by providing updates on the development of e-commerce in the Philippines.

One Internet Day 2009: Empowering Filipinos Globally with the Internet

Incidentally, Digital Filipino celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and once again, Filipinos are encouraged to continue the legacy of One Internet Day 2009. According to Janette of Digital Filipino:

To celebrate that milestone, I—in partnership with ProFora Media—will conduct a series of free webinars that will cover the state of e-commerce in the Philippines, website best practices, Internet as a research medium for children, software process improvement and making money from blogging, among other topics.

From the ProFora Media website:

The webinars for the day feature an interesting selection of topics: e-commerce, outsourcing, internet marketing, training, even video production, web development and blogging. The series is a must-attend for entrepreneurs, professionals and business-folk, as well as for new media enthusiasts, students, and members of the academe.

If you’d like to show your support for One Internet Day 2009, it would be appreciated if you could help spread the word and encourage folks to check out the webinars lined up for September 17. In fact, with the availability, convenience and cost-effectiveness of webinars, more speakers have been encouraged to share their expertise and connect with an online audience.
Also, it can be expected every year hereon and we will call on more individuals to share their knowledge online during this day.

Here are the webinars lined up for One Internet Day 2009:

• “Introduction to Software Process Improvement” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino PH-SPIN | 9:00am to 10:00am, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “State of E-Commerce in the Philippines” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 11:00am to 12:00nn, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Website Development Best Practices: A Briefing on the 3rd Digital Filipino Web Awards (2009)” by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Managing Training Effectively and True ROI” by Karthik Subburaman, Country Manager of The ECC International | 3:00pm to 4:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Internet as a Research Medium For Children in Elementary and High School: A Briefing on the Philippine Schools Cyberfair 2010″ by Janette Toral of Digital Filipino | 4:00pm to 5:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Outsourcing in the Philippines” by Gio Carino of Prodigy AE | 5:00pm to 6:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Video Editing For Profit” by Mary Tolentino of Client First | 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.
• “Blogging For Money: How To Make Money Writing Reviews and News Articles” by Janette Toral of Blog4Reviews | 7:00pm to 8:00pm, Sept. 17, 2009.

About The One Internet Day 2009 Webinar Series:

Attending the Digital Filipino One Internet Day webinars are easy and convenient- anyone with a decent PC or laptop can register online, and then plug in from anywhere with a stable internet connection, and join the sessions from the comfort of home, office, or even at a coffee shop or a wi-fi-enabled resort.

You may want to check out the One Internet Day 2009 event page on Facebook right here, so you can reserve your slot for the webinar series on Sept.17.

For details and registration, you might want to check out the official websites of Digital Filipino and ProFora Media.

Cheers, everyone.

Hey, You Wanna Win an iTouch?

a chance to win cool stuff with Renzie Baluyut.

Yes you can get your grubby little fingers on your very own iTouch, courtesy of our friends from the Filipino-British rock sensation Firefalldown!

You may have already heard of Firefalldown, or read a little bit about them online.  So why not get to know Firefalldown some more?  Head on over to the band’s official website, and while you’re there, you can…

…listen to Firefalldown’s songs, “Commissioned”, “Eternally” and “Mr. Rockstar”, and rock out to all three songs, since they have lyrics for your sing-along pleasure, and Firefalldown is awesome like that.

…check out pics of the band, and even download some cool Firefalldown wallpaper for your desktop.

…watch yourself some Firefalldown music videos, grab some widgets for your blog, or connect with Firefalldown on Facebook, Bebo, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, etc.

…sign up for the band’s mailing list, and be the first to get in on the latest from Firefalldown.

…ah yes- join the Firefalldown promo and snag for yourself an iTouch AND an autographed CD of Firefalldown’s album, “Commissioned”.

Joining the Firefalldown Promo Is Real Easy!

Join now, tell all your friends about it, and win yourself one of these!

Firefalldown encourages their listeners to make a difference by living out their God-given dreams.  You too can inspire others by sharing your thoughts by creating a blog entry about the band’s music, how it connects with your life, and how you have been inspired!

1.  Write, in your blogs or social-network-site, about how Firefalldown’s music connects with your life and insert pictures that best encapsulates the experience;

2.  Link the word “firefalldown promo” to the URL (www.firefalldown.com) in your blog.

3.  Send the link to your blog at
firefalldowninspirepromo@gmail.com

The dudes will post the bi-weekly finalist, and choose the best blog entry after three months.

Lucky winner gets a free iTouch and a signed CD from the band.  Join now, tell your friends about it, and keep visiting the Firefalldown official website, at www.firefalldown.com for more information and updates.

Firefalldown Album “Commisioned” out now! Download in Itunes or Amazon!

 

Here’s what I took away from rocking out to Firefalldown’s jams:  know what your passions are.  Your passion is what drives you, what makes you excel, what makes you achieve more than you can ever imagine. 

Shirley and Me, February 2009, Los Angeles.

My Words of Inspiration: Know What Your Passion Is.

 

In many cases, our passion does not match what we do in daily life.  Ever feel like you’re stuck in a job, dragging yourself to work every single day?  If you do, maybe you’ve lost your passion for your line of work.  Ever feel like you’re in a relationship, but wish you were with someone else?  Maybe you need to find ways to keep the fires burning, or maybe you might even need to just get away. 

Passion, for me, is everything.  If you’re passionate about work, a relationship, or something else you do, then that is all that matters.  Not money, not fame, not even the achievements that it will all eventually bring.  Your passion brings you happiness, a sense of fulfillment, as well as contentment.  And so yes, if you really think about it, that’s pretty much everything you’ll ever need.

What is my passion?  This new chapter of my life.  I love writing.  I love being able to travel.  Family.  The company of good friends.  Living independently.  The promise of a new day.  The occasional cat.  Yes, it’s all good.

What’s your passion?

Cheers, everyone!

Renzie Hangs Out with Philips at Bonifacio High Street.

One of the first things I did when I got home from Los Angeles was to re-establish my ties with the local blogging community.

Sure there’s social networks like Facebook and Multiply to keep in touch with your other blogger buddies, but there’s nothing like some real face-to-face interaction just to talk shop and
hang out and have fun with other people who share your same interests.

Fellow bloggers, at the Philips GoGear & Bandwidth event at the Bonifacio High Street, June 2009.

Philips had a party going down at the Bonifacio High Street, as they were launching their new line of mp3 players- the Philips GoGear series, as well as a virtual “Battle of the Bands” contest for local unsigned bands, which they call Philips Bandwidth.

So there was this massive stage setup right on the Bonifacio High Street grounds, with live bands playing, and lots of prizes being given away by Philips.  Made for lots of fun not just for us, but pretty much everyone in the general area of Bonifacio High Street.

If you (and your homies) have a band, you may want to check out the Philips Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands official website here for details, contest mechanics, and regular updates.  They even have their own YouTube channel here.

Cheers, everyone!