BLOG2u Philippines

When we got this request from Jena to review her blog about the northern people of the Philippines called the Kalinga, we were wondering how much someone can actually write about the place & the people.  As we suspected, really, not that much.  We found her posts about her family very poignant, but too brief.  Hopefully she can explore more of these elements in future posts.

Other posts of interest on the blog are some Kalinga Dishes that sound really simple but could possibly be tasty if prepared correctly.There are also photos of the rice terraces and the native Taddok dance as well as posts of articles by other people, which provides a rich repository of data for people wanting to do research.

Maybe we are expecting too much- to learn about the “clamor of kalinga” as it were, but we maintain that the blog had too many posts about other matters such as winning contests and making money online instead of about its intended niche subject and these should be removed to maintain the integrity of the blog.  Anyway, those contests are all over!

The financial crisis is far from over.  After this US$700 Billion bail out comes another potential disaster with Americans spending far more than they can afford by using credit cards.  Industry analysts are pegging the bailout, if there needs to be one, at US$950 Billion!

The only good news, it seems, is that oil has finally come down to reasonable levels again- hitting US$78 per barrel, slicing down to almost 50% of its high just a month ago.  Some people think this spells bad news, that the economy is taking a turn for the worse and so investments are being pulled out.

My personal opinion is that oil shouldn’t have gone up so high in the first place.  There was no demand for it to surge to the prices it did- it was all speculation in the markets.

When will we see the end of this?  Should be soon as this latest round of bad debt potentially blowing up in America’s face seems far-fetched.  There’s a very big difference between not being able to afford to pay your mortgage and not being able to pay your credit card bill.

At the same time, its a wake up call for America that is on the magnitude of 9/11.  America’s decline is almost cemented in the stars already.  Just like the UK’s superiority waning at the turn of the 20th century, so is America’s shining beacon of light is coming to an end this 21st century.

Mich said “I’m taking my chances. Hope you could feature a nice review about my site.”  She didn’t have to worry at all as this blog is chock full of fun as well as information.  

BEST CONTENT IN THE BLOG (in our opinion)

We especially enjoyed her posts about her travels in Bohol, Mindoro, Palawan & Pangasinan where she does not spare on the details- essential for those who have never been to these gorgeous islands.

OUTSTANDING PHOTOS

Most important, we feel, and what really makes her blog stand out are the beautiful pictures of people and places all over the Philippines- all original. Here’s her Flickr Stream if you just want to take in the sites.

MOST AMUSING

And as the Philippines has the longest Christmas in the world, it would be wrong not to have a list of Christmas Bazaars to hit for 2008.

Mich’s motto is “life is beautiful, yet too short.”  Let that be today’s advice for whatever you plan to do today.  Don’t forget to check out her blog!