I seemed to have come to Melbourne at a great time - Priscilla the Musical is still on going, one of my favorite travel writer Peter Moore is launching his latest book in Australia, and the event I attended last Saturday, WordCamp Melbourne.

WordCamp is a gathering of Wordpress users talking about (you guessed it) Wordpress and blogging. Among the speakers were Alex Shiels of Automattic (who quite succinctly told us how big Wordpress is), James Farmer of Edublogs (who organized WCM07 and quite a jolly person), Darren Rowse of Problogger.net (how can this be a blogging event without Mr. Rowse? He’s a very nice, down to earth guy, by the way, and he even granted my odd request of posing with my Pinky St doll), Christine Davis of Neato.co.nz (developer of the Ultimate Tag Warrior, which I’m currently using), and Alister Cameron, the self-proclaimed blogologist (who was wearing a TinTin in Vietnam t-shirt, which had me racking my brains whether TinTin ever went to Vietnam).

Darren Rowse mentioned in passing that Melbourne bloggers have been talking about having one of these gatherings for a long time, and this is the first time it has pushed through. Also, when I asked him if he gives talks on blogging a lot, he said he gets invited to talk overseas, but hardly in Australia.

Apart from the talks given by the speakers, there were also round table discussions, where in participants get to talk among themselves regarding a topics pertaining to Wordpress or blogging. Topics like choosing a blogging platform, selling plugins, online reputation management, themes, and blogging as new media. I joined the plugins table, reputation management and new media.

The online reputation management discussion was facilitated by Gerry McCusker, a Public Relations Analyst. We discussed how organizations can optimize blogs for better public relations. I found myself drifting off at certain points, thinking of how certain individuals can hurt their reputation through online self-publishing.

When the time came for the last round table, I eagerly headed to the table set for the new media discussion. Disappointingly, there were only three of us there. Hmmm, as I told Gerry, who was also at the table, this table would’ve been full had it been in Manila.

Overall, it was a great, enlightening event. I was able to see the “blog culture” in Melbourne, and how people are utilizing it. It was great to meet people with such passion for blogging. Oh, and Lucio, too bad you left early…you could’ve won a Wordpress shirt

Pictures from WordCamp Melbourne

Darren Rowse talking about how to make money by blogging

Alister Cameron telling us about all the fun to be had with Sandbox

James Farmer sharing his trick for increasing your multi-user blog from 1 to 1,000

Christine Davis differentiating between tags and categories

The panel of speakers with Alex Shiels answering question from the audience

Popularity: 31% [?]

Savers, is what we’d call in the Philippines as an ukay-ukay - a secondhand shop. Unlike the ukay-ukay in the Philippines, which are cramped and sometimes found in the sidewalk, Savers has a spacious interior. The clothes are grouped by type, size and color, which makes it easier to look for something that might fit you.

Apart from clothes for men, women and children, Savers also sell accessories like bags, scarves and shoes. There are household items like cups and saucers, plates and serving dishes, couches and chairs, even draperies for your windows. Inside the bins at the cashier’s booth are DVDs and videos in VHS. There’s also a number of music CDs available for sale, starting at 0.99 cents each.

My favorite section at Savers though, is the corner where all the books are. I’ve bought more than a couple of books from Savers, priced usually at $2.99 or $3.99 each. Today was no exception. Amongst a stack of coffee table books, I see one Loney Planet title:

Time and Tide by Peter Bennetts and Tony Wheeler, like new.

Inside are a beautiful collection of pictures, and quite possibly, a nice collection of words as well (I’ve yet to start reading it). On the title page though, I find this:

The best bit? The price.

Oh yes, only $2.99.

Popularity: 29% [?]

With the opening of their 3rd hub in Davao, Cebu Pacific announces international flights from Davao to Singapore and Hong Kong starting May 8 and May 9, 2008. Of course, this can only mean one thing: seat sale!

Grab these fantastic deals and be on your way to fabulous locations!

Now that we have a hub in Davao, fly direct from Davao to Hong Kong and Singapore for only 999 PESOS or to Iloilo for as low as 98 PESOS!

Direct services from Davao to Singapore and Iloilo will commence on May 8, 2008 while the service to Hong Kong will start on May 9, 2008. The seat sale wil l run from November 13 to 20, 2007 only.

Fly from Cebu to Bacolod and Manila to Laoag for only 1.00 PESO!

The seat sale will run from November 13, 2007 to February 29, 2008, and is good for travel for the same period. There are more than 20,000 seats available for this promotional sale so hurry!

Source: Cebupacificair.com

Popularity: 42% [?]

It’s still technically spring here in Melbourne, but summer is starting to make its presence felt. Last week, these figures were certainly different. I think the highest maximum forecast for the week was 26C. And now, we’re looking to have a 30C weekend.

Odd that a person used to living in constant 30C+ weather is complaining about a mere 30C, eh? Dang it, I am beginning go get used to the cold! Bring the cold weather back!

I suppose I would regret it later on, but Melbourne’s weather shifts so often. It could be sweltering hot one moment, then dropping after 10 minutes. The air can feel so warm, but a sudden gust of wind from the Antarctic can leave you shivering.

Now I’m getting why they say Melbourne have 4 seasons in one day.

Popularity: 18% [?]

One of the must see Aussie films, my sister said, is Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I watched it the last time I was here, and it quickly became my favorite. When I arrived back here in Melbourne last October, one billboard on the Tullamarine freeway caught my eye: Priscilla the Musical. Of course, I *had* to see it.

While the whole of Melbourne was looking forward to the Melbourne cup last November 6, I was looking forward to the day after: the day I watch Priscilla on stage.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert Musical was in everyway the opposite of Avenue Q, a Broadway musical I saw before I left Manila. Where Avenue Q has a very simple set and a handful of cast, Priscilla was a grand affair. The stage was filled with lights, with towering speakers on the sides. An orchestra plays at the foot of the stage, and while there were only 3 major characters, there are several minor characters and a dozen or so extras.

Avenue Q in Manila and Priscilla in Melbourne is the same in one aspect though: they’re both great. The songs, the choreography, the acting… all superb!

Priscilla is the story of three gender illusionists, Tick (Mitzi), Bernadette and Adam (Felicia), who drove from Sydney to Alice Springs to perform. Tick went on this journey to meet his son for the first time, Bernadette to get over the death of her partner (asphyxiated on peroxide), and Adam went because… well, it was his dream to be a cock in a frock on a rock

Here’s what you can expect to see on stage when you watch Priscilla the musical:

If you’re in Melbourne, why not watch Priscilla on stage? The musical will run until Janaury 27, 2008 at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.

Popularity: 34% [?]