The first time I heard of WordCamp I wanted to go. I wanted to learn more about WordPress, about how I could manipulate the software more to make it do what I want it to do, or to make it do what clients want their sites to do.

The main obstacle is, of course, the distance. All the WordCamp conference schedules I saw were not anywhere in my country. And then…

I saw this badge. WordCamp. Philippines?! 2008?! The site owner is registered?! Am I?!

Holy sheet I have to check this out. So I clicked on the badge to find out what this is. So I registered and I hope I can attend. Hehe!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to this event. As I’ve stated earlier in this entry I want to learn a lot more about WordPress. More now than before when I first heard about WordCamp. I’ve seen the capability of WordPress as a CMS and I want the knowledge and power to smoothly & comfortably create websites, not only blogs, with WordPress. Ah, not to mention the merchandise I would be getting. I hope I do get freebies, bleh! Like shirts, stickers, pins, laptops…

It’s a cool thing the Mindanao Bloggers decided to organize WordCamp Philippines. Thank you, guys! See you there!

Here’s the list of sponsors for WordCamp Philippines:

• i.PH: the Domain for Individuals
• Free Online Flash Games
• Wazzup Manila Philippines
• Real Estate CRM
• Real Estate Website Designers
• Orange County Real Estate
• Auto Insurance Quotes
• Lane Systems Inc.
• RedMedia
• Orange County Business Lawyer

One day early in February 2008 I got an email notifying me of a new message sent to me by another Entrecard user: The Indie Travel Podcast.

What the message contained was:

We’re giving away five Lonely Planet guidebooks in February and thought you and your readers might be interested. To have a chance at winning them all you have to do is add the following phrase to your travel posts during February: “The Indie Travel Podcast might give me Lonely Planet books for writing this.”

So I thought, “Well, it wouldn’t hurt, and they do have a nice site,” so I edited a recent article I wrote (at the time) about the 4×4 Philippines & Land Craft Adventures Off-road Driving Clinic 2007 - Part 1 and inserted the phrase there.

One month after I received another email from them and the message read:

Thanks for your entry into our Lonely Planet book competition. You’re a winner!

With a lot of choices in Lonely Planet’s store my wife & I decided to choose the book that would help me best with this site. The book is called Travel Writing.

AND the book got delivered yesterday! At first I was wondering what it was and I didn’t check the delivery receipt right away to find out the contents of the box, when I finally checked and read that it was some kind of travel book I got excited that it finally arrived! I’ve even forgotten about this! I’ve also forgotten what we chose, hehe!

I’m stoked it finally arrived and I’m gonna start reading it in the next few days.

Thanks to Craig of Indie Travel Podcast!

Now, my loyal readers (do I have some?), what travel books do you like/love? Share the books you hate, too! Share it with us via the comment form. Travel-related books, or just books you like/love (and hated/regretted bringing) to have when traveling. Go, go, go! Write, write, write!