The one where the Deens are immensely grateful

The Philippine Blog Awards, an independent and non-corporate dotcom, has promoted and recognized Filipino Blog sites and bloggers for the past three years. I first heard of them in 2003, when my good Christian buddy Rick Manzano's old site, StarbucksCoffeeForFree, helped him secure a nomination for Filipino Blogger of the Year. I campaigned extensively for him with the Philippine community, and he won that year's Philippine Blog Award, praise God!, joining My Party Journal, which won Most Informative Blog of the Year, and GreenCapsule.org, Filipino Blog of the Year.

The Philippine Blog Awards' selections were topnotch: in 2004, the Philippine Blog Awards' Blogger of the Year was Mga Kuwentong Tambay ng Siraulo sa Timog Kalipornya, an engineer blogging of his life in Singapore. Technobiography, Most Informative Blog of the Year, focused on science and technology, and the Filipino Blog of the Year, Kutitots.com, was operated by a grandmother with a green thumb.

Today, in its third installment, the most prestigious national blog recognition body has released its list of semifinalists, trimming the selection down from an initial 667 entries to an impressive 110 entries for four categories:

Filipino Blogger of the Year
Most Informative Blog Site of the Year
Photoblog of the Year
Best Blog Site of the Year

May God be praised for His goodness, because Superblessed is a semifinalist in three of these four categories! The Philippine Blog Awards organizers apparently think we're good enough for Most Informative Blog Site of the Year, Photoblog of the Year (!), and Best Blog Site of the Year.

Nathan, Catherine, and I thank the organizers of the Philippine Blog Awards, for giving us "a place in the sun." Maraming salamat po!

Now, while it has always been our intention to blog about what is important to us, we've never made it a secret that we try to focus this blog and everything we do on bringing glory to Jesus Christ. Being a Philippine Blog Awards semifinalist is another blessing, a testament of God's goodness and how He works in our lives. Everything brings us joy, one way or another, even the occasional opportunity to rant (God forgive us).

For me, that's what blogging is about. End of day, it's about bringing some kind of emotion you feel to the international community. We're representatives of our nation (and our faith). For the most part, we choose to spread joy. [Except when we blog about GMA, who can go fly a kite, but that's another story.]

So, thanks you, organizers of the Philippine Blog Awards! While a Superblessed win is highly unlikely, given the extreme quality of the blogs we're up against, we thank you because, at least in your eyes, you've counted us among the best blogs in the Philippines. It's truly a humbling experience, nakatataba ng puso. Praise God, and thank you so much, Philippine Blog Awards!