The Top 10 Book Photo Challenge!

I got the idea when you guys started sending us pictures of the book or you with the book in the strangest places. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if you guys can take pictures of the book wherever you are in the world, maybe next to the Eiffel Tower, or the Pyramids in Egypt, or in Times Square in New York! And for the people in the Philippines, maybe the most unique picture? Here are some examples so far. Just expand on it:

Vinsoi took this in a dessert in Dubai!

I love this picture of the book in the snow! Buti pa yung book! Not sure where @jonnifc took this pic, but it’s beautiful!

Jrhyan took this picture of real soldiers at the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta posing with the book. Hilarious!

You get the idea. So if you guys can send it via Twitter (just tag me @chicogarcia) or Facebook or email, I’ll collect them and post the best ones here on my blog. I was also thinking of having the best ones printed and display them this Saturday at the last book signing at NBS MOA!  Hope you guys could send it within the week so I can have enough time to figure out what to do with the photos, lalo na pag madaming maganda!

Okay, ready, set, shoot!

Strange Fruit (2011 In Review)

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

London Olympic Stadium holds 80,000 people. This blog was viewed about 2,800,000 times in 2011. If it were competing at London Olympic Stadium, it would take about 35 sold-out events for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Strange Fruit’s 4th Anniversary

For the 2nd or 3rd year in a row, I forget my own blog’s anniversary. It was actually last November 25, since I posted my first blog entry on that day back in 2007. Wow, it’s been 4 years already? Really? It’s been quite a ride, and the evolution of this little experiment-turned-commitment has been nothing but manic.

Too late to make a big deal out of it, so I promise to do something BIG on the 5th anniversary (if I remember, so you guys remind me just in case). Well, cheers to us, and hopefully more years together on this little community we have going here. Again, my HUGE thanks to you guys who visit regularly! Especially the ones who send links and suggest posts not only here on this blog but on Twitter and Facebook as well. You fuel this blog’s fire.

Maybe it’s time for some changes, let’s see what I can dredge up. I do take your suggestions into consideration; I don’t always follow them, but I do listen and weigh on a regular basis. So Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You (one for each year) and let’s start another year!

Strange Fruit’s 1,000th Post!

Wow, who woulda thunk that I’d be writing my 1,000th post? That may not seem a lot, but for a blogger, I guess it’s some sort of milestone. So I thought, I should post something milestone-y. Maybe something deep, something profound, something visceral. I thought of writing about love or life or death or God. I wracked my brain over and over and over again, but nothing felt right. 1,000th post. Who knows what lies ahead? Maybe I’ll end up writing my 10,000 post or maybe even more, but maybe I won’t go past the next 10. I’m just saying, treat this as a proper benchmark, regardless of what the future will bring. I ought to celebrate it with a topic that will resonate throughout history with the incumbent gravity that befits the honor of the much-beloved, oft-rounded off to number, 1,000.

Then it hit me. I found the most apt post that will resound with the tremor of a million fireworks going off at the same time. The philosophical proposition is a simple statement that will ROCK. YOUR. WORLD.

“Did you know that you can draw Ninja Turtles on people’s noses?”

Strange Fruit (3rd Anniversary)

Strange Fruit, Kay Ganda!  I can’t believe it’s been 3 full years of blogging (and shamelessly plugging) Strange Fruit, better known as chicogarcia.wordpress.com when I squeeze it through an unsuspecting Delamar on the Morning Rush.  My relationship with my blog has gone through ups and downs, just like a romantic relationship.  Some days it feels like a burden, forcing myself to write post something instead of catching up on much needed sleep.  But on other days, it’s a lifesaver, acting my only grip on sanity, as I cling ever so precariously at the edge.  What was supposed to be a mere exercise in writing, a passing hobby, has become a full-time commitment.  When I travel, I worry and fuss about the days I can’t post.  When I wade through the muck of life, I think about how I can relate it in terms of my blog.  There’s my life as I live it, and my life as I recount it on digital memory.

I don’t know until when I’ll be blogging, because for sure I’m bound to stop some time, but I must say I’m really having the time of my life.  This is the most I’ve been able to write in my life; I’m finally doing that which I’ve always wanted to do.  It’s not as fancy as writing books or writing for films, but it’s writing, and that’s what I love.  I really should answer comments more.  I may not get to answer as often as I should, but I assure you that I get to read, absorb and appreciate every single comment you guys post on this blog.

So here’s to more years together, Happy 3rd Anniversary, Strange Fruit!  Happy 3rd Anniversary to us!

3 Million Hits!

Woot! Time to toot my own horn (not the sleazy version). Risking sounding like I’m lifting my own bank (nagbubuhat ng sariling bangko), I cannot NOT post about it, not because it stokes my own fiery ego, but more as an homage to all you folks who visit the blog regularly.  Of course, my blog-whoring on the show doesn’t hurt…hehehe.  It has become a daily challenge for me as to how to find sneakier ways to plug my blog (or as I call it, “plogging”).  It has become a cat-and-mouse thing between me and Delle.  The trick is to not give her an inkling that I’m about to plog.  Then, like a cat crouching in a corner as the prey is within striking distance, I uncoil and pounce on my unsuspecting meal!  Anyway, seriously, I really would just like to thank all you guys for taking time out to visit the site.  A special thanks too to all those bloggers who’ve linked their blogs to Strange Fruit.  I appreciate the substantial traffic coming from other blogs (a big “mwahugzz” to you). Also to the people who constantly send me links to videos or websites that might be of interest to the other readers, it helps me get a bigger ear to the ground.  A lot of the stuff that I get to share come from you guys who send me links and stuff.

Strange Fruit’s 3rd anniversary on November 25 is coming up, and I do hope that spells a newer, better, higher level as far as this blog’s community is concerned.  If we could only link hands around a campfire as we sing Kumbaya, our clarion chorus ringing past the canyons and valleys, in cosmic unison, soaring higher and higher, touching the very edges of the universe as we usher in the dawn of the Age of Aquarius!!!!!!!  Whew…sorry…I got carried away.  I guess what I was trying to say, in simple terms is this: “T3nchU P0Wh pOW$zZ~~~!”

2 Million Hits!

Actually, thanks to Milen for pointing it out!  I didn’t even notice that we reached 2 million hits already!  I know much bigger blogs probably get millions of hits a day, but for me it’s a personal milestone, and it’s really rewarding for any blogger to realize every now and then just how much support he gets, especially from the regular visitors who make it a point to check the posts.  No big deal numbers-wise, but it’s just another excuse to thank you guys for taking time out to check this blog, whether you enjoy the posts or not, for being part of the Strange Fruit community.  It took 17 months to reach a million, and now 10 months for the second one.  I’d have to admit, sometimes I get to be such a hits whore, because I really get a high knowing people like checking me out, like a slut on the beach with everyone ogling at my barely-clad body (okay…forget I said that…).  I really enjoy blogging (I was pleasantly tickled that I was introduced as a blogger on PBB). It’s therapy.  Even when I’m having a really crappy day, spending an hour online soothes my often frazzled nerves.  It’s pressure sometimes, especially on days when I can’t get my lazy ass to get off the bed and do something productive.  I’m a hibernator, so sloth is up there with lust and gluttony as my deadliest sins (okay…forget I admitted that as well…).  Okay, let’s make each million like this blog’s new year, and that I have to make a resolution each time.  I guess for this million, I hereby promise to reply to your comments on a much more regular basis.  Please don’t think I’m ignoring your comments (unless you’re a troll, in which case I have every right to ignore you), in fact it’s the highlight for me, being the first thing I check once I log on.  I really do enjoy getting your feedback, but often I’m pressed for time to write the actual post, that I forget to respond to your comments.  But you deserve better so I’ll be more diligent in replying to your comments, especially the ones that have questions in them.  Sorry if ever I appeared to be an absentee blogger sometimes.  But trust me, I read EVERY single comment you send me, and I really do appreciate the effort.  Okay?  Group hug!!!

Strange Fruit At WordPress Homepage!

Indulge me.  This morning, I received an email from WordPress.com congratulating me because my last post, “Fireworks ‘Art’” was promoted to the homepage of WordPress.com!  So I checked it, and there it was!  I just had to take a screenshot just in case that’s the first and last time I make it there.  And a couple of hours later, I check again, and it’s still there!  Hehe…I feel like a kid who got a gold star pinned on the classroom corkboard.  No wonder I saw so many comments from new names and from faraway places.  Anyway, I just wanted to share how cool it felt.  Thanks again to the WordPress.com Team!

Strange Fruit (Year 3)

I can’t believe I completely forgot the 2nd anniversary of my own blog!  Two years ago, November 25, 2007, I started my blog and what began as a simple experiment became an almost inseparable aspect of my life.  I get stressed whenever I miss a day without posting at least something.  Some days, even when I’m really pooped and just ready to collapse in bed, I find myself in front of my computer, hammering away on the keyboard, just so I get to post something.  It’s become some sort of inner sanctum, where I get to air some of my joys and yes, even my grievances, if you’ll have it.  It’s nice having this little community of people who view, who comment, who lurk, and yes, even the occasional antagonizer, who make the whole process more dynamic.  I joke a lot about how my blog was awarded “The Best Blog In The History Of Blogs Award”, but seriously, whether thousands of people visited or just a handful who’ll hear me out, I’d still do it, even for just one person who enjoys reading my posts, as much as I enjoy writing them.  Writing is much like cooking.  It’s really rewarding to know if people enjoyed what you prepared for them.

So I’m so upset that I didn’t get to post this on the day itself, November 25, 2009.  I even checked what I posted on that day and it was blank!  Sigh.  It would’ve been nice if I remembered this specific anniversary.  Oh well, I just feel like I’ve come a long way.  From bugging Karen Pamintuan (my blog guru), who patiently taught me how to put pictures and stuff, to actually knowing some html myself (naks!).

I hope I get to maintain the blog this year as conscientiously as I did last year.  I tried to target having an entire month where I got to post something, every single day, but my sked was just too hectic to succeed.  Besides, I didn’t want a month of half-baked posts just to fill up the dates, I owe you guys better than that.  Even if I have crappy posts some days, just know that it was the best I could churn out, given the circumstances.  On that note, allow me to thank everyone who’s kept this blog alive by visiting, by sending comments, by suggesting posts, sending links, posting links to my blog, suggesting it to friends, especially to those who come over regularly, some even on a daily basis.  I really thank you for fueling the inspiration to keep writing and posting and sharing whatever it is I experience under the sun.

So again, Happy 2nd Anniversary to Strange Fruit, I hope we have many stranger and more fruitful years together!

Screw Pine

(Pandanus tectorius)

When we went to Calicoan in Eastern Samar, the shoreline was littered by these trees that had these odd-looking fruits that to me at least, looked like a collusion of multiple nipples.  So I took many pictures of them, some green, the ripe ones red, and seeing such a strange fruit, I decided it’s perfect as the new header for my blog.  Problem was, people started asking what its name was, among other questions.  I had ZERO idea about the fruit.  I made up some names just in case, like “pine-nipple” and “fruitong”, but decided to be mature about it and asked around.  So thanks to friends on Twitter and Facebook, many were quick to point me to various websites describing the fruit.

It’s called a Screw Pine or Hala or Tourist Pineapple.  It’s a seaside plant found in Pacific tropical islands.  You can find it as far as Australia, Hawaii, even California and Florida.  It thrives in salt water, seaside conditions, so no wonder we saw it everywhere.  And yes, it’s edible raw or cooked.  Had I known, I would’ve requested to taste one, since there were so many red ones, a lot just falling to the ground, breaking up in many segments.  Apparently, one “nipple” is one segment.

Wala lang, since you’ll see it every time you visit this blog, you might as well know what it is.  Again, thanks to everyone who contributed to the search for the identity of this strange fruit.