BATANGBALER

Sa mga hindi pa nakakaalam, ang Batangbaler ay patuloy na tumatakbo sa pamamagitan ng patak-patak (donation) ng mga mababait na tiga Baler sa ibat-ibang panig ng mundo. Hindi po ito inititative ng inyong paboritong pulitiko. Ito po ay isang private website. Kung kayu po ay nalilibang at natutuwa sa mga nababasa at nakikita ninyo sa Batang Baler, obra din kayong maging kabahagi sa patuloy na pagbyahe ng munting website na ito.

I-click lamang ito para sa mga paraan kung paano makakatulong.

Salamat po. Balik na tayo sa regular programming.

I’ve been toying around with the idea of creating a video version of Batangbaler. It’s basically a weekly online video about Baler and Aurora posted on a youtube channel. Hopefully, with help from some friends, we could be ready with the pilot episode in a couple of months time.

The first step in turning this plan into reality is finding a couple of kids to do the hosting job. What me and my secret partner in crime decided to do is have an audition. We’re looking for two peeps between 15 and 20 years old, based in Baler with videogenic qualities and loads of sense of humor. We will setup an audition date this month or next depending on the weather at a still undisclosed location.

This is not the official call for entries. Just watch out for the announcement on your favorite local radio stations (all 2 of them), cable TV and this website. If you can’t wait, you can email me at batangbaler at gmail dot com for early reservations.

P.S. We’re also open for sponsorships. This episode is brought to you by……

Due to some problems with malwares and spams, I have to close the messageboard. There were more spammers in the forum than real people.

To the forum members who turned homeless because of my demolition job, I have created a yahoo group where we can continue our discussions. the group name is batangbalergroup. Go there and sign-in for membership. Here’s the long address:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/batangbalergroup/

To the ANSHS grads populating the alumni thread, please go to the Galing Ansci website and offer yourselves for adoption. To my batchmates using the Batch 88 thread, email me at batangbaler at gmail dot com for plan B.

For those looking for a quick fix, the Batangbaler Chatroom is just one click away.

Hi! I’m still alive! Standby, I’m re-acquainting myself with the internet again. I’m listening to Typecast as I’m writing this post. Of course in preparation for their December 28 concert here at Baler. Get ready emo-akaws!

Sorry for the 1-day downtime. I guess the 20GB monthly bandwidth for the site is not enough for all the Kapatid ni Amy fans who swarmed to listen and download the song. The local music scene is alive! I used to set the bandwidth on unlimited mode and just pay for the extra juice but BB is running on a very tight budget so I needed to put a cap on the juicer. The last fund drive didn’t go so well.

Anyway don’t forget to come to Akaw Invasion 2 on September 8. Consider it a Batangbaler meetup of sorts. I’m sure it would be fun.

By the way, do you think that our beloved province of Aurora is still unspoiled?

Sorry for the couple of days of downtime. Increased number of daily visitors to this website to check on the Aurora Day events plus the supersized pictures on the gallery drove this website to it’s knees. The site’s monthly bandwidth allocation was used up last Saturday - while I was on a very short vacation (see picture above and figure out where it was). Things have been taken care of and the site is running on reserve fuel. More Aurora Day updates to come!

Another typhoon is bearing towards Aurora Province. It is expected to hit the Dicadi (DInalungan-Casiguran-Dilasag) area tomorrow.

from the PAGASA website:

Issued At: 5:00 a.m., 29 November 2006 Synopsis : At 2 a.m. today, Typhoon “REMING” was located based on satellite and surface data at 480 kms east of Northern Samar (12.6°N 130.1°E) with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph near the center ang gustiness of up to 150 kph. It is forecast to move west northwest at 22 kph.

typhoon forecast from typhoon2000.com

Forecast Outlook: DURIAN is expected to turn more WNW to NW’ly within the next 24 to 48 hours - passing to the NE of Bicol Region or about 140 km. NE of Catanduanes or 25 km. ENE of Naga City by Thursday Nov 30 around 8 to 9 AM local time. The 3 to 5-day (Dec 01-03) long-range forecast remains the same showing a more northwesterly turn while slowing down, reaching Category 4 strength with projected wind speeds of 215 km/hr. DURIAN shall make landfall along Palanan Bay in Isabela Saturday evening, Dec 02 (approx 8 PM) & cross Southern Cagayan (passing very close to Tuguegarao) by Sunday morning Dec 03. Remember, that the 2 to 5-day forecast have a very large margin of errors!

News from ABS-CBN Interactive

Picture above from PAGASA

Update December 1, 2003: The typhoon changed course and missed Aurora province. The latest news from inq7.net is here. Sometime between Nov 29 and today, this post suddenly switched to private mode, which means that it became invisible. I wasn’t able to update yesterday because there was a scheduled brownout.

from PAGASA: As of 5:00 a.m., 10 November 2006 Tropical Storm “QUEENIE” has gained strength for the past six hours and continues to move towards Isabela-Aurora area.

More info at typhoon2000.com

from Bushman’s typhoon blog:

CIMARON (Paeng) is expected to become a ty- phoon today and shall resume its WNW track for the next 24 to 36 hours. The center is forecast to pass well to the north of Bicol Region by Sunday (Oct 29), with its closest point of approach of approximately 290 km NNE of Naga City around 2 PM. The 2 to 4-day (Oct 30-Nov 1) long-range forecast shows CIMARON making landfall just to the north of Casiguran, Aurora or over the Sierra Madre Mountains early Monday morning (Oct 30) and shall weaken as it crosses Northern Luzon passing over the provinces of Aurora, Quirino, Southern Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Benguet & La Union. The center shall be over the South China Sea early Tuesday morning, Oct 31. Further weakening of CIMARON over the South China Sea is forecast due to poor atmospheric environment (cooler sea surface temperatures & increasing wind shear)

graphics above (click to enlarge) from typhoon2000.com. More info from the PAGASA. website.

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In case you missed the announcement more than a month ago: the Batang Baler Chatroom is okay again. You can go here or here to start having “orons” with the Balerians of the world.

Hinahanap mu baga ang Agenda ni Auroraknights99? Hindi mo ito makikita sa Batangbaler dahil hindi Batangbaler ang gumawa ng agenda. Nakita ku lamang ang blog na iyon sa paghahanap ko ng mga artikulo tungkol sa Baler at Aurora sa internet. Ini-link ko lamang ito kagaya ng madalas kung gawin kung ako ay may nakikitang kahit ano tungkol sa ating bayan. Hindi ku sana aalisin ang link o address ng blog na iyun kaya lamang baka ipagsabi mo na sa Batangbaler mo nakuha. Bahala ka na lang maghanap. Gamitin mo ang Google. Masyadu na tang sikat ang blog na iyun kahit mahigit isang linggo pa lamang. Bagamat pangarap ku ring sumikat ay ayaw ku namang angkinin ang karangalan na di naman sa akin at nararapat lang na ibigay sa totoong may karapatan. Iyan ay si Auroraknights99 na hindi ko kilala kung sino. Wala siyang kinalaman sa Batang Baler. Ang mga panulat niya ay hindi galing sa Batang Baler. May sarili siyang website o blogsite. Kaya siya ang dapat papurihan, parangalan, i-tsismis, pagalitan, bintanign, at mapa-FM. Hindi ako. Nag-iisip pa ako ng sarili kong paraan para sumikat.

At narito ka na rin lamang, alam mo ba:

1. Na ang Batangbaler ay malapit nang mag ika-limang taong kaarawan sa internet. Ito ay nagsimula noong October 4, 2001, noong wala pang internet sa Baler. Sa baging ko pinapadaan ang aking mga post kahit na mabagal ang bandwidth ng baging.

2. Ang Batang Baler ay hindi tungkol sa pulitika at hindi nakikialam sa pulitika. Ito ay karaniwang naglalaman ng mga larawan ng magagandang lugar sa Aurora; mga okasyon kagaya ng Aurora day (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), Pista ng Baler (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) at iba pang mga okasyon sa Baler at Aurora; Mga artikulo sa kasaysayan; Mga surfing events; mga balita at iba pa. Makikita mo rin dito ang listahan ng salitang Baler, mga larawan ng mga tiga Baler sa ibat-ibang panig ng mundo, at kung anu-anu pa.

3. Ang baler ay binibisita ng humigit kumulang na 700 hanggang 1,000 beses bawat araw. Sa loob ng isang buwan ay mahigit 10,000 ang bumibisita dito, at mahigit 100,000 bawat taon. Ang Batangbaler ay binisita na ng humigit kumulang na kalahating milyong beses simula noong 2001. Ang mga bumibisita dito ay mula sa lahat ng panig ng mundo - America, Canada, Australia, Japan, Hongkong, Middle East, Switzerland, Israel, China, atbp.

4. Ang Batangbaler ay nabubuhay sa donasyon ng mga tagapagtangkilik nito. Gumagastos ng mahigit 20,000 piso ang Batangbaler bawat taon at lahat na pambayad sa gastusin na ito ay mula sa donasyon ng mga nasisiyahan o tumatangkilik sa website o blog na ito.

5. Ang Batangbaler ay kabilang sa Top 100 ng Pinoytopblogs. Sa libo-libong blog ng mga Pinoy na nagkalat sa internet, ang Batangbaler ay nasa Top 100. (Ngayon ay nasa No. 60)

6. At sa tinagal-tagal na ng Batangbaler na naglalagay ng mga okasyon sa Aurora at Baler at sa ibat-ibang balita at programa ng gobyerno, ay iisang opisyal pa lamang ng gobyerno (nakalipas at kasalukuyan) ang lumapit sa akin at nagpasalamat o pumuri sa aking ginawa. Samantalang nang mag-link (magturo ng address) ako ng isang blog na “kritikal” sa kanilang ginagawa ay pinutakti aku ng kaliwat-kanan na pambibintang mula sa kanila. Talaga nga naman.
Maraming salamat nga pala sa pagbisita, kahit na naliligaw ka lamang.

Ang aking opisyal na pahayag tungkol sa Agenda controversy:

Bagamat akoy naniniwala na lahat ng tao ay may karapatang magpahayag ng opinyon, naniniwala rin ako na sinu mang magpahayag nito ay handang humarap at panindigan ang kanyang sinasabi. Wala akong nakikitang mali sa mga sinulat ni Auroraknights sa kanyang Agenda maliban sa mga personal na pasaring niya. Personal niya o nilang opinyon ang mga ito at karapatan nilang sabihin o isulat ang anumang gusto nila. Ang Batangbaler ay walang kinalaman sa Agenda. Matagal nang ginagawa sa BatangBaler ang maglink o maglagay ng mga internet sites na tungkol sa Baler at Aurora maging ito ay maganda o masama. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, demokrasya pa naman tayo hanggang ngayon at walang masama sa aking ginawa.

Sa mga suki ng batangbaler: Pasensya na po sa kaunting pasakalye. Pagkatapos nito ay balik na tayo sa dating programa. Tuloy pa rin ang BB hanggat hindi masasa-alang-alang ang aking buhay, trabaho, pamilya at reputsyon. Kung sakaling mawala ang batangbaler ay alam na ninyo ang nangyari.

I installed a new chatroom but its still in test mode. I want to know how it works in the real world. You can check it by clicking here or typing this address in your brwoser - http://www.batangbaler.net/chatr.