Graduating the Webbies

Yes, I lost the webbies! For the first time in 6 years I have gone home without either ham or bacon or salami :P Surprisingly enough, I felt as happy as with the past webbies, albeit not as excited. I feel as if, I have GRADUATED the webbies.

GRADUATION CEREMONIES
So I have graduated the webbies (the Philippine Web Awards -ed). Why "graduated"? Well, what happens after graduation is that people congratulate you. They are glad whether you have or you don't have honors. Your family and friends feel as proud as the family and friends of those who has graduated with honors (in the webbies, they are those who won awards). In the webbies, family, friends, friendsters and even strangers give nice words to you even if you did not win (the world is still a good place to live in!). It is nice to see old and young (new) classmates get their awards (medal honors) onstage. It is nice to see people get excited and feel happy. It is great to feel excited and nervous and anxious.

I TOOK 6 YEARS TO GRADUATE
Graduation also means being finished with a phase or a step. For me, it doesn't matter anymore whether I win or lose now. In my case I took so long to graduate, 6 years. For the past years, winning was really everything, and I would feel really, really bad if my website entries are not selected as Best Website, or when they are outvoted in the People's Choice. Before, I would always have something to say when some of my sites lost. But now, all I could say is that - I have graduated the Webbies.

I graduated with some "old" webbies classmates - long time winner Philmusic.com did not get any award for the first time, in 6 years. Philmusic dominated the Music category for the last 5 years. I have defended People's Choice for Personal Website (I have a few thousand fans before -- just kidding) for almost 4-5 years, alternating with the Best Website award under the celebrities category for donnacruz.com (and I vow that donnacruz.com will shine once again in the near future).

BETTER THAN BACON, EGGS AND SALAMI
It feels good every year you bring home a bacon, or a ham, or bacon and ham and eggs (as the case with my 1999 triple whammy!). Now, I did not bring home any of those, but I felt that I have brought home much more -- wisdom-sprinkled experience, new cinammon-topped friends, and the best desert one could ever have: messages from young web developers telling me how I have inspired them to be web developers and how happy they are to be (one has even called me "Morpheus", her mentor).

COMPETING AGAIN
If what I have tasted now is better than Bacon, Eggs and Salami, would I still compete then? Yes and No. I don't really know. This year, I was planning not to join but my idea of developing "IndayXP" really got the best of me and so for the love of the webbies, I have joined again. So maybe if I get to upgrade "IndayXP" into "IndayXP Reloaded" or "IndayXP Revolutions" before next year, expect this website again to rock everyone.

Mabuhay tayong lahat, and my sincerest congratulations to all the winners and finalists!