Manuel Viloria over at Second Thoughts has a list of Filipino podcasters and their first launch dates. My podcast, Shai in 60 Seconds*, is on the top of the list with a launch date of 10 February 2005. Does that officially earn me the title of First Filipino Podcaster (er, in my case, Filipino-Australian)? Hmmm… Who would’ve known I’d make it in the history of anything?

It was also interesting to find out that as of 22/11/05, Jessica Zafra became a podcaster. She actually became a blogger just last month (October 2005). And, I think that it’s really cool.

Jessica Zafra, to the uninitiated, is a popular writer from the Philippines. I remember reading her essays from the magazine Woman Today** while I was still in high school. I bought two of her book compilations including Twisted.

I didn’t always agree with her… but, I loved reading her takes on nearly everything — from being Mrs. Sting to what it takes to be a writer to being a geek to her favourite hang-outs.

So yes, I’ve been a fan of Ms Zafra for a long time until I lost touch with the Philippine writers’ scene. Thanks to blogging, I’m learning to catch up again.

Notes:
* Yes, yes… I haven’t updated this in months. I really should start this again.

** Woman Today, incidentally, is one of the first print magazines that published my fiction (Philippines Free Press, I think, is the first ever). I’m not sure how many short stories I published with them, but I think I’ve got about 3. Ah. I’m just reminiscing now. Partly because of all these things that I’ve been reading about Filipinos in the blogosphere. And, probably partly because in about 2 weeks’ time, I’ll be visiting the Philippines after being away for nearly 3.5 years (and the last time I visited, I only stayed for 1 week). And, it’s going to be my first Christmas there in 6 years.