Archive for October 10th, 2007

Ok, I know I’m a few years late, but RSS Feed is what I live on every day ever since I found out the joys of reading summed up articles and stories. While there are alot of RSS Feed programs out there, the one I use right now is good ol’ Google Reader. Because it’s web-based, I can read up on my RSS Feeds from anywhere, whether it be at work or at home.

The local blogs are my favourite read (besides the world of warcraft ones, but that’s another story for another day) and are always checked out first at the beginning of the day. I’ve scored the net for local blogs, and have a few that keep me intrigued/afloat/wondering.

The curious thing is the local blogging scene is relatively…quiet. With the exception of a few blogs that posted more times a day then I could actually keep up with (“Why Fiji is Crying” made my head hurt with the ALL CAPS TITLES), blogging is a slow but steady past-time. Heck, even I’m guilty of long breaks inbetween posts.

Blame Fiji Time

Below is a screenshot of what I currently have under my RSS Feed. I’ll give a brief rundown of the following blogs, though bear in mind this isn’t no Roger and Ebert review, just an idea of what the local blogsphere (or at least the ones I’ve come across) is like.

And This Just In… : Politics and humour go hand in hand with this quirky look at the local current affairs scene. We’re talking legal action from Jesus and Allah against Fiji’s interim minister Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi for his ‘god-sent’ comments, and even ‘friend cut’ from both the leaders of Australia and New Zealand with Fiji’s interim prime minister Frank Bainimarama. Read with a pinch of salt and a mischevious wink.

Awesome Cake: A young local bloggger who’s also a killer cartoonist, Awesome Cake is all heart and insightful musings of life from another point of view. After all, if he says …don’t count your chickens before they hatch into dinosaurs…”, you’d better believe it.

Babasiga: A great read from Peceli and Wendy, a fijian and australian couple who’s love for Fiji is reflected in most of their posts. This blog is also the most in touch with the local rural lifestyle, and is a worthy RSS watch for anyone interested in seeing how the locals live out their lives.

Blog In Fiji: Humour, crazy pills and monkeys rule this site, but while jokes are aplenty, there’s a certain underlying hard hitting truth to whats to be said within these pages about the condition of Fiji. Recommended read if you like serious issues examined by monkeys holding microscopes. And typewriters.

Digital Fiji: Blogging about the digital development in Fiji can be quite a daunting task, considering the somewhat turmulant stability of the country as a whole, but Digital Fiji takes it all in stride. Examining issues such as the attempted “May Day” bloggers event, Internet Safety, and even Fiji’s own geek t-shirts, if it’s IT and it’s local, it’s most probably here.

Fiji Rugby Blog: Ah, the game that evokes the most love/hate feelings with us Fijians. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Fiji Rugby Blog seems to be the only blog of its kind to be all about Rugby in Fiji. With breakdowns of the games and their players, this blog should be on your list if your interest lies in the oval ball.

I am NOT amused: Another personal blog, this one is on my watchlist because of two things: (a) this person plays world of warcraft, and (b) this person plays world of warcraft…from Fiji. While there are countless other local “WoW” players, this one keeps a tab of what goes on with her character online. AV pains, Gruul’s Lair bitching and Horde bashing. If you understood that last sentence, then you’d know what this blog is all about.

Intelligentsiya: The one that started it all. It was through this site that everyone in Fiji became familiar with the term “Blog”, and were famed for their anonymity as well as their direct resistence towards the current regime. Anyone who had a blog online was jokingly asked if they were associated with these guys. You know you’ve hit the big times when your blog has its own Wikipedia entry.

Lunch in Suva: A brilliant idea this one. A blog that reviews all the great restaurants in Suva, with a screenshot of the dish, a rating system out of 5, and a wide variety of food tasted. They haven’t been posting in awhile, but they’ve gone through quite alot of restaurants so far. A worthy read if you’re wondering where to eat next time its lunch hour in town.

Mayvelous: While Mayvelous isn’t an actual word there’s no knowing what surprises May will come up with next. After all not only is she a Web Developer, but her brother is a serious trip who’s often unpredictable conversation choices lead to strange conclusions…

Oceanic: User Experiences From the South Pacific: You’d think that any owner of a big design company would have little time to read blogs, let alone write one. This guy is different. Not only does he have an online blog which talks about the impact of technology on the people of the pacific, but he writes articles themed around said influence for the local Fiji Times. (Corrected – thanks Jonathan).

Promoting Suva: Your one stop shop for all events that are going on in Suva. This site has a comprehensive breakdown of all the happenings, from little coffee shop get-togethers, to the day-by-day events for a major show or festival. Bookmark this one already if you’re a Suva person.

Forfeit89: (I added this in later) Call the Grammar Police but he won’t give a damn. A free mind with his thoughts on the express train, L. Cass has surely got a whole lot of drama going on. But when he sorts his out, he certainly won’t take shit from anyone else. Emos, the Alliance and non-smokers all get their fair share in the bashing limelight. And the line isn’t going to get shorter any time soon…

Interestingly enough, alot of the ‘freedom’ blogs have slowed down recently in terms of posting, with even the most popular resistence site Why Fiji is Crying having shut down its doors. I think the WordPress guys finally wised up and shut it down, though the actual reasons may remain unknown.

Political blogs aside, if there are any other local blogs that I’ve missed out that are worth a mention, let me know.

PS: And if you get traffic from this post, please remember us the next time you go out. A jug of beer would be nice. Or two.