Filipina Soul

Somebody turned off the rain and at last it’s starting to feel like Christmas. I can feel the cool, crisp Christmas breeze in my bones. Hopefully it continues to be like this, so I can take Raine and my mother out tonight to watch the colorful bright displays in town. My family is just going to have a simple Christmas.
We are just fortunate to be together and well at this time of year, some Filipinos aren’t so fortunate.
It really sucks when natural calamities hit at such a time.
Really, I am just thankful that my family has got a roof …read more

Comments Off

A balikbayan* box is indeed a genuine Filipino trademark started mostly by Filipinos in the US in the ’70s.
Giving pasalubong (a gift or token) to family, friends and colleagues after coming back from a trip or vacation is a natural Filipino trait. I guess as natural as not surviving a day without rice.
This very trait led to the birth of the balikbayan box ever since Filipinos have been migrating/working in the US; making this box a huge gateway of sharing the “American” life to their families back home. This must have originated from our clamour for the taste of …read more

1 Comment

I’ve found a gateway to Filipino Christmas called Paskong Pinoy 2005.
 
Check it out. Might be interesting for those balikbayans looking for what’s hot and what to do in Manila (and the Philippines) for the holidays.

Comments Off

I’ve already mentioned on several occasions that Filipinos go loco for movies, both local and international.
In this regard, our Christmas holidays wouldn’t be complete without the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) which showcases all-Filipino movies in theaters for a straight two weeks, starting on Christmas day (December 25); the only time in the year Philippine Cinemas don’t show foreign films.
Check out this year’s festival entries.
Whatever happens, Raine is going to watch Mulawin: The Movie.

Comments Off

TNT or Trinitrotoluene is an explosive chemical and is a main component of many bombs and explosive mixtures.
(My chemistry has gotten a lot rusty, I just wanted to make sure I can still draw that compound in my head.)
For Filipinos, TNT has a different meaning:
Tago Nang Tago which literally means constantly in hiding; referring to those who are of illegal residence status in foreign countries.
THE US Congress has just passed a bill that tightens the screws on both persons of questionable immigration status and those who employ them or provide them with aid.
That is one explosive news. Read more.

Comments Off

I’ve always regretted the fact that by the time I got to secondary school (high school) the Spanish Language as a required subject was dropped from the Philippine Public School’s curriculum.
Oh yeah, I’ve always wanted to learn and talk Spanish. As much as I hate the Spanish friars as depicted by Jose Rizal in Noli and Fili, I cannot deny the fact that Spain is my mother country, a huge amount of the Spanish language is incorporated in my mother tongue (Filipino and Bicolano). I’ve even been baptized with a Spanish name, Gloria (isn’t that the most beautiful name in …read more

Comments Off

Dolphy, Philippine Cinema’s King of Comedy and Zsa Zsa Padilla, Philippine Music Industry’s Divine Diva, partners for some 20 years already; are looking forward to an “ever-grin” Christmas together.
I think these two don’t need an official marriage anymore. Dolphy at 77 is I guess too old to ditch Zsa Zsa for another woman.

Comments Off

Christmas wouldn’t have been without the Christ. There’s just no escaping it however much most of us try to deny it or “roam around the bush” on this topic. Sure this is the season to spend time with family, to take the long-needed vacation, for loving, sharing and forgiving; the classic “peace on earth and goodwill to mankind” . But isn’t all this the very essence of why Jesus was born on that manger in Bethlehem?
Of course, Filipinos believe in Santa Claus too (most of us have at least heard of him!). I for one have been hanging socks on …read more

Comments Off

There has been OFW remittances surge since September that has kept most Filipino families (and in effect our nation’s economy) afloat.
Indeed it is a given fact that Pinoys abroad are in one way or another sending (financial) help to their families (immediate or extended) left in the Philippines. This may be difficult for some to fully understand, but most of us need even the littlest of help from an outside source.
In abs-cbn.com’s Culture Vulture, Rome Jorge wrote about the possibility that Pinoys abroad are becoming a new breed of Filipinos.
I am talking about the difference between you and I. I …read more

Comments Off

Naawan, a small rural town in Misamis oriental is this year’s winner of the Christmasterpiece: Bayanihang Pasko 2005,” a Yuletide landmark-making contest for cities and towns nationwide (in the Philippines).
Photo Credit: INQ7.net

1 Comment