Filipina Soul

I wonder how much an Xbox 360 costs in Manila these days?
My niece had wanted that for ‘pasalubong‘ but I since I’m not about to buy a 7-year old her own video game, I told her to forget it (in nice terms, mind you). Plus, I’d have to ship them overseas to her, which will cost me a fortune even if it’s imported from Japan, Singapore or Hongkong. But now, here’s the scoop -
The INQ7.Net reports that the local office of Microsoft might/could “eventually” distribute the Xbox 360 in Manila. Apparently, Microsoft Philippines General Manager Antonio “TJ” Javier said …read more

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The rest of the special report, “100 Significant Events in Philippine History” written by Christine Dulnuan, are online. The second installment lists items 32 through 65, covering the period from April 20, 1897 through June 1922. The third part has the remainder of the 100-item list, covering August 27, 1939 through December 31, 2000.
The list is a useful review of Philippine history, especially for those of us whose history classes have been some time ago. I guess the National Historical Institute will need to start another list for the new millenium.
[Source: ABS-CBN]
Tags: Philippine history, Filipino history, significant Filipino events, Philippine …read more

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Darren’s Problogger Group Writing Project on how-to posts reminded me of this list that has been passed from one Filipino to another. I reproduce it here, in all its 110-item glory. Have fun! [Note: This post is not part of the project since this is not an original piece from me].
You know you’re a Filipino when….
MANNERISM & PERSONALITY TRAITS:
1. You point with your lips.
2. You eat using hands–and have it down to a technique.
3. Your other piece of luggage is a Balikbayan box.
4. You nod upwards to greet someone.
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your …read more

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There’s a new poll on the sidebar, folks! This time, the question is “Do you have a blog?”. If you do, feel free to leave a link in the comments, so we can visit you there.

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This may not be a “Filipino culture” topic, but I’m just going to be responsible and remind our US readers to get their flu shots early this year. With the avian flu lurking outside the US and in Asia, in particular, you don’t want to take any chances.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that there should be enough vaccines to go around, and especially for those at higher risk such as children, the elderly, those with medical conditions and household help or caregivers of the above. BUT I also heard from my daughter’s pediatrician today that their clinic …read more

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Christine G. Dulnuan, of the (Philippine) National Historical Institute, has started a list of 100 significant events that shaped the Philippines we know today.

This list includes only 100 major events that influenced Philippine history from the 14th century to the end of the 20th century. Interestingly, the events included on this list represent major areas where the life of the nation revolves like trade and commerce, religion, culture, literature and arts, education, various movements, wars and revolutions, laws and government, and military. Moreover, the events mentioned here are crucial in understanding the present and future of the Philippines as a …read more

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Here are the results of our recent poll which closed today, after a month of voting. We asked our readers to tell us where they are. A total of 72 votes were tallied. I indulged my fascination with charts by making this:

This chart shows the percentages that each location got. We’ll assume that the people who participated in the poll represent our readers in general. As you can see, roughly 50% of our readers are in the Philippines, followed by North America (28%), Europe (14%), and other countries in Asia (7%). We had 1 voter each from South America and …read more

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(This is an old archive from INQ7.Net and from several other online sources, and I thought I’d share this with you in light of the centennial celebration of the Filipino diaspora to Hawaii, and what Greg Macabenta discovered about the first dispersion of our people. This was a speech by Patricia Evangelista , age 19, who won the International Public Speaking competition in London, May 2004.)
WHEN I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed and white.
I thought — if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, …read more

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Our current poll – “Where are you now?” – was put up on August 18. We’ll close it on September 18, exactly a month later. After that, we’ll compile the results and talk about it a bit. So, if you haven’t gotten your votes in yet, this weekend will be your last chance to do it.

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Here are a couple of posts about Filipino food that have made my mouth water recently.
* Pinoy Cook Connie Veneracion shares her recipe for Oven-Roasted Crispy Pata, which is lechon using only pork hock. She simmers the hock in salted water and spices before finishing it in an oven. The result is lechon with all the yummy and crispy rind you can want.

* My friend Ning shares her interesting take on adobo in her blog, G.A.N.D.A. (which are her initials, by the way, lucky her). She adds Hokkaido white chocolate to the national dish (above). She writes, “The chocolate’s sweetness …read more

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