Filipina Soul

Charlie Green. Now that’s a name that rings like a celebrity already!

British-Filipino kid Charlie Green wowed audiences of Britain’s Got Talent when he sang “Summer Wind”. He had everyone swaying to the music, and got such a merry standing ovation when he was done.

But you see, it’s The Judge Simon Cowell whose words are like hell or heaven. Of Charlie, he said - “I think you’re a little star! I genuinely was not expecting to find someone like that. I’m absolutely thrilled!”

Did you notice his Filipino mom lurking in the background? And hugging family  when their son won. And Charlie is such a cute boy, especially with that British accent!

Now we have two contestants that Filipinos can be proud of, in Britain’s Got Talent! And it’s only week 3 in the auditions.

La Paz, or the Desert of the North, as it is called. After a long trek on dusty roads along Ilocos Norte, two sceneries will surprise the weary traveler at the end of his journey - that there is a desert. And there is a beach.

La Paz Sand Dunes is a protected national part covering 52 square miles of sand and beach. At one end is the cool waters of the China Sea and the other stretches to inland Ilocos Norte. It’s located just outside the city of Laoag, so it is easily accessible, although walking the length of the beach can take more than one hour.

The sand dunes are favorite movie settings, from classic local films such as Nora Aunor’s Himala and Fernando Poe, Jr.’s Panday, to Hollywood greats like Tom Cruise’s Born on the Fourth of July.

Anton has several remarkable photos of his visit to the sand dunes. You can clearly see desert formations. And apparently people live there, as evidenced from the scattered small nipa huts hiding among the rolling hills.

Calvin gave a tip for vacationers planning to see the desert- “the best time would be late in the afternoon when it’s not too hot and the sun is not too high.” He toured Ilocos without a car, and it didn’t cost much, he wrote.

image: Flickr/Storm Crypt

The weddingest month is almost upon us!

It has been found that May is the month with the most number of weddings, at least in the Philippines. It’s a good month to be married, with the flowers blooming, and summer in full swing. We are getting into a wedding mode here at Filipina Soul, and we have been on a quest to feature professionals in the wedding industry.

Our very first interview is with John Mateos Ong. I feel fortunate and grateful to John (or Jong, as he is also known) for his having taken the time for this interview. I tell you, he is a busy man. He is a professional photographer, but as I have learned, he is also willing to help out with whatever it needs to make a wedding successful. Even standing in as the groom during the first dance!

In addition to his background in events management and music, John brings expertise and passion to his art. He is the founder and moderator of phphoto, the biggest organization of photographers in the Philippines.

Prior to the wedding day, John takes the time to get to know the bride and groom. In doing so, he is in a much better position to bring out the best in them during their special day. He even confesses to having given counsel to a nervous couple just before their wedding. John himself has been married once and can share from experience.

With regards to their style of wedding coverage, John and his team of photographers mix photojournalism and traditional photography. They cover only one wedding per day, so as to give the couple their full attention.

Continue reading An Interview with John Mateos Ong, Wedding Photographer (Part 1)

The northern province of Ilocos Norte boasts one of the most stunning, and popular churches in the country - The Paoay Church.

Otherwise known as St. Augustine Church, this church of the municipality of Paoay was built from 1704 to 1894. Inspired by gothic, baroque and oriental architecture, it represented the Spanish, Filipino and Chinese influences that are unique to the Philippines. The Spanish friar-builders were no architects by any means and they only had to rely on memories when constructing the church. So they reinterpreted the European baroque into what is decidedly Filipino in spirit.

Built to withstand earthquakes common to the north, the walls are more than 3 feet thick, and all made of coral blocks, tree sap, stucco-plastered bricks and lumber. Unlike other belltowers in churches around the country, the Paoay Church bell tower is detached. The tower served as a lookout for the Katipuneros during the 1896 revolution, and again by the Filipinos in WWII.

There 24 massive buttresses jutting on the sides of the church. You can barely see it from the photo, but those mosaic pattern on the buttresses are corals glued with sap.

Continue reading Paoay Church of Ilocos Norte

May is just around the corner. With its coming, little girls and lovely ladies are all a-twitter, as they prepare for the month-long celebrations collectively known as Flores de Mayo (Flowers of May).

The religious celebration is a big event for many towns. Traditionally, it is a way to give thanks to God and to the Virgin Mary for the rains that begin to bless the land and cause the flowers to bloom. The flowers are much in evidence in the aisles and altar of the town church, as people give them as thanksgiving offerings.

But the central event of the festival is the “Santacruzan” (Festival of the Cross), a procession of religious statues and the town’s loveliest and most popular ladies. The Santacruzan is a re-telling of the finding of the Cross in Jerusalem by the Santa Elena (St. Helena), mother of Constantine the Great.

Continue reading Flores de Mayo and the Santacruzan

Thanks to everyone for participating in the give-away of Philippine Cookbook by Reynaldo Alejandro! Hope you enjoyed Filipina Soul. Do come back and linger. We do take time to interact with our readers.

But we now have a winner, picked by Random.org (random number generator).

Becky of Newson Narrative !!! Congratulations, Becky. Enjoy your cookbook and let us know what Filipino recipe you deliciously whipped up!

Here are more riddles to brighten your day.

1. And lokong si Hudas, dila ang tsinelas (How funny is this, it uses the tongue also as slippers.)

2. Nang kainin ay patay, nang iluwa’s nabuhay. (I died while it was eating, i gave a new life whe someone died.)

3. Ha-bilog, ha-pandak, ha-mata, ha-dilat. (It’s round, it’s short. Is has wide-eyed.) Yun.

4. May alaga akong hayop, mas malaki ang mata kaysa likod (I have a pet animal, with eyes that are bigger than the back.)

Answers after the cut.

Continue reading Mga Bugtong (Filipino riddles) set #19

What’s happening in the  Philippines this week?

Smart buys two telecom firms for P420M. The two companies acquired by Smart are Communications Holdings Corp. and Francom Holdings Inc., which were controlled by an investor group led by former trade secretary Roberto Ongpin.

Mindanao exports grow 23% in 2007.  The rise in coconut oil industry and bananas were both responsible for the junk of revenu8e.

Two bombs blew off in Zamboanga City. Two separate incidents of bombing happened in Zamboanga City yesterday evening. (Watch the video)

Diether Ocampo and Kristine Hermosa break up (again). Diether Ocampo confirmed reports taht he broke up with his long-time, on-off-on girlfriend Kristine Hermosa.

Fil-Am fashion designer Andy Arcangel.

His designs are hip, trendy and rock-n’-roll. Nothing much Pinoy about them.

But some of his fabrics are outsourced from Divisoria and Tutuban!

And because the fabrics are a lot cheaper, the prizes are very competitive.

“We get the fabrics from different fabric stores in Queens, New York and New Jersey and when I go visit my family in the Philippines, I go buy my fabrics from Divisoria and Tutuban,” Arcangel told ABS-CBN.

Together with his business partner good friend Dino Lomboy, they operate The Arcangel Menswear store at Manhattan’s Lower East Side. ABS-CBN says the line is now the “emerging craze in New York”. Last February, Arcangel unveiled his winter collection during the New York Fashion Week at one of Manhattan’s premiere dance clubs, Club Element.

Watch the video clip HERE and you might find yourself wearing name someday.

* Charice Pempengco is soon to release her 1st music video.

* Bea Alonzo is also preparing her debut album.

* OJ Mariano, Awit Awards’ 2006 Best New Male Recording Artist, has released his 2nd single, “Sana’y Malaman Mo”.

* The movie “When Love Begins” starring Aga Muhlach and Anne Curtis will premiere in the Philippines on April 30 at the SM Megamall. The movie will also be screened in selected international theaters starting in May. Watch this space for more info!