Filipina Soul

It’s almost Christmas! Yiii!!!!
If you’re not Filipino, you would be thinking ‘but it’s still 5 months away?!”. Not to a Pinoy, it isn’t. September signals the start of the Christmas season.
Just ask Devy, who says she just watched the Filipino cable channel and saw the anchor news desk all decked out in Christmas decor. Don’t be surprised to hear carols being sang at the malls and radios. One family starts hanging its parols and lights outside the house and the whole neighborhood follows soon enough. Yes, in September.
Pinoys are getting ready for the biggest holiday of …read more

3 Comments

There is no reason not to write about Whole Grain Rosemary Potato Bread on a Filipino blog. While Filipinos are not big bread eaters, we’re adaptable and will happily enjoy good freshly baked bread anytime.
Our featured blog this week is Apple Pie, Patis, & Pâté. Its author, Jude, mixes cuisines from all over the world “from a tiny apartment kitchen in Chicago”. In addition to Filipino food, you’ll find Finnish, French, Indonesian, Belgian and Austrian recipes here. While I love traditional Filipino food, I’m also interested in Filipino fusion cuisine. For starters, how about a grilled version of Chicken …read more

1 Comment

What is really the best gauge to determine the performance of a university? Is it facilities? Amount of money received in grants? Number of alumni who go on to become presidents/senators/congressmen?
While there are any number of criteria to consider in ranking any group of schools, a survey by Philippine Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) assessed university performance by looking at graduates of the same programs.
The joint study, published in 2005, looked into the performance of Philippine universities in the various national board examinations. The study ranked the universities based on the average passing in …read more

203 Comments

There are now only six contenders for the title of Pinoy Idol!
After Penelope was eliminated this week, the six finalists are Warren Antig, Kid Camaya, Jayann Bautista, Gretchen Espina,Daryl Celis and Ram Chaves.
Here’s a teaser clip of this weekend’s Gala performance and elimination night:

6 Comments

Write this on your planner now!
 
Philippine Blog Awards
When: September 21, 2008
Where: 1 Esplanade (website and directions)
If you’re a Filipino blogger, or read blogs written by Filipinos, you will not want to miss this event. PBA brings together the best Filipino bloggers for a night of fun and networking, while recognizing the best of Philippine blogs and bloggers.
Nominations are still being accepted, and will be until August 10, 2008. There will be three awards divisions, divided into 36 award categories. Follow the links below to go to the nomination forms:
Best Blog Division
Best Single Blog Post Division
The Special Awards

Comments Off

Rick Astley is in Manila! The singer behind such 80s hits as “Never Gonna Give You Up”, and “Together Forever” will be performing at the Araneta Coliseum this weekend. The “Here and Now” concert, which will be at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 1, 2008, will be featuring his greatest hits.

TicketNet isn’t selling any more tickets online. I’m not sure if there are still any available, but if you want to go, you can call 911-5555 in Manila. Maybe you’ll be lucky and be able to get a ticket or two floating around.
I say lucky because reports have it …read more

Comments Off

Our featured blog of the week is by someone whose name should be familiar to you: Jim Paredes.

As a third of the highly respected APO Hiking Society, Mr. Paredes has made his mark on the Philippine music industry. His blog, Writing on Air, has been in existence since October 2003, when most of us probably haven’t even heard of the word ‘blog’. Among his recent posts are his insights into what goes on behind the scenes of the Pinoy Dream Academy. Also not to be missed are these posts about good travel habits and how to stay ahead of your …read more

1 Comment

Book lovers, this is for you! Don’t miss the 29th Manila International Book Fair next month. Here’s the where and when:
39th Manila International Book FairSeptember 12-16, 200810AM – 8PMSMX Convention CenterBay Area, Pasay City
Among the activities planned are meetings with established and up-and-coming authors, writing workshops, poetry reading and story-telling. There will be forums on books on various topics, including a special one on Philippine regional literature.
Find out more at Manila Book Fair.
Thanks to Gian for letting us know of this event!

1 Comment

The Qantas 747 plane that made an emergency landing in Manila last Friday is being inspected to determine what caused the 9-foot hole on its fuselage.
Specialists from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are on site to conduct an investigation. Officials from Boeing, including three engineers, and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board are also helping in the probe.
So far this is what officials have been saying about the cause of the incident:
* It is not terrorism-related.
* Rust and/or metal fatigue may have been a factor.
* The role of oxygen canisters is being investigated. One canister that was located …read more

Comments Off

We’re counting down the days to 8-8-08! We’re sure to keep an eye out for any and all news related to the Olympic Games at Beijing. One of the things we’ve learned lately is that Erik Santos will be performing at the event.
Erik was among an international group of performers chosen by the Chinese government. He has been working hard at rehearsing, and is also learning some Mandarin.

Reports say that he will be singing I Believe I can Fly sometime during the closing ceremonies of the Games. For a peek at his rendition of this song in a …read more

16 Comments