(re)Discovering Community.

SF/Bay Area Filipino community events 11/18/11 - 11/20/11

2011-11-18T10:28:00.001-08:00

So much happening this weekend!

FEC Mural Unveiling/Community Celebration
Sponsored by KulArts, FEC/Bessie Carmichael & Galing Bata/FADF

Friday, November 18, 2011

4pm - 7 pm
824 Harrison St.
SF CA
Come join us!

For more info, check out the previous post. :)

LIVE Jazz Featuring Myrna Del Rio & Little Brown Brother!

The San Francisco Filipino Jazz Festival invites you to enjoy the sounds of Little Brown Brother and Myrna Del Rio TONIGHT!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Doors Open at 8:30 pm

Cover: $15.00

57th Street Gallery
5701 Telegraph Ave
Oakland CA

Little Brown Brother's CDs are available at CDBaby.com and on itunes. Check 'em out!

KOMIKS Expo!

Manilatown Heritage Foundation proudly presents
KOMIKS - Honoring Filipino and Filipino American comic book artists. Featuring the work of Alfredo Alcala, Alex Nino, Ed Badajos, Vidda Chan, Whilce Portacio, Dino Ignacio and Nestor Redondo!

Gallery Exhibit Open: Sept 17, 2011 - Dec 22, 2011
Tuesday - Saturday, 1pm - 6pm

KOMIKS EXPO
Saturday, November 19, 2011
1pm - 5pm
Come meet some of the exhibiting artists!

For more information call 415-399-9580. Or check out Manilatown Heritage Foundation's Facebook Page!

Cultural Day of Play!
- American Center of Philippine Arts/Escabo Daan -

Sunday, November 20, 2011

10:30am - 2:30pm

Lowell High School

1101 Eucalyptus Dr.

San Francisco CA

Come join us for a family day of fun! There will be games, escrima/kali demonstrations, cultural performances, Tinikling contests, food and SO MUCH MORE!

FEC/Mural Unveiling & Dedication - San Francisco CA

2011-11-14T09:56:00.001-08:00

FEC Mural Unveiling and Community Celebration

Where: 824 Harrison St, San Francisco, CA [Bessie Carmichael School/FEC Campus]
When: Friday, November 18, 2011 4 pm - 7 pm

Lead Artist: Cece Carpio
Cosponsored by KulArts, Filipino American Development Foundation (FADF), and Bessie Carmichael/FEC.
Funded by the Yerba Buena Community Benefit District.

More information click here

Show your appreciation for "those who can't"

2011-10-20T16:49:00.000-07:00

I hate that adage - "those who can, do; those who can't, teach."

I challenge any and all who have gone on to high profile careers and snub their noses at those "who can't" to take a week or two or three off from their job and teach somewhere - anywhere.

Here are the conditions: your classroom cannot have a library, science equipment, or art supplies. Hell, you have to ration the writing paper and your students have to share crayons, calculators, and glue. There are no more than 4 computers, all older than 2005. You have access to your school library once a month - if the librarian isn't sick. You have access to the computer lab once a month as well, in which half of the computers are on the fritz when your monthly 45 minutes comes around. The person who runs the lab is also the school security guard. Your walls are bare and you are expected to have alphabets, motivational posters, informational posters, learning tools, student work, and pretty borders delineating various subjects on the wall. The school only has butcher paper to make the walls colorful - the rest is on you. The state standards to which you are teaching are listed on the board - daily. You have 25-35 students in the classroom, two of which have identified learning disabilities and three more who have parents who think their children are fine and refuse to have their children tested. At least one of your students has behavioral issues, and of course their parents chalk it up to being young and hyperactive.They blame you for not being able to control them because "they're fine at home." The rest of your students fall somewhere on the spectrum of "gifted" and "low performing" - the latter on which you either focus most of your attention, leaving the "gifted" to self-instruct, or you completely ignore because you've resigned yourself to the idea that they're just "slow" and you can't waste your time on youth who can't keep up with at least the average learner in your class. They'll be someone else's problem next year. At least twice a week, other teachers send you their kids when they misbehave because they envy how straight your line is during the fire drill.

You're up at 5 am and in your classroom by 7 am [if not earlier] so that you can write the learning standards on the board that the students are expected to work on that day. You fly through morning assemly, reading, writing, spelling, some math. There's a break somewhere around 12 for a quick bite of something before being bombarded yet again with now sweaty, tired, food-induced comatose children who are less inclined to pay attention now that they've had their hot cheetos and chili nachos. Math continues, then a spattering of "science" that involves plastic straws or toilet paper rolls, or an "art project" that involves macaroni, glue, and balloons. The bell rings at 2:30 or so - which is about the time when you can finally relieve yourself after holding in the 12 cups of coffee you've consumed over the course of the day. Afterschool tutoring ensues, coupled with grading, lesson planning, putting student work up, and trying to figure out how to justify at least one field trip for your class before the end of the year...all before you head home, hopefully before traffic hits. A quick trip to the land of teacher temptation known as Lakeshore Learning just to "look around" ends up in brokering half your monthly salary toward flip charts, science kits, learning games, and things that were in the "up to 80% off" bin that ended up being more like 20% off. You finally pull up into your driveway only to pull out a 20lb+ bag of grading you'd been telling yourself you'd "get to" over the last three weeks, only to leave it at the door near the shoes yet again before you collapse in front of the boob tube and pass out for 2 hours. When you jolt yourself awake around dinnertime, you remember that 20lb bag still sitting at the door full of papers you had promised to return to the students two weeks ago. You guilt yourself into charging through half the stack and marking them with the green pen instead of red to soften the blow of being incorrect before heating up some ramen - the only thing you can afford after spending half your monthly salary at Lakeshore Learning - and calling it a night.

In 5 hours, it starts all over again - because, you know, it's midnight.

And that's teaching at the elementary level. People may think that it's easier teaching at the high school level, but can you imagine remembering the names of over 100 students, reading essays chock-full of text-spelling, emoticons and references to wikipedia articles, illegible handwriting because "no one ever writes anything down any more - they type it," geometric theorems with huge gaps because they used their scientific calculators to figure out the end product, or, my favorite, whiny, entitled arguments about why it's relevant to learn this or that when the answer is readily available in cliffnote form via the internet...this coupled with raging hormones, after school activities and social pressures, emotional insecurities and self-consciousness, the pressure to either go to college or find a job after college, and working with students nodding off in class because they spent their weekend getting to the final level of Halo 5...

I bet just reading that made you tired. "Those who can't," my ass. I like to believe that many who entered the teaching profession are more than capable of doing that which "those who can," but found a calling in motivating the next generation of "those who can do's" to find that thing that would propel them forward toward their goals. There is satisfaction in having a room full of students glowering at you at the beginning of their educational journey - only to have them yell "THANKS FOR KICKING MY BUTT!" as they walk across that stage in their cap and gown, closer to who they wish to become as adults because of you.

Dr. Horrible Sing-A-Long Blog LIVE! - San Diego, CA

2011-07-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

If you've ever seen Joss Whedon's Internet sensation DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG BLOG starring the ever talented NPH, you're going to LOVE this show!

DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG BLOG...LIVE!!

Some backstage/rehearsal shenanigans for your viewing pleasure...

Showdates/times:

Preview Night - July 16th (8pm) Tickets still available
Opening Night - July 17th - LIMITED number of Stand By tickets will be available at the door.
July 19th (Special discounts available for SD Theatre Industry, and Browncoats!)
July 20th (8 pm - Post Show Discussion with Cast & Crew!)
July 21st (6pm / 10pm)
July 22nd (4pm / 8pm)
July 23rd (4pm / 6pm) 10pm show SOLD OUT
July 24th (4pm / 8pm)
July 29th (8pm / 10 pm) SD Theatre Industry Discounts Available for 10 pm show
July 30th (2pm / 8pm) Post Show Discussion after 2 pm show
For all you Gamers out there, Opening Weekend is a DOUBLE FEATURE with Gam3rs: the Play! - an awesome one-man show about ONE man who has ONE hour to save the world - from evil elves. From his cubicle. Here's a Clip:

"Reality-challenged gaming geek Steve Smolinski has 1 hour to save the world. If only he didn't
have to do it from his cubicle at work. Steve's boss doesn't understand that he really can't work
when he has an entire kingdom to save from evil elves. His girlfriend is upset that he forgot their
two-year anniversary. His mother is angry because he forgot to apply for readmission to MIT.
None of them get it - if he doesn't retrieve the sacred relic, civilization could come crashing down.
And if he saves the relic, he might just save himself in the process." [from the website]

For more information, check out http://www.gam3rsthewebsite.com/

For tickets to the Double Feature OR Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog LIVE!, click here: Brown Paper Tickets - Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog LIVE!

Price: $35.00/door, $30.00 ONLINE presale

Where: 10th Ave Theater                                                             Limited Street Parking Available
              930 10th Ave (Between E st & Broadway)              Public Transportation Accessible
              San Diego, CA 92101

For more information about DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-A-LONG BLOG LIVE!, check out the website http://www.iwanttosingalong.com/ or find 'em on YouTube since Andy and the rest of the cast have been Vlogging the whole experience. :)

This is a production of Chinese Pirate Productions and is produced in conjunction with Gam3rCon.

Kuya-Ate Mentorship Program Retreat - San Diego,CA

2011-07-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

Kuya-Ate Mentorship Program (KAMP) Summer/Fall Retreat When: August 12, 2011 - August 14, 2011 [Friday - Sunday]
Where: San Diego, CA

Orientation sessions: Wednesday[s] July 20th or August 3rd
*You are highly encouraged to attend the orientation sessions to get more information about what's up for the retreat*

***
It's that time of year again, kasamas! KAMP's annual fall retreat is coming up-- starting the evening of Friday, August 12 through the afternoon of Sunday, August 14! You can attend as much as your schedule allows, but we'd love to see you the entire weekend, especially Saturday.

Whether you're a long-time KAMPer; a friend, family member, or supporter of KAMP; or just have recently heard about KAMP through the grapevine, this retreat is for you! If you want to be involved with KAMP in the coming school year, retreat is our "kick-off weekend"-- it is our time to recharge, begin planning, and is a great way to build community and solidarity. This year's retreat will be packed with educational and programming workshops, team building activities, and of course, lots of yummy food!

If you're new to KAMP, we highly encourage you to attend one of our two Orientation Sessions, which will be during our KAMP general meetings on Wednesday, July 20th and Wednesday, August 3rd. Or, if you know someone who might be interested in joining KAMP, please tell them about these orientations! More details and info coming soon!

This retreat's focus is on building up KAMP for the future, so we need everyone on board to help set up our direction for this year and the coming years ahead. Let's kick off the school year right, and have a great fall retreat!

For the latest updates on retreat and to RSVP, please check out the facebook invite by clicking here. You can also email [[kampsd@gmail.com]] for more information. Hope to see you August 12-14!
***

For more information, peep this:
Kuya Ate Mentorship Program (KAMP) - San Diego

Contact: kampsd@gmail.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/kampsd

Website: http://www.kampsd.webs.com/

Community Graduations - Recognizing our accomplishments as a collective effort

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

In 2009 I was privileged to be the keynote speaker at the FilGrad in San Diego, CA - a community graduation designed to recognize the accomplishments of our youth as well as all of those who supported their success - mentors, parents, peers, etc. It was billed as being the first annual FilGrad - which may be true - but the historian and archive junkie in me wants to explore the truth a bit further. In any case, we were sure that it was the first annual FilGrad in at least the last 20-25 years - which says a lot.

The Kuya-Ate Mentorship Program (KAMP) and the Philippine American Youth Organization (PAYO) co-sponsored the event and we were able to honor several youth that day.

I realized that I never shared it beyond that brief moment - so I figured that I should probably share it here. I hope my readers find it helpful in their personal journey.

********

Good afternoon.

Before I begin, let me congratulate the organizers on this inaugural event – the KUYA/ATE Mentorship Program (KAMP) and the Philippine American Youth Organization (PAYO) – and thank them for the humbling and surprising invitation to be your keynote speaker today. This is just the first of a new tradition and I am excited to see how this event will evolve and grow over the years. Also, let me congratulate the graduates we have here today; this is the beginning of a new adventure for you and I hope that each of you are able to find joy and fulfillment in the paths that you choose.

When they asked me to come and speak to you, I couldn’t help but ask why. For all intents and purposes, when we think about how success is understood in our community I’m probably one of those who would be considered far from it; I’m 32 – turning 33, unmarried, no kids and without a stable job. I’m still in school. Yes, I’ll be a doctor, but it’s not an MD degree that will bring me loads of cash or give my parents any sense of medical comfort or hook ups in their old age. And, at the end of my academic journey, I’ll be lucky to be making $60,000 a year with $80,000 in loans weighing me down for many, many, MANY years…

So why am I here? Why am I here…good question…part of me would like to think it’s to give you a different take on success – and maybe, just maybe, a little advice.

I can tell you that the next chapter in your lives is going to be hard. This the time of your life is when you will face a seemingly insurmountable number of decisions and choices. Some of you are leaving home for the first time to live on your own. Some of you are going to find out that EVERYONE in your dorm got a 4.8, played volleyball, was in the band, was ASB President and rescued puppies on the weekends – just like you – and you’re going to be absolutely devastated to find out that you’re not special. Some of you are going to take two steps forward and two steps back. Some of you are going to go through identity crises like you won’t believe - the questions of who am I, what am I, what am I going to do with my life – and you’re probably thinking that this is stuff you’re already facing – but think about how much more all of that will be exacerbated when you leave the life and community that you’ve known for these first 18 years of your life. And amidst all of this, you’re supposed to be engaged in the work that will lead you to that point where you will have the SLK Benz in the garage that’s attached to the house with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths paid for by the cushy job that’ll pay you enough to also support your partner, 2.3 kids and a dog.

Piece of advice number one: Recognize Challenge and rise to it. Yes, this next period in your life is going to be hard – there’s no more hand holding - but you’ve gotten this far, so trust that you’ll get through this too. Be conscious of your decisions and adjust accordingly. If you’re finding that you’re failing a class or not understanding a concept at work – ask questions, ask for help. Don’t wait for answers – go find them. Be creative. Speak your mind – but make sure what you speak is informed. If leadership is thrust upon you – and it will be on some of you – know that it’s because someone recognized something special in you and have faith that you’ll succeed. Remember that you – all of you – are role models; act the part. Above all else, do the work; while challenges arise, they will only be met through perseverance and time put in. And when all else fails, fake it and cry in the corner when you get home. That’s what I do. Sometimes.

Piece of advice number two: You’re not alone – that’s what the Community is for. Recognize that there has always been someone to give you a leg up – whether you know it or not. It may be a peer, your family, a mentor, a boss, a friend. Look around this room – your parents, the Ate’s n Kuyas of PAYO and KAMP, your teachers, your peers – all of us have been – and are – behind you in your endeavors. That being said, recognize your responsibility to take your place in that cycle of community as a mentor, peer, friend – and provide that same encouragement and leg up to those who come after you. As much as American culture and society may value individualism, as Filipino Americans, it is our communality and utang na loob that brings us together, pushes us to take care of each other, be there to applaud each other’s triumphs and offer a sympathetic ear in times of crises.

Piece of advice number three: There is no timeline for success. Some of you may have your timelines in your head – out of college by 22, fabulous job by 22.5, married and mortgage by 24, children by 26…for many of you – for the majority of you – that is probably not going to happen. Stuff happens. You may find that you hate marine biology and want to be in theater. You may hate being in the military. You may find that you have to get ANOTHER degree in order to be as “successful” in your field. You may find that you spent the entire time between the ages of 18 and 22 with the wrong person and the last thing you want to do is marry them. DON’T FREAK OUT. There are too many of us walking around thinking that we have to be at a certain point in our lives at a specific time – and we agonize over it when we don’t reach that goal. DON’T DO IT. There are no hard and fast rules and having a timeline – rather than a general idea – really brings you down and only succeeds in making you feel bad. But, once you figure out what it is you want out of life, implement the steps that will get you to that point.

Finally, and this is for the parents; communicate with your kids with an open mind. Listen to them – their hopes, their dreams, their wants and desires and talk WITH them about how THEY are going to negotiate their paths to those dreams. They are, according to American culture, adults. Recognize that your student will live a life that will be profoundly different from the one you braved in your own adolescence. I have seen several generations of students pass through many halls of higher education and the older I get the more astounded I am at the number of parents who do not trust their child[ren] enough to make decisions for themselves. Many of those students end up handicapped – relying upon their parents if they get a bad grade, or are unable to cope with the work load. YOU ARE NOT HELPING THEM BY CALLING ADMINISTRATORS OR PROFESSORS TO PLEAD THEIR CASE. It is understood that you only want them to succeed, to be happy – but it’s important that they find their own success and happiness and not live what you believe those two things to be. And if they trod down a path of failure, let them - they need to figure out what to do to dig themselves out of it. At that point, they will need you to be understanding, empathetic and constructive – not chastising and blameful, nor do they need you to compare them to your co-worker’s child who is pulling a 4.0 at UC Berkeley. Your student is your student – and it only makes them feel like crap to think that they’re failing you.

I do not say these things to be disrespectful. I’m speaking from a place where I’ve been asked, ad nauseum, when am I going to be done with school, why don’t I just quit, why don’t I get a real job, when am I going to get married, when am I going to lose weight, why not take up nursing or stick with teaching elementary school, and why are you wasting your time doing all of this community work. I’m telling you, it SUCKS to be asked these questions over and over again, to justify the trajectory of my life and the decisions that I have made about what I feel is best for me, makes me feel like I am successful, and makes me happy.

So…success…and this is my last point. Yes, I’m 32 going on 33, unmarried, childless, still in school, and will be in debt up to my eyeballs for a very, very, VERY long time. BUT…I am in a stable relationship with a guy who loves me for me; I have witnessed my own adings through PAYO become amazing, successful, confident young men and women; I will be Doctor Villaraza very soon and while I may not be able to tell you the difference between a femur and a phalynx, I will be able to teach the next generation about Philippine and Filipino American history to help them understand the underpinnings of the culture(s) that inform their identity. But most importantly, I love what I do, feel confident in my skills and abilities as a teacher, an author, an event organizer, and mentor and in the path that I have paved for myself and can say, unquestionably, that I’m happy.

And if you’re happy and passionate about what you do, you won’t dread waking up every morning, you won’t complain about your work – most of the time, you’ll invest 100% effort which will eventually lead to promotions and climbing the pay scale – which will give you those material comforts that, in the end, are far less meaningful than the satisfaction of feeling loved, feeling you have worth, and feeling that you have contributed to the betterment of society - of humanity - as a whole.

Thank you.

Arts Festival - American Center of Philippine Arts Fall Festival - November 21 - SF

2010-11-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

American Center of Philippine Arts
FALL FESTIVAL

Sunday, November 21, 2010
1 pm - 5 pm
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388 9th St. Ste. 250
Oakland CA

Alright, I have to admit that I'm kinda biased about this because I've been working hard on this event with the rest of the ACPA Staff. We've created a GREAT line up of musicians, performances, interactive games and activities that will be fun for all ages!

Parking is available in the underground lot or on the street. If taking BART, exit at the 12th St. Oakland Exit and make your way to 9th & Franklin.

Check out our event page on Facebook!

Who's performing?

Ron Quesada of Kulintronica

RON QUESADA is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in Filipino music from North to South, including gongs, bamboo, and stringed instruments. He began studying traditional kulintang music in 2004 with Guro Danongan “Master K” Kalanduyan and later joined his acclaimed performing group, the Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble. Ron aspires to bring the art of kulintang playing to the global world music community. A musician since the age of eight, he has studied and performed the many beautiful and rich musical forms of the Philippines; from the interlocking bamboo buzzes of the Northern mountains, to the boisterous rondalla ensembles of the lowlands, to the complicated fine art of kulintang playing of the Southern Philippines.

Kawayan Folk Arts

Kawayan Folk Art’s mission is to "promote, research, and explore folk and contemporary performing arts based on the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines." Kawayan Folk Arts dancers and musicians have also performed at the Oakland Raiders' Mabuhay Fiesta, California Great America's Kababayan Festival, and the Golden State Warriors' Filipino Heritage Night as well as public and private events all over the Bay Area.

Walang Hiya Anthology

Walang Hiya…Literature Taking Risks Toward Liberatory Practice is a groundbreaking collection of poetry and short fiction by today’s most established and anticipated Filipino and Filipino-American Writers. Walang Hiya, a term traditionally used to shame, has been reclaimed through this body of work to examine the taboo in our communities with fresh, honest and unflinching voices.

BenLuis &

Chris Planas Duo

Monico Ben Luis’ music sits on the top shelf with an extensive musical background from jazz, latin, and rock to classical and contemporary Christian. He plays at local high school musicals, teaches jazz, coaches jazz vocalists and is the musical director of BVUMC. Ben has performed at top venues such as Yoshi’s (Oakland and SF), the Razz Room, Anna’s Jazz Island and other local venues with groups such as Little Brown Brother, the Ben Luis Quartet, and play with internationally renowned vocalists the likes of Sandra Viray. Chris Planas grew up in Hawaii and has been playing the guitar for over 30 years. He was a founding member of Hawaii's world beat favorites Pagan Babies and has played with The Jump Up Steelband, Blues Logic, LauraLee Brown and Company, Oriente, and Little Brown Brother. Chris is a vocalist, composer, writer and has taught at UC Berkeley and at Berkeley City College.

Barangay Dance Company

Barangay Dance Company is a San Francisco based Filipino folk dance organization whose mission is to preserve the rich Filipino cultural heritage through the arts of Philippine folk dance and music. Since its inception in 1987, Barangay has actively represented the Filipino American community at numerous events including multicultural festivals such as the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and the Asian-American Tradewinds Series. Barangay Continues to offer free community workshops on Philippine folk dance, expanding its to goal to not only entertain but to educate.

APCA S.E.E.D. students

Our mission is to provide a unique educational and developmental platform for multidisciplinary Philippine arts through innovative hands-on classes, collaborations, networking opportunities, and showcasing events. We strive to nurture both traditional and progressive Philippine arts to strengthen our community and ethnic identity. Artistic Director, Jay Loyola and Assistant Artistic Director Jennifer Reyes instruct young people ages 5-18 on Philippine Folk Dance Forms. New students will learn the basics of Philippine Dance as well as apply what they have learned to choreography. Each class is designed with the student in mind for natural progression and growth.

With a SPECIAL guest performance

...be there to witness AND participate!

Vendors

We have a GREAT group of vendors coming out to the festival! Find that wonderfully unique and uniquely wonderful gift for that special someone, check out one of the best venues in the Bay Area for your next holiday party, learn about some awesome community organizations!

Oakland Asian Cultural Center

The OACC was founded in 1984 by a coalition of volunteers who recognized the need for a strong artistic and cultural force in the Chinatown area. Since opening its own facility in 1996 in the heart of Oakland's Chinatown district, the OACC has presented countless high quality cultural programs including performances, workshops, festivals, school tours, classes, and exhibitions. The OACC currently offers classes in the following: Dance - Children's Chinese Dance, Philippine Folk Dance, Mongolian Dance; Martial Arts - Shaolin Gong Fu, Qi Gong , Tai Chi; Music - Chinese Zither (GuZheng), Korean Drumming (Samulnori), Philippine Rondalla; Language Arts - Mongolian Language; Visual Arts - Chinese Drawing Art, Chef Fruit & Vegetable Carving

FLINC, Inc

FLINC is a Bay Area-based apparel retailer and screenprinter. Our mission is to provide consumers with high-quality and well-designed goods at an affordable price. We also provide storefront and fulfillment services to independent artists, designers and nonprofit organizations.

Arkipelago Books

ARKIPELAGO Bookstore is your source for the finest in Filipino heritage materials. Our bookstore is a full service, community-based specialty bookshop that serves as a resource center for all Filipinos and for those desiring to learn more about the Philippines. It is a center where emerging artists and writers can showcase their works as well as a meeting place for other community related events. Arkipelago is also bridging the information gap in the community by providing resources to educational institutions, libraries, and individuals.

RozWell Clothing
Don’t you hate when you walk into a party just to see that someone else has the same exact thing on? You feel like going home to change! RozWell is there to help keep those chances slim and put good use to that oversized Wu-Tang shirt that’s collecting dust in your closet. All materials are purchased, sewn together, then sold out of Oakland, CA.

No Worries Restaurant

No Worries is committed to minimizing its impact on the environment by fully supporting the vegan/vegetarian diet. It is a proven fact that eating a meatless diet can have tremendous benefits on the environment by lessening the use of our natural resources to raise animals. No Worries intends to provide healthy and delicious vegetarian food for people to enjoy while giving light to the possibility of a more conscientious eating habit. Have YOU eaten yet?

Titania Buchholdt
All proceeds from the goods provided by Mindanao Lilang-Lilang and Titania Buchholdt will be donated back to the artists in the Philippines who produced them.

Filipino American National Historical Society - East Bay Chapter

“The mission of the Filipino American National Historical Society shall be to promote understanding, education, enlightenment, appreciation, and enrichment through the identification, gathering, preservation and dissemination of the history and culture of the Filipino Americans.“

Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc.
Philippine American Writers and Artists, strives to create and encourage literature and arts for the preservation and enrichment of Filipino and Filipino American historical, cultural and spiritual values. In accordance with this vision, PAWA takes the lead in introducing new creative forms and techniques to actively disseminate Philippine life and culture to American readers. PAWA holds many events throughout the year, from book launches to staged readings, so check out their website to keep up to date on PAWA activities!

San Francisco Pinoy Jazz Festival The roots of Pinoy Jazz in the Bay Area can be traced to early Filipino immigrants who settled in and around the Fillmore District and in Manilatown on Kearny Street next to Chinatown. Pioneers like Flip Nuñez and Rudy Tenio created a legacy which many artists have since followed. Today, Pinoy jazz is gaining wider recognition as artists like Charmaine Clamor earned a spot on the national charts and saxophonist Jon Irabagon won the 2008 Thelonius Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.

Maganda Magazine
{m}aganda magazine is a student-run academic publication based at the University of California, Berkeley. Founded in 1989 , it has evolved from its beginnings as a bi-annual magazine, and is now a diverse anthology of submitted work that is published once a year. We serve as a vital forum for the presentation of diverse experiences and opinions through all platforms for creativity–including art, prose, poetry, film, music, journalism and scholarly writing.

There will also be art and craft activities all afternoon - so come make a parol or a Philippine flag! Color a Bahay Kubo or Jeepney with your little one! Play sungka and learn how to make your own board! Learn to write in Baybayin! There will be a little something for everyone - see you Sunday! : )

Film - Chicago Filipino American Film Festival (CFAFF) - Chicago, IL

2010-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Chicago Filipino American Film Festival

November 5 - 7, 2010

Portage Theater

4050 N. Milwaukee Ave

Chicago, IL 60641

I've been blessed enough to witness the process of creating this event and it is truly a labor of love and passion for the people involved. They are thoughtful about their choices and dedicated to presenting truly high-quality work being created by our community. Many of the films they present have won numerous awards in other festivals around the world. This is a great event! Don't miss out!

For more information about the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival, check out their website http://cfaff.org/

Tickets are $10.00 per film.

Students can get in FREE for the SHORTS program on Sunday, November 7, with valid student ID

Program Schedule

FRIDAY

November 5, 2010

7:00 PM OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
@ The Portage Theater

8:00 PM OPENING NIGHT PRESENTATION

MANILA SKIES (HIMPAPAWID)

Directed by Raymond Red. (Philippines)

[taken from aaiff'10 website]

The Chicago Filipino American Film Festival opens its 2010 program with MANILA SKIES, a new feature film from Raymond Red, a true master of Philippine cinema, and winner of a Palme D’Or at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for his 2002 short film ANINO. With visually stunning cinematography set against a gritty urban landscape, Manila Skies tells the story of Raul, a frustrated dockworker who is driven by a serious of unfortunate events into a final act of desperation.

For more information on the Manila Skies and director Raymond Red, Click here: Manila Skies

10:30 PM AFTERPARTY @ DOLCE

DOLCE
4114 N. Kedzie
Chicago IL 60618
Dolce's Website

SATURDAY

NOVEMBER 6, 2010

2:00 PM UNDERACHIEVERS: THE CHAMPIONS OF MEDIOCRITY
Directed by D.B. Cheng (U.S.)

[taken from EM West Productions website]

Twentysomethings Drew, Brandon and Jake, friends since high school and fellow comic book fans, must rally together as they face the challenges of adult life. Will their superhero fantasies be enough to save them when their real lives fall short of their dreams and a secret rival unhatches an elaborate scheme of revenge? An upbeat indie feature from D.B. Cheng with winning performances from James Lontayao, Tom Lazur, and James Chen.

For more information on Underachievers: Champions of Mediocrity, click here: Underachievers website

[from website: theblackandblue.com]

4:30 PM GHOSTS DON’T EXIST
Directed by Eric Espejo (U.S.)
Winner of the D.C. Independent Film Festival.

Philip Roebuck stars as a television personality and ghost investigator who takes on one last assignment when the paranormal hits disturbingly close to home. A tightly woven horror and suspense thriller written and directed by Filipino American filmmaker Eric Espejo.
For more information on Ghosts don't Exist, click here:
Ghosts don't Exist website

7:00 PM FILMMAKER RECEPTION

8:00 PM Centerpiece Presentation
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.
Winner of the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award at the DC-APA Film Festival.

THE MOUNTAIN THIEF

Directed by Gerry Balasta. (U.S./Philippines)

[from movie website]

A father struggles to care for his son in Promised Land, an impoverished shanty town where the residents live day by day as scavengers among the garbage heaps of Payatas. First-time director, Gerry Balasta from New York City delivers a powerful debut feature that showcases the performances of actual residents of Payatas who participated in an acting workshop run by Balasta himself.

For more information on the the Mountain Thief, click here: The Mountain Thief Website

10:30 PM AFTERPARTY @ CUNA

CUNA
1113 W. Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL
Cuna's Website

SUNDAY

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

12:00 PM CFAFF SHORT FILM PROGRAM
**Students get in FREE with valid student ID**

“Anino” by Raymond Red Golden Palm award winner @ the Cannes Film Festival (2002)

“Harang” (“Barriers”) by Mikhail Red

“Kamera” by Mikhail Red

“66 Years, 2 Months, 21 Days… and Still Counting” by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

“Penny for Your Thoughts” by Ziggy Chicano

“Halcyon Days” by Steve Mallorca

“Mother” by John Raposas

“Letters from Alaska”by Roberto Ang Reyes

Check out their website or facebook event page for more information on the shorts being shown.
Click HERE: Facebook Event Page - CFAFF Shorts Program

5:00 PM Closing Night Presentation

SABUNGERO
Directed by Miguel Kaimo and Rozie Delgado (Philippines)
Winner of the Aloha Accolade Award at the 2010 Honolulu International Film Festival.

Winner of the Golden Palm at the 2010 Mexico International Film Festival.

[from imdb]

A man with a gift for breeding and raising champion gamecocks sacrifices career and family when his passion for the sport leads to obsession. With a moving lead performance by veteran Filipino actor Joel Torre and a talented supporting cast, SABUNGERO offers a candid glimpse into the world of Sabong.

For more information on Sabungero, and to watch a trailer, click here: Sabungero website

For more information about the Chicago Filipino American Film Festival, check out their website http://cfaff.org/

For more information on the Portage Theater, click here: http://www.portagetheater.org/

Friend CFAFF on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/be7wjp

"Like" CFAFF on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/c1J6KH

Produced by the Filipino American Network - Chicago. The Film Festival is sponsored in part by the following: Comcast, 41EightySeven Location Services, World of Dance, and GMA Pinoy.

Food truck/cart #3- Mr. Arroz Caldo & Tapa Boy - put THAT on your plate! - San Francisco & Los Angeles

2010-10-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Mr. Arroz Caldo
[San Francisco CA]

How appropriate! As fall settles into place here in the bay, and the wind begins to whip up a bit stronger, along comes that comfort food that warms your soul and stomach at the same time. Oh, saffrony, gingery goodness swimming in chicken based rice porridge - where have you been? : )

Just found him whilst surfing FB and Twitter. Yet another one to hunt. : )

Follow Mr. Arrroz Caldo on Twitter! @MrArrozCaldo

Like 'em on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/aHa4PU

Tapa Boy LA
[Los Angeles CA]

Breakfast all day? Yes, please!
FILIPINO Breakfast ALL day?! Oh, that's just HEAVEN.

I love (and I really do mean LOVE) Breakfast. I could eat breakfast food for lunch, dinner, brunch, merienda...whatever.

They also have these delectable goodies in HAND ROLL form and desserts [lumpia wrapper wrapped flan anyone? mmmm]

What makes it better?
Their truck is tricked out to look like a JEEPNEY.

Check out their website: http://tapaboyla.com/
Like 'em on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/b8Poez
Follow 'em on Twitter! @TapaBoyLA

Food Trucks and Food Carts - Part 2[?] - Roaming the streets of California

2010-10-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

Alright - so I've been wanting to write THIS particular blog for quite some time. I became obsessed with food trucks and food carts over the summer - weirdly enough, as a viral voyeur. I began following the Lumpia Cart guy and Adobo Hobo via Twitter but never really actively sought them out until recently [truthfully, I have yet to catch up with the Lumpia guy]. But I popped my proverbial food cart/truck cherry when my boyfriend and I finally caved and wandered over to the Oakland Underground Market that hosted quite a few wonderful and creative culinary artists from all over the Bay Area - including [and I remember this] a group of folks who seemed to be a family serving up some delicious looking adobo. Unfortunately, by the time I had located them in that square parking lot, I had already scarfed down my fair share of pulled pork, samples of bacon hot sauce, sweets, etc - so I didn't partake in their cuisine that night.

While some folks might proclaim "I can make that at home!" and walk away, I am excited to see our people's cuisine getting 'props' from mainstream communities, clearing the way for our next generation of culinary artisans to share our food with pride. Many of the folks you'll find on these trucks are bonafide chefs with extensive training- culinary artisans with creative vision and a commitment to our ethnic culinary heritage. So don't knock it till ya try it. Kain Na!

Adobo Hobo
[San Francisco, CA]

My nephew DEVOURED two servings of A.H.'s adobo at Off the Grid one Friday evening. My favorite thing that I've tried: their Calamansi-Thai Basil Cooler/Refresher. Damn Good. So damn good I had three of them.

[Picture: Chicken Adobo Tacos. Taken from their website]

Follow them on Twitter: @adobohobo

Website: Adobo Hobo

Hapa SF
[San Francisco, CA]

Fun, fun, fun! Their Sisig Tacos were pretty damn good - considering that I've always shied away from sisig in general because of the ear and cartilage thing... I must say, pig jowls are pretty tasty. William and Olivia wonderfully blend the savory notes of Filipino cuisine with the organic, fresh sensibilities of California cuisine.

[From their website] "Hapa SF is the new venture from Chef William Pilz. Hapa SF is modern organic casual Filipino cuisine blended with California sensibilities in the least likely of settings: a taco truck. Hapa SF uses the finest seasonal ingredients sourced from local farmers’ markets to create familiar Filipino American dishes such as lumpia and adobo at a value-conscious price. Our focus is to tantalize your taste buds with our innovative take on classic Filipino cuisine."

[Sisig & Egg over rice. Mmmm. Picture from HapaSF website.]
Follow them on Twitter: @HapaSF

Website: Hapa SF

Lumpia Cart
[San Francisco, CA]

Haven't had the pleasure of running into these cats yet, but anything deep fried = awesome. And Turon a la mode with Ube Ice Cream??? Now that's worth chasing...

Find 'em on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/cKXV91

Follow 'em on Twitter: @LumpiaCart

[Turon with Ube Ice Cream. From Yelp.]

Malinumnum Treats
[San Francisco, CA]

This picture alone - a piece of succulent lechon kawali nestled in a steamed bun - is enough evidence of awesome goodness. It's time to go food truck hunting!

Like 'em on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/dpgpPm

Follow 'em on Twitter: @MaliNumNum

[Photo from MaliNumNum's Facebook Page]

Senor Sisig
[San Francisco, CA]

A mix of my favorite hometown foods - Filipino and Mexican! Senor Sisig serves up Filipino inspired tacos, burritos, rice plates and more! Carne Asada Fries with lasang pinoy meaty savories? Could it be? : )

Find Senor Sisig on Facebook! http://on.fb.me/aNVTVk

Follow 'em on Twitter: @SenorSisig

Manila Machine
[Los Angeles, CA]

Heads up to our folks in the Bay - Manila Machine has Pan De Sal Sliders - stuffed with our favorite 'silog' meats! : ) AND they have a Theme Song! Oh yes, looking forward to making a trek down to LA to check 'em out.

Check out their website: Manila Machine

Follow 'em on Twitter: @manilamachine

Both of the Manila Machine proprietors are respected Food Bloggers/Authors in their own right. Marvin Gapultos blogs at http://www.burntlumpia.com/, contributes to Mutineer Magazine and has been featured on http://www.epicurious.com/ and http://www.seriouseats.com/. Nastassia Johnson blogs at http://www.letmeeatcake.com/

White Rabbit Truck
[Los Angeles (mostly) & San Diego (occasionally), CA]

So I first encountered these guys down in San Diego when I was home for the FilAmFest - and I couldn't believe it. THEY HAD A CHALLENGE worthy of Adam Richman of Man Vs. Food.

But a little about the folks behind the truck for a minute: "After years of fine tuning in our kitchen laboratories, we have created the perfect blend of Filipino, American and Mexican foods…we introduce White Rabbit! It all started in our kitchen a year ago, just experimenting and cooking for friends and family. With the rise of the popularity of Filipino food, we noticed that there were no places that served true Filipino Fusion food. Now we are able to bring this medley of food to the streets, where everybody can experience the goodness of a few of our favorite childhood Filipino foods, and now with an American and Mexican twist." [Taken from their website]

White Rabbit Truck has something called the "6 lb Challenge." And yes, I expecte to see Adam Richman tackle this one in the near future. Here's what it entails:

ONE person must eat a burrito made up of...

6 eggs 3 lbs of any meat (tocino, bistek, etc) 6 scoops of rice 12 slices of cheese

all wrapped in 6 tortillas that ends up being TWO FEET IN LENGTH. You have 45 minutes to finish it.

Website: White Rabbit Truck
Find 'em on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/czhyrF
Follow 'em on Twitter: @whiterabbittruk

[Picture from their website. Looks like their contestant had 'deconstructed' the burrito as a strategy to take down their challenge.]

Happy Eating!

Dance Performance - Ritwal - Oct 23, 2010 - San Francisco CA

2010-10-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Ritwal
October 23, 2010
Cowell Theater
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA
2:00 pm & 7:00 pm
$25.00

Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble believes in the power of dance and music to educate the Pilipino-American community and diverse audiences about the Philippine culture. Pilipino Americans are the fastest growing Asian American population in the United States, however we are not seen as a unified community.

Likha works to showcase the diversity of our culture on the stage to bridge differences within Pilipino American cultures, and to educate Pilipino American youth and adults who do not have the opportunities to learn about their culture. We also seek to educate other cultures who have never seen or heard about the Philippines.

For more information, check out Likha's website: http://www.likha.org/

For tickets, click here: http://bit.ly/bvI950

Live Theater - Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang - Oct 7 to Oct 31 - San Diego, CA

2010-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

The newest offering from Mo'olelo Performing Arts Company [San Diego, CA].

Only two more weekends left!

Yellow Face
by David Henry Hwang

Mo'olelo Performing Arts Co.
at the 10th Avenue Theater
930 10th Avenue
San Diego, CA

Running til October 31, 2010

For more information and to buy tickets, check out Mo'olelo's website: http://www.moolelo.net/

***

Can you choose your face?

Yellow Face is the story of a world famous Asian American playwright, a Caucasian actor who gets his big break, and a Chinese American banker living the "Jimmy Stewart life." Written by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M.Butterfly), Yellow Face explores the complexities, contradictions and comedy of the construct of race.

***
Still on the fence about going to see it?

Check out these RAVE Reviews!

Union Tribune: http://bit.ly/cBCxVQ
SanDiego.Com: http://bit.ly/a0moUF

[Photo from sandiego.com. Photo by Nick Abadilla]

11th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival - Oct 21 - 28, 2010 - San Diego, CA

2010-10-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite events of the year - even though I may not be home. I've watched this event - and organization - grow and blossom into the success that it is today. Many congrats to Lee Ann Kim and her amazing staff for nurturing their "baby" into the lovely, amazing event that it is today. Kudos!

San Diego
Asian Film Festival

October 21 - 28, 2010

Hazard Center UltraStar Cinemas in Mission Valley

7510 Hazard Center Drive
San Diego, CA

Experience the 11th San Diego Asian Film Festival. Join us for over 120 film premieres from all around the world. Celebrate the best Asian Pacific Islander cinema with us at special events, celebrity panels, and late night parties. Mingle and network with hundreds of film makers, actors, and industry professionals.

...

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
• Opening night film on Thursday, October 21 with the West Coast premiere of LEGEND OF THE FIST, an epic Chinese martial arts film starring Donnie Yen

• Free Films at Four – every weekday at 4PM films are free to the public

• Celebrity appearances by John Cho (STAR TREK), Harry Shum Jr (GLEE), Ellen Wong (SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD), Aaron Yoo (21, THE WACKNESS), Justin Lin (Director FAST AND FURIOUS), Danny Pudi (NBC's COMMUNITY)

• Special Industry Parties including our Friday Evening THIN/ONYX party in downtown and Saturday evening 18+ BLOWFISH event w/special Music Video presentations and live performances

For more information, movie showtimes, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.sdaff.org

Be Wise. Love Film. Enjoy the Show.

Support ASWANG! Help make the production a reality! - worldwide

2010-10-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Is the story of the Manananggal meant to discredit the powerful and respected female shamans of pre-colonial times?

TheManananggal is a mythical creature in Malay folklore - a beautiful woman capable of severing her upper torso and flying to prey on the hearts and blood of unborn children. But might this have been European, Christian propaganda used to subjugate the Indios of the Philippines through the power of religion? After all, during pre-colonial times these women were powerful and well-respected in their communities. What about the story of the giant cigar-smoking Kapre who lives atop tall trees in the forest? Was this more clever propaganda to convince the natives to chop down their forests in order to feed the greed of the galleon trade? What about the vicious Tianak? The Siokoy of the sea? Composer Florante Aguilar an director/choreographer Alleluia Panis will creatively explore these possibilities.

ASWANG, Florante Aguilar's newest work, will premiere in the 2011-2012 performance season. Please support Florante and KulArts to bring this WONDERFUL piece to life! The San Francisco Foundation will MATCH all donations given between now and October 19. Click here to make a donation today! [This will link you to a secure donation site on Florante's website].

*** About the Composer ***

FLORANTE AGUILAR
Critically-acclaimed guitarist Florante Aguilar is considered one of the leading proponents of Philippine harana music in America today. He is comfortable playing traditional western classical music as a virtuoso and also ventures into contemporary music and other genres with ease. But his true love and affinity belongs to the music he grew up with in the Philippines - the music of a bygone era called the harana.

Florante was recently awarded a grant by the San Francisco Arts Commission to compose a brand new work in the harana style titled Lalawigan - A Tagalog Song Cycle to premiere in Spring of 2009.

Born in Manila, Florante grew up in Cavite province where he learned to play the octavina in a rondalla group. At an early age, he picked up the guitar by way of rock and roll and by sixteen was enrolled at the University of the Philippines College of Music where he was trained as a classical musician. In 1985, Florante toured Europe, United States and Asia for 6 1/2 months performing in major cities both as a soloist and ensemble player.

Later, he moved to New York under a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music with Sharon Isbin, Grammy Award winner and current guitar department chair of the Juilliard School. Florante also studied with internationally-recognized Filipino guitarist Michael Dadap and has performed in masterclasses of guitar luminaries such as David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, David Starobin, Frederic Hand and Benjamin Verdery.

Florante later accepted a position with the pioneering Buffalo Guitar Quartet where he toured and recorded the critically acclaimed CD New Music for Four Guitars (New World 384-2). Florante received his Bachelor of Music Degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1996 under the tutelage of David Tanenbaum.

*** About the Director/Choreographer ***

ALLELUIA PANIS is a theater director, choreographer and the driving force behind Kularts and the Alleluia Panis Dance Theatre (APDT).

She has received commissioning awards from the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, New Langton Arts, and Brava! for Women in the Arts and the San Francisco Arts Commission as well as the Choreographic Fellowship from the California Arts Council.

She has created fifteen full-length dance theater works since 1980, which have been performed on main stages in the US, Europe and Asia.

She has collaborated with numerous artists including Jon Jang, Danongan Kalanduyan, Francis Wong, visual artist Santiago Bose, among others. From 1998-2003, she created a warrior trilogy, Gabriela-Warrior Spirit, The Warrior Project and Heroes, with escrima (Philippine stick/blade fighting system) master, Maestro Dexter Labonog and Bahala Na Giron Escrima. From 2004-06, she developed Mutya — a multi-disciplinary piece exploring the female creative energy and the intersection of spirit/body, ritual/dance. Mutya was performed to rondalla music by Fil-Am Vet Rondalla, with video art by Ana Hortillosa and costumes by Anthony Legarda.

In 2005, she choreographed Cherie Moraga's The Hungry Woman, a production by Stanford University Theater Department and directed the Maguindanaon Royal Wedding by the Magui Moro Master Artists of the Philippines. In 2006, she collaborated with Jill Togawa and taiko drummer Ellen Bepp in Purple Moon Dance Project's production of Mahina. In 2007, she collaborated (choreographer & director) with Sean San Jose on his new play, Tsismis, she directed Pinay Stories, with emerging artists Irene Faye Duller, Lolan Sevilla and Tina Bartolome; and directed the Ifugao Music & Dance Ensemble of Banaue. For 2008 she will direct Florante Aguilar's 2008 musical project Lalawigan. Her next project to be completed in Spring 2009 and funded by SF Arts Commission is Ibig-Pulse of Desire with poets Jaime Jacinto and Oscar Penaranda.

****
For more information about Florante Aguilar, please visit his website at http://www.florante.org/
For more information about Alleluia Panis and KulArts, please visit their website at http://www.kularts.org/

Please consider making a donation to help make ASWANG a reality! Click http://florante.org/aswang to help Florante gain that matching grant from the SF Foundation. Maraming Salamat!

[Photos taken from the constant contact email sent to KulArts Subscribers. Content regarding the show and artists pulled from their respective websites]

San Francisco Filipino Jazz Festival Redux - [10/15] FRIDAY NIGHT ONLY! - Oakland, CA

2010-10-15T00:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you who missed the SF Filipino Jazz Festival last weekend at Yoshi's in the Fillmore, here's a second shot at catching one of the headliners - Sandra Viray.

SF Filipino Jazz Festival Afterparty

Friday, October 15, 2010

Piedmont Piano Company

1728 San Pablo Ave.

Oakland, CA

8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Tickets: $10.00

More information about the festival: http://www.sfpinoyjazzfest.com/

More information about Piedmont Piano: http://www.piedmontpiano.com/
Hope to see you at the show!

Happy Filipino American History Month! October 2010 - San Francisco, CA

2010-10-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings readers!

Yes, it IS Filipino American History Month - not Filipino American Heritage Month, not Philippine Heritage Month. Yes, there is significance and difference among the three. But that is not a conversation to be had on a blog (for me at least). That's a conversation to be had in a circle of folks, over some food, drinks, and perhaps some kulintang or rondalla or something in the background. But mostly food, friends, cups of libation, and conversation.

This month is a celebration of the experiences of our community stateside, of the activities ongoing here that celebrate our struggles, our words, our experiences - our lives. Here are some events going on to keep your eye on...

***
San Francisco Public Library presents
Beyond Manny & Marcos:
Far Out Filipino American Films and Theater
curated by Anthem Salgado

October 16, 2010
3pm-5:30pm
Free admission

San Francisco Public Library’s Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Info: 415.545.8058
www.anthemsalgado.com/events.htm

Celebrating Filipino American History Month, San Francisco Public Library presents "Beyond Manny and Marcos", a showcase of far-out Filipino American short films and theater curated by Anthem Salgado, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit “Singgalot (The Ties That Bind), Filipinos in America, from Colonial Subjects to Citizens.”

From the Pacific islands to San Francisco’s SoMa district, fairytales to psychotic fantasies, this showcase highlights unique tales by Filipino American artists from the fringe. Beyond pop-culture and political icons (sometimes being one in the same) like boxing super-hero Manny Pacquiao or martial law super-villain Ferdinand Marcos, this collection of films and performances delivers a versatile range of content and craft in the exploration of the future of the Filipino American narrative.

FILMS

TABI TABI PO by James GaNyan Garcia
A short documentary and companion film for the "Tabi Tabi Po" visual art exhibit, celebrating Filipino folklore through urban contemporary art. Artists share the creatures’ origins, existence, and cultural significance. The Kapre, Manananggal, Duwende, Tikbalang, and Aswang are just a sampling of the haunting creatures that are brought to life in this exhibit. More info: tabitabipo.org

NEUROTIQUE NO. 6 by Nara Denning [above picture from this movie]
A Neo-Silent Vignette. Deep in the jungles of Hawaii, Madame Pele the volcano goddess creates life as she makes love to her waterfall lover. She is visited by an ambitious adventure photographer who inspires the dark side of her elemental moods. This is the finale in a series of tragic love stories.

TODAY IS YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW by Wilfred Galila
The cyclicality of the creative process is explored through the connected experiences in a woman’s life.

DEN OF SIN
The Jack Lords Orchestra filmed November 4th, 2009, during Game 6 of the World Series.

YOU WILL REMEMBER by Yasmine Gomez
Director Yasmine Gomez creates a stunning juxtaposition of beauty and violence in a shadowy fairy tale twist of love gone wrong in San Francisco indie favorite Lumaya's music video debut.

SCIENCE by Marc Fajardo
A man loses his mind inside his apartment while his two friends try to calm him down. It's what you get when you leave a guy alone with 30 paper cups and a statue of Krishna. Music video directed by Marc Fajardo. Music by Kevs One, aka Kevin Michaels.

UNDER CONTROL by Apsci
Bronx’s Ra LaMotta and his Filipino-Australian spouse, Dana Diaz-Tutaan made this video using nothing but their iPhone, a portable printer and a webcam. They performed the track in front of the webcam and printed it up into the handheld snapshots that fly by in the globe-hopping video, which hopscotches from Brooklyn to the Grand Canyon, Vegas, Hawaii and Australia at the speed of sound. They took additional shots using the iPhone, then mashed the production nightmare into an eye-tripping visual for their body-rocking song. In other words, ApScis video has no video in it. No post-production either.

OLD SOLE by Steven E. Mallorca
The members of P.I.C roam their old neighborhood, looking for some kicks and a place to go, as they wax nostalgic and muse about the wearing of their own souls. “Old Sole is the album highlight, which finds the rappers, Sulu, J-Bomb and Un-G seeing the wordplay in the words ‘soul’ and ‘sole’ (as in sneaker), and obsessing over their existence and kicks with equal wonder.” - Okayplayer.com

MY SOUND IS FULL by RJ Lozada
"My Sound Is Full" is one of four short films from the Kularts SoMa Voices project that showcases both the youth and the South of Market neighborhood in a very loose but cognizant conversation on identity and contested spaces. SoMa youth, Sheila Ano responds to an interview set against the backdrop of the Vicki Manalo Draves Park and the Bryant Street Jail.

THEATER

BATHALA NA! by Meldy Hernandez
Bathala Na! is the story of a mother and daughter that only a healthcare provider can tell - one woman's cartography of the body, breast cancer, and the music of the ancestral drums that can save her. An intensely personal and unexpectedly hilarious tale that will leave you dancing!

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED written my Emmanuel Romero and directed by John Caldon
Movie night gets hijacked when two lovers are confronted with a problem they thought they had put behind them. Originally produced by Bindlestiff Studio as part of their 2010 Bakla Show.

BEN by Kyle Limin
A movement-based work about confronting one's nightmares. Kyle Limin is a SF native who has heavily involved himself in the Bay Area hip hop dance community, having danced and choreographed for Funk Beyond Control, Mind Over Matter, Project Em, and Funkanometry SF, he finally introduces his own project, Call It Art.

THE PASSION OF EL HULK HOGANCITO by Jason Magabo Perez
The Passion of El Hulk Hogancito is a semiautoethnographic multimedia literary performance. Reading drafts from his fictionalized memoir, using enlarged newspaper clippings, framed court documents, projected family photographs, documentary film, and other visual illustrations as backdrop, Perez wrestles with authorship, post/coloniality and manic obsession, loses the Third Grade Show & Tell showdown, muses on the politics of childhood heroes, investigates the history of his crybabyness, and explores the trauma of the FBI’s 1970's racist criminalization of two recently-immigrated Filipina nurses, one of whom happens to be his mother.

Check out Anthem's webpage at http://www.anthemsalgado.com/
Article in the SF Weekly on the show: http://bit.ly/9NvPTx

***

Book Launching :
Bulaklak sa Tubig: Mga Tula ng Pag-ibig at Himagsik
[Flowers in Water: Poems on Love and Struggle]

by Dr. Ma. Joi Barrios
Translations by Mark Pangilinan

Sunday, October 17 · 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Bayanihan Community Center
1010 Mission Street (@ 6th Street)
San Francisco, CA

with a reading from Joi Barrios and special guest Mark Pangilinan, translator of "Bulaklak sa Tubig"

Featuring a musical performance by Chat and Pendong Aban of Ang Grupong Pendong

Sponsored by:
Arkipelago Books
US Committee for the Protection of Workers' Rights
Liwanag Kultural Center

****

Published by Anvil Publishing Inc., the new book contains Barrios’s latest poems written in Filipino, with accompanying English translation by Mark Pangilinan, also a poet and translator pursuing his doctorate degree at the University of California, Irvine.

Bulaklak sa Tubig “are courageous love poems that address the paradoxical nature of nation, of struggle, and of the deeply personal, giving voice to victims of violence, the workers, the women, the disappeared,” said Sylvia Tiwon of the UC, Berkeley. “Often in the voice of woman, Barrios’s poems are exquisite guerrilla forays into the theater of contemporary cultural wars; we emerge from them having learned that love’s secret name is justice,” she enthuses.

Stony Brook University’s Nerissa S. Balce said, “Joi Barrios's metaphors, images and words attempt to capture the impossible — ‘bare life’ as a Filipino condition. In her lush Tagalog verse, we encounter hopeful lovers, murdered farm workers, grieving mothers of missing activists, Jose Rizal's radical but lesser-known sister, and countless Filipino immigrants.” She adds: “There is love and loss, brutality and beauty, history and memory in her elegant poems that beg to be read in both languages.”

Neferti Tadiar of Columbia University called Barrios “one of the most influential and major voices in Philippine feminist poetry.” Moreover, she says, “in bringing together the unforgettable laments and protests, cries of anger and consolation, and songs of love and solidarity that she has penned and performed over the last few decades of feminist and nationalist struggle, Barrios offers us a poignant, vivid and inspiring chronicle of the life force of sentiment that is the hidden and yet indispensable force of political commitment and community.”

National Artists for Literature Virgilio S. Almario and Bienvenido Lumbera also offer high praise in Filipino.

Almario said, “Dapat basahin si Joi bilang makata na babae, feminista, aktibista, at nasyonalista. Magkakatuwang ang mga naturang katangian upang ibukod siya sa kasalukuyang hanay ng mga makata sa Filipinas. Magkakatuwang din ang mga ito upang higit siyang maging kapani-paniwalang tinig kaysa makatang babae lamang, feminista lamang, aktibista lamang, o nasyonalista lamang.” (Joi should be read as a poet who is a woman, feminist, activist and patriot. Together, these characteristics make her stand out from the rest of the Philippine poets, and make her a more credible voice.)

For his part, Lumbera noted, “laging nakaugnay sa mga batayang isyu ng bayan, tunay na makabuluhan ang pagtula ni Joi saanman siya naroroon.” (Always linked with basic people issues, Joi’s poetry makes compelling impact wherever she may be.)

Barrios teaches Filipino and Philippine literature at the University of California, Berkeley while on leave as Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines. A recipient of the TOWNS award (The Outstanding Women in the Nation's Service) in 2004, she has won the Palanca Awards for poetry, drama, and the essay, and continues to be a strong presence in the literary world through her plays (Mrs. B., February 2010), and her recent publications (Savage Stage: Plays by Ma-Yi Theater Company).

Bulaklak sa Tubig is Barrios’s third poetry collection. Her first two are Ang Pagiging Babae ay Pamumuhay sa Panahon ng Digma (To Be a Woman is to Live at a Time of War) and Minatamis at Iba Pang Tula ng Pag-ibig (Sweetened Fruit and Other Love Poems).

Find the event on Facebook and let them know you're coming! http://on.fb.me/akM32v

Walang Hiya Writer's Workshop for youth - Oakland, CA

2010-09-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Walang Hiya

Youth Writing

Workshop Series

For youth ages 14-19

October 5 - November 18, 2010

When: Every Tuesday and Thursday Night,

from 6:00pm-7:00pm

Where; Oakland Asian Cultural Center

388 9th Street, Suite 290 Oakland, CA

Cost: $25.00 per student for the entire series.

Materials, Food and Drinks will be provided every session.

...

Taught by established Bay Area Pilipino American Literary Artists:

Roseli Ilano
Adrien Salazar
Michelle Ferrer
& More Guest Artists!

Let your voice be heard! Share your story and help strengthen our community! Learn how to create a zine or publication! Perform at the Filipino American Cultural Arts Festival on November 21st!

All students will receive their own copy of Walang Hiya, a groundbreaking collection of poetry and short fiction by today's most established and anticipated Pilipino and Pilipino American writers. Walang Hiya, a term traditionally used to shame has been reclaimed through this body of work to examine the taboo in our communities with fresh, honest and unflinching voices.

LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE! Please pre-register by contacting Herna ("Er-Na") Cruz-Louie at (510) 380-8250 or at herna.cruzlouie@philippinearts.org

Co-sponsored by the American Center of Philippine Arts (ACPA).

To order a copy of the book, or for more information, please click here: Walang Hiya Link
Facebook Event Page: Walang hiya FB Event Page
Find and "like" ACPA on Facebook! ACPA on Facebook!

Oct 2, 2010 - FILAMFEST - Filipino American Arts & Culture Festival - San Diego, CA

2010-09-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

FilAmFest 2010

"Celebrating the Bayanihan Spirit"

Saturday, October 2, 2010

11 am - 6 pm

Paradise Hills in Southeast San Diego

On Paradise Valley Rd. between Woodman & Gilmartin

FREE!!!

Check out their website: http://www.filamfest.org/

Follow the festival on Twitter & Facebook!

Twitter: @filamfest

Facebook: http://bit.ly/bcvVYa

I can't help but fluff my feathers a little bit with this one. I was one of the lead coordinators for FilAmFest 2007 and 2008 and am very proud to say that it was the people that I worked with those two years that helped swell the visibility of this amazing event to where it stands today. I am proud to be a part of FilAmFest's history and support the folks who are continuing the wonderful work being done through FilAmFest.

I'll be flying home to check out this year's festivities. Hope to see you there!

Featured Artists

Filipino Heritage Night - SF Giants - San Franicisco, CA

2010-09-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the growing number of "heritage nights" that are popping up all over the sports world...here's another one. : )

Filipino Heritage Night II

with the San Francisco Giants

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

7:15PM

Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

Ticket Prices
$20: View Reserve Infield Ticket Option
$25: View Reserve Infield Ticket Option + Filipino-Themed Giants Beanie
$27: Lower Box Ticket Option

All Ticket Packages Include:

*Pre-game on field cultural entertainment

*Pre-game festival in Seals Plaza from 5:15pm-7:15pm with cultural food + drink specials + entertainment

*Seat in Special Filipino Heritage Section of the Ballpark

*Giants-themed miniature jeepney

Reserve your tickets today!! This event will sellout!

Buy tickets online here: SF Giants Filipino Heritage Night Tickets

Presented by: LIGO: Philippines #1 Sardines
In Community Partnership with: Filipino American Arts Exposition, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Gawad Kalinga, and Ayala Foundation

Filipino International Film Festival - Los Angeles, CA

2010-09-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Filipino International

Film Festival

Los Angeles - (FIFFLA)

September 24th-26th

Arena Stage at The Theatre of Arts - Hollywood, CA

1625 N Las Palmas Ave.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Filipino International Film Festival Los Angeles (FIFFLA) is a non-profit organization designed to promote Filipino talent and culture through cinema on an international level.

The goal of FIFFLA is to bridge Philippine cinema and Filipino artists worldwide with Hollywood. Filipino actors, writers, producers, and directors can connect to share ideas, concepts and talents. This festival will focus on showcasing Filipino artistry in all levels of film-making in front and behind the camera. It will show Hollywood the true scope of what Filipino talent can produce as a global community. It will enhance the art of filmmaking in the Philippines by infusing all talents together. In addition, it will highlight the beauty of Filipino culture and heritage.

TICKET PRICES

$20 for Opening Night
(tickets purchased for opening night are also good for admission to one additional film screening on Saturday or Sunday)

$10 for any showings on Saturday and Sunday

$50 for an UNLIMITED ALL ACCESS PASS to any of the films

Tickets are available at the door or at www.brownpapertickets.com (Type in "Filipino International Film Festival). Pre-sale tickets through www.brownpapertickets.com are recommended.

Check out FIFFLA online!

Facebook: http://bit.ly/9sq3Yy

FB Event Page: http://bit.ly/cB6tZT

Twitter: @FIFFLosAngeles

Buy Tickets for FIFFLA at Brown Paper Tickets: http://bit.ly/cbsisf

******

Find the Film Festival Schedule below:

FRIDAY – SEPTEMBER 24th

OPENING NIGHT RED CARPET GALA

7:00 – 8:00PM – Arrival of Guests/Reception
(open bar sponsored by VUQO premium vodka www.vuqo.com, music provided by DJ Zeb)

8:00PM – 8:30PM – Opening Night Festivities
(Featuring a special performance by Kaba Modern Legacy www.kmlegacy.com)

8:30PM – 10:30PM – OPENING NIGHT FEATURE

*NOY http://www.noythemovie.com/
Courtesy of Cinemedia and Star Cinema

(LIMITED ENGAGEMENT, only 50 seats available for sale and other 50 reserved for VIP/press).
To purchase tickets visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/129323)

SATURDAY – SEPTEMBER 25th

9:30AM – 12:00PM – High School Youth Program in Film making

12:30PM – 1:45PM – 1st Block of Shorts
*Technophilia – Philippines – 6min 37 sec – Directed by Rianne Hill Soriano
*”Stay Here” by Leah – US – Music Video 4min 25sec – Directed by Christopher Ad. Castillio
*O – US – 2min 5sec – Directed by Amber Rosario Manuguid
*Tulungan Kita (I’ll Help You) – Canada – 4min 46 sec – Directed by Fernando Dalayoan
* Liham – US – 11min 20sec – Directed by Clarissa Munoz-Banerjee
* Bout That Bout – US – 26min 47sec – Directed by Nico Sabenorio
*Visions of Love Unknown – US – 3min 12 sec – Choreographed – Shaun Evaristo – Directed by Richard Che
* Finally – US – 8min 1sec – Directed by Kristin Alcala

2:15PM – 3:45PM – Matinee Feature *Fling – Philippines – Directed by Han Salazar
(With English Subtitles)

4:30PM – 5:30PM – 2nd Block of Shorts
*Prom Date – Philippines – 15min – Directed by Charlotte Dianco
*”Lahat ng Araw” by Charmaine Clamor – Music Video 4min 38sec – Directed by Christopher Ad. Castillio
*Chocolate Meat – US – 7min 48sec – Directed by Justin Ryan Madriaga
*Unthinkable – US – 2min 20sec – Choreographed by Shaun Evaristo – Directed by Richard Che
*The Fork and Spoon – US – 2min 5sec – Directed by Amber Rosario Manuguid
*”Seven Months” by Bambu – Music Video 4min 28sec – Directed by Gabe Pagtama
*Codename: Dragonfly – US – 17min 20sec – Directed by Ron Santiano

6:00PM – 7:00PM PANEL FOR FILMMAKERS
Tom Draper
Allan Bailey
Mike Amato
FREE – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

7:30PM – 9:00PM – SATURDAY NIGHT FEATURE FILM
Filipino Mosquito – Documentary – Directed by R.A. Mendoza - US – 79min

SUNDAY – SEPTEMBER 26th

4:00PM – 6:00PM *A Journey Home
Directed by Paul Soriano
(With English Subtitles)

7:00PM – 9:00PM – CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

3rd Block of Shorts
*Little – Philippines – 34min 15sec – Directed by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo (With English Subtitles)*Pera Perahang Lata (Penny From Tin Can) – Philippines – 29min 50sec – Directed by Rianne Hill Soriano (With English Subtitles)
*Chasing Manila – Philippines – 18min 2sec – Directed by Paul Soriano (With English Subtitles)

*Films may be subject to change without notice

Makapo Casino Night - Saturday, Sept 18, 2010 - Newport Beach, CA

2010-09-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

2010 NAC/MAKAPO
Casino Night
Saturday, Sept 18, 2010
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Newport Aquatic Center
1 White Cliffs Drive
Newport Beach, CA

Come support OC Makapo Aquatics and the NAC for their 2nd Annual NAC/Makapo Casino Night fundraiser. This serves as our major fundraiser and is always a great way to help our blind and visually impaired paddlers. Cost is $40 presale and $50 at the door. Admission includes hors d'oeuvres, $500 in funny money play chips, and a chance to win great prizes.

****************

There are few people in this world who amaze me with the quiet and beautiful works they do. I ulimately believe that these folks reflect the best of all of us - collectively and individually - and what can be accomplished with a little passion, love, and commitment. I'm not saying that they're perfect - as none of us are - but the works that they do shine a little more light on the positive side of life that we all seek.

I've known the Executive Director, RJ De Rama, for years - though it's BEEN years since we've had the opportunity to get together. When we were attending UCI we were thick as thieves - he being part of that group that was my reprieve from my "student activism." Political views were never an issue - it was about the music, about family, about supporting each other. While it may have been years since we've seen each other, I fully support his work and the good that it does for all of us. For more information about the RJ and the rest of the Makapo staff, click here: http://bit.ly/a2Hc2x.

*************

For more information about the Orange County Makapo Aquatics Project - or O.C. MAP - check out their website: http://www.ocmap.org/. Find them on Facebook and become a fan: http://bit.ly/cLEyAA

South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) 10th Anniversary - Friday, Sept 17, 2010 - San Francisco, CA

2010-09-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

SOMCAN's 10 year Anniversary Celebration!

Friday, September 17, 2010

SOMArts Cultural Center

934 Brannan St.

San Francisco, CA

Doors Open @ 6:30 pm

Dinner @ 7:00 pm

$35.00/plate

SOMCAN's mission is to build and support a strong community through organizing, leadership development and community planning.

For many residents in SoMa, the quest to participate actively in the civic, political and social issues of San Francisco is often a struggle. Thirty-three percent of the SoMa community speaks little to no English, and twenty-five percent of residents in SoMa did not graduate from high school. To break down the barriers that many low-income, people of color, immigrant and working-class communities in SoMa face, SOMCAN's mission is to build and support a strong, organized community that takes collective action to achieve social justice and equity through organizing, leadership development and community planning.

By providing political education, community organizing and educational community meetings around critical issues such as land use, SOMCAN aims to empower those who are most disenfranchised to change existing conditions and to have the community's voices heard on the issues that affect them most.

For more information about SOMCAN, check out their website at http://www.somcan.org/

Rhytmes and Rhythms - Sat, Sept 18, 2010 - San Francisco, CA

2010-09-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

Manilatown Heritage Foundation and

Asian American Women Artists Association

present

Rhymes & Rhythms

Saturday, September 18, 2-5 PM

Doors open at 1:30 PM

I-Hotel Manilatown Center

868 Kearny Street (and Jackson)

San Francisco

Hosted by Nancy Hom and Avotcja

A Special Reading in Conjunction with AAWAA's A Place of Her Own Exhibit at Driftwood Salon

Writers:

Arlene Biala
Suruchi Mohan
Isabelle Pelaud
Evelie Delfino Sales Posch
Aimee Suzara
Maw Shein Win
Debbie Yee
Plus Nancy Hom and Avotcja

Rhymes & Rhythms is a quarterly poetry/performance series presented by MHF.

$5-$10 suggested donation
No one turned away for lack of funds

*****

Find Rhymes & Rhythm event page on Facebook @ http://bit.ly/9li1C1

For more info on Manilatown Heritage Foundation: http://www.manilatown.org/
Become a Fan on Facebook @ http://bit.ly/dnJraj

For info on AAWAA, check out http://www.aawaa.net/

For info on A Place of Her Own, check out http://www.aplaceofherown.org/

Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Our mission is to promote social and economic justice for Filipinos in America by preserving our history, advocating for equal access, and advancing our arts and culture.

Asian American Women Artists Association
AAWAA is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to ensuring the visibility and documentation of Asian American women in the arts. Through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs, we offer thought-provoking perspectives that challenge societal assumptions and promote dialogue. Founded in 1989, AAWAA serves as a portal to Asian American Women in the Arts, providing exhibitions, literary readings, speakers' bureau, workshops, publications, and educational resources.

*********
This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Supporting our Retail Artists - check out these Entre-pinays! - Worldwide

2010-09-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

As we continue to on this ever-evolving economic rollercoaster, check out the wares that these enthusiastic, innovative, ingenious, Filipina entrepeneurs (hence Entrepinays!) have to offer. They're world wide and on the web! Check 'em out, hit 'em up, and support their work! Pass the word! : )

Hurley Sashimi
Hurley Sashimi. Where fresh ideas, finger dexterity, and yarn intersect to create adventurous, handmade pieces.

This online shop features an original collection of hand-crocheted hats, scarves, and accessories by Dianne Que.

5% of all Hurley Sashimi Etsy sales is donated to Kamay at Puso (Hand & Heart) Community Center and Clinic in Madapdap, Pampanga, Philippines.

Website: http://www.hurleysashimi.etsy.com/
Blog: hurleysashimi.wordpress.com
Twitter: @hurleysashimi

*****

Rozwell Clothing & Accessories
RozWell Clothing & Accessories was established in June 2009 in the beautiful city of Oakland, CA by Rozel Cruz. Rozel is an independent artist whose works are handmade, one-of-a-kind clothing & accessories made from new & recycled materials. Custom designs are available. Specializing in upcycling men’s tees into women’s pieces, Rozel creates affordable yet one-of-a-kind, everyday-wear for women that strive to be unique just like herself.

Don’t you hate when you walk into a party just to see that someone else has the same exact thing on? You feel like going home to change! RozWell is there to help keep those chances slim and put good use to that oversized Wu-Tang shirt that’s collecting dust in your closet. All materials are purchased, sewn together, then sold out of Oakland, CA.

Website: www.rozwellclothing.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rozwellclothing
Twitter: @rozwellclothing
You can also find RozWell Clothing at FLINC!

*****

The Princess Rose
Whimsical Hair Fashions & Specialty Gifts for yourself or your little princess!!!
Handcrafted with ♥ by Lea Thayer

This is a specialty shop where you will find whimscial, girly and especially sweet hair fashions and gifts for yourself or that little princess in your life.

Website: www.theprincessrose.etsy.com
Find The Princess Rose on Facebook and become a Fan!http://bit.ly/ca7KFm

*****

Check out FLINC's ever-growing online catalog. They add new items and new artists all the time. Check back often!

Website: http://www.flincshop.com/
Blog: www.flincshop.com/blog
Facebook: http://bit.ly/bZK1av

The FLINC Shop
Contact: shop@flinc.org

Happy Shopping!

KulARTS Tribal Tour - Southern Philippines

2010-09-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

PHILIPPINE TRIBAL TOUR 2011

January 18-30, 2011

Tribes of Mindanao

Mindanao, Philippines

...APPLICATIONS DUE SEPTEMBER 15, 2010!!!

Since 2002, Kularts has conducted its one-of-a-kind Tribal Tour, a hands-on field study, custom-designed for participants to explore, discover, and draw empowerment from indigenous Pilipino cultures of Mindanao. During the 12-day trip, participants will engage in meaningful interactions with T’boli, B’laan, Maguindanaon and Manobo tribal leaders, shamans & healers, and masters artists in their ancestral homes in Davao del Sur, Sanggani, South Cotabato, and Maguindanao.

Through this unique program, you will…

* Bask in lush natural environments: enjoy Maitum’s turtle sanctuary, Lake Sebu’s meditative energies , Pulangi River’s sacred power, and more!

* Immerse yourself in the beauty of the Southern Philippines’ myths, cosmology, and ancient ways of knowing.

* Empower your ‘babaylan’ self by participating in traditional rituals led by tribal shamans and ritualists.

* Learn the meaning of sacred and secular dances and music: from epic chants to award-winning street dancing.

* Observe craft-making by master artisans: learn about natural dyes and the “dream weaving” of the exquisite t’nalak fabric, “lost wax” gong-making techniques, and more.

* Inform your cultural consciousness with lectures on current indigenous social and political struggles.

* Savor the flavors of delicious Mindanaon cuisine – a departure from your lola’s traditional lumpia and pancit offering!

PROGRAM COST

The cost of the 2011 tour is $1,300 per person plus a $50 non-refundable application fee.

This price covers land only.

Cost does not cover international or domestic airfare to/within the Philippines.

This price includes:

* Philippine land transportation
* Two Daily Meals
* Housing (both home stays and 3 star hotels)
* Coordination and translation costs
* Fees for all cultural activities, performances and workshops

SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

Payments for the Tribal Tour may be made in full, or you may choose to follow the payment plan below:

* September 15, 2010: Application, including $50 non-refundable application fee
* October 1, 2010: $300 1st payment due
* November 1, 2010: $500 2nd payment due
* December 1, 2010: $500 3rd payment due

For more information, please check out the KulArts website at http://kularts.org/tribaltour.php

Press Release - Philippine Dance Gathering Workshop 2010 - San Diego, CA

2010-09-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Twelve Philippine Dance Companies converge at the 2010 Philippine Dance Gathering Workshop

Philippine dance has been the vehicle for many Filipino-Americans to learn about their culture. The Philippine Dance Gathering & Workshops-V (PDGW) took it to another level for many newly formed and established Philippine dance companies in the United States. Twelve companies from the Philippines, California and other parts of the United States were immersed in cultural learning August 25-29 as the dance directors Cherry Ylanan and Raul Nepomuceno, Jr., of the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG) of Manila, educated and taught nine dances during three days.

“The positive energy of PDGW was infectious and exciting,” stated Lily Ann B. Villaraza, Director of Development at American Center of Philippine Arts (ACPA) of Oakland, CA. She was going to attend the San Diego Padre National Baseball League game featuring Lea Salonga, but couldn’t break away from the spirit in Celebration Hall at the Jacobs Center.

Villaraza continued, “One could just see how engaged all the participants – teachers and students alike – were in every aspect of understanding the dances shared. They not only paid attention to the movements of form of the dances, they also paid attention to the cultural information that gave context to the dances – where they are performed, who performed them, why they are performed. It was wonderful to be a part of a group of people who understand the need to nurture high levels of collaboration and camaraderie amongst everyone present.”

Dance participants were shown raw footage of video clips of the traditions as practiced in the village. It was followed by another clip of the same tradition translated and performed on stage by ROFG. Further background and context of the dances were explained including descriptions and samples of appropriate costumes worn.

In addition to dance, participants had a choice to participate in music workshops, thus enabling them to get the complete experience of the conference.. Master Danny Kalanduyan, of the Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble in South San Francisco, shared his wisdom, “to be a good musician you have to know how to perform the dance and to be a good dancer you have to know how to play the music.” He proudly shared the culture of his family from Maguindanao and the exotic sounds of the kulintang, agong and gandingan(brass knobbed instruments) and dabakan (drum).

Bernard Ellorin, a San Diego native, and currently a Ph.D. candidate in Ethnomusicology at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa gave a workshop with similar instruments with the focus on Tawi-Tawi, one of the most southern provinces in Mindanao. As a student of Kalanduyan, Ellorin pointed out the similarities and differences of other Mindanao cultures.

Michael Wandag and Winston Catanes both of Los Angeles and with the Institute of Native Arts representing the Cordillera provinces of Northern Luzon provided workshops on gangsa (flat brass gongs) and various bamboo instruments. The entire room was filled with the resonating clang of the gangsa played. Juliet Omli Cawas-Cheatle, director of the Filipinas Performing Arts of Washington State led the women in traditional steps of her native Kalinga and with the beat of the gangsa one could not but help feel you were “in the village”.

Rondalla music workshops were presented by Tagumpay De Leon with other member of the Rondalla Club of Los Angeles who serenaded participants with original compositions by Nitoy Gonzales, who is known for his artistry as Rondalla Maestro for the Bayanihan National Philippine Dance Company. Herna Cruz Louie, Executive Director of ACPA, began her study on the Bandurria with PASACAT, and interjected, “you don’t have to be the best musician, you need to know the principles of playing the bandurria.”

De Leon, who’s primary instrument was the stand-up base was asked to play the bandurria. He was self-taught but discovered he had to play correctly, “with the bandurria, you have to play from the wrist.”

A third component of the PDGW focused on leadership. Joel Jacinto, Program Director of Kayamanan Ng Lahi as well as of the first three PDGW’s, presented Kayamanan’s teaching method and style. KNL includes learning aspect of the dances, costumes and music to make it more than just a dance experience.

Board development was also addressed as Anamaria Labao Cabato shared her experiences as Executive Director of PASACAT and original dancer since 1969. Lily Kharrazi, of the Alliance for California Traditional Artist (ACTA), was on hand to witness the PDGW and provided insight as a funding agency. ACTA partially funded this year’s PDGW.

Scholar and author Dr. Ricardo Trimillos of the University of Hawai’i, Manoa, gave lectures that provided insight on Philippine history and values. There were many “aha” moments throughout his presentations linking nuances to the development of Philippine dance through the Bayanihan National Philppine Dance Company.

After the workshops, participants, presenters and organizers had the option to attend a Fireside Chat where they can share concerns and experiences. Eric Solano, Artistic Director of Parangal Dance Company in San Francisco, affectionately recognized Bon Jun Valera as his previous director in Barangay Dance Company of San Francisco and thanked him for what was taught to him.

Rico Obusan, brother of Philippine National Artist, Ramon Obusan, and with the ROFG Foundation, served as a planner and evaluator for the PDGW. Obusan was keenly interested in the conversation at the chats and offered ROFG as a resource to the Philippine Dance community with research tapes, inventories of costumes, artifacts and musical instruments.

The Midwest was represented with Romeo Bagunun, who will be transitioning to the position of Artistic Director of Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe. “This (PDGW) came at a perfect time and I have learned so much.” As a result of PDGW, he was encouraged to move forward with a new sense of creative direction.

Other groups were Maharlika Cultural Troupe of Martinez and Kababayan Dance Troupe of Skyline College of San Bruno. Philippine dance is vital in the Bay Area so much that Skyline College offers curriculum on creating, writing scripts and staging Philippine Cultural Nights, an event which is produced and directed by Filipino-American college students.

The conference culminated with a leadership and participant round table debriefing to discuss the positives of the PDGW and how it can improve. One point of discussion that all were in agreement was how we as one cultural community can make PDGW VI happen within the next few years. Look out for PDGW 2012 to happen, to continue the connections made, to reinvigorate our love and enthusiasm we have of our Filipino culture and, most importantly, to share with it others.

Bugsy Aguinaldo, of Los Angeles and a twenty-year member of Kayamanan Ng Lahi, expressed how he was so accustomed to have his back to the mirror as an instructor that that it was a privilege to “finally face the mirror as a student.” For the one-hundred participants even without mirrors at Celebration Hall, they felt they were “facing the mirrors” as they learned and experienced Philppine dance as a community of one.

- Ana Cabato

For more information on the different companies mentioned in this press release, please see below:

(Philippines) Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group
(Oakland, CA) American Center of Philippine Arts
(San Bruno, CA) Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble
(Los Angeles, CA) Institute of Native Arts (BIBAK, Los Angeles)
(Washington State) Filipinas Performing Arts of Washington State
(Los Angeles, CA) Rondalla Club of Los Angeles
(Los Angeles, CA) Kayamanan ng Lahi
(San Bruno, CA) Kababayan Dance Troupe
(Martinez, CA) Maharlika Cultural Troupe
(Kansas City, MO) Sinag-Tala Performing Arts Troupe
(San Francisco, CA) Parangal Dance Company
(San Francisco, CA) Barangay Dance Company
(San Diego, CA) Pasacat Dance Company

Kababayan Program Open House - Skyline College - San Bruno, CA

2010-09-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Kababayan Program Open House
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
3:00 - 5:30 pm

Skyline College
Building 6, Room 6-204 & 6-206
3300 College Drive
San Bruno, CA

The Kababayan Program Open House is an event to show case what this learning community is all about. The Kulintang Ensemble under Master Danny Kalanduyan and his Music 420 class will perform. The Kababayan Dance Troupe of Skyline College will also showcase their skills and talents on stage.

The Kababayan Program Open House is designed to inform everyone about what the Skyline College learning community has to offer. New, current and old Kababayan students along with students from all communities are all welcome.

For more information and RSVP for this event on Facebook at http://bit.ly/deL56K
For more information about the Kababayan Program of Skyline College, click here: http://bit.ly/cvXOjD

Dukot (the disappeared) - Film Screening: San Diego, CA

2010-09-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

ANAKBAYAN SAN DIEGO PRESENTS:

“DUKOT” (desaparecidos/disappeared):

A Film Screening

Saturday, September 18, 2010

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Film Screening with Panel Discussion to follow

Centro Cultural De La Raza

2004 Park Blvd.

San Diego, CA

Directed by Joel Lamangan. Written by Bonifacio Ilagan.
Starring Allen Dizon, Iza Calzado, Snooky Serna and Gina Alajar.

From the director of “Mano Po” and “Pacquiao the Movie” comes a landmark film for independent Philippine cinema. Dukot dares to tell the story of families who have lost their loved ones to alleged military abductions under the Gloria Macapaga Arroyo regime.

Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of militant activists, crusading journalists and government critics constitute one of the more disturbing phenomena in recent years in the Philippines.

Since 2001 when Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president, over a thousand cases have been recorded by the human rights organization Karapatan. Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur, indicted the government for the “culture of impunity” now reigning in the country after completing his own research.

The Philippine government has flatly rejected responsibility and denied complicity in these heinous crimes, professing adherence to the Bill of Rights and to all international protocols on human rights.

“Dukot” could very well be the first full-length film that gives the lie to the claim.

In this horrid sojourn in search of the missing, the story of Junix and Maricel – and the seething unrest and its consequent social movement in the Philippines – unravels, giving light to true stories and actual events to victims who have been silenced.

A panel discussion will follow the film screening with special guest speakers including Dukot filmmakers and human rights activist and torture survivor Melissa Roxas.

Price: $10 Pre-Sale (ends 9/17)/ $12 At Door

--Part of the proceeds from this event will be donated to a human rights group in the Philippines and to the Melissa Roxas medical fund--
Pre-Sale Tickets for San Diego screening can be purchased at the following:

Caffe Tazza
374 E H St #1705, Chula Vista, 91910
Wednesdays, 2-4pm
Contact Ivan - 619.370.1296

Christy’s Bakery & Restaurant
9178 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, 92126
Fridays, 5-7pm
Contact Eugene (anakbayansd@gmail.com)

Kalusugan Community Services
1419 East 8th St, National City, 91950
Tuesdays, 10a-1p
Contact Paul - 858.525.2378

Find them on Facebook @ http://bit.ly/9uygw2 or check out the film's website @ http://www.dukot.com/
For questions, email: anakbayansd@gmail.com

Make your life extraordinary!

2010-08-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school my Humanities teacher reminded us every year to "Carpe Diem- Sieze The Day! Make your life extraordinary." I can't tell you what the literary reference is from which this was born, but it reminds me to cherish every moment, to make every second count, and be purposeful in all of my actions.

One of my favorite movies of all time - Dead Poets Society- with Robin Williams, a young Robert Leonard (of House fame these days), a younger Ethan Hawke, and others....was about finding that strength in ourselves to believe that we have much to give this world before we are taken from it.

The man in this video - not to be pitied in any way - epitomizes that very sentiment. His story is not meant to sadden - on the contrary, it should inspire and cause each of us to reflect on how - or do - we attempt to make our lives extraordinary on a daily basis.

Enjoy!
Armless Piano Player

Book Launch - Filipinos in San Diego - Arcadia Publishing's newest book in their Images of America series - San Diego, CA

2010-08-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Arcadia Publishing has something really special going. They've created several book series highlighting local history of various ethnic communities in the United States - and they have 13 (that's right, THIRTEEN) titles focused on the Filipino American community all over the United States. Filipinos in Chicago, compiled by the amazing Estrella Alamar, was Arcadia's first Asian American publication in their series. Estrella, a community historian and retired teacher, has a wealth of resources, stories and knowledge that would peak the interest of any individual interested in the wonderful and colorful history of the Filipino American community of Chicago.

Their newest offering in this series is near and dear to my heart because it showcases my hometown - San Diego, CA! Filipinos in San Diego, compiled and edited by Dr. Judy Patacsil, Dr. Rudy Guevara, and the amazing Felix Tuyay, in conjunction with the Filipino American National Historical Society - San Diego Chapter, will be launched this coming August 21, 2010 at the House of the Philippines. While folks know San Diego has strong Filipino community because of navy migration, many don't realize that Filipinos have had a presence in San Diego as a result of the migratory farmwork offered to our Manongs in the early 20th century. One of the most fascinating tidbits of local history that I learned from FANHS-San Diego is that the plot of land where the intersection of the 805 Freeway and Plaza Blvd used to be a farm owned by Filipinos!We have 3rd and 4th generation folks in our midst - many of whom have formed multicultural, multiethnic families - and they still proudly claim their Filipino heritage.

This is a project that has been a long time coming. The hard work that Judy, Rudy, and Felix - and the rest of the FANHS chapter - have put into this book is definitely well worth it. Many congrats to all who have made this all possible.

Filipinos in San Diego

Book Launch & Signing

Saturday, August 21, 2010

2:00 - 4:00 pm

House of the Philippines - Balboa Park

RSVP to fanhs18@yahoo.com

For more information about the FANHS - San Diego Chapter, click here: FANHS-SD Chapter page. (It needs to be updated, but there's still some good information there)

For more information about the Filipino American National Historical Society, click here: FANHS national webpage

For information on the House of the Philippines, click here: House of the Philippines, Balboa Park, San Diego

To find other titles in the Filipino American community series from Arcadia Publishing, click here: Arcadia Publishing - Filipino American community Titles

Enjoy!

Filipino Cultural Night @ Petco Park, Padres Vs. Phillies - San Diego, CA

2010-08-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

Filipino
Cultural Night @ Petco Park
San Diego, CA

PADRES vs. PHILLIES

August 28, 2010

Game Starts @ 1:10 pm

Buy your tickets online and get a FREE T-shirt!

Filipino Cultural Night Pricing (versus Regular Prices):

- Field Box = $26 (vs $44)

- Field Reserve = $21 (vs $34)

- Field Pavilion = $16 (vs $24)

- Upper Reserve = $11 (vs $14)

To purchase tickets online, go to:

www.padres.com/filipino

Enter Code: PINOY

To receive special benefits for groups of 20 or more, contact Mark Matsunaga at (619) 795-5149 or mmatsunaga@padres.com.

LEA SALONGA will be singing the national anthem and the JABBAWOCKEEZ will be throwing the first pitch! Post-Game Concert with the Misc Ailments!

There's also a PRE-game event at the Park featuring local Filipino talent, cultural dance companies, and much more! 11:00 - 12:30 pm @ Petco's "Park in the Park." check out the Facebook Page and let us know you'll be there! Padre's Filipino Heritage Night PreGame Event on Facebook

See you at the Ballpark!

Unang Hudyat - The First Gesture - Philippine Dance Showcase, Antioch, CA

2010-08-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

The American Center of Philippine Arts, in collaboration with the El Campanil Theatre is proud to present

Unang Hudyat - The First Gesture

Sunday, August 22, 2010

El Campanil Theatre

602 W. Second Street

Antioch, CA 94509

3:00 pm

doors open at 2:30

Admission is FREE!
Donations are gladly accepted.
Please come support ACPA's S.E.E.D Youth Program!

For more information on ACPA, click here: American Center of Philippine Arts Website
For more information and directions to the El Campanil Theater, click here: El Campanil Theatre Website

See you there!

Happy Birthday Bruce! - A Tribute to Bruce Lee - Aug 4, 2010, San Diego, CA

2010-08-03T23:15:00.000-07:00

Outdoor movie screenings are magical. The first one I ever attended was in Chicago's Grant Park a few summers ago. It was the last screening of the summer and it was - *GASP* my favorite movie of all time that I can watch over and over and over THE SOUND OF MUSIC. What more could you ask of an evening - surrounded by strangers drawn together by catchy music, goofy choreography, and the surreal, sappy happiness that preceding the impending Nazi takeover of Austria in the late 1930's. It rained that evening - I remember - but even rain couldn't take away the glee that liederhosen, yarn pigtailed wigs, and a few well chosen costumes bring to bring delight to the swelling, drippy crowd. Couple that with a karaoke contest and you had me at FWEEEEE! FWEEEE! [poor attempt at capturing whistle in otamotapeia].

BUT I DIGRESS....
the San Diego Asian Film Foundation [SDAFF}, in honor and celebration of the phenomenal BRUCE LEE's 70th birthday, is presenting an OUTDOOR screening of....

Enter The Dragon
Wednesday, August 4
7 PM Entertainment, 8 PM Film
Piazza Carmel Shopping Plaza
3870 Valley Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92130
Plenty of free parking

The exciting event will include the film screening, special tribute by fellow actor Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones), a Bruce Lee look-alike contest, martial arts exhibition, games and giveaways, musical performances, and much more!

For more information and trailers for Enter the Dragon, check out SDAFF's website here: Enter the Dragon Outdoor Screening

And if you're in San Diego in October [21-28], be sure to check out the 11th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival! SDAFF Website

Pistahan Parade and Festival - San Francisco, CA

2010-08-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

17th Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival
August 14 - 15, 2010
Yerba Buena Gardens
[Mission between 3rd & 4th]
11 am - 5 pm
San Francisco, CA
Free Admission!

The largest celebration of Filipino Americans in San Francisco is back and bigger than ever featuring the return of the popular Adobo Cook-off and balut eating contests, delectable Filipino cuisine and desserts, and cultural exhibits. The 3rd annual San Francisco Filipino American Jazz Festival will once again be an exciting part of Pistahan, sharing a wonderful musical heritage that many have yet to discover. SIX Pavillions showcasing and celebrating art, dance, cuisine, storytelling, play, and health ensure fun and education for the family!

Parade: Saturday, August 14, 2010. Starts at 11:00 am - The Parade begins on Beale Street, goes down Market Street, makes a left on 4th Street, another left turn on Folsom Street, ends at 3rd Street.
The only major Filipino parade in the West Coast, the Pistahan Parade is a display of community pride along one of San Francisco’s main streets – Market Street – from the Embarcadero all the way to the Yerba Buena Gardens, the crown jewel of SF’s cultural district. Colorful floats, historical themes and lively community contingents have helped build Pistahan Parade as THE Filipino counterpart of San Francisco’s great cultural institutions like Chinese New Year Parade, Carnaval, St. Patrick’s Parade, etc.

For more information, check out their websites:
Pistahan Parade and Festival Website
San Francisco Pinoy Jazz Festival

Film Screening - Delano Manongs & Little Manila - Los Angeles, CA

2010-08-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

***On the tip of history, knowledge-sharing, and community building.***

Filipino American Film Screening -

Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the UFW
Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland
directed by Marrissa Aroy

When: Saturday, August 7, 2010
           12 pm - 2 pm
Where: SIPA [Search to Involve Pilipino Americans] Gateway Youth/Community Center
            3200 Temple St.
            Los Angeles, CA
Cost: FREE!!!
Hosted by: Pilipino American Los Angeles Democrats (PALAD) - Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) - Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) - Filipino American Library (FAL) – Filipino American National Historical Society, Los Angeles Chapter (FANHS)

****

Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the UFW [United Farm Workers]

directed by Marrissa Aroy and produced by Niall McKay

The Delano Manongs tells the story of farm labor organizer Larry Itliong and a group of Filipino farmworkers who instigated one of the American farm labor movement’s finest hours – The Delano Grape Strike of 1965 that brought about the creation of the United Farm Workers Union (UFW). While the movement is known for Cesar Chavez's leadership and considered a Chicano movement, Filipinos played a pivotal role that began it all. Filipino labor organizer, Larry Itliong, a five foot five cigar-chomping union veteran, organized a group of 1500 Filipinos to strike against the grape growers of Delano, California. For eight days they struck alone, getting thrown out of their labor camp homes, and facing violence from growers' hired thugs and the sheriff's department. Larry went to Cesar Chavez and his group of Mexican farmworkers and asked them to join the Filipinos in their strike. What happened after that made civil rights history: the two groups merged together to created the United Farm Workers Union, with Cesar Chavez as director and Larry Itliong as assistant director. Yet Larry's story and the story of the Filipinos and their union organizing efforts that began in the 1920s in the US have virtually been forgotten. Told from Larry Itliong's perspective, the documentary follows Larry's life immigrating at age 15 and immediately becoming involved with Filipino labor unions in the canneries and farm fields on the West Coast. The story of Larry and the Delano Filipinos and how they faced unfair and inhumane working conditions is as relevant now as it was then. And sadly, the agricultural environment has reverted back to what it was 40 years ago with low wages, inhumane conditions and little political or social power for the farmworkers.

Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland

directed by Marissa Aroy

The "Little Manila" section of Stockton, Calif., filled with chop-suey houses, gambling dens and dance halls, served as the de facto hometown for displaced Filipinos at the turn of the 20th century. In its heyday, this lively area contained the largest population of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. LITTLE MANILA: FILIPINOS IN CALIFORNIA'S HEARTLAND details the impact of Fillipino immigrants on the community from the 1930s to the present. Educators, historians, labor leaders and long-time residents recount the immigrant story — the backbreaking farm work, low wages and racism — in Filipinos' pursuit of the American dream. The final part of the documentary examines the efforts to save Little Manila's last standing buildings.

****

Directed by Northern California Emmy-award winning filmmaker Marissa Aroy, (Sikhs in America) and produced by Irish Film and Television Award nominee Niall McKay (The Bass Player: A Song for Dad) the 30-minute documentary is in the post-production (editing) phase with acclaimed documentary film editor Andrew Gersh.

Marissa Aroy was named one of the most influential Filipina women in the US last year by the Filipina Women’s Network. She recently directed the educational soap opera series “Grand Café.” In the documentary realm she produced and directed "Little Manila,” for PBS and produced “Sounds of Hope” shown on Frontline World. She received a Northern California Emmy for the documentary “Sikhs in America,” which she produced and directed. Aroy holds a BA in psychology from Boston College and a Masters degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at University of California, Berkeley. When she's not making or watching movies, she's teaching digital filmmaking at Berkeley City College

For more information, click on the following links:

The Delano Manongs - GFEM Database

TDM Trailer

More about Marissa Aroy and Niall McKay - The Media Factory

***

Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland

Little Manila Trailer

National Allliance for Filipino Concerns - Los Angeles, CA

2010-08-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Part of the purpose of this blog is to share information about spaces where that networking and connecting can occur in a healthy and respectful environment. I am a firm believer in networking and connecting with folks who strive to make a difference in our community. We all choose our avenues of change - personally, I chose to trudge the road of academic research, hoping to turn left somewhere and find that bridge between academia and community where I can finally set up camp - and they are all important, valid, and necessary. I think what is important is that we listen to each other and work together when we find solid common ground - and respect each other when we have to part our separate ways.

NAFCON

(National Alliance for Filipino Concerns)

Regional Summit

When: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 8 am - 5 pm

Where: St. James United Methodis Church (2033 E. Washington Blvd. Pasadena CA 91104)

Registration Fee: $10.00/person

For more information, contact the Filipino Migrant Center here or check them out on Facebook here

Eskrimadors: a Filipino Martial Arts Documentary - Screening @ the Indio Bravo Film Festival - Queens, NYC

2010-07-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

While shows on the Travel Channel have provided some general notoriety for and piqued interest in Philippine Martial Arts, I can't recall many films that focus on Philippine Martial Arts.

Ah, but here's one.

ESKRIMADORS is a documentary film provides uswith a glimpse into the rich and fascinating world of the Filipino MartialArts. The film traces the development of the fighting art from its tribalwarfare roots, its use in repelling foreign invaders, as an art of duellists,and its transformation into a sport practiced in over 25 countries. The film was produced in 2009 in Cebu, Philippines.

Directed and produced by Kerwin Go, ESKRIMADORS was premiered in January 2010 in Cebu. According to Wikipedia, ESKRIMADORS was released just as a bill was proposed to recognize Eskrima as the Philippines' national Martial Art. click here for more information: Eskrimadors Wikipedia article

Check out the trailer here: Eskrimadors Trailer (You Tube)

ESKRIMADORS

is screening on

July 31st

Showtimes: 2 pm, 4 pm

IndioBravo Film Festival at the

Bayanihan Filipino Community Center

(40-21 69th Street, Queens, NY)

Cinematographer Ruel Antipuesto will be on hand for Q & A seesions after both screenings

Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets here or at the door.

Check out the IndioBravo Film Foundation for more information on the work that they do! http://www.indiobravo.org/

Manilatown Heritage Foundation - San Francisco CA

2010-07-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

Manilatown is in the heart of what is today San Francisco's financial district. It was the point of departure and arrival, of finding old friends and making new ones. The following exerpt is from the Manilatown Heritage Foundation website:

From 1920-35 there was a filipino male population of 39,328. Legislation forbid Filipinos from owning land or setting up businesses. They were to be kept moving, remain transient. They stayed in labor camps, rooming houses and hotels. The International Hotel was one of these. "Manilatown," the Kearny/Jackson Street area of San Francisco, became a permanent settlement, a convenient culture contact. It was the home field-workers returned to, where merchant marines lived while in port, where distant relatives and friends could be contacted, where they could enjoy the security of a common culture. Immigration laws re-enforced the role the International Hotel played as a family with the social protection it provided. The Filipino community in San Francisco existed in groups dictated by economic necessity and blood brotherhood. The International Hotel became a symbol for an entire minority community.

About 1954, the International Hotel became significant for yet another reason. Enrico Banduccci, opened his original "hungry i" (hungry intelectual) nightclub next door to Club Mandalay in the basement of the International Hotel where performing artists got their start, such as: Nina Simone, the Smothers Brothers, Lenny Bruce, the Kingston Trio, "Professor" Irwin Corey and Bill Cosby, to name a few.

In 1977, the tenants of the International Hotel, mostly elderly Filipinos, were evicted. Subsequently because of strong community opposition the site was designated by the Board of Supervisors as a site for low income senior housing. (citation)

The I-Hotel has been the subject of a documentary film. It lives in the memories of many of us who have sat in Asian American courses throughout California. It is the legacy which the Manilatown Heritage Foundation strives to preserve and commemorate so that the stories of our forefathers won't slip through the fingers of time. In addition to the event I just posted, below are two more events that may be of interest to you. Enjoy!

TAWA nang TAWA

Friday, July 30, 2010 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Kevin Camia is from San Francisco. He works regularly at all of the bay area comedy clubs but considers The Punch Line as his home club.

He considers himself a “joke nerd” and loves to talk about the various formulas of joke writing and performing with other comics and to anyone who will listen. Kevin prides himself in being part of the great tradition of stand up comedy and only hopes to continue his life always searching for that next great bit.
(taken from kevin camia bio)

Also featured is Josef Anolin (he's from Oakland) josef anolin's website and Herb Digs Felina (A former student of SFSU, this Daly City native balances his life with his passions of music as a DJ and comedy as a stand-up comedian. Herb has been a part of, as well as organized, many events, variety shows, and fundraisers in the community utilizing his passions. Taken from : http://pepsf.org/board.aspx) will also be gracing the stage.

August 4th I-Hotel Eviction Commemoration

Wednesday, August 4, 2010,

5:30 - 7:30 pm

Featuring the Dedication of the I-Hotel Mural by Johanna Poethig. The mural commemorates the history of the International Hotel's decades-long struggle for low income housing, honoring the manongs who lived, fought and created a home together in the I-Hotel.

Artist bio: Johanna Poethig is a visual, public and performance artist who has exhibited internationally and has been actively creating public art works, murals, paintings, sculpture and multimedia installations for over 20 years.

She has worked in collaboration with other artists, architects, urban planners, design teams, arts commissions, specific communities and cultural groups. She was raised in the Philippines through high school and has lived in Chicago, San Francisco and Oakland since coming to the United States. She received her BFA at University of California, Santa Cruz and her MFA at Mills College in Oakland, California.

Poethig's public art works intervene in the urban landscape, in neighborhoods, on freeways, in parks, hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, cultural centers, advertising venues and public buildings.

She has received numerous commissions and awards for this work. Her paintings, sculpture and installations reflect her interest in satire, symbol, human nature, society and our consumerist culture. She has produced and participated in performance events that mix feminism, global politics, costume, props, cabaret, experimental music and video.

Johanna Poethig is on the faculty of the Institute for Visual and Public Art (VPA) at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). As an arts educator and community artist she deconstructs traditional "art world" boundaries in a collaborative artistic process grounded in research, production, critique, improvisation and reciprocal learning. As one of CSUMB's pioneer faculty she contributes this experience to VPA's innovative and socially engaged arts program. Her interest in the dialogue between the public and personal, politics and aesthetics, the ridiculous and the sublime and an inclusive cultural life inform her process and inspire her work. (citation)

Check out johanna poethig's website for more information on the artist herself and her work.

For more information on the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, click http://www.manilatown.org/ here.

Screening: The Delano Manongs: The Forgotten Heroes of the UFW - San Francisco, CA

2010-07-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

Education...Community...History...Sharing.

It's what strengthens us, inspires us, keeps us keepin' on.

The Manilatown Heritage Foundation will be hosting the trailer screening for the film The Delano Manongs: Forgotten Heroes of the UFW, by Marissa Aroy at the International Hotel Manilatown Center in San Francisco on July 27, 2010. A panel discussion on the history of labor through a Filipino perspective will follow the screening. The film tells the story of Filipino and Chicano labor groups and a group of Filipino farmworkers in Delano, California who struggled while fighting for fair wages and work conditions. The panel discussion will include Dr. Dawn Mabalon of SFSU and Dr. Estella Habal of SJSU.

Wednesday, July 27, 2010

7 pm - 9 pm

International Hotel Manilatown Center

868 Kearny Street

San Francisco, CA

A $5.00 donation is suggested at the door but no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds.

For more information, please call (415) 777-1130 or

visit the Manilatown Heritage Foundation's website here: http://www.manilatown.org/

Towards a Cultural Community - NAFFAA - nationwide

2010-07-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

Towards a Cultural Community: Identity, Education, and Stewardship in Filipino American Performing Arts was commissoned by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) and funded by the Ford Foundation. Published in 2003, it is a great resource for anyone interested in learning about the multitude of Filipino American cultural organizations in the United States. While it does not not have an exhaustive lsit of all the Filipino American cultural arts orgs in the US, it does provide are significant goals and objectives that should be on the radar of all organizations in some form.

Towards a Cultural Community Report

I post this because it has been seven years since the report's publication and it's a good reminder as to what still needs to come to fruition.

The universal overall goals and objectives were laid out as such:
************
"To build a firm infrastructure toward the planning and operationalization of concrete “next steps” in building a Filipino American cultural community, the following recommendations are put forth:

Coordinate and establish an official consortium collective of the identified national partners -- Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Unit; Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), and Fil Am ARTS. One or two representatives from each institution or organization could serve on an Advisory Collective that would meet throughout the year for dialogue and planning. An initial meeting of this Collective to determine structure and viability would be beneficial to coordinate in the immediate future.
Re-convene the participants of both the Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles convenings held during 2002 to discuss “next steps” considered by the Advisory Collective and to share activity updates from the “wish list” generated in D.C. The majority of these participants are members of the PAPAI list-serve. It would be highly feasible to seed communications between the Advisory Collective and the PAPAI members during the rest of 2003 and then convene a meeting during the activities planned by FANHS in St. Louis, MO, during the next FANHS National Conference at the site of the 1904 St. Louis Exposition, set for the summer of 2004.
Locate a viable nationally-linked institution or organization to house, or assist in the coordination of, the national Pilipino American Performing Arts Initiatve (PAPAI) list-serve and activities. Fil Am ARTS in Los Angeles, CA, is a possible entity, especially as it can be incorporated as part of its Pilipino Artists’ Network (PAN) activities when it expands nationally. Currently, Fil Am ARTS is building a state-wide network within CA, may be poised to connect this to a national network in a few years’ time. The PAN has specific Dance, Presenters’, Theater, and Arts Education nodes within its nine disciplinary node focus structure.

Commission a more-in-depth report to expand upon the profile this study initiates that could be shaped into both a more comprehensive field guide of Filipino American performing arts and as a useful text for Pilipino/Filipino American/Asian American/American Studies university classrooms. The in-depth report would:

              1. Include additional essays and perspectives from more scholars, practitioners, and executive
                  directors of theater/dance companies, as well as heads of heritage schools.

              2. Supplement these initial findings with an additional, detailed needs-assessment survey and
                  report of the organizations, companies, schools and individual artists. This need assessment
                  should be conducted by region, within the regions. Regional organizations would be
                  identified to operationalize the needs-assessment, with the findings and feedback
                  provided to the national entity for field-wide analysis and documentation.

The expanded report would be best served as a joint project of FANHS and Fil Am ARTS, under the guidance and perhaps coordination of the Smithsonian’s Asian Pacific American unit.

Seed regional infrastructure activities of Filipino American arts and cultural organizations by cultivating a closer working relationship between the NaFFAA and FANHS regional chapters. Creation of a Cultural Coordinating Committee that would involve representatives from both NaFFAA and FANHS regional chapters, may provide a more structured space for arts and cultural feedback and assessment by region. These Committees would provide regional feedback to the national Cultural Consortium Collective identified earlier. Expand this scope to more actively include Alaska and Hawai’i as well.
Link knowledge, resources, and information through operating networks and with arts and/or cultural services organizations. PAPAI is an initial attempt for the performing arts. Other models include: the Philippine Dance Network listserve and gatherings facilitated by Kayamanan ng Lahi in Los Angeles, CA, a Southern California partner of Fil Am ARTS and the regional/national Calendar of Events that Ma-Arte Collective runs out of New York City. A model to watch is the Pilipino Artists’ Network (PAN) being developed in California by Fil Am ARTS. If this inter-disciplinary model proves viable in that state, it may provide some fruitful lessons for creations of such networks in other U. S. regions, and nationally.

***************
The report outlined specific goals for Universities and the Community.

For the University:

Producing and coordinating a multi-campus festival of works by and about ethnic-specific performance groups. In California, it would be a viable program to explore with Fil Am ARTS as it expands its resource and programming base for the annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) in Southern California.
Foster local artists and student relationships by expanding and supporting linkages with campus ethnic study centers’ School and Community Projects units and those Student Affairs’ Officers that serve as campus student organization advisors.
Develop a method of critical feedback, perhaps linking community artists, professors/lecturers, and the students. Cultivating graduate students and academic scholars who can create flexible curriculum that includes community work/projects and having an advisor that will initiate critical thinking with the students. Also, continue efforts to maintain linkages between academia, arts organizations and community theaters by fostering curriculum that includes attendance/participation at community cultural productions and activities, thus simultaneously providing audience development for the theater/organization as it also allows for academic credit for the student.
In California, coordinate and produce a gathering that focuses on the PCN phenomenon that will engage scholars, artists, students to create a strong network for information and resource sharing among the students who produce this work. In addition, provide support for community artists who work with students on these projects.

For the Community:

Create and coordinate a National Festival of Filipino American Performing Arts. Some successful regional festival models around the U.S. include Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC) produced by Fil Am ARTS in Los Angeles, Pistahan Festival in Seattle, WA, Pistahan Festival in San Francisco, CA, and Pinoyfest in Washington, D.C. A successful national model includes the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival held in Washington, D.C. A profiling study and evaluation of these events, and others that similarly exist, may provide a framework for a more viable consideration of this idea.
Create a National Calendar of Filipino American Arts and Culture Events. At present, mostly regional ones exist. Ma-Arte Collective has initiated an attempt to produce a national calendar through the PAPAI list-serve, but this effort requires consistent support and resources from a national entity, and/or a working partnership of regional ones, to be truly comprehensive in its scope and delivery.
Support the establishment of arts services organizations geared toward assisting Filipino American Arts and Culture, and especially in the performing arts. These arts services organizations can provide technical assistance advice, resources, and training to individual performing artists, fledging organizations, and community-based heritage schools, regardless of non-profit status. These arts services organizations can also provide advocacy representation within, and provide linkages to, mainstream American arts organizations such as Americans for the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, National Performing Network, and the Non-Profit Finance Fund. Currently, the most visible arts service organization geared toward Filipino American performing arts, as well as arts and culture in general, is Fil Am ARTS in Los Angeles.
Establish mechanisms to assist the facilitation of international exchanges with the Philippines. Currently, dance companies and arts organizations that do international Philippine presenting must deal with these issues independently. Suggestions include:

                 1) Creating a Visiting Artists’ Bureau within one of the national Filipino arts and/or cultural
                     organizations to advise on these matters. The Bureau would oversee travel funding, visas,
                     itineraries, workshops, and presenting.

2) Connecting to already existing mainstream organizations that provide this resource, such
as Arts International.

(pg 22-24 of the report)

**************
More to come later. : )

BAHA - new painting exhibit by artist Bren Bataclan - San Francisco, CA

2010-07-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

There's something that to be said about folks who challenge us to see the glass half-full. There are those rare souls who challenge us even further to see it as full we wish it to be.

Bren Bataclan leaves paintings all over the world and in half the states of the U.S. in conspicious places where people can take them for the price of a smile. And even that is a price that Bren does not stick around to see. His whimsical paintings of colorful, cheerful creatures are picked up by young and old along with his simple message of hope and perseverence:

EVERYTHING WILL BE ALL RIGHT

Dubbed the "Smile Project," one can't help but be puzzled then delighted by their new found treasure. Some share it with friends, others triumphantly claim them for themselves. Either way, we can all only hope that the payment Bren seems to seek is brought forth from those brave enough to carry his work away.

The amazing thing is that Bren is a working artist whose paintings are sold anywhere between $95.00 and $3000.00. I do not point that out to place some sort of value upon a Bataclan you may have happened to find and bring home. No, it's to challenge each of us to find our own anonymous way of bringing that feeling of happiness to another person - even for a moment. We need more good karma floating around. Perhaps then more folks will believe the message that Bren's working hard to spread.

Follow Bren on his website at http://www.bataclan.com/ for more information on his upcoming gallery shows, appearances, and where else in the world he's sharing his smiles one painting at a time.

***************

BAHA - Gallery Show @ the San Francisco Public Library - Main Branch
Artist Bren Bataclan will display his recent stylized paintings based on the severe flood that hit Manila and other provinces in the Philippines in September 2009. Baha portrays the heroism, resilience and compassion of the Filipino people during this seemingly insurmountable ordeal.

BAHA
July 10 through
October 28, 2010

San Francisco Public Library -
Main Branch
Lower Level, Library Café Display Cases
100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
San Francisco, CA
Information on the exhibit can be found here: SF Library Link - more FYI

***********************
More on Bren Bataclan - Bren Bataclan article from Asian Journal

Bren's Interview with CBS: CBS News Interview with Bren Bataclan

(First Photo from the Asian Journal. Second Photo from the SF Public Library Page)

An evening of Intimate Songs for Tenor & Guitar - Concert in NYC July 13

2010-07-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

This caught my eye for a few reasons.

1) I have a dear friend who's doing his best to make it in the Operatic world. Even when you've got a great voice, it's tough when you're brown.
2) I love finding out about artists I never knew about - especially when they've been successful and accomplished in fields we assume are closed to people of color.

Those of you in New York, enjoy! : )

**************

An Evening of Intimate Songs

for Tenor and Guitar

featuring Sal Malaki (tenor)

and Michael Dadap (guitar)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

7:00 p.m.

***

Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall

556 Fifth Avenue, New York City, NY

In a concert featuring music ranging from Ilocano and Visayan folksongs, classic Philippine songs of De Leon, Santiago and Abelardo, and even Donizetti’s Una furtive lagrima, the Felipe Padilla de Leon Foundation, Inc. presents An Evening of Intimate Songs for Tenor and Guitar, with tenor Sal Malaki and classical guitarist, composer and conductor Michael Dadap, on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 7:00 pm at the Philippine Center’s Kalayaan Hall, 556 Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Filipino tenor Sal Malaki is one of the Los Angeles Opera’s most seasoned artists, now in his 15th consecutive season and appearing in over 90 opera productions with the company. An esteemed member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, he graduated from and taught voice and flute at the University of the Philippines College of Music. He was also a faculty member of St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and a member/soloist of the internationally acclaimed Philippine Madrigal Singers.

Accomplished classical guitarist and composer Michael Dadap is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Children’s Orchestra Society, which just recently gave another successful performance at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. He was named 2000 Artist of the Year by the Flushing Council on Culture and Arts and received the 2006 Pamana ng Lahi Philippine Presidential Award. He has several classical guitar recordings, one of which was featured as album of the month on New York City’s WQXR classical music station in February 1990. His compositions include Handurawan Dance Suite, which won the Asian-American Alliance for the Arts Award, Song; Sinulog, an orchestral suite premiered at Alice Tully Hall; Serenades for Guitar in the Visayan Style, and Legend of Tikling Bird, a full-length ballet in the folkloric style.

This very special event will also feature the formal launching of their collaboration, the CD album Sining-Awit: Philippine Art Songs for Tenor and Guitar, available for the artists to autograph after the concert.

Concert admission is $20 and autographed CD’s may be pre-ordered for $15. To order tickets and CD’s, contact Cynthia G. de Leon at 201-790-2735 201-790-2735 or cyngdel@gmail.com. With additional material from Robert P. DeTagle, artempoNY@gmail.com

Where'd Aglibot go? OR the untimely demise of The Food Buddha - TV Land

2010-07-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

So the week after The Food Buddha premiered on TLC...they pulled the plug due to outcry from the Buddhist community. While I appreciate the community's outcry over the use of Buddha's name, I think TLC needs to bring Rodelio Aglibot's show back under another name (may I suggest One Of Each?) because he has a really appealing TV presence that is honest, affable and open.

Folks may argue that the whole notion of ordering one of each from any menu would somehow increase this nation's obesity problem, but Aglibot makes it clear that it is a matter of getting a sense of the chef's style and flare. Besides, who has the abiltiy to order one of each of any restaurant who ISN'T either ridiculously rich or ridiculously sponsored? Besides, he SHARES the food on his table with folks around him at other tables promoting one of the fundamental kindergarten principles of life - SHARING is GOOD.

So anyway...TLC...if you're listening...or reading...bring back Rodelio Aglibot sans the gimnmicky and unnecessary persona of the Food Buddha and let him be the phenomenal executive chef that he is...and let him eat One of Each!

Check out my previous gushing post below....

Repost: Editorial from the Bangkok Post by Benedict Anderson - Thailand

2010-07-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

As someone who strives to be a Southeast Asian scholar (someone who studies southeast asia AND a scholar who claims southeast asia (regionally) as their point of ancestral origin), as well as one who considers herself committed to community and bridging the gap between academia and "the masses," i thought this editorial by one of the most prominent Southeast Asian scholars of the 20th century - Benedict Anderson - was appropriate to post. It's definitely something to think about as we think of the binaries and boundaries we create in efforts to "organize" our lives in manageable compartments. Life is messy. Let it all mix. See what happens.

Enjoy!

Here's the link to the original Bangkok Post article. Few Intellectuals in court of Public Opinion

***************************************************************************

Few intellectuals in court of public opinion

Writer: Benedict Anderson

Published: 28/06/2010 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Opinion

Over the past few weeks, I have had the enjoyable experience of reading through most of the annual volumes issued by the Nippon Foundation. Most of the contributions are eye-opening, not merely for their quality, but also for their comparative reach, and the doors that they open to various networks of people concerned about the adequacy of a long list of state policies. Nonetheless, as a whole, they arouse certain anxieties in my mind, possibly because I spent many academic years as a so-called political scientist.

The past decade, say 1998 to 2008, has seen many rapid changes not only on the countries covered by the foundation's initiative, but in the globe as a whole. It has ended with the most colossal, and global, economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and followed the regional financial crisis of 1997-1998.

Politically speaking, the decade started with an admirable outburst of reformist politics, but has ended depressingly with the entrenchment of oligarchies in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. In all these places, the level of economic inequality has rapidly increased, human rights have been constantly abused, and state control of the mass media has become more formidable.

What struck me on reading many of the papers in the foundation's volumes was the relative invisibility of all this turmoil. One could use as an example Thailand, now in the grip of a long-term political crisis, of which the signs were already visible at the start of the new century. But the Thailand papers barely mentioned Thaksin Shinawatra, the problems of the monarchy, or the bitter insurrection in the Muslim, Malay-speaking, far South. There was no warning in them of the coming red shirt movement we read about every day in the newspapers. One could read most of the papers on the Philippines without getting any idea of the disastrous presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and so on.

Why should this be so?

One could start with the long-term decline of the traditional public intellectual, whose primary readership or audience was the public at large. In the 1960s and 1970s the most influential public intellectual in the Philippines was certainly Renato Constantino, who wrote many historical studies with a strong left-nationalist character, and who was bitterly hostile to what he called the persisting "colonial mentality" among his fellow citizens. He was not alone. For example, the Protestant American William Henry Scott also wrote influential books about the early history of the Philippines, and about the abused pagan minorities in the Luzon Cordillera. Neither of them was an academic or a professional journalist. Today almost no such commanding people exist. No Indonesian had so grand an output as the late Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who never finished high school, but wrote a series of extraordinary novels and short stories for the general public, even though he spent many years in prison. As yet, he has no successor.

In Thailand, Sulak Sivaraksa has for decades been his country's most powerful social-political critic, and has repeatedly been accused of insulting the monarchy. He has no academic appointment, and is not a journalist. But he is now in his 70s, and has no obvious successor.

Malaysia has one such person, who is still quite young, the satirist, editor, outstanding film-maker, and essayist Amir Muhammad. Again, not an academic, journalist or civil servant.

You will have noticed that I emphasise particularly the absence of academic occupations. This point leads me to the first of two profound changes making the survival of public intellectuals difficult: it is professionalisation of universities, following the American example, which in turn borrowed heavily from 19th Century Germany. This professionalisation was originally built on the powerful institution of the disciplines, in other words the fragmentation of knowledge and study according to the logic of the division of labour. In itself, it discouraged historians interested in anthropology and economists interested in sociology; but it also meant that success in scholarly life was largely determined by senior figures in the disciplines.

In addition, professionalisation encouraged the development of technical jargon understandable only by people in the same academic disciplines. This in turn meant that, more and more, academics wrote for each other, published in "professional journals", and in university presses. The general public was increasingly excluded by this tendency.

Writing books for this kind of readership was typically regarded as superficial and unscientific. Elegant prose was less and less esteemed.

Nonetheless America was in some ways unique. First of all, it had no national-level state-owned universities, unlike almost every other country in the world. Most of the top universities were private. Second, the country developed thousands of universities in response to popular demand, at a time when university degrees were thought of as requirements for well-paying jobs within and without the universities themselves. Thirdly, the country has a long tradition of hostility to university intellectuals in general, meaning that only a small minority of professors had any powerful connections to the political elite or the mass media. Yet the American example was very powerful from the 1950s onwards, given the country's hegemonic global position during and after the Cold War. Tens of thousands of youngsters from most parts of the so-called Free World were invited to to come to America to get advanced degrees, and were amply funded by private foundations and state agencies. On their return home, they were supposed to follow their teachers' example and reinvent university life, often with substantial American financial and political support.

But this task was carried out only in part, given the character of the societies from which the youngsters had come. In Southeast Asia, for example, the top universities are usually owned by the state, and their staffs are civil servants of one sort or another. There is a long tradition of respect for learning, based on both pre-colonial and colonial-era social orders. This respect for learning is fortified by the strong connection to the state. Professors have access to the political elite and the mass media in a way almost unthinkable in the USA. On the other hand their social status has usually not been paralleled by comparable financial support. In the US professors are very highly paid, many senior professors earning US$100,000 (3.2 million baht) plus every year. In Southeast Asia, in contrast, professors are badly paid, so end up working on useless state research projects, moonlighting at other universities, speculating in real estate, and various kinds of mass media opportunities such as becoming columnists in newspapers, TV personalities and so forth. Students are often neglected or ignored, or treated in a bureaucratic manner.

A good many academics prefer not to teach at all, but sit in research institutes which is rarely very productive. This is why so many of the best students are largely autodidacts and despise their nominal teachers.

Under such circumstances many academics pragmatically align themselves with the political elite. Otherwise they compete fiercely for grants made available by agencies in the rich countries, who have their own agenda.

Moonlighting for the mass media has its own problems. TV slots pay well, but usually no one is given more than 5 minutes, which is not enough to explain anything important. Writing columns at least encourages academics to write for a wide general public, but serious scholars cannot turn out weekly columns without endlessly repeating themselves, chatting about themselves, and obeying the instructions of the editors and owners of newspapers. They become employees - of the state, of the foreign foundations, or newspaper moguls, and TV managers. Small wonder that they have little time to do real research, write significant books, or seriously challenge anything. They are also peculiarly isolated.

Let me give you one striking example. A couple of years ago, I gave a lecture at a top Bangkok university for about 300 professors and students. In the course of this talk, I spoke at some length about the first genuine genius Thailand has produced since the 1960s - the great film-maker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who won two top prizes at Cannes within the space of three years, and has also won awards all over the film world. At the end, I asked those who had ever heard of Apichatpong to raise their hands. About 10 hands were raised, all by students. How many had seen any of his films? About six, again all students.

I suddenly realised the isolated ignorance of the professors, who only watch Hollywood films, and their arrogance: film-makers have no university degrees!

Almost no bridges between professors and film-makers, novelists and painters, and so on. No wonder that film-makers and novelists usually have a very low opinion of professors. Only unprofessional students are connected to the two worlds. All of this suggests some of the reasons why it is unlikely to find public intellectuals in universities, though there are always important exceptions.

But one cannot blame universities without considering the environment in which they exist. Here I come to the second major change affecting the survival of the public intellectual. This can be described as the changing culture of the elite and the ways in which they make use of the power of the state.

The first thing to notice is the gathering trend for the elite to send their children to so-called international primary and secondary schools in their own countries, then send them overseas for various tertiary degrees, mainly to the US and the UK, as well as France, Japan, Australia, Singapore and so on. This outlook obviously implies indifference to, if not contempt for, the countries' own educational institutions. For this reason, the elite have few qualms about massive political interference in university life. In the end, only degrees from foreign universities have any real prestige.

This situation is the opposite of what occurred in the early days of independence when everyone was proud of their schools, and teachers were still generally respected. What do the children of the elite study, if they study at all? You can be sure the degrees will be mainly professional-commercial: business management, marketing, economics, technocratic or small scale projects unlikely to create problems - not only for themselves but also for the youngsters that they sponsored and financed.

Anecdote: When I last spoke with Amir Muhammad, he told me that his little publishing firm had just printed a collection of short stories by gay and lesbian writers. Knowing the harsh legal penalties for "abnormal" sexual relations in Malaysia, I asked him if he was afraid of repression. "Not at all," he said, laughing. "Our rulers never read books, only two-page policy recommendations and the daily press. Plus, the book is in English, which they are not very good at anyway."

Traveling in the Philippines

2010-07-06T22:54:00.000-07:00

A good friend from the Phillippines, Ivan Henares, has a lovely and award-winning blog about some amazing places to visit all around the archipelago - from the Cordillera Region to the Zamboanga Peninsula. He is a strong advocate for the preservation of cultural heritage sites all over the Philippines. Ivan About Town chronicles his adventures in places such as the Underground River in Palawan, the rapids of Pagsanjan, or the meandering streets of Quiapo.

His blog also follows his adventures around the world - from Indonesia to France, Vietnam to South Africa.
If you're thinking about visiting the Philippines, check out Ivan's blog before you go from some ideas about places to go and adventures to partake. Enjoy!

Click here to get to Ivan's blog: Ivan About Town

The Manila Machine - Los Angeles, CA

2010-06-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Gone is the notion of 'roach coach' as former restauranteurs and gastronomic entrepeneurs have sought out more inexpensive ways to share their culinary love with the masses in the face of economic crisis.
Those fortunate enough to live in Southern California - Los Angeles to be exact - check out

THE MANILA MACHINE

- a new addition to the growing "food-on-wheels" culture on the west coast. While seemingly a mainstay on the bustling streets of NYC, the food truck trade, until very recently, has had less than savory reputation. But things have definitely changed with more folks trying to find innovative ways to get their product out to a hungry market. These days you can see all sorts of folks from all walks of life diggin' in and linin' up at the side of the road or in a parking lot for their chance to eat out of paper boats with plastic utensils morning, noon and night.

Check out Marvin Gapultos' - Manila Machine Co-proprietor - blog Manila Machine.Burnt Lumpia here...he's doing some interesting and innovative things to promote Filipino culinary culture to the masses beyond adobo and lumpia.

You can also follow them on Twitter so you'll know what part of the Cityof Angels to catch them in next - @manilamachine.

Enjoy!

Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew - New York City, CY

2010-06-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Another book to pick up - this time on basketball in the Philippines. Considering that the NBA finals just finished last night, I thought it was appropriate to post.
Pacific Rims by Rafe Bartholomew.

The book reading and signing are over, but you can still pick up the book. I'm sure you can find Rafe at his regular haunt, Krystal Cafe 81. (the restaurant doesn't have its own website but it does have reviews on yelp. that's what you'll be connected to with this link.)

On another note, galing ang tagalog niya. Sana ang mga pinoy hinding lumaki sa Pilipinas ay makinig sa kanya at lakasan ang nais mong pagaral ng wikang pinoy. Minsan pilipit o buloktot ang pagsulat at salita ko pa pero habang may hangin sa katawan ko, subukin ko.

(His Tagalog is good. I hope that Filipinos not raised in the Philippines are listening and increase their desire to learn the Filipino langauge. I know that my written and spoken Filipino is still twisted or incorrect at times, as long as I have breath I will continue to try to impove.)

Enjoy everyone! : )

The FOOD Buddha - the Food Network and Chicago, IL

2010-06-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Two words.

Pork. Cakes.

No. Shut up. Get out.

Seriously.

WHAT?

Yes, Pork Cakes.

That delectable - in some cultures, forbidden - fruit of the animal kingdom. I tried going vegetarian a few years back - and it worked for a while - but ultimately my deep affinity for bacon brought me back into the fold of a carniverous culinary culture. Heck, my love affair with anything deep-fried killed any desire to go veg completely. Some folks just weren't made to be herbivores. I'm one of them.

So I was flipping between my favorite channels - any channel running a Law & Order marathon and TLC when this new show - THE FOOD BUDDHA - made me put the remote down.

First of all, this guy is NUTS - in a fantastically charismatic and charmingly jovial way. Rodelo Aglibot does what every foodie WANTS to do and every gourmand and glutton secretly DREAMS of doing. He orders OOE - One Of Everything -off the menu. We're not talking sampler sizes - we're talking "gimme the full blown portion, some wine, table placings and I'm set" sizes. Reason: he's looking for inspiration for dishes to feature/add/create at his own restaurant in Chicago, SUNDA (click on the name to check out the restaurant).

(photo courtesy of www.chefwear.com)

Rodelio travels to a city and meets up with a food guide - be it a chef or local foodie - just someone who really knows where to eat. That chef/friend suggests a few choice restaurants for them to indulge in - and off they go! These first two episodes he travels to New Orleans and San Francisco. In NoLa he discovers these fantastic Pork Cakes (check out the video here! Food Buddha Webisodes) at a place called Squeal BBQ which he revises in his own way back at Sunda at the end of the hour. In San Francisco he finds inspiration in Oven-Roasted Crab at Nettie's Crab Shack to create his own crab deliciousness back at Sunda.

Two things I already absolutely love about this show.

1) Aglibot posssesses an unabashedly genuine love and passion for food. He savors it. He delights in it. He emits joy - and you can see/hear/feel it - as he digs into one entree after another. Being able to share that kind of passion with people is a gift - and Aglibot definitely has it. You delight and savor in every bite he takes - and you wish you could be that table next to Rodelio so that you can share some of what comes to his.

2) That brings me to another point. When we go to restaurants, the last thing that we even think about is sharing our food with the next table. But this isn't the case when we're at home or at a party - we share, we suggest, we pass around the serving plate, we ask if they want more. The Food Buddha SMASHES that boundary between tables, passing along plates to total strangers near him, engaging them in conversation about what they're eating, what they thought of a dish. At first strangers seem a bit taken aback by his actions - first by his OOE order accompanied by whispers of "is he serious?!" and then the amount of food that streams toward his table. But folks quickly slip into the sharing and conversation as if they had been friends for years. How can you NOT be enamoured with someone who obviously loves what he does?

So add me as another fan to the Food Buddha's Facebook page. Set the TiVO to three thumbs up. I'm hooked. Looking forward to the next show.

Recap of links:
For more information on Rodelio Aglibot, click here: Aglibot bio Or here: The Food Buddha
Sunda Restaurant: 110 W. Illinois Ave Chicago, IL Sunda Restaurant
Squeal BBQ, New Orleans, LA: Porky goodness
Nettie's Crab Shack, San Francisco, CA: Crab...mmmm
Food Buddha Webisodes: webisodes

BTW...Sunda serves Cripsy Pata. :) Yea, he's Filipino.

One of the many reasons Chicago is AWESOME - Chicago, Illinois

2010-06-13T08:25:00.000-07:00

Chicago has AMAZING (and I cannot emphasize this enough) events that are, on the most part, FREE and open to the public ALL SUMMER LONG. Talk about taking care of your constituency and fostering community.

If you have the privilege of being in the windy city at any point this summer, check out the Mayor's Office of Special Events (MOSE) page before you step out on the town. The Blues Festival just ended, but there's the Taste of Chicago, the VIVA Festival, the World Music Festival, Neighborhood tours, weekly FREE dance instruction and dance parties in the park, weekly fireworks off of Navy Pier...the list goes on and on!

Taste of Chicago: taste of chicago...mmmm
Neighborhood Tours site: Chicago Neighborhood Tours
Summerdance 2010: dancing in the park!

For more information about other great things to do in Chicago, check it out: Explore Chicago!

Happy June, July and August!

Cheap Fun for the whole Family! - San Diego County Fair for $3.00! - San Diego, CA

2010-06-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

As things are getting more expensive, here's a way to have a little fun with the whole family for under $20 bucks for admission (if you have 6 or less people in your family that is...)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Admission to the

San Diego Country Fair

is only

$3.00!

It's also Kids Day so everyone 12 and younger get in FREE!!!

*IMPORTANT!!*

Read below to find out how to get your $3.00 tickets!

(because you can't get them at the door!)

Here's how:

• Go to Albertsons in San Diego County or Riverside County

• Tell the cashier you want to buy the $3.00 Tuesday tickets for the San Diego County Fair (minimum $10.00 purchase required)

• Come to the Fair on Tuesday, June 15, and don't forget your tickets, because these very special $3.00 Tuesday tickets are not sold at the Fairgrounds! (Regular adult admission is $13.00.)

• One more thing: Tuesday also is Kids' Day, so all children aged 12 and younger are admitted free.

For more information:
San Diego County Fair - formerly the Del Mar Fair

Enjoy!

Summer Classes in Philippine Dance and Music! - San Francisco, CA

2010-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

The American Center for Philippine Arts (ACPA) is proud to announce that they are accepting students for their summer classes in Philippine Dance and Rondalla!

American Center for Philippine Arts (ACPA) Mission
Our mission is to provide a unique educational and developmental platform for multidisciplinary Philippine arts through innovative hands-on classes, collaborations, networking opportunities, and showcasing events. We strive to nurture both traditional and progressive Philippine arts to strengthen our community and ethnic identity.

For more information about ACPA, please visit their website below:
http://www.philippinearts.org/

For specific information about the classes being offered by ACPA, please click the link below:
ACPA Summer Classes info here!

Maraming Salamat! : )

The Novel Illustrado - and other things literary in today's Filipino Diaspora

2010-06-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

I have a confession.

Whenever I stroll through any bookstore (chain and non) I always scan the literature and poetry sections for names familiar on my tongue - Alumit, Bacho, Carbo, Delos Santos, Foley, Galang, Hagedorn, Rosca, Sia, Uriza-Holtz, Villanueva...a list I keep alphabetized, open to growth and always running in my head. I'm mostly disappointed...but there are days when I am pleasantly surprised - even outright clap-my-hands delighted - to see a familiar name on the shelves pinched between the Austen and Ziemer.

If you like reading, or are interested in finding out more about Filipino writers, read this article. It's thought provoking, well written and well researched. Check out the link at the end to the article where it was first published and read the comments (which I did not include here). They too are intriguing and some of them come from some pretty well known figures in literary and academic circles within the Filipino (American and otherwise) community.

At the end of the article I've compiled a list of all the novels Talusan mentions in her article for quick reference. Come back time to time for updates to the list. Please leave comments suggesting books to include in this list.

******************************
May 25th, 2010
The Loneliest Thing on Earth
By: Grace Talusan

Miguel Syjuco’s novel, Ilustrado won the Man Asian Literary Prize while still in manuscript. A Filipino American reviewer considers the fate of Filipino writing in the American literary world.

**

If you’re only reading this review to find out whether Miguel Syjuco’s novel, Ilustrado, is worth your time, here’s the short answer: Yes. If you enjoy a good murder mystery, or a multigenerational family saga, or a love story, or a hero’s journey in search of something lost, or an inside look at how the elite of a former U.S. colony live—or even if you like texts conducive to lit-crit discussions of the metanarrative, the postmodern, the postcolonial, or the political—you will find many things to admire in Syjuco’s debut.

When was the last time you read a novel by a Filipino about any aspect of a Filipino experience? Have you ever wondered about this former colony, the stories its people might tell?
If you’ve never read a novel about the Philippines, then read Ilustrado. If you’re dismayed at how few books are written and published by Filipinos, then buy twenty copies.

Ilustrado is an exuberant, complex, and fascinating ride through 150 years of Philippine history. In the Prologue, a young writer, the fictional Miguel Syjuco, describes a body floating in the Hudson River. The body is identified as Crispin Salvador, a.k.a. “The Panther,” the protagonist’s literary idol. The story that ensues details Syjuco’s attempt to piece together what happened to Salvador and to find The Bridges Ablaze, Salvador’s final manuscript, a rumored masterpiece.

The novel is comprised of fragments of texts written by different authors, but mostly taken from Salvador’s oeuvre, which includes about a dozen novels—and including essays, novel excerpts, short stories, interviews, blogs, blog comments, jokes, and unpublished manuscripts. The reader must work to make the connections between the fragments, but I was never confused. Syjuco’s writing is playful, smart, and confident. The pacing is quick and the last third of the novel hums with energy. I felt fully immersed in this world, and though the novel’s final pages frustrated me, I admired the previous three hundred.

That’s the end of the short answer.

Here’s the long answer: Despite the ugly stereotype that Filipinos are like crabs in a barrel pulling down those who get too close to the top, my experience is that we love when one of us succeeds. If a Filipino is singing on Oprah or replacing Steve Perry in Journey, we contact every Filipino in our address book. When my father, whose music collection is rich with Kenny Rogers and Chuck Mangione, asked if I’d heard about the Filipino in the Black Eyed Peas rapping about bebots, I knew the hive’s communication system was highly efficient. When I was a little girl, a Filipina appeared on our first color TV in a shimmering mermaid dress; my parents roused us out of bed to see a sight as rare as Halley’s Comet. All night long my parents’ phone rang, Filipinos congratulating each other as if Rosario Salayan, runner-up in the 1980 Miss Universe pageant, were their own daughter. We wore yellow during the People Power movement of 1986 and framed the front page of our local newspapers when Corazon Aquino was elected President.

The converse is true, too. We shake our heads in shame when one of us makes bad news—such as Onel de Guzman, who may have created the “Love Bug” virus that caused causing an estimated $10 billion in damage, or Andrew Cunanan, who killed Gianni Versace, before killing himself. “But Cunanan was only half-Filipino!” we insist.

There are so many of us living far away from home—about 8 million overseas Filipino workers. Remittances make up 10% of the total Philippine economy, and yet we hardly see evidence of our existence. Filipinos are integral to operations in the cruise ship, hotel, hospital, and other industries—but we often work in the back, invisible, taking care of what others don’t want to do. Take for example, the U.S. Navy, which has hired Filipinos since 1898 as stewards and mess boys: By 1970, there were nearly 17,000 Filipinos in the U.S Navy, many performing cleaning and cooking duties on the ships.

So two years ago, when a Filipino’s unpublished novel won the Man Asia Literary Prize, for weeks I heard about the news from multiple sources. Now that Farrar, Straus & Giroux has published Ilustrado, I can’t get through my day without someone forwarding an article or stopping me in a parking lot to tell me about it. People in my community have been encouraging each other to buy Syjuco’s book and attend his events. His success is a success for all of us.

As an aspiring Filipino novelist myself, I have an interest in Ilustrado’s success. If one of us moves books, publishers may be more inclined to publish Filipino novels in the future. The problem with this, of course, is that if a Filipino’s book doesn’t sell well, publishers may be less inclined to take a risk.

Perhaps my theory is too cynical. Perhaps if Filipino novelists just write books that are good enough, they’ll be published by major U.S. presses. Perhaps, in the end, publishing decisions are solely about craft, story, and the writing.

Or not. Before winning the Man Asia, Syjuco could not publish in American literary journals and was rejected by many agents, despite his attempts to participate in the literary community, moving to New York to study creative writing at Columbia University, working entry-level jobs at The New Yorker and The Paris Review. After rejecting his work, one agent recommended Syjuco read E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India, a detail that makes its way into the novel.

Syjuco’s struggles inspired me to research how Filipino novelists in the diaspora had fared in mainstream U.S. publishing. Everyone I know in the book world talks as though the novel in general is on its deathbed—but what I learned about the plight of Filipinos writers was even grimmer. In the past twenty years, Random House imprints have published several novels written by Filipinos that were either set in the Philippines and/or featured central Filipino characters, including Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters (1990), Arlene J. Chai’s The Last Time I Saw Mother (1996), F. Sionil Jose’s Dusk (1998) and Don Vicente (1999), Bino Realuyo’s The Umbrella Country (1999), Tess Uriza Holthe’s When the Elephants Dance (2002), and Merlinda Bobis’s The Solemn Lantern Maker (2009).

The Penguin Group published two novels by Filipinos, a decade apart: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard’s When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (1994) and Jessica Hagedorn’s Dream Jungle (2004). Philippine national hero and novelist Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) , first published in 1887, became the first work of Filipino literature published by Penguin Classics (2006). W.W. Norton published Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War in 1988 and Brian Ascalon Roley’s American Son in 2001. HarperCollins published Sophia G. Romero’s novel Always Hidingin 1998.

At smaller presses, Noel Alumit published Letters to Montgomery Clift (MacAdam/Cage, 2003) and Talking to the Moon (Carroll & Graf, 2006). The University of Washington Press published Peter Bacho’s Cebu (1991), which won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, and Linda Ty-Casper’s DreamEden (1997). Dalkey Archive republished Wilfrido D. Nolledo’s But for the Lovers, which was first published by Dutton in 1970. Temple University Press published Carlos Bulosan’s The Cry and the Dedication in 1995. Bulosan died in 1956. In his autobiography, America Is in the Heart (1946), he wrote, “Do you know what a Filipino feels in America? He is the loneliest thing on earth [surrounded by] beauty, wealth, power, grandeur. But is he a part of these luxuries?”

Farrar, Straus & Giroux published MacArthur Fellow Han Ong’s novels Fixer Chao (2001) and The Disinherited (2004), before publishing Ilustrado.

According to Bowker’s Books in Print, there were 240,000 adult fiction hardcover titles published in English in the US from 1990-2010, or roughly 12,000 every year. If we interpret the above numbers generously, every year about one novel featuring Filipino characters written by a Filipino in English is published in the US. One out of 12,000. Over time, you can see how little literary production that is. In the past twenty years, twenty novels out of a quarter million have passed through the needle’s eye to find a U.S. publisher?

This isn’t because there aren’t enough Filipinos interested in the literary arts, or because we don’t write in English. The first Filipino novel written in English, A Child of Sorrow by Zoilo M. Galang, was published in 1921. About 93% of the Philippine population over the age of ten is literate, among the highest literacy rates in the developing world. The language of instruction in schools is English. And there is a sizable population of literate, English-speaking Filipinos in the U.S.: According to the 2000 Census, there were 2.4 million Filipinos in the U.S.—18.3% of the Asian American population and the second largest Asian ethnic group after the Chinese.

We’re here, but like many people of color we don’t see ourselves reflected in books or movies or TV programs. If we are referenced in pop culture, it’s Joan Rivers making another joke about us eating dogs, or characters on Desperate Housewives disparaging Filipino medical schools. Otherwise, we’re invisible.

In 2001, when Roley published American Son, his first novel, he asked, “Given our numbers and status as formerly colonialized subjects, why are we so invisible to other Americans? Why do many Americans seem so much more interested in people from just about any other Asian country—Japan, Korea, Tibet, and now India? Could it be that after being forcibly Westernized, we no longer appear Asian enough to be viewed as exotic? Could it have something to do with America’s colonial past not fitting in with its idea of itself as a democracy?”

And it’s not just American readers who don’t want to read Filipino novels. In The Philippine Star, F. Sionil Jose, celebrated author of dozens of important works, recently commented that “many Filipino writers don’t consider themselves anointed until their work is published in the United States.

This then is one of the greatest obstructions in the building of a nation—the colonized mind… And this servility is accepted, in fact encouraged by our major bookshops. Their front windows display foreign titles and bestsellers—not our books, as is done in all other countries.

Jose criticizes Filipino readers for being more interested in John Updike and Philip Roth, these Western writers who wallow in the arid trivia of suburbia, who do not really say anything of much importance to us. Nobility, heroism, forbearance are absent in the work of most writers in the Imperial West today… this about sums up some of the literary ejaculations of such authors who we read with so much attention.

Of course, there are other options for Filipino novelists besides “anointment.” We can create our own opportunities, as did Eileen Tabios of Meritage Press, which publishes Filipino literature under the BABAYLAN imprint, and Cecilia Manguerra Brainard of Philippine American Literary House (PALH). Or, if you can’t publish in the U.S., you can publish “back home.” New York residents Gina Apostol published Bibliolepsy with the University of the Philippines Press (1997) and The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata with Anvil (2009); and Eric Gamalinda has published three novels in the Philippines, including Empire of Memory with Anvil (1992). They have published here also, most recently collaborating with fiction writer Lara Stapleton on The Thirdest World: Stories and Essays by Three Filipino Writers (2007), with Factory School, a small U.S. publisher.

Maybe the biggest reason we haven’t read more novels by writers of Filipino ancestry is the novels haven’t been written yet. Writing and publishing a novel is incredibly difficult. Many people want to write a book, but without encouragement, resources, and opportunities to develop, I imagine many aspiring novelists of Filipino descent eventually give up. If Miguel Syjuco hadn’t won the Man Asian Literary Prize, how long could he have persisted despite the constant rejection?

I don’t usually want to read a novel about writers, but the scenes in Ilustrado about literary life were funny because they were spot on. Take, for example, this description:

Rita Rajah, the Muslim poetess from Mindanao; her eyebrows are as thin and carefully drawn as her verse, her makeup applied in the generous manner of one who was nearly a great beauty and still savors wistful memories of being so darned close. Her literary fame is based on five poems she wrote in 1972, ’73, and ’79.

Syjuco introduces us to “the literati of the Philippines: the merry, mellowed, stalwartly middle-class practitioners of the luxury of literature in the language of the privileged” with a hilarious scene at the University of the Philippines’ literary center, where a young poet reads earnest poems at a podium while Rita raises her voice to make tsimis, gossip, about Salvador with the fictional Syjuco and Furio, another writer:

Rita: “Autoplagiarist’s problem was it was more about Filipinos than for Filipinos.”

Furio: “It’s the sort of book Americans love and Filipinos hate. We have to write for our countrymen.”

Rita: “Countrywomen.”

Me: “Then why couldn’t he get it published abroad?”

Furio: “The same reason the rest of us Filipinos have hard time.”

And:

Me: “Did any of you like anything Crispin wrote? What about his masterpiece—Because of–”

Furio: “Dahil Sa’Yo? Not authentic enough. It didn’t capture the essence of the Filipino.”

Rita: “The trouble with that book is that in its obsession with the new, it was really just being old.”

Furio: “I preferred his work when he was merely trying for approval.”

Syjuco, the author, pokes fun at himself, too. The fictional Syjuco struggles with writing a novel in a locked room in the apartment she shares with his girlfriend, who asks what the mysterious crying noises are. He admits he was watching pornography and lets her into his writing room.

Like a connoisseur pointing out the levers, gears, and jewels that fascinate within clockworks, I showed her the top-shelf videos on my hard drive. I introduced her to my favorite strumpets: Jenna Haze, Belladona, and the Filipina-American Charmane Star. I told her my dream of writing about them in a book that would get published by a major literary house.

Syjuco reveals that Salvador, when a young writer, also won a prestigious prize for the unpublished manuscript of his first novel, The Enlightened, which “could not live up to the fairy-tale hype.” The term ilustrado is synonymous with “enlightened,” and refers to the Filipino educated elite under Spanish colonial rule. The most famous ilustrado in Philippine history is another novelist, José Rizal, whose novel Noli Me Tangere criticized Spanish colonial rule. Before Rizal was executed by the Spanish in 1896, he left a final poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios,” my last farewell.

Reading fiction should be an emotional experience, and there were many moments in Ilustrado when I felt. For example, the scene at a funeral when a coffin is opened one last time and the protagonist watches his uncle’s wife holds her husband’s hand for the last time. And the family-meal scene in which the protagonist’s father oppresses a caged tiger stayed with me long after reading. I also felt delight in recognizing cultural references and details. Syjuco wrote about people and places that I knew. Ilustrado is a Filipino novel and presents the complexity and vibrancy of the Philippines that I know. I enjoyed, for once, being on the inside of a joke.

Aside from the extended joke that features a recurring cast of characters who appear throughout the novel, there are other pieces of texts that aren’t attributed. There are fragments in italics, like this one, which I admired:

Our nostalgic protagonist sits on the bed… where did my own life go? he thinks… So many unfinished story collections. Epic novels that reached chapter two. And those damn confusing experiments with style. The thing is to write a straight narrative. That’s the trick, no trickery. Go back to basics. Emulate A Passage to India. Write Crispin’s biography. Spin the yarn, follow it home… Maybe maturity—he thinks—is merely accepting the tally of all the finite and disappearing options of life.

There’s a danger in using so many different texts in a novel—can one writer convince us of so many different writerly voices in one work? There are even fragments within a fragments—the fictional Syjuco quotes Salvador’s sister’s girlhood diary in his biography-in-process—but these fragments add up to something meaningful and satisfying, and make Ilustrado an inventive and exciting debut.

···

Grace Talusan teaches writing at Tufts University and Grub Street.
(Here's the link to the original article. Like I mentioned before, check out the comments!)
http://therumpus.net/2010/05/the-loneliest-thing-on-earth/

************************
If you're on facebook, check out the Filipino American Library (formerly PARRAL - the Pilipino American Reading Room and Library) of Los Angeles, CA.

Filipino American publishing houses include the following:
Meritage Press: http://www.meritagepress.com/
Philippine American Literary House: http://www.palhbooks.com/
T'boli Publishing (based in San Francisco but can't find a link.)

Happy Reading!
******
Novel List (most culled from the article for quick reference. others from my bookshelf and memory. Novels published in the Philippines have their publishing houses after the year of publication. Please leave comments adding to this list!) Many of these authors have published short stories, articles, etc. That will be another blog to write.

Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not)* (1887),
                El Filibusterismo (English title: The Reign of Greed) (cir. 1891)
Zoilo M. Galang, A Child of Sorrow (1921)
Carlos Bulosan, America Is in the Heart (1946)
                         posthumously, The Cry and the Dedication (1995)
Wilfrido D. Nolledo, But for the Lovers (1970)
Ninotchka Rosca, State of War (1988)
Jessica Hagedorn, Dogeaters (1990), Dream Jungle (2004)
Peter Bacho, Cebu (1991)**, Leaving Yesler (2010)
Eric Gamalinda, Empire of Memory with Anvil (1992)
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept (1994)
Arlene J. Chai’s The Last Time I Saw Mother (1996)
Linda Ty-Casper, Dream Eden (1997)
Gina Apostol Bibliolepsy (1997: UP Press) and The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata (2009: Anvil)
Sophia G. Romero, Always Hiding (1998)
F. Sionil Jose, Dusk (originally Po-on) (1984). The final part of the the Rosales Saga that include in the following order: The Pretenders, Tree, My brother, my executioner, Mass, and Po-on (Dusk).
                       Don Vicente (1999)
Bino Realuyo, The Umbrella Country (1999)
Brian Ascalon Roley, American Son (2001)
Han Ong, Fixer Chao (2001) and The Disinherited (2004)
Tess Uriza Holthe, When the Elephants Dance (2002), The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes (2007)
Noel Alumit, Letters to Montgomery Clift (2003) and Talking to the Moon (2006)
Marisa De Los Santos, Love Walked In (2006), Belong to Me (2008)
Lara Stapleton, The Thirdest World: Stories and Essays by Three Filipino Writers (2007)
Merlinda Bobis, The Solemn Lantern Maker (2009)

*Philippine national hero and novelist Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) , first published in 1887, became the first work of Filipino literature published by Penguin Classics (2006).
**Won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation

5th Philippine Dance Gathering and Workshop (PGDW) - San Diego, CA

2010-06-06T23:23:00.000-07:00

Interested in Philippine dance and culture? Interested in learning about the rich history and traditions that underlie the beautiful body extensions and hand movements? Interested in networking with artists and musicians committed to the preservation and education of Philippine cultural art forms? Then you HAVE to be at the Philippine Dance Gathering and Workshop!

Philippine Dance Gathering and Workshop

August 25-29, 2010

Jacob Center - Market Creek Plaza

404 Euclid Ave

San Diego, CA 92114

Hosted by the Pasacat Philippine Dance Company (San Diego)
Co-produced by Kayamanan ng Lahi (Los Angeles)

To register and for more information, please visit the link below:
http://pdgw2010.eventbrite.com/

Don't miss out! See you there!
***************

PDGW Short and Long Term Goals
 Develop, sustain and increase the effectiveness and impact of Philippine dance activities upon practitioners, participants and audiences.
 Address the immediate to long-term organization needs of dance practitioners in a sensible, straightforward and comprehensive manner.
 Increase the capacity of individual groups to fulfill their missions and goals
 Bring together the Philippine dance leadership in a collaborative and supportive environment.
 Develop formal linkages between groups at both the local level and with Philippine-based institutions and resource specialists.

PDGW Objectives
 Assess the current state of Philippine dance groups, programs and activities in California
 Discuss and develop options to address the major cultural artistic and administrative issues self-identified by dance practitioners.
 Develop a statewide inventory of Philippine dance groups, programs, projects and activities.
 Provide group specific technical assistance and consultation.
 Provide hands-on, practical experience of learning a selected Philippine dance
 Provide a theoretical approach and model curriculum for Philippine dance education and instruction.

SINGGALOT exhibit in Chicago,IL!

2010-06-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Actually, SINGGALOT is being housed in Schaumburg, a suburb of Chicago...but it's worth the drive up the 90 and the toll to the Trickster Gallery. : )

SINGGALOT

The Tie that Binds

Filipinos in America, from Colonial Subjects to Citizens

American Indian Center, Trickster Gallery

190 Roselle Rd.

Schaumburg, IL

May 15, 2010 - July 25, 2010

Hours:

W/Th 11 am - 6 pm

F 11 am - 8 pm

Sat 11 am - 6 pm

Sun 1 pm - 6 pm

SINGGALOT was developed by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition SErvice.

Hosted by the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago (FAHSC).

For more information, check out the links below.
http://www.fahschicago.org/
If you're in the Chicago Area and are interested in getting involved with FAHSC, I highly recommend it. Estrella Alamar has an amazing collection of photographs, memorabilia, etc. - a treasure trove of artifacts!

Here's an interesting companion article on the exhibit from Bakitwhy.com.
http://bakitwhy.com/singgalot-exhibit-says-chances-are-you-dont-know-your-philippine-history

Show your support!

A new Mo'olelo staged reading: SILA: a play about Climate Change

2010-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Mo'olelo is a Performing Arts Company in San Diego.
Mo'olelo means "legend/story/tale/narrative" in Hawaiian.
I support their work because it is relevant and community-inspired.
Plus they're an equity theater!

****************

Sila

A play about climate change

June 15

*This is a staged reading of a play in process*

The Arctic is melting and everyone wants a piece of it.

As many of our audiences know, Mo`olelo launched a greening initiative in 2007 and has spent the past few years developing environmentally-friendlier theater practices. More recently, we wanted to connect the dots between the backstage greening work we do and our onstage work that often focuses on issues of identity. So, with the support of The James Irvine Foundation, we commissioned playwright Chantal Bilodeau to write a script that explores the intersection of race, poverty and climate change in the Canadian Arctic. We invite you to participate in the development of this new play by joining us on Tuesday, June 15 for a reading and discussion of the first draft of the script. The play will go through another year of development following this reading, and your participation will help shape the course of the play.

About Sila: The Arctic is melting and everyone wants a piece of it.

In the race to shape the future of the region, four characters, an ice scientist, an Inuit activist, an officer for the Marine Communications and Traffic Services and a polar bear, see their values challenged as their lives become intricately intertwined.

Event Details:

Reading of Sila

by Chantal Bilodeau

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

5:15 PM Pre-show munchies

6:00 PM Reading

Where: The 10th Avenue Theatre, 930 10th Avenue , San Diego , CA 92101
Downtown San Diego , on 10th Avenue between Broadway and E Street

Reservations: Space is limited. tickets@moolelo.net, 619-342-7395

Our last reading was sold out, so please reserve early!

Admission: Free with a suggested donation of $5 at the door

Traffic & Parking: Please note that there is a 7:05 PM Padres game at Petco Park on June 15. We recommend arriving at the theater early, for the 5:15 PM reception to avoid the game day traffic. There is metered street parking around the building, and a $5 parking lot one block away at the northeast corner of 11th Avenue and E Street. The machine at this lot accepts Visa, Master Card and exact cash. Please note on some game days the parking fee at this lot is raised to $10.

For more information about the event and Mo'olelo, please check out their website below. Thanks!
http://www.moolelo.net/

Poker Tournament to benefit the Oakland Asian Cultural Center!

2010-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
If you like any and all forms of poker and blackjack, please come out and support the Oakland Asian Cultural Center! OACC is a partner of the American Center for Philippine Arts (ACPA).

First Annual All In Poker and Blackjack Tournament

A Charity Event benefitting the Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Friday June 25,2010

Pacific Renaissance Plaza

2nd Floor388 9th St.

Ste. 290

Oakland CA 94607

doors open at 6:30 pm

tourney begins at 7:00 pm

$35 buy-in with unlimited $20 rebuys til 9:00 pm

Please check the link below for more information and to register.
http://www.oacc.cc/supportus/donations/pokertournament.html
Thanks for the support!

Unlock your inner potential!

2010-06-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like there's something blocking you from your potential - but you can't put your finger on it? This upcoming workshop may be a way for you to unlock that potential!

White Light Associates of San Francisco is hosting a 1-day workshop at the Hanuman Center of Integral Studies to help you begin your journey toward an abundant life!

What: 3-hour intensive workshop to help you SHIFT YOUR FOCUS AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Where: Hanuman Center of Integral Studies (4450 18th St. San Francisco, CA)
When: June 19th, 1pm - 4 pm
Cost: $75.00
To register and more information, please go to : http://bit.ly/bjiDp7
For more information please contact Baylan Megino at BaylanM@WhiteLightAssociates.com

Rediscovering Community

2010-05-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

I relocated to the Bay Area a little over 5 months ago in attempts to find new motivation and inspiration. The snow and the cold had taken its toll and it was time to move on. No, I'm not done with the PhD but I am moving forward - with both my work as an academic and a community organizer - with the end goal in near sight.

I'm hoping that this blog will have more use and reflection that may be of some interest to whomever may stumble upon this site. I'm hoping to share the new things I am now involved as well as my continuing journey in "PhD school."

In the meantime, check out this organization: The American Center for Philippine Arts (ACPA).
http://www.philippinearts.org/

Enjoy!

WORDsilog 4

2006-03-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!!!

At LONG LAST....here you have it...

in honor of Womyn's History Month...

WORDSILOG 4!

The fabulousness of the female,
the greatness of girrls...
the wonder that is woman...

March 17, 2006: 6 - 10 pm at the
House of Nations in Balboa Park
(2125 Park Blvd. SD, CA 92101)

Attached is the Eflyer - and here's the Line Up thus Far...

Lillian Prijoles
Jianda
Adrien Lima
Emily Angud
& SPECIAL GUESTS (gonna have to go to find out who!)

The show is FREE but donations will be accepted to support Kamay @ Puso's committment to the Madapdap Community in the Philippines.

For more information, please contact Lily Ann at lilyannbv@yahoo.com

Looking forward to seeing you there! Pass this around...share the community culture!

Happy Birthday to Patrick, Todd, and Teri! Happy Anniversary to my folks!

lots of love,
lily ann b. villaraza
WORDsilog Curator

Save Filipino Language Classes!

2005-06-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

SAVE FILIPINO LANGUAGE CLASSES!

Hello everyone!I work with a group of people to help save Filipino language classes in the state of california. We are in danger of having those classes cut from the public school curriculum IF our teachers are not deemed highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act through some sort of assessment. The CSET (California Single Subject Examination for Teachers), the test that is recognized as deeming teachers 'highly qualified,' will take too long to develop.

We have until the end of the 2005-2006 school year to make sure that our teachers are highly qualified - and we can only meet that deadline if we are able to develop an alternative assessment.AB 420 - the legislation that would authorize the creation of an alternative assessment for Filipino Langauge Teachers - has already passed through the State Assembly; our next step is the State Senate. By lending your support and signing the petition, you are helping in the fight to preserve Filipino Language, Culture and heritage - and giving generations to come the opportunity to celebrate the cutlural and linguistic diversity that is one of the hallmarks of California.

One of the ways that you can help is clicking on the link below and, if you agree with it, please sign the petition and then SEND IT ON to other people you think would be supportive - where ever they may be!

http://www.petitiononline.com/FiLM/petition.html

Many, many thanks!

Humbly,
lily ann b. villaraza

2005-06-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Incheon. On my way home...

2005-06-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is my Ate Bebeth (who was our keeper for the most part!), me n my too tall brother. Look! It's like escalera!

2005-06-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

That's me! That's me! I was bored and had nothing to play with but my camera. i held it above my head.

2005-06-02T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is my kuya Jhun Jhun. he's a priest. but I can still call him kuya. yay!

2005-05-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Possibly one of the more interesting flowers that were on the Calareuga grounds. UNFORTUNATELY, i'm still having issues rotating things. just turn your head sideways and enjoy! hehehe...

2005-05-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

We had gone to Calaruega, a Dominican retreat house, in Tagaytay with our cousin (kuya) Jhun Jhun who was recently ordained as a Dominican priest. One of the more interesting things that they had on their BEAUTIFUL grounds was a 'native' (Ifugaw/Igorot) rendering of the 14 stations of the Cross.

homeland!

2005-05-04T04:10:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Philippines!

I've forsaken any and all American multi-national conglomerate colonizers...

So I'm eating at Jollibee.

YIKES! Ngi!

Hee-hee.

When I have the time, I'll sit down and put something meaningful for your amusement.
Oh, and post pictures when I get home.

leaving

2005-04-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

i leave for home today.
sixteen thousand miles away.
across an ocean...

i'm ready.

WORDSILOG DaLaWa

2005-03-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

i had the opportunity to work with some fabulous artists yesterday to create the second programmed WORDSILOG reading series. James Shelledy, Thelma Virata-deCastro and Ed Lim were our stars; Pakaraguian and DJ JABA were our supporting actors, our constants. lots of people. lots of energy. lots of positive energy. and i was lucky enough to watch it unfold.

the red of the walls
bounces off the spot lights
creating a heat in the room.

conversations whispered and shouted
at no one in particular

footsteps
footfalls
slow
and fast
back
and forth

and the heat rises

the slow drone of a record scratching
with no sound coming
from the speaker on the side
washes the music of the undercurrent

and the heat rises

bodies box step around another
to find a nesting place
on seats of wood and black leather
facing the narrow red stage
washed in blue and yellow lights

and the heat rises

sound levels checked
raised and lowered
finally forgotten
as a single voice
raised
quiets the crowd

welcome.