Celebration Time

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'Tis the season to be jolly but it's also the season to reflect on life's surprising twists and unexpected blessings, as our writers this week do.

Tokyo-based contributing writer Ian Layugan looks to the stars for wisdom and solace in "Star-crossed in Sagada."

Compleat writer Criselda Yabes puts her stamp on a generational friendship and her favorite writing place in "An Athens State of Mind."

Retired professor, author and cultural torchbearer Leny Strobel makes atchara for Christmas and allows her memories to intertwine with her grating and mixing in "Entangled with Atchara."

'Tis definitely a celebration for all seasons for the entire FilAm community as a record number of FilAms got elected to various posts all over the country. We repost the tally of NaFFAA on who recently took their seats in the American political firmament.

If you're still planning your Christmas feast, here are some timeless suggestions and recipes from culinary expert Elizabeth Ann Quirino: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-christmas-recipes

[Video of the Week] Sharon Cuneta’s Christmas Surprise

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Staff

Vote Like Our Future Depends on It

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US citizenship, long considered the "pie in the sky" by many Filipinos, comes with a duty to exercise the right to vote, the most sacred of rights bestowed on those who have pledged allegiance to the American flag. Thus with the ongoing election that's tagged as "the most consequential of our lifetime," Positively Filipino's webinar last Monday, was a necessary service for Filipino Americans. It was a highly informative and lively discussion on the electoral college, Fil-Am voting patterns vis a vis other Asian Americans, and why we should all cast our votes (the down ballots or local races are just as important as choosing a president). If you missed it, here's the recording.: How Do We Make The Fil-Am Vote Count?

We have two other webinars scheduled this Fil-Am History Month and we hope to have the pleasure of your company then.

Three years ago in Mindanao, the beautiful city of Marawi was reduced to rubble as government forces and Muslim militants engaged in a fierce battle that lasted five months. The battle was officially declared over on October 17, 2017 by President Duterte. We think it's the right time, on this its third anniversary, to point you to a new book that tells in minute detail the story of the Marawi siege, which is a lesson in modern-day warfare. The Battle of Marawi, the book, is written by PF Correspondent Criselda Yabes and reviewed here by Dr. Patricio Abinales of the University of Hawaii.

This Week’s Stories

[New Webinar Video] How Do We Make The Fil-Am Vote Count?

Shocked And Awed By Patricio Abinales

Taylor Healy Saves The Signs Of These Times By Anthony Maddela

Octogenarians In Love, In The Covid-19 Era By Agnes Alikpala, MD

Filipino American History Books

[Partner] ALLICE's 16th Annual Free From Violence By Cherie M. Querol Moreno

The Happy Home Cook: Amboy Adobo By Chef Alvin Cailan

Video of the Week: TGIF, Thank God I’m Filipino

Read Again: 

"Where Exactly Did Filipinos First Land in California?" by Abraham Ignacio Jr.

"Pieces of the (Midnight) Sun" by Oscar Peñaranda provides a preview of the stories he will tell for our webinar. 

In The Know

Les nouveaux Misérables: the lives of Filipina workers in the playground of the rich
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/oct/12/les-miserables-nouveau-the-lives-of-filipina-workers-in-the-playground-of-the-rich?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR11ZJxAc2j2vJg-Rop9K5JF_DZLL1mVsKa-Gj6RtRp9hV-SA1N1vDeGYIs

Pasig uses online tech to consult residents on 'open streets' proposal amid pandemic
https://www.rappler.com/nation/pasig-city-uses-polis-consult-residents-open-streets-proposal?fbclid=IwAR2ItD_uTt1K6VJfEgzF5kxdjRtFp5nYd2u48mqLEjg8WztjvoC_MN1pxW8

beabadoobee Made Bedroom Pop. Now She’s Turning Up the Volume.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/08/arts/music/beabadoobee-fake-it-flowers.html?fbclid=IwAR23w_iqx_m21ZPbaHUoWFRV8k0ppLz6QQKfDR8GcPnZPe3QOX2prpYUY4I

A Letter from Napa Valley, Where Love Burns Hotter Than Fire 
https://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/2020/10/08/glass-fire-napa-valley-northern-california-wildfires/ideas/dispatches/?fbclid=IwAR1JuWAUeI8QQRB32rJer12325XHvoLlr5OaoUgWlsiCCikgtQ9tnt0XGpc

Nostalgia: The untold stories of ‘Batibot,’ according to Kuya Bodjie
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/10/11/20/nostalgia-the-untold-stories-of-batibot-according-to-kuya-bodjie?fbclid=IwAR2sYTeNsmIz8lj8anKBULkU8XvMPnLcb0b13PxS6yYYvTQxLXfeOmT2rH8

All Rise for Inspiring Filipino Women 

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We join the world in celebrating International Women's Day this Friday by featuring Filipino women, each very different from the others but equally deserving of accolades and respect.

First, Whang Od, the oldest living -- and most famous -- mambabatok or tribal tattoo artist. Living in a tiny village called Buscalan in Kalinga, she has singlehandedly drawn tourists by the hundreds eager to get her tattoo imprint. First-time contributor (who is also my daughter) Maia Almendral Esteves shares her first-hand experience with the 102-year-old lady. 

And then there's Conchita "Ching" Baltazar whose loyal and exemplary service to both her employer and the community of OFWs in Hong Kong earned her the accolade "Bagong Bayani." This story from The Sun Hong Kong is written by its editor, Daisy CL Mandap.

In the US, an impressive number of Fil-Am women have been elected and/or appointed to plum public positions in their respective cities and counties. PF Correspondent Cherie M. Querol Moreno introduces this "Rising Wave of Fil-Am Women Political Pioneers."

And if you're into the tattoo mode, here's an interesting Read Again from Mel Orpilla, "Mark of Four Waves," which puts a historical context to indigenous Philippine tattoos.

In time for Lent, here's a Read Again recipe for the Happy Home Cook: Vegan Longganisa from our favorite vegan chef, RichGail Enriquez.

In case you missed them, our links to interesting stories so you'll be In The Know:

'Do you ever think about me?': the children sex tourists leave behind
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/02/children-sex-tourists-leave-behind-fathers-visited-philippines?utm_medium=sundayedition.20190303.smartflab.421.2&utm_source=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=10-for-today---4.0-styling

Meet the Chinese Patriots of the Philippines
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/chinese-filipino-revolutionaries-heroes-a2212-20190206-lfrm?ref=taboola_related&fbclid=IwAR0bI8JZ1JWnfKgrZYDyRl7JnHiYQNo6a57mL4VwftEjZdbKE-duOj6WNao

A Walk to Remember: U.P. Organizes Commune Tour
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1089763/a-walk-to-remember-up-organizes-commune-tour?fbclid=IwAR282fuoBfZig5QwtYwaBaHjB7Vk_GrXGi9OfMtzXhJm_VJOAcswP9nxblo&utm_expid=.XqNwTug2W6nwDVUSgFJXed.1

Inspiring Loyalty, and Serving Chickenjoy at Jollibee
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/dining/jollibee-review.html

Our Video of the Week: another encounter between millennials and martial law victims.

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino