What a Difference

When news about a forthcoming vaccine against Covid-19 first came out months ago, we were skeptical and a bit scared. The common thread among my age group was we'll wait it out for a few months, we don't want to be the guinea pigs. 

Now that the vaccine is here and people we know have gotten it and survived, our tune has changed. We can't wait to get it and some friends have gone to great lengths just to have the shot. One admitted that she was on hold on the phone for an hour and a half but she persisted. Another monitored availability from county to county, finally landing an appointment in a city not her own. 

Because our health insurance provider has issued a don't-call-us-we'll-call-you instruction due to the inadequate supply of the vaccine, we're starting to feel like guppies in a fishbowl, watching the world pass us by, gaping enviously at those lucky enough to snag a place in line.

The consolation is we can sleep soundly now, the planet (or at least the US) seems to have righted itself. What a difference a week brings! 

Our Stories This Week

Bullying The State University by Criselda Yabes

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 14 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

A Festival In A Cookbook By Elizabeth Ann Quirino

The Happy Home Cook: Adobong Dilaw By Lyn B. Gamboa 

Video of the Week: Ligliwa Dance Troupe

In The Know

Feeding the Troops on Inauguration Week
http://www.manilamail.us/?p=11529&fbclid=IwAR1IL3mbps39UoHR6bZitw9OzEGqT4iEToqQC4-e8dJWtrCNae-XJTaYce0

Japan's Filipino community puts down roots and moves past its hostess origins
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2021/01/24/issues/japans-filipino-community-puts-roots-moves-past-hostess-origins/?fbclid=IwAR2U9aZwBk_AaKYqn0i77GU6p6A1289Czb84aaKh2YJeRhvAQLxgHtnqU8w

The surprising, inspiring story of how the Met was built
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/04/30/19/high-standards-humble-efforts-the-early-years-of-the-metropolitan-theater?fbclid=IwAR06edrU6LTbcTdR_xYE4Juhs9bC5DEj76PiWLrtFAB7uxvxnN2IAoGPxr4

Everything You Need to Know about Filipino Food: The Next Great American Cuisine
https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/filipino-food-guide/?fbclid=IwAR2oaOZ-hRqoPiv11RNzMRlpfBnY2q3tI9KDyFO4OjJY-AaLnfCTNh5i4oE

How Drew Barrymore fell in love with this Pinay chef’s cooking
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/food-drink/features/01/14/21/how-drew-barrymore-fell-in-love-with-this-pinay-chefs-cooking?fbclid=IwAR3fPL5_VqPgkrCcPmKyn_mLnDpF4ftw-OFY3cjGqyeuR3z_j969UW3PYR8

My UP in the ‘70s: I didn’t mind being a martial law baby
https://www.thediarist.ph/my-up-in-the-70s-i-didnt-mind-being-a-martial-law-baby/?fbclid=IwAR2Ia7X0_kDZAz07HK0725CaNopI4MLBF3aqDcnYBHUIHubidfiEJtXJ9KE

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A Life in Film

Some of the best Filipino movies were created in the mid-1970s to the mid-80s when the likes of Lino Brocka, Ismael Bernal, Mike de Leon, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Peque Gallaga, Eddie Romero and Lupita Kashiwahara  dominated the directorial scene. 

Not surprisingly, the period also brought about the elevation of production design as an award category, in recognition of its role in setting the overall look and feel of a movie. Setting the gold standard for production design was Fiel Zabat, who worked on some of that era's most critically acclaimed films and won many awards for her work. 

The Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino recently awarded Fiel with the Natatanging Gawad Urian, the lifetime achievement honor, for her body of work. Manunuri stalwart Butch Francisco writes an extensive feature on Fiel's filmography and dishes out some juicy behind-the-scenes stories of the making of a number of Filipino film classics. ["Fiel Zabat: A Film Production Designer’s Production Designer"]

Meanwhile, the world is hopefully in the homestretch of the war against the Covid-19 virus and contributing writer Susan Araneta sums up the large role of Filipino health workers in various countries who were the frontliners in this, the most severe public health challenge of the century. ["A Virus Among Us: Filipinos and COVID-19"]

In Hawaii where many Fil-Ams won elective positions in the state legislature, long-time Honolulu resident and professor Belinda Aquino writes about the distinguished career Senator Donna Mercado Kim. ["State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim: A Household Name in Hawaii"]

The Happy Home Cook: Beer-Braised Pork chop from Rene Astudillo

Video of the Week: U.P. Concert Chorus sings “Simbanggabi”

In The Know

Jollibee Crew Emerged as Civil Engineering Topnotcher
https://gineersnow.com/engineering/civil/jollibee-crew-civil-engineering-topnotcher?fbclid=IwAR1nfMVZ_HLD4dV24nWfJNnI6aeX3C8wsE4WlFP5aN3YYtIPsrpVIoL585M

The first Filipino movie star in Hollywood is a woman
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/11/25/19/the-first-filipino-movie-star-in-hollywood-is-a-woman?fbclid=IwAR2C17OlTCi_65wDBgUHDfu1Y_nmeHiW_l39KID5hFRXOFKjSfLjr2vGjw4

Exclusive: Wesley So in the eyes of Lotis Key
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/drive/sports/12/09/20/wesley-so-in-the-eyes-of-lotis-key?fbclid=IwAR13BiP-1-J-oZDAmC8yQVA15mHd6La_tkU2mrd9zVs_-pFH-aogSi8xjK8 

These Prehistoric Plants in the Philippines Are Older Than Dinosaurs
https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/cycads-ancient-line-of-seed-plants-grow-in-masungi-georeserve-a833-sa00171-20200709-src-spot?utm_source=Facebook-Esquire&utm_medium=Ownshare&utm_campaign=20201206-fbnp-long-reads-cycads-ancient-line-of-seed-plants-grow-in-masungi-georeserve-a833-sa00171-20200709-src-spot-fbold&fbclid=IwAR0gzMw2-ALO1DXEpslZ6PKXSAAmm4DvvEvlQAaeuPCuYfzmy_cWOwSAruY

Marawi Before the Siege: A photo essay by Bobby Timonera, Mindanews
http://marawi-narratives.ateneo.edu/marawi-before-the-siege/?fbclid=IwAR0bMZkJFNF8JqlR1E9cqUMdxp6G6RMcwWMpNfoIFDuawN2nItNv2WnqwA8

Everything You Need to Know about Filipino Food: The Next Great American Cuisine
https://www.themanual.com/food-and-drink/filipino-food-guide/?fbclid=IwAR3xaGNcIzmL7cmbSbZ2iHSCrReJB9OKRythCa7qiyQPn0dsWT0Sc363mcA 

Introducing Isabel Sandoval: The ‘Lingua Franca’ filmmaker on her indie drama
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-09-07/lingua-franca-director-star-isabel-sandoval?fbclid=IwAR2Ss4ZDR6LnBlTARyAdlCOtEUyLt9O-5QR41dBIOa7jUALJI6tldzjILjk

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The Rape of Manila

"American General Douglas MacArthur, driven from the Philippines at the start of World War II, famously vowed to return. This is the untold story of his homecoming."

And so begins journalist James Scott's electrifying narration of the Battle of Manila in February 1945, which he describes as "an urban brawl" that pitted MacArthur's troops, determined to retake the city, against Japanese General Iwabuchi's forces, intent to die fighting. This story is a condensed version of Scott's newly published book, Rampage, which details the complex military operation that practically reduced the once genteel, beautiful city to rubble. A must-read for every Filipino, even the pictures are riveting.

PF Correspondent Myles Garcia reviews journalist Walter Ang's first book, From Barangay to Broadway: Filipino American Theater History, the first comprehensive compilation of Filipinos in American theater.

Cebuana author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard profiles her cousin, Manny Gonzalez, the CEO and major stockholder of the popular Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan, Cebu. 

Instapot owners will enjoy Elizabeth Ann Quirino's recipe for Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa, cooked in the multicooker.

Here are the links to stories you may have missed reading:

An American And Her Filipina Translator Exhume A Massacre In 'Insurrecto'
https://www.npr.org/2018/11/10/666360732/an-american-and-her-filipina-translator-exhume-a-massacre-in-insurrecto?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR2dnga0CwLIk1VnZnYtdJhRhXSkRH-p2kcn9FgHtGVIBOKBOc4x7MRb57o

Dating janitress, hukom na ngayon 
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/life/04/15/18/dating-janitress-hukom-na-ngayon?fbclid=IwAR3ak8waQK6XgWBghB1acajvZUZcfOmXte1gBIE50mvSARaic104TRJjAbM

Check Out the Tropical Vibes at Oakland’s Newest Filipino Hotspot
https://sf.eater.com/2018/11/8/18075806/fob-kitchen-open-temescal-oakland-filipino-restaurant-former-juhu-beach-club?fbclid=IwAR26GG7ctV1Dd105UiCIDzR9vZEcB7mppxy5SwIECHt202-8ROZxM8FioLw

Swipe right: New dating app launched for UP students
http://www.interaksyon.com/trends-spotlights/2018/11/13/137999/swipe-right-new-dating-app-launched-for-up-students/?fbclid=IwAR3YCCEatkdGYEHanvHIPv5NMQX1EVobGjTtNBLzeIr5N5304-bZPUOU6jM

For Video of the Week, Curry Shop interviews Fil-am comedian Jo Koy at New York’s Maharlika Restaurant for a background on Filipino food.