Good News and Bad News

First the sad news: Typhoon Kammuri aka Tisoy has wreaked havoc in the Philippines, particularly the Bicol region, with 175kph winds close to its center and gusts of up to 240kph.

And the good news: Filipino athletes are gifting the country with a deluge of medals in the ongoing SEA Games. As I'm writing this, the medal haul for the Philippines is 47 golds, 30 silver and 16 bronze, and still counting. Here are some of the gold medal-winning performances: 

Carlos Yulo in men's gymnastics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3CoBaPhn7Q

Agatha Wong in Wushu Taijiquan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJYoAS76gag

Hidilyn Diaz in Weightlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_jxiQLJQRI

The euphoria and pride for our athletes have allowed us to put the ugliness of the pre-games embarrassment in the back burner, albeit temporarily. For now, let's savor the excitement and lament nature's wrath -- the constant yin and yang of our homeland's fate.

On December 8, another Ms. Universe extravaganza will take place, a beauty contest that is dear to the hearts of Filipinos. And of course there's both a bright and dark history to this pageant as far as Philippine participation is concerned. PF Correspondent Myles A. Garcia ferrets out the details in "How to Stage a Billion Peso-Plus Beauty Pageant." 

Still thinking of what to give this holiday season? Books always make the best gift. Check out Walter Ang's "2019 Holiday Gift Guide: Books by Filipino Americans."

And if you're in Southern California or planning to go there, a new Filipino restaurant called Bebot - Filipino Soul Food (emphasis on "soul") in Long Beach will cater to your Motherland longing, as Los Angeles-based PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela reports in "A Filipino Restaurant for Filipinos." 

Bebot's chef/owner AC Boral shares his recipe for Mushroom & Kale Laing.

Some links for your reading pleasure:

The Lonely and Dangerous Life of the Filipino Seafarer
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/world/asia/philippines-mariners-cargo-ships.html?fbclid=IwAR1UsPcpG46wy2r3L_AoWPXQN-_GKNuspEqxl9skKGmy2p_1z8IDjBA-IpI

Jones Bridge
http://www.lougopal.com/manila/?p=472&fbclid=IwAR19gyYCR9XnnJ2wzadQdHRXz-a6NtSxBjXoUNI0xIH4gbR8YNhfxYIKK_I 

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=IwAR13QxyeetTsXobolZIRlHVpr0CGlZfxaHs9lndXyR2e3KF7NB408f-tRvo

Beloved Serg’s stages a comeback
https://business.inquirer.net/284034/beloved-sergs-stages-a-comeback?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR11I6QuS8EOnPhUdS8O7J9GELExmR5kceuOkUdnoWQ96SnpUQww-D_7eb0#Echobox=1574551044

For Video of the Week, Wunderman Thompson Philippines delivers a heartwarming Star Wars-themed ad for Globe Telecom.

Christmas Memories

What does noche buena mean to you? An essay by the late cultural and culinary historian Doreen G. Fernandez from her classic book, Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture defines this very cherished Filipino Christmas tradition from the memories of various people from different provinces. 

A young FilAm writer Leah K. Sikat reflects on making suman, her California-based family's Christmas ritual, and how the stories of home that accompany the making of this kakanin shape her own memories of the holiday season. ("Banana Leaves, Rice and Coconut")

And if you haven't planned out your Christmas meal yet, Read Again the suggestions and recipes of Chef Rolando Laudico, Elizabeth Ann Quirino and Goldilocks Bakeshop.

Here are the In The Know links this week:

Massacre or fight for freedom? Putting the Balangiga bells in context
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/317599/massacre-or-fight-for-freedom-putting-the-balangiga-bells-in-context/?fbclid=IwAR1JnVSGmuj0P9TQt43KE_fmKoeMngYr9BHXyZd-KWw0tEtD5h97ZBSR1YA

Filipino teachers popular among Chinese English learners
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d334d7a4e30457a6333566d54/share_p.html?fbclid=IwAR39KN63W44UvLmbz2EcWQBMSKbSKTUhYGc9lrFEsaZyLFzuXYCOiXEgXRs

Under a code name, George H.W. Bush sponsored Filipino child through Colorado Springs-based nonprofit
https://gazette.com/news/under-a-code-name-george-h-w-bush-sponsored-filipino/article_834568aa-f8e6-11e8-a94f-bbf2c209978c.html?fbclid=IwAR3GR5AkKU6B7FeqlkOpYlYbnWvsy2CDpMU5d-xyj0J4zQu9-YOGZnUYY2c

Cecile Licad in a daster: the pianist on smoking at 11, the Marcoses, and the love of her life
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/music/12/15/18/cecile-licad-in-a-daster-a-concerto-in-three-acts?fbclid=IwAR0qVxehJZ_6WyDQUAbCpyQW-0PABgAe_cgsPuW29_jcSO9sSwYyKr-_Apw

For Video of the Week, we feature newly-crowned Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray in a music video for Young Focus Philippines.

46 Years Ago

Folks in New York and New Jersey will be the first in the US to watch the movie "Goyo: The Boy General" which has been creating waves in the Philippines. Starring Paulo Avelino and directed by Jerrold Tarog, also the director of the highly acclaimed "Heneral Luna," "Goyo" is hailed by some critics as even better than the earlier movie. PF Correspondent and cultural historian John Silva weighs in with his review. Details of East Coast showings are provided with the review.

With this issue, we begin our compilation of Martial Law Stories, as part of the growing effort to document what happened during that period. 

"Raid" by Nathan Gilbert Quimpo (excerpted from Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years) vividly recalls the heart-stopping fear many experienced when the dreaded knock in the middle of the night came.

"House Arrest" by Vin Lava relates the author's baffling house arrest which turned out to be a decoy so the safe house close by will be warned of the arrest of a top revolutionary.

"The 'Torture' of Playing for the 1974 Miss Universe" by Circus Band vocalist Ceres Jacinto gives us a glimpse of what a command performance for Imelda Marcos meant. 

And as a fitting bookend to this week's 46th anniversary of Proclamation 1081, Read Again Patricio Abinales' account of the adventures of his youth, "Note From the Underground."

This week's list of In The Know links:

To write his debut memoir, Jose Antonio Vargas went off the grid
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/write-his-debut-memoir-jose-antonio-vargas-went-grid-n905416

Philippine Miners Trapped in Typhoon: Drawn by Gold, Drowned in Mud
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/world/asia/philippines-landslide-typhoon-mangkhut.html

Philippine ex-general jailed over activists' abduction
https://ph.news.yahoo.com/philippine-ex-general-jailed-over-activists-abduction-091643588.html

Bank of America is asking customers to prove citizenship to access their own money https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/9/11/1794968/-Bank-of-America-is-asking-customers-to-prove-citizenship-to-access-their-own-money

'She can't see — that's why she can't drive': Asian-American woman films woman's racist tirade in parking lot
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cant-see-thats-cant-drive-asian-american-woman-films-womans-racist-tirade-parking-lot-132547635.html

For our Happy Home Cook, another pulutan recipe that emanated from prison: Tahong Especial.

For our Video of the Week, Arnel Giban posted a video on the children who became victims in the Philippines' War on Drugs.