Welcome to 2020, May It Be Different for the Better

With this issue, we mark Positively Filipino's 7th year of publication, a milestone that we celebrate with gratitude and affection to all of you who have supported and appreciated this online magazine all these years. Contrary to what most believe, PF doesn't have a big staff; in fact, there are only four of us doing the grunt work in putting out this publication. [See http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/editorial/ to know who we are.] 

What we lack in staff, we make up for in correspondents and contributors: freelance journalists, writers, academics, artists, friends who have not written for publication before but who have surprised us with their writing abilities, and strangers who have offered to write about things dear to the Filipino diaspora. Then there are those who point us to something or someone worth featuring in our pages.  To all of you, THANK YOU. Positively Filipino exists because we have come together to celebrate in various unique ways our being Filipino in this globalized world where we have to assert our presence. 

We hope to have your continued and unwavering support as we go on gathering our collective stories and sharing them with kababayans and kindred spirits. 

In this our first issue for the year and the decade, here are some good reads to complete your celebrations:

Award-winning writer Jennifer Fergesen shares another story from the Filipino culinary diaspora, this time the restaurant in Vienna's notable Hotel am Brillantengrund which serves innovative Filipino dishes because, well, it's run by a Filipino-Austrian.

To recap the year that was, here are Our Most-read Stories for the Year.

And if you want to know what's in store for your zodiac sign in 2020, here's "How To Read Your Stars in 2020," by astrology advocate Walter Ang, whose passion for the signs is matched by his passion for FilAm theater [hint: read his book].

Our first Happy Home Cook recipe for the year is for Seitan Bistek from Chef Frezida Mangalino of Hotel am Brillantengrund.

In case you missed them, some notable stories from other publications:

Philippine Peasants Were Promised Land. Staking a Claim Can Be Deadly.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/business/philippines-duterte-poverty-farmers.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&fbclid=IwAR3V7tPg3UWK3esvQLi89x27YdPqUhKAXXut9vrcBKpNA4GaEZ_Q5Wfk0_0

The Most Famous Photograph of Poets Ever Taken
https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/photo-elizabeth-bishop-marianne-moore-auden-tennessee-williams.html

In the Filipinx Diaspora, We Are Remaking Tradition, the Recipe Edition
http://www.barbarajanereyes.com/2019/12/26/in-the-filipinx-diaspora-we-are-remaking-tradition-the-recipe-edition/?fbclid=IwAR3J7qW9IsTwdgaBbt4qC729vRW0EPrMCZBZGnDOdlUpc1NO1Y33pF4CKTo

This Lechon de Leche by a Filipino home cook captured the world
https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/food-and-leisure/2019/12/24/1979372/lechon-de-leche-filipino-home-cook-captured-world?fbclid=IwAR2HRCh4Mu5xh0zOUl3ebexiQ3LLUGW9HrwXsGvMkxpEs5uRZaCjJYSyQdA

For Video of the Week, stand-up comedian Jo Koy presents a toast to his mother.

A Christmas Far from Home

It's not every year that we get to come out on Christmas Day so here are some good stories to read when you're either revving up for the family reunion or relaxing after a long active day.

How do Filipino immigrants celebrate Christmas? We cook up a storm both of dishes dear to our hearts and memories that sustain us when the homesickness bug bites, which often happens during the holidays. That's what PF Correspondent Elizabeth Ann Quirino does in "Last Christmas," her recollection of the time she and her family said goodbye to their life in the Philippines.

For Cherie Querol Moreno, also a PF Correspondent, another celebration: her annual trek to Europe with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary. This year they went to Spain, met up with some very interesting kababayans, and told us about it in "Modern Pilgrims Find Each Other in Northern Spain." 

And if you need one more dish for today, or the days when you're sick of leftovers, try this recipe from Elizabeth Ann Quirino: Biko Kulabasa, a Kapampangan creation.

Here are some interesting In The Know links to enjoy:

A trial in the Philippines offers a ray of hope for democratic institutions
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/19/trial-philippines-offers-ray-hope-democratic-institutions/?fbclid=IwAR01oYDOAstmQAiDYzk1mPu9M_PXLtZ-p72pyRiR-AZb4yAjy6n2SGzqtOQ

Finland's Filipino Food Favorites: 6 Restaurants Championing Pinoy Flavors in Helsinki
https://www.clickthecity.com/travel/a/38597/finlands-filipino-food-favorites-6-restaurants-championing-pinoy-flavors-in-helsinki?fbclid=IwAR0cdN6AY07px8YvEBY3VOPfNLYgXVCfvo0xDx0nDYm697iN41QMAI0pGiM

Betty Ann Besa-Quirino’s List of 18 Favorite Kampampangan Sweets and Dishes For The Holidays
https://kaplistorian.blogspot.com/2016/12/30-betty-ann-besa-quirinos-list-of-18.html?fbclid=IwAR1DWF882NCHRy4lKOky44TeKfGgS4VXMLKFs8o-aw8MEGJpl7Mczim_6x0

How Filipinos can take an active part in sustainable tourism
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/353295/how-filipinos-can-take-an-active-part-in-sustainable-tourism/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3q5N-KaAUzK6tvhNYjMOzwzU12R1_gZT7ztyt9rTQLszzse0H3pBmz-Zo#Echobox=1576326036

U.S. Requiring Social Media Information From Visa Applicants
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/02/us/us-visa-application-social-media.html?fbclid=IwAR2sqNiZaXliF6vKTXyp5WfalaKDKBd1mE_WxjsWF73YOsLqnryDVg0zUPM

For Video of the Week, CNN Philippines’ The Story of the Filipino features billiards’ great Efren “Bata” Reyes.

To Sing in Barcelona

Take a breather from your Christmas preparations and enjoy our stories this week.

In Spain, 34 kids aged eight to 18, all born and raised there of Filipino parents, comprise Coro Kudyapi, a choir whose repertoire is deeply rooted in the culture of the Philippines. In PF contributor Agatha Verdadero's telling, the choir has sang alongside the world-famous UP Madrigal Singers and is already a fixture in Barcelona's annual  Raval Stolstada Fiesta de Carnaval. ("In Spain, Coro Kudyapi Finds Roots and Home in Music")

If you've watched any of the Cirque du Soleil's acrobatic shows, know that behind those death-defying acts is a crew of riggers that control the wires and cables that enable performers' movements in the air. In "Amaluna," the chief rigger is FilAm Emille Morales who has been with Cirque du Soleil for eight years. Morales gives us an idea of what it takes to make circus acts safe in PF contributor Harvey I. Barkin's story. ("Pinoy Rigger Keeps Acrobats, Trapeze Artists Safe at Cirque du Soleil's 'Amaluna'')

And here are some unique gift suggestions to please yourself and/or your love ones this Christmas or any time of the year ("10 Unique Gifts for All Seasons"). Our Happy Home Cook recipe is for a traditional Caviteño soup dish for either your Christmas or New Year media noche from Chef Ige Ramos: Calandracas soup. 

Catch up with some important news (like a possible Filipino pope?) through our In The Know links:

In Tagle, Pope strengthens his Vatican hand and sets up possible successor
https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/12/in-tagle-pope-strengthens-his-vatican-hand-and-sets-up-possible-successor/?fbclid=IwAR1pihiZ-vw7eV9t15EiGH6MJNFiYgr5zCCVnBfV0HBC2_Os2zcCBYlM-I0

Vico Sotto's politics: Open to compromise but never to corruption
https://www.rappler.com/nation/246856-vico-sotto-politics-open-compromise-never-corruption?fbclid=IwAR05oqGWOzMPqQOqSuiglLyWbJdOjXcDTlFNezdezL3J21WdBl6qub6Rgk0

Why Many OFWs Remain Poor Despite Working Abroad For Years
https://www.pinoy-ofw.com/news/36198-why-many-ofws-remain-poor-despite-working-abroad-for-years.html?fbclid=IwAR3iPQFKVbILHi4h1ibafNjvPytbhIjR6RQ7MrP1H3L1UqT43fPZiXk6kj4

Kulelat!
https://medium.com/@lenystrobel/kulelat-15e4e1a60b53

In Video of the Week, Seattle chef Marcus Samuelsson visits Filipino restaurant Archipelago and infuses Filipino flavors into dry-aged steak.