Pearl in the Mist

2004-06-08T03:59:00.000+08:00

Congrats to Hero Angeles!!!
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2004-06-08T03:57:00.000+08:00

noypi
Bambo0

Tingnan mo ang iyong palad
Kalyado mong kamay
Sa hirap ng buhay
Sa dami mong problema
Nakuha mo pang ngumiti
Noypi ka nga. Astig.

Saan ka man naroroon, wag kang matatakot sa baril o patalim
Sa bakas na madilim

Hoy pinoy ako
Buo aking loob, may agimat ang dugo ko

Sinisid ko ang dagat
Nilibot ko ang mundo
Nasa puso ko pala and hinahanap kong kulo
Ilang beses nakong muntikang mamatay
Alam ko ang sekreto kaya't nandito pa't buhay

Sabi nila may anting-anting ako
pero di nila alam na Diyos and dahilan ko

Hoy pinoy ako
Buo aking loob, may agimat ang dugo ko

Dinig mo ba ang bulong ng lahi mo
Isigaw mo kapatid ang himig natin

2004-06-08T03:56:00.000+08:00

Filipino American Faces of the Century

Innovators. Pioneers. Leaders. Poets. Writers. Visionaries. Dreamers. Legends. They are the makers of history. The lone voices that would not be silenced. Rising spirits that would not be quelled. Souls that refused to fade. Together, they inhabit our collective memory to remind us of our greatness, our humanity and our enduring essence. No longer do we need to write graffiti on subway walls to say, "Manila Boy was here." Our place has been secured by a rich legacy of people making opportunities where there were none, opening bolted doors, swimming against the currents and breaking down barriers.
Filipinas Magazine's <../../../magazine.shtml> Faces of the Century is a tribute to the people whose lives were lived to pave the way for others. Individuals whose achievements resonate through time and carry us forward to the new millennium. They are the embodiment of our personal stories, struggles, tragedies and triumphs. They wove the tiny threads of our lives to the story of America, assuring us a place in the history of this nation.
We celebrate the lives and contributions of these individuals not just to affirm our own belief in ourselves but most especially to show others our capacity for greatness. We salute them for inspiring us and giving us a glimpse of our possibilities.

Byron Acohido and Alex Tizon
Seattle Times journalists Byron Acohido and Alex Tizon were the first Filipino Americans to win the Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting. Acohido's 1996 series, "Safety at Issue: The 737," examined connections between a troubling rudder mechanism on 737 jetliners and two major crashes in 1991 and 1994. The report raised the issue of negligence on the part of aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Tizon, on the other hand, was part of a team of Times reporters that did a series in 1996 on the severe mismanagement of Housing Urban Development (HUD) subsidies in Native American reservations. Both Acohido and Tizon have shown persistence and courage to challenge giant institutions-a precious commodity in a profession that holds the public trust.
Acohido was born in Waihawa, Hawaii to a Filipino father and a Filipino Korean mother. He graduated from the University of Oregon and went on to work for the Everett Herald in Everett, Washington and the Dallas Times Herald before working for the Times. Philippine-born Tizon came to the U.S. when he was only four-and-a-half years old. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a bachelor's in political science and received his master's in communication (print journalism) at Stanford University. Tizon worked at the Times right out of graduate school. He has also written for Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly and contributes fiction and essays to such publications as Pista Review, The Sun and Pacific Magazine.

Reynaldo G. Alejandro
He is the leading exponent of Philippine dance and cuisine in America. With his numerous books and articles, Reynaldo G. Alejandro has put Philippine dance, culture and cuisine in the international spotlight. Alejandro has transformed the Filipino Dance Group in New York into the Philippine Dance Company of New York, where he worked as choreographer and artistic director for 12 years. He founded the first Filipino American modern dance company in the United States, and has taught dance in many parts of the United States. Alejandro has also lectured on Philippine culture, arts, cuisine and dance in parts of Europe and Asia.
Before coming to the United States to study modern dance at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Alejandro was already an accomplished choreographer in the Philippines. These days, he's better known as an author of several books, including The Philippine Cookbook , The Food of the Philippines and Pasko.

Jon Amores
As a three-term member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and a candidate for the state's congressional seat, Jon Amores represented the Filipino American community's best hope of having a voice in the House of Representatives in the 2000 elections. Amores, a Loyola University of Chicago Law School graduate, was only 28 years old when he ran for state legislature for the first time. He was surprised at the support he garnered from those close to him and his parents that helped him win his seat. Since then, the largesse of family, friends and supporters has metamorphosed into a vote of confidence from his constituents in the 30th district of West Virginia in his succeeding re-election campaigns.
Amores shocked his supporters last November, however, when he suddenly announced his withdrawal from the congressional race, citing a lack of adequate funding. But Amores believes strongly that his campaign, although not successful, can still be a positive lesson for the Filipino American community. "There are other leaders of our community out there that can serve at the highest levels of government," he said. "If nothing else, my candidacy must be a wake-up call that we must identify and cultivate that leadership, and nurture it with our support-both emotional and financial. If we don't go all the way for these future leaders, we'll never achieve our goals of empowerment, national visibility and respect."

Diosdado Banatao
As the world turns its eyes to the technological future, there's one Filipino American who will know he was a part of information technology's (IT) infancy. Diosdado Banatao's advanced chip designs helped put California's Silicon Valley on the map, becoming the basic building blocks of the three high-tech companies he started. The first, Mostron, Inc., became a successful manufacturer of PC motherboards, while the second, Chips & Technologies, a developer of chip-sets, established an industry standard in 1985. When he left in 1990, the company was raking in more than $250 million with a work force of 600 people. His third company, Silicon SubSystems or S3, pioneered graphics acceleration with the world's first single-chip Graphic User Interface accelator, eliminating the bottleneck of the graphics subsystem and significantly improving the PC's performance.
Cagayan-born Banatao was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award by the Asian Business League and the Entrepreneur Award by Inc. magazine, and the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations gave him the Ellis Island Medal of Valor. His success has helped pave the way for Filipino Americans in the IT industry. "With hard work and a proper focus on the right thing," he says, "even the average person can succeed."

Helen Brown
She epitomizes the struggle of Filipino Americans to define their identity through education. For more than 20 years, Helen Brown monitored the implementation of affirmative action in the Los Angeles Unified School District and advocated for improving programs and services for Filipino American children, teachers and other employees. She actively lobbied for the recognition of the special needs of the largely immigrant Filipino students and became a self-appointed guardian of the welfare of Filipino teachers and other workers. In organizing and leading the Filipino American Educators Association, Brown endeavored to orient the community on the benefits of a Filipino bilingual program. She also worked with troubled Asian and Filipino youths. She considers one of her life's work the establishment of the Pilipino American Reading Room and Library (PARRAL), which now holds an estimated 5,000 Filipiniana and Filipino American books, journals, clippings and theses. It has become a valuable resource in a city, which is home to the largest Filipino community outside of the Philippines.
Her relentless community work has brought her numerous awards including the "Woman Warrior" award from the Asian Pacific Women's Network and the 1982 "Human and Civil Rights Awards for Asian Pacifics" from the National Education Association.
Born in Manila in 1915 to a Filipina mother and an American father, she attended high school and college in the United States and was one of the first Filipinas to graduate from the University of California in Los Angeles. She obtained her master's in education with honors in 1939. Brown taught in the Los Angeles School District for 33 years.

Alice Bulos
Alice Bulos is known as the grandmother of Filipino American politics. With her late husband Dony Bulos, she founded the Filipino American Grassroots Movement, a voter registration drive that sought to involve Filipinos in the political process. Bulos is co-chair of the California Democratic Party and the state chair of the Filipino American Caucus. In 1993, she was appointed to the Federal Council on Aging by President Bill Clinton.
Bulos, who graduated from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a master's degree in social and behavioral sciences, taught sociology at UST from 1951 to 1971. She was the UST sociology department head from 1967 to 1974. When she came to the United States in the late '70s, Bulos was an employment counselor from 1977 to 1982.
For Bulos, her community work is just as important as her political activities. She particularly believes in encouraging Filipino Americans to become more politically involved. "The awareness is there, but we need to work on the participation, involvement and commitment among Filipinos," she says.

Carlos Bulosan
Anyone familiar with Filipino American history and literature knows the name Carlos Bulosan. As the best Filipino American writer of his generation, Bulosan put into words the angst of the manong generation that came to America as cannery workers and field hands in the hopes of finding a better life for themselves. His autobiographical novel, America Is in the Heart, a seminal work, is practically required reading for Filipino American students.
Bulosan, who grew up in Mangusmana, arrived at the Port of Seattle on July 22, 1930. Although he spent time as a migrant worker all over the West Coast, traveling to wherever there was work, Bulosan always had a special place in his heart for Seattle. It was the setting for many of the most significant moments of his life, and his final resting place. While his love of his adopted country is evident in his work, he wasn't blind to the bigotry that existed. "I feel like the criminal running away from a crime I did not commit," he wrote, "and the crime is that I am a Filipino in America." Bulosan's work continues to inspire Filipino American writers to this day.

Tia Carrere
Tia Carrere is living proof that the girl-next-door doesn't have to be blonde and blue-eyed. From a rocker babe in "Wayne's World" with Mike Myers to an evil seductress in "True Lies" with Arnold Schwarzenegger to a mysterious scientist in "Rising Sun" with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, Carrere has shown that she has the acting chops to take on any role and make it her own.
Born Althea Dujenio Janairo, Carrere was discovered by a producer's parents in a Honolulu grocery store. Her first film was "Aloha Summer." Despite her success, Carrere still found her heterogeneous looks to be a hindrance in Hollywood. Wanting to play more diverse roles, she and her husband, Elie Samaha, started their own company, Phoenician Films. Phoenican has produced "Kull the Conqueror," "The Immortals" and "Frankie the Fly."
Carrere is currently starring as a female Indiana-Jones type archeologist in the syndicated show "Relic Hunter." While her acting career seems smooth, she hasn't forgotten her childhood dreams of singing. She sang on the "Wayne's World II" soundtrack and came out with her own CD.

Governor Benjamin Cayetano
As the highest-ranking Filipino American elected official in the United States, Benjamin Cayetano personifies the American Dream. As the governor of Hawaii, his no-nonsense style has long given fits to bureaucrats entangled in red tape. Cayetano is widely recognized for his leadership and achievements in public service, particularly his contributions to educational reform.
Cayetano grew up in Honolulu's tough Kalihi neighborhood, the son of an immigrant waiter. He turned his life around in high school, and went on to earn a law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. He began his career in public service over two decades ago, serving 12 years in the State Legislature (two terms in the House and two in the Senate). He was twice elected Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. Among his many initiatives as a lawmaker, Cayetano helped set up the Hula Mae program to provide low-interest housing loans to working class families.
In a state where Filipinos make up 15 percent of the population, Cayetano, while highlighting his ethnic identity, has stressed that he's "the governor of all people of Hawaii." This inclusive approach to public service has been the hallmark of his political career.

Howard Chua-Eoan
Throughout his career, Chua-Eoan has managed to maintain his own code of honor even with the shifting tides of journalism. "There's a lot of compromise involved in terms of writing," he says, "but in terms of principle, there's none." This code of honor is what guided Chua-Eoan in his over 16-year stint at TIME magazine. The only Filipino American editor in the TIME newsroom, Chua-Eaon started from the very bottom of the newsroom totem-pole. He worked one day a week as an editorial assistant and became a reporter-researcher in 1984 right out of college. He was promoted to staffwriter in 1986 and became an associate editor for TIME International in 1990. He left the magazine for a brief year-and-a-half stint at People magazine, where he was appointed senior editor and covered hard news. He returned to TIME in 1993, and later became an assistant managing editor overseeing breaking news and religious stories.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Chua-Eoan came to the United States in 1979 at the age of 20. He had been a premed major at the University of the Philippines, but decided to switch to English at Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He went on to receive his master's degree in journalism from Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism a year later.

Lilia Clemente
Lilia Calderon Clemente holds the distinction of being the first Filipino woman in the United States to win international renown as one of the world's most famous global managers. Forbes magazine dubbed her one of "the hottest money global managers," while Fortune hailed her as one of the world's "15 top money managers for high net-worth investors."
Clemente is the chairperson and chief executive officer of Clemente Capital, Inc. (CCI) an investment adviser company she founded in 1979. She took $5 million in start-up capital and multiplied it into an unprecedented $1.7 billion in assets in just ten years. Originally pegged to focus on economic and business consulting, CCI reorganized its business to focus on managing money with a global emphasis.
Clemente first came to the United States at 19 to take her master's in economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School. Her first big break came when she joined the Ford Foundation in 1969. She was appointed director of investment research and assistant treasurer, becoming the first woman officer, and the youngest, in the foundation's history. In 1976, she left the Ford Foundation to start CCI. Her advice to up-and-coming investment managers is simple: "You need three Gs: guts, God up there and grunt work."

Fred and Dorothy Cordova: FANHS
The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) was created out of a need to document Filipino American history for succeeding generations. Before Fred Cordova and his wife Dorothy Laigo Cordova took up the task, there was a paucity of information available about our community's history in the United States. The first FANHS was chartered in Washington State, with the first board of trustees from 12 states on Nov. 1, 1986. In the same year, Fred, who was the first president of FANHS, created the National Pinoy Archives. Since then, FANHS has grown in leaps and bounds, with 20 chapters across the country. Each chapter is responsible for collecting historical documentation, memorabilia and artifacts in their respective areas.
Fred, a second-generation Filipino American, was born in California. He graduated from Seattle University in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in social sciences, and, together with his wife, received an honorary doctorate from the same university in 1998. He's the author of Filipinos: Forgotten Asian Americans and is currently affiliate assistant professor of American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington. Dorothy, also a second-generation Filipino American, was born in Seattle in 1932 to the largest pioneering family in Western Washington. She's a nationally recognized researcher and oral historian whose expertise lies in Filipino American history. The two are parents to eight and grandparents to 15.

Florence Ebersole-Smith
She spent five months in a Japanese prison camp during World War II beaten and tortured for assisting the Filipino underground movement and smuggling food, medicine and supplies to American prisoners of war. In 1947, she was honored for her heroism with the U.S. Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor). Florence Ebersole-Smith was cited as having "constantly risked her life in secretly furnishing money and clothing to American prisoners of war, and in carrying communications for them... making a distinct contribution to the welfare and moral of American prisoners of war on Luzon." She was also awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Ribbon for her participation in the Filipino underground resistance to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Ebersole-Smith, daughter of an American soldier who fought in the Spanish-American War and a Filipina mother, was a widow of a U.S. navy man who was killed in action in defense of Bataan in 1942. She coped with her husband's loss by continuing his work as a civilian employee with the U.S. Army G-2 office of the Philippines Department. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines, Ebersole-Smith did intelligence work for the Americans at a great risk to her life. Immediately after the U.S. forces liberated the Philippines, she joined the SPAR (U.S. Coast Guard's Women's Reserve) and, later, was the Coast Guard representative at the Women in the Armed Forces final session at the close of World War II. In 1995, the Coast guard paid tribute to her during the 114th District's Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage observances in Hawaii by naming a newly constructed $3.58 million facility the "Smith Building."

Alex Esclamado, Jon Melegrito and Gloria Caoile: NaFFAA
There has always been a pressing need to unite and flex the political muscles of the Filipino American community. That need may finally be fulfilled by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA). NaFFAA's founding was sponsored by the West Coast-based National Filipino American Council and co-sponsored by the Filipino American Political Association and the Washington, D.C.-based Philippine American Heritage Foundation. NaFFAA National Chair Alex Esclamado, National Vice-Chair Gloria Caoile and Executive Director Jon Melegrito, along with community leaders all over the country, have helped push the Filipino American political agenda on a national level. Since its inception, NaFFAA has worked for the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill, established relations with national advocacy groups and key policy makers.
NaFFAA's recent annual convention in New York City, hosted by Loida Nicolas Lewis, saw first lady and Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton give the keynote speech. Her presence for many signified that through NaFFAA, Filipino Americans may be looking at a brighter political future in the next millennium.

Pedro Flores
Duncan Yo-yo Company has Pedro Flores to thank for its success. If it hadn't been for Flores, they would have never helped start a fad. Flores, actually drew inspiration from pre-colonial Filipinos who used the yo-yo as both a weapon and a toy. Even Dr. Jose Rizal carried one on his travels to show off to foreigners. Flores was working as a houseboy for an American family in California when he used a kitchen knife to fashion a crude yo-yo from soft wood and gave it to his American ward, according to Ambeth R. Ocampo. The yo-yo was such a success with other children in the neighborhood that Flores' employer saw its potential as a toy with other children. In 1928, Flores registered a yo-yo patent in the United States, and with the help of his employer, he set up the first yo-yo factory in the country.
H.B. Preston of Chicago caught wind of the yo-yo and sought out Flores to see what other tricks could be done with it. When he found that all it did was bounce up and down the string, he bought Flores' patent and all rights to the yo-yo and established the Duncan Yo-yo Company in 1929 to mass produce the toys. Preston went on to invent the tricks that have become the staples in yo-yo competitions: the spinner, around the world and walking the dog, among others.
The yo-yo became a fad that spread across the United States and Europe, until it became a world craze. But even though it took an American to develop and make money out of the yo-yo, he wouldn't have gotten anywhere if a Filipino like Flores hadn't invented it.

Fritz Friedman
He is the highest-ranking Filipino American executive in the U.S. entertainment industry. Hollywood top brass Fritz Friedman is the senior vice president of worldwide publicity for Columbia TriStar Home Video, the video distribution arm of Sony Corporation-owner of Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Sony Picture Classics and Sony Music. Friedman is also known for his various philanthropic and civil rights causes, including AIDS and the Filipino World War II veteran's fight for benefits. He is the founder and president of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE), a national organization made up of some of the most important Asian American entertainment executives and actors in the business. He is also a former member of the board of directors of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists (APPAA).
Friedman was born in Manila. His mother was a Filipina registered nurse born in Jaro, Leyte, Philippines. His father was half-Filipino and half-Austrian anesthesiologist. He was the first Asian American male to graduate from Vassar. He received his MA in Communications at the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania.

Roman Gabriel
He is the first Filipino American quarterback in the history of the National Football League (NFL), and was named NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1969. In his 16-year NFL career playing for the Philadelphia Eagles he has set the NFL record for the lowest lifetime percentage of intercepted passes (3.34 percent). Gabriel was an All-Pro for four years, the Ram's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and Pro Bowl MVP and was voted NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. He retired in 1977 with 31,000 total yards and 201 touchdown passes.
Roman Gabriel's life is a classic American tale. His father came to the U.S. from the Philippines and worked in the fish canneries of Alaska. The elder Roman (he was named after his father) then went to Chicago to work in the railroad business where he met Gabriel's Irish mother. The whole family moved to the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. His athletic ability earned him his ticket out of the poor neighborhood he grew up in. Gabriel took a scholarship from North Carolina State University and graduated with a B.S. in education, afterwhich he was drafted into the major league. After his retirement, Gabriel returned to his home state of North Carolina as a sports executive and public speaker in Charlotte and as radio color analyst for the Carolina Panthers, a NFL expansion team.

Dr. Jorge Garcia
He's all heart. Dr. Jorge Garcia is considered one of the top heart surgeons in the world. He immigrated to the United States in 1967 and is currently based in the Washington, D.C. area. Garcia was the first Filipino ever to receive the American Heart Association award in 1992, and was bestowed the 1996 Outstanding Filipino Overseas Award by then-President Fidel Ramos. Since 1993, he has been rated "Top Doctor" in his specialization by fellow physicians in an annual survey conducted by Washington magazine.
This Binan, Laguna native received his medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas. These days, with his four sons grown and with careers of their own, he and his wife split their time between D.C.'s Washington Hospital Center and the Makati Medical Center. He actually performed the first heart transplant in the Philippines in 1994.
Garcia is currently is the midst of his biggest project to date-the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital in Alabang, Muntinglupa, which will position the Philippines as a world-class health center.

Jose Garcia Villa
Acknowledged as the most influential Filipino poet by both Filipino and Filipino American writers, Jose Garcia Villa has made considerable contributions in American literature as well. American critics refer to him as "... the premier Philippine poet that was writing in English." He garnered some of the most prestigious literary prizes given to Americans. He was a recipient of a Shelley Memorial Award, and a fellow of Guggenheim, Bolingen and Rockefeller. Villa's controversial comma poems were widely praised by literary masters like e.e. cummings and Marianne Moore.
His books of verse published in America were: Have Come, Am Here (1942); Volume Two (1949); Selected Poems and New (1958); and Appassionata Poems in Praise of Love (1979). His first and only book of prose, Footnote to Youth: Tales of the Philippines and Others, was published in 1933.
Considered the enfant terrible of Philippine literature, Villa was famous for the "shock" value of his art. He was said to have been the first Filipino poet to attract American attention with his talent. In 1929, U.S. authorities in the Philippines fined him 70 pesos for writing a series of semi-erotic poems called "ManSongs." Later on, he was expelled from the University of the Philippines' College of Law for writing "Song of Ripeness," where he referred to coconuts as nipples to the trees. But his genius was later recognized by the Philippine government by declaring him the country's first National Artist in Literature.

Tita Dioso Gillespie
Tita Dioso Gillespie belongs to a short list of top-caliber Filipino journalists who have increasing influence in the international print media. As Newsweek general editor, she is in charge of the news magazine's style and oversees the copy editing and proofreading staffs. Before reaching her current position, she was the magazine's associate editor for copy desk in charged of copy editing domestic and international editions and preparing page proofs for transmission. Aside from her regular work at Newsweek, Gillespie also does freelance editing work for various national publications and copy edits a newsletter for professional copy editors in the U.S., aptly titled Copy Editor. Gillespie's extensive freelance work as copy editor included five years with McGraw-Hill Publishing and New York Magazine. She also previously edited copy for such publications as Esquire, US Magazine, The Cable guide, Spy Magazine, Consumer Electronics Monthly and Premiere Magazine.
Gillespie's success in the demanding world of copy editing where general knowledge is essential can be traced to her broad and varied educational background. She received her bachelor's degree in English and philosophy at Hunter's College in New York and pursued 17th century English studies at Oxford University in England and French language and civilization at Sorbonne in Paris.

Jessica Hagedorn
Jessica Hagedorn has a penchant for defying conventions, both in her work and her life. Her first novel, Dogeaters, earned her a National Book Award nomination and was hailed by author Robert Stone as "the definitive encounter between the Philippines and America." Her second novel, The Gangster of Love, was praised for its rock 'n' roll narrative.
Hagedorn immigrated to the United States as a teenager in the early '60s, settling with her family in San Francisco. She became enchanted with San Francisco's emerging literary counterculture, and found a mentor in poet Kenneth Rexroth at 14. At 16, Hagedorn had her first taste of performing at the Straight Theatre in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury district. Since then, she has produced several books of poetry and edited the anthology Charlie Chan is Dead. She starred with Han Ong in the musical "Airport Music," and gives talks and reading all over the country and teaches writing courses.
Hagedorn is known as a writer, singer, performance artist, teacher and-perhaps her favorite role-a mother. She doesn't believe in being pigeonholed into a role. "Many people think that if you make one choice, you can't continue to be all these things," she says. "I think you can."

Venancio Igarta
Venancio Igarta holds the distinction of being the only Filipino artist to have his work exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. According to the late National Artist Jose Garcia Villa, the enfant terrible of Philippine Literature, he is also "the only Filipino artist worth meeting in New York."
The legendary rise of Igarta in the snobbish New York art scene is a classic Cinderella story. He arrived in San Francisco from the small town of Sinait, Ilocos Sur when he was 18. Igarta worked in the fruit farms of California in the 1930s and traveled to New York during the Great Depression surviving on bussing tables and washing dishes in restaurants. While working as a handyman in an upscale psychiatric clinic, Igarta accidentally discovered painting drawing flowers on serving trays. Not having any formal education in the arts, he started by going to informal live sketching classes in Greenwich Village. He later applied for a scholarship to the National Academy of Design on the Upper East Side and then he studied at the Art Student's League soaking up lessons from the works of the masters as well as of contemporary artists. In 1940, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York exhibited his most famous painting, "Northern Philippines." Fortune Magazine later on published his work along with American masters Maurice Sterne and Rockwell Kent. His later work distilled his experiences as a manual laborer, creating such paintings as "Manong in the Rockies, 1930s in California," and "Manong with a Hoe." He also brought his Christian upbringing on the canvass with paintings such as "Valley of the Dry Bones-Mourning Sky."

Enrico Labayen
Movement is all the language Enrico Labayen needs to express himself. The dancer and choreographer embodies the concept of marrying classical ballet and modern expressionism. In 1997, his work earned him the Isadora Duncan Dance Award (or Izzy) for Choreography, the equivalent of an Oscar in the world of dance.
Born the seventh of 12 children to a poor family, Labayen began his dance training in Manila at the age of 13. He left the Philippines for New York when he was 16 to attend the American Ballet Theater (ABT). He briefly worked with Dance Spectrum in San Francisco, working under the auspices of Carlos Carvajal. He returned to Manila after ten years and struck up a friendship with Anna Villadolid, now a principal dancer with the Bavarian State Opera Ballet. The two entered the Jackson International Ballet Competition, though neither made it to the finals. Labayen returned to New York, only to be struck by a motorcycle on his second day back. He spent two years recovering from a bad head injury, an experience that he says, changed his perspective on life.
By 1986, after years working in the restaurant business, Labayen had settled in San Francisco, where he joined forces with former ABT classmate Alonso King, performing in Lines Contemporary Ballet. His choreographic path is an experimental one that derives much of its influence from his roots. To Labayen, his work is as much a part of his life as breathing. "Dance for me is physical," he explains. "It's sensuality, chivalry, femininity-it has to be all that to call it 'dance.'"

Loida Nicolas Lewis
While African American business tycoon Reginald F. Lewis epitomized the '80s with his leveraged buyout of Beatrice International, his widow and successor Loida Nicolas Lewis captured the mood of the '90s. Lewis cultivated her own leadership over the 68th largest privately held company in the United States. As chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc., which she assumed in 1994 after her husband's death, she streamlined operations, jettisoning non-performing assets, cutting the corporate staff by half, and reducing the company's debt.
In the highly competitive world of business and high finance, Lewis brought a soft touch, greeting visitors with a hug, rather than a handshake and starting board meetings with a prayer.
Lewis, also an attorney, was the first Asian woman to pass the New York bar exam without having studied law in the United States. She served as general attorney with the Immigration and Naturalization Services until 1990. She's also the author of three books on immigration law.
Since selling TLC Beatrice last June, Lewis has been heavily involved in the National Federation of Filipino American Associations and is an advocate for Filipino World War II veterans and their fight for equity.

Victoria Manalo-Draves
Her achievement may now be fodder for trivia games, but Victoria Manalo-Draves Olympic win in 1948 is the stuff Olympic history is made of. Forty years ago in the Games in London, the Filipina American diver became the first female-and third-diver in modern Olympic history to win a gold medal in both the three-meter springboard and ten-meter platform. Raised in the low-income South of Market neighborhood in San Francisco, Draves skimped pennies for streetcar rides to a public seawater pool to practice diving all day. She worked part-time to afford diving lessons and later on worked full time as a secretary while competing in diving meets. In 1946, she married Lyle Draves, her diving coach, and moved to Pasadena, California where she gained sponsorship from the Pasadena Athletic Club. After her record-breaking win in London, Draves immediately announced her retirement and went on to tour Europe and perform water shows with Buster Crabbe's "Aqua Parade" and in Larry Crosby's "Rhapsody in Swimtime" and appearing in Al Sheehan's shows, "The Minneapolis Aquatennial" and "The Seattle Sea Fair."

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard
Author Cecilia Manguerra Brainard has become a fixture in the Filipino American literary scene. Her published work includes Woman With Horns and Other Stories and Philippine Women in America. Her last novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, was published in the United States by E.P. Dutton and was well-received by critics. Publisher's Weekly said, "In simply yet deeply moving prose, Brainard's first novel presents similar acts of monumental courage: a doctor's sacrifice in the jungle; quiet defiance against terrorist threats. These themes are explored by the author with persuasive conviction and stark realism."
Brainard was born in Cebu and immigrated to the United States in 1969. She has authored three books and published approximately 200 essays and two dozen stories. She's a founding member of the Philippine American Women Writers and Artist and has won several awards for her work,
including the Fortner Prize for her story "The Balete Tree" in 1985.

Gene G. Marcial
He is the author of the book Secrets of the Street: The Dark Side of Making Money (1997), a gripping tale of how Wall Street insiders really make money at the expense of small, unsophisticated investors. Gene Marcial demystified the world of finance and exposed the underbelly of the most powerful institution in the world. He looked into the trading "bandits"-big investors who manipulate the system for their own benefit-and the surging popularity of IPO (Initial Public Offering), where Wall Street insiders enrich themselves with huge commissions and underwriting fees instead of providing small, worthwhile companies with capital.
Marcial, a former staff member of the Manila Chronicle , has established a credible voice in business journalism in America. He wrote the columns "Heard on the Street" and "Abreast of the Market" for the Wall Street Journal and he was a former copy editor at the AP-Dow Jones News Service. He is currently a senior writer of the national magazine, Business Week.

Neil McCoy
Country and western music fans just love Neil McCoy. This 40-year-old, self-described "Texapino" (half-Texan, half-Filipino) has seen two of his albums "No Doubt About It" and "You Gotta Love That" go platinum, and his soulful voice inspire raves from critics at the Tampa Tribune and Dallas Morning News.
McCoy was born Neil McGaughey in Jacksonville, Texas. His Texan father Hubert met his mother Virginia while stationed with the U.S. Army in Manila. McCoy grew up listening to his mother's Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole records and his father's country music. Such disparate musical influences have allowed him to inject other musical genres in his repertoire without losing his country soul. His singing style is an amalgam of his varied musical tastes and a reflection of both his Filipino and Irish roots.
McCoy, happily married with two children, is pragmatic about how far his career will go. "I got a great family," he says. "I'm out here to enjoy myself and provide for them. The best way to do that is to entertain. I'm not out to change the world."

Irene Natividad
She held one of the most influential positions in the U.S. feminist movement for four years, and has advanced the cause of women and people of color in the political front. Irene Natividad's role as the first Asian American leader of the powerful National Women's Political Caucus has broken down the stereotype of the self-erasing Asian woman and has open doors to many women of color to aspire for bigger and greater things in the unexplored frontier of politics and organizing. She helped organized the Asian American Professional Women and National Network of Asian Pacific American Women and was director of the Global Forum for Women held in Dublin, Ireland. She currently serves as chair of the National Commission on Working Women, which works to improve women's economic status in the country.
Natividad was five years old when her father, who worked for an American firm, uprooted the family from the Philippines and moved several times first to Okinawa, then to Iran, India, Athens and finally Ottawa, Canada. She graduated valedictorian from Long Island University in New York and received her master's degree in American Literature with honors from Columbia University.

Josie NatoriBy bringing innovation and sensuality to the world of fashion, Josie Natori has become a household name. Her line of lingerie forgoes the usual fuss and frills without compromising on femininity. Instead, she favors luxurious textures and simple lines that have made The Natori Company a fashion empire. Together with her husband Ken, she has bult a $50-million company that caters to customers all over the world.
Although she seemed headed for a career as a concert pianist, Natori went to New York at 17 to study economics at Manhattenville College. She worked briefly as a stockbroker at Bache Securites and joined Merrill Lynch in 1971, rising to become the company's first female vice president in 1975.
Her foray into sleepwear came from her need to satisfy her creative side. She found it in the embroidered blouses of her native soil. A meeting with a Bloomingdale's buyer, to whom she showed the blouses, inspired her to take a foray into sleepwear. The rest, as they say, is history.
Dr. Reynaldo Pagtakhan
He is the only Filipino to become a member of Canada's Parliament. Dr. Reynaldo Pagtakhan was first elected in 1988 by residents of Winnipeg North, and won back-to-back re-election bids in 1993 and 1997. He had served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada and is presently Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. His works as a lung specialist, professor and parliamentarian have earned him international acclaim.
Pagtakhan is a known advocate of the poor and the disadvantaged among his constituency, perhaps because they remind him of growing up poor in the Philippines. A native of Bacoor, Cavite, Pagtakhan used to sell bread in the streets to add to the family's income. He was unable to receive his awards for high honors during his high school graduation because he had no shoes; yet he finished medicine at the publicly funded University of the Philippines. He continued his training in pediatrics at the Washington University Medical Center and went on to study lung diseases at the University of Winnipeg. He later on became director of the University of Manitoba Cystic Fibrosis Center in 1985 before being elected to parliament.

Lou Diamond Phillips
Actor Lou Diamond Phillips' face has been his fortune. His looks have allowed him to play such ethnically diverse roles as a rebellious Hispanic student in "Stand and Deliver" with Edward James Olmos (for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination) and a Native American in "Young Guns" with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen. He burst into the scene in 1987 in the ground-breaking film "La Bamba," in which he played the role of ill-fated rock 'n' roll star Ritchie Valens. Phillips, whose mother is Filipino, was born in Subic, Philippines and settled in Texas, where he studied drama and film at the University of Texas in Arlington. Since his debut, he has starred in over 35 feature films, most recently "Brokedown Palace" with Claire Danes and Bill Pullman and the horror film "Bats."

Elizabeth Punsalan
As one half of the U.S. Olympic ice dance team in 1998, Elizabeth Punsalan knows what it's like to be running hot and cold. Although they didn't win a medal that year, she and partner-husband Jerod Swallow electrified the crowd with their tricky maneuvers and graceful choreography on the ice.
The product of a Filipino father and an Irish American mother, Punsalan grew up the youngest of five children in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. All of them were introduced to ice skating, but it was Punsalan who carried it to the next level. At 14, she caught the eye of Detroit, Michigan coach Sandra Hess, who turned her on to pair skating. In 1988, Punsalan won the Junior Naitonal Championships with then-partner Shawn Rettstatt. At 18, she began skating with Swallow, whom she had already known for four years. A year later, they started dating and in 1993, they were married.
In 1994, the pair earned a place on the U.S. Winter Olympics team. But two weeks before they were set to leave for the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, tragedy struck. Her brother Ricardo, who had a history of substance abuse and mental illness, stabbed their father to death in his sleep. Punsalan ended up going to Norway, as she believed her father would have wanted. But the pair took a spill in their free dance and finished in 15th place. Punsalan took their dismal showing in wry stride. "Years from now, we'll tell our kids we made it to the Olympics," she says, "we had a great time and we skated like crap."
No matter what they do next, Punsalan and her husband will have blazed a trail for the next generation of ice dance skaters, having fought passionately for recognition of ice dance in the United States.

Kormann Roque
Despite his laid-back demeanor, Classified Records President Kormann Roque is no pushover. As the eniminent purveyor of successful mainstream Filipino American recording artists, he refuses to be bought off by the big music conglomerates. "I learned to turn down deals to ensure our longevity," he says. "I'd like to have a fighting chance to control our fate. If we mess up, at least we know."
Roque, a San Francisco Bay Area native, has always had a strong interest in music. He attended Cogswell Polytechnical in pursuit of a degree in music/software engineering. He juggled school with his work as a recording engineer, producer and programmer at the Soundworks Studios in San Jose, California and had a stint at Apple Computers as a multimedia test engineer.
Roque teamed up with Elvin Reyes and Rino Que to head Music Quest Productions, which later formed Classified Records. His label was responsible for launching dance diva Jocelyn Enriquez and R&B vocal group Pinay. Classified has also branched out into alternative music with Julie Plug and released two CDs of Filipino American Rex Navarrete's comedy act.
Roque believes his record label is tapping into a market that's often overlooked by the mainstream but is growing in influence. "There are some people who wish to hide their identity so they can make it, but we're throwing ourselves out there, openly serving the Filipino and Asian communities," he points out. "We're establishing a foundation for ourselves, letting people know we're proud to be Filipino."

Ninotchka Rosca
Award-winning novelist Ninotchka Rosca has enjoyed unprecedented success as a short story writer and novelist in the United States making her a legend among Filipinos both in the Philippines and the U.S., and the reigning doyenne in her generation of literary artist. Her first novel State of War was issued in both hardcover and paperback and hit the bestseller list. It was translated in Dutch and has a British edition. Twice Blessed, Rosca's second novel, won the 1993 American Book Award. Her two collections of short stories, Bitter Country and Monsoon Collections; and her book on the People Power revolution, Endgame: The Fall of Marcos; were all written and published in America. Her other works have appeared in publications such as Nation, Village Voice and MS Magazine.
A feminist, an activist and a former journalist, Rosca has used her art as a weapon for social criticism. Her social and political activism led to her incarceration in one of the Marcos' regime's military concentration camps in the 1970s. Exiled in the U.S., Rosca actively participated in mass demonstrations against both the Philippine and United States government on core issues affecting labor, political and women's rights and human rights violations. She has received numerous fellowship grants for fiction writing, including the highly competitive and prestigious fellowship grant from New York Foundation for the Arts. Rosca is also the first Filipino to sit in the executive board of PEN American Center, the members of which included almost every major literary figure in the U.S. such as Arthur Miller, Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates.

Lea Salonga
From her days as a young moppet singing "I Am But a Small Voice" to her dazzling turn on the stage as Kim in Cameron Macintosh's controversial musical "Miss Saigon," no Filipino has quite captured the imagination of people everywhere like Lea Salonga. Salonga's work on "Miss Saigon" won her both the Laurence Olivier Award in England and the Tony Award in the United States. People magazine even named her one of the world's most beautiful people.
Salonga was born Feb. 22, 1971 in Manila. At seven, she made her stage debut in Repertory Philippines' production of "The King and I." At ten, already a stage veteran, she launched her recording career. She hosted her own TV show "Love, Lea."
Set for a medical career, Salonga found her life changing direction when she won the role of Kim. After "Miss Saigon" she played Eponine in "LÈs Miserables," the first Asian to ever play that role on Broadway. She was the singing voice of Jasmine in the Disney animated film "Aladdin" and of lead character in the animated film "Mulan." Although Salonga's U.S.-released self-titled album "Lea Salonga" didn't create much of a ripple on the charts, she continued to work on Broadway and hold concerts for fans in the Philippines and the United States. Salonga recently returned to "Miss Saigon" in London, reprising the role that made her famous ten years ago. She is also planning to resume her pre-med studies. As for her career, her plan is simple: "I'll take it as far as I can take it."

Bienvenido Santos
He was considered the master storyteller of the Philippine American experience. Beinvenido Santos' books, stories and poems published in the Philippines and America caputred the essence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans.He is among the most prolific and accomplished of Philippine writers in English publishing 15 works of fiction and an autobiography. Among his novels are The Man Who Thought He Looked Like Robert Taylor, Villa Magdalena, The Praying Man and What the Hell for You Left your Heart In San Francisco . His first and only book published in the U.S., Scent of Apples, won for him an American Book Award from Before Columbus Foundation, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in fiction. He died in 1996 at the age of 84 after completing a final volume of memoirs, a collection of letters to family and friends. Writer Leonor Aureus Briscoe, a close friend and collaborator, writes that "his writing, like his life, was full of both the joy and the pain of being Filipino, of seeking fortune and happiness in America, and of yearning for home and the scent of calamondin fruit and fresh papaya blossoms."

Cora Tellez
For Cora Tellez, president and CEO of Health Net, there isn't any obstacle that can't be hurdled. She has cut an impressive swath through the health-care industry, rising through the ranks in both the public and private sector.
Tellez began her career in Oakland in 1972, as a program planner in the city's Office of Economic Development & Employment, advancing to assistant executive director in 1978. She later moved to Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., eventually taking on the job of chief operations officer and assistant regional manager of Kaiser Permanent in Hawaii in 1979. Tellez found herself commuting between San Francisco and Hawaii, rather than subject her family to an upheaval. This arrangement lasted until 1994, when she moved to Blue Shield of California. At Blue Shield, she rose to senior vice president and chief executive officer in charge of sales, marketing, provider relations, underwriting, medical management and finance. In 1997, Prudential HealthCare made her head of health plan operations in California, Colorado and Arizona. In November 1998, Tellez joined Health Net, one of the largest health plans in California, leading its turnaround in 1999 to becoming one of California's leading health plans.

Velma Veloria
Velma Veloria believes in the idea that the electorate process is all-inclusive, regardless of ethnicity or belief. It was this belief that propelled her win in the race for Washington State Assembly. During her run, Veloria relied on the support and dedication of the Filipino American community plus her strategic "Get Out the Vote" campaign to propel her to a state senate seat. Veloria's "Get Out the Vote" campaign aimed for the support of people of color and diversity and those who had a history of voting for more progressive issues, as well as those who had a history of non-voting. "It was a real aggressive grassroots campaign," she said.
Veloria didn't enter Washington State politics a complete neophyte. She worked as an administrative assistant to State Representative Art Wang as a member and served as a member of the transition team of Mayor Norm Rice. She was also a member of the State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.
As a labor organizer from 1989 to 1990, Veloria was instrumental in the fight to get nurses in Seattle better working conditions, to form their union and to negotiate a contract. As a medical technologist in New York and Seattle, she saw first-hand the problems consumers faced as a result of inadequate, unaffordable or confusing medical insurance coverage. Veloria's advice to future Filipino American hopefuls is to "conscientiously bring the younger generation into the electoral program."

Philip Vera Cruz
He was a labor leader born out of the militant labor struggles of migrant workers in America in the 1960s. His was the enduring voice in the long battle for labor rights, not just for Filipino migrants but for every working people of all colors. Philip Vera Cruz played a crucial role in the unification of the predominantly Filipino Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee and Mexican-led National Farm Workers Association. Together with Cesar Chavez and other trade unionist, Vera Cruz helped give birth to the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFW), forming one of the largest and strongest farm workers' union in American history. He eventually rose to be the highest-ranking Filipino in the UFW, serving as vice president and board of director.
Vera Cruz came to America as a young man of 22 with dreams of becoming a lawyer. Instead of law school, he led the grueling life of a migrant worker for over 20 years, traveling across America in search of work: cutting boards at a box factory in Washington state, bussing tables at a Chicago restaurant, canning fish in Alaska, hoeing bees in North Dakota and picking fruit in Central California. In September 1965, at the age of 65, he walked off his job to join the strike, which became the watershed event of the farm worker movement in California. He never once looked back, and there began his legend.

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2004-05-23T23:09:00.000+08:00

Get your own Meme Meme!

2004-05-22T01:17:00.000+08:00

My inner child is sixteen years old!

Life's not fair! It's never been fair, but while
adults might just accept that, I know
something's gotta change. And it's gonna
change, just as soon as I become an adult and
get some power of my own.

How Old is Your Inner Child?
brought to you by Quizilla

2004-05-22T01:07:00.000+08:00

A GARAGE-GURL.
Youre into loud music, hot guys and
wild fashions. Youre most at ease when you've
got all your mates around you and you like to
party. Boys are a game and youre always on the
ball because you make sure you're always number
one.

Your virtues: Confidence, fun nature,
sociability.

Your flaws: Loudness, jealous tendency, need for
attention..

You almost certainly wouldn't like this game,
because it's not your thing:

www.life-blood.vze.com

What kind of girl are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ooops...it's not me! But the quizilla said that i'm a garage gurl?

2004-05-22T01:02:00.000+08:00

hehehehe...frozen queen daw ako?!

FROZEN QUEEN/ KING
You dont want love to come through to you. You like
it the way you are. To be unreachable, no need
to show feelings. Hiding everything inside you.
You are already used to it. You say yourself
that you dont need anyone, that you stand on
your own two feet or that you dont have time
for these things. But in reality you are scared
to get hurt. You feel save where you are: by
yourself, nobody can hurt you there. You
invent your own relationship in your dreams.
You just need to know that you COULD get a
partner.
Thats it.
PLEASE VOTE, I want to know what you think about my
quiz, I worked hard on it.You can always
message me or tell me how I can improve that
quiz. Ill sure write back.

~THE big LOVE TEST!! What do you need? With PICS! For girls and boys!~
brought to you by Quizilla

2004-05-21T16:48:00.000+08:00

QUICK FACTS: Camille Velasco
Age: 18
Hometown: Haiku, Maui
Audition City: Hawaii
First Concert: Ricky Martin
Last Concert: 50 Cent & Fabolous

INTERVIEW Q&A
When did you first start to sing?
I've sung all my life but just started performing at 16.
Do you have any formal singing training?
No.
What other talents do you have?N/A
If you don't make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
Go to college and learn to create beats and study music.
What are your personal goals in life?To be a respected singer and songwriter.
What album would your friends be surprised you own?
ABBA.
What is the first CD you ever bought?Gangsta Lean.
What is in your CD player right now?2Pac Better Days.
Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?Lauryn Hill.
What is your favorite type of music?Hip Hop.
What is your favorite song to sing?
I dont have one.
Favorite male pop artist?Prince.
Favorite female pop artist?Beyonce.
Favorite album of all time?Lauryn Hill.
Who in the music world do you think your style is most like?Hip-hop song.
Most embarrassing moment?When I ran out of breath on stage.
If you couldn't sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Drawing - artist.
What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Being an older sister.
What is your definition of an AMERICAN IDOL?
A kind spirit truly in touch with the vibrations of music.
Why do you want to be an AMERICAN IDOL?
So I can make and share my own music with others.
Who is your favorite judge and why?
I love Paula because I grew up with her music around the house.
Who is your least favorite judge and why?
I actually love all of them!!! Simon is actully a funny dude.
What advice do you have for other hopefuls?
Do your best, follow your heart, and learn to take criticism to better yourself.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I'm not sure.

QUICK FACTS: Jasmine Trias
Age: 17
Hometown: Mililani, HI
Audition City: Hawaii
First Concert: NSYNC
Last Concert: Christina Aguilera

INTERVIEW Q&A
When did you first start to sing?
Since I could talk.
Do you have any formal singing training?
Yes, I attend the Performing Artist Academy. I started when I was 8 years old and I stopped when I was 10. I went back when I was 14 years old.
What other talents do you have?
I play the piano, the ukulele, the guitar. I dance hip-hop and hula.
If you don't make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?
I will continue to pursue a career in singing, or I will finish up my education and become a nurse.
What are your personal goals in life?
I want to have a recording contract with a big record company and live my dream of becoming a star. Or go to school and finish up my education to become a nurse.
What album would your friends be surprised you own?
A Filipino soap opera soundtrack.
What is the first CD you ever bought?
The NSYNC CD
What is in your CD player right now?
A mixed CD of different kinds of music.
Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?
I loved Kelly from the moment I heard her sing Respect.
What is your favorite type of music?
I love all kinds of music. I listen to Hawaiian music, R&B, hip-hop, alternative, contemporary.
What is your favorite song to sing?
I don't have a favorite song. I love to sing power ballads and other styles of music.
Favorite male pop artist?
Justin Timberlake.
Favorite female pop artist?
Christina Aguilera.
Favorite album of all time?
A mixed CD of my top favorite songs.
Who in the music world do you think your style is most like?
I'd probably have to say Monica. She dressed sexy, but kept it conservative also.
Most embarrassing moment?
In 7th grade, I was drinking milk and my friend was telling me and my other friends a joke. When he said the punch line, I swallowed probably half and the rest squirted out of my nose and my mouth because I couldnt hold in the laugh.
If you couldn't sing, which talent would you most like to have?
Dancing.
What has been your proudest moment in life so far?
Making it this far in the competition.
What is your definition of an AMERICAN IDOL?
Someone that has the full package and has the charisma to make many people look up to them.
Why do you want to be an AMERICAN IDOL?
Because I think I have what it takes to make into the business. I'm a strong person and I want to share all my talents with the rest of world.
Who is your favorite judge and why?
I'd have to say Simon because even though his comments can be mean, they're very true if you take it the right way. He doesn't care what people think about him and I think that he's the best judge.
Who is your least favorite judge and why?
My least favorite is Randy, because there's only three words in his vocabulary: Dog, Man, and Dude.
What advice do you have for other hopefuls?
Sing your heart and don't hold back. Dont get intimidated by other great singers because you're a great singer yourself, so just think that others may be intimidated by you. Confidence is key!
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I can be very shy.

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2004-05-21T14:34:00.000+08:00

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Synopsis: Thirteen year-old Harry Potter has reluctantly spent yet another summer with the Dursleys, his dismal relatives, "behaving himself" and not practicing any magic. That is, until Uncle Vernon's bullying sister, Aunt Marge, comes to visit. Aunt Marge has always been particularly horrible to Harry and this time pushes him so far that he "accidentally" causes her to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift away! Fearing punishment from his Aunt and Uncle--and repercussions from Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, which strictly forbids students from using magic in the non-magic world--Harry escapes into the night. Along the way, Harry will try to make sense of Hermione�s puzzling appearances and disappearances, with the help of Ron and the giant Hagrid, who has taken on a new position at Hogwarts as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. A confrontation between Harry and the menacing Sirius Black seems inevitable, but what exactly is Professor Lupin�s relationship with Black? What is the dark secret that Professor Snape is so eager to reveal? And just why is Ron�s pet rat Scabbers so frantic to escape his grasp? Harry will need all of the courage, magic and support he can muster to answer these questions and uncover the truth behind Sirius Black and his ties to the gifted young wizard�s mysterious past.

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2004-05-21T04:02:00.000+08:00

The Heart

2004-05-21T03:56:00.000+08:00

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 1 � 5
Mark Agsalud
Daniel Alcaide
Cyrus Ainza
Amerose Alejo
Jefferson Aligato
Maridel Alingod
Ma. Cristina Batomalaque
Frederick Benito
Prince Bognot
Marie Christine Cabrito
Christopher Jason Cansino
Erika Angeline Capuli
Mary Ann Castro
Rogelyn Chu
Allan De Castro
Corine Dela Cruz
Vernie Francis Dulfo
Enrico Espina
Mary Rose Fronda
Bermudes Galan
Jeffrey Gato
Karen Gerio
Betty Habig
Floyd Ilustrado
Christopher Labis
Jerry Lasam
Mervin Llanaresas
Arvin Lictaua
Edward Malabaguio
Charm Ann Marilag
Marilou Moreno
Rhea Mortiz
Mignonette Ong
Aprilyn Ortiz
Crisel Padua
Diana Marie Paras
Jomar Paras
Mercy Joy Rante
Diane Rivera
Jasmin Tandiama
Jasper Tandiama
Kyzar Teofora
Katherine Torres
Jeaneth Vargas
Alvin Villanueva
Marc Villegas

2004-05-12T00:41:00.000+08:00

LIFE
Somewhere between the *procrastination* and the homework..
and the incessant forwards and the friendships and the calls to each other complaining about <3*.:*CrUsHeS*:.*<3!! Somewhere between the phone calls to old friends and the "I miss you's", the "I love you's" and the "What are we doing tonight's?" And somewhere between all of the changing and growing... somewhere between the classes and the skipping cl! asses...and the StUdYiNg for TeStS...And the PRETENDING to *StUdY* for ~TeStS~.. And the downright NOT StUdYiNg for TeStS... I forgot--I forgot what ScHooL was all about. Somewhere between all the appointments and Smoothies, and Diet Dr. Pepper's.... paying bills and then not paying bills...Making plans then breaking plans... Appearing, Disappearing, then reappearing....I forgot--I forgot what it was like to cry. I forgot that pretending to be happy doesn't make you happy... And that pretending to be SmArT doesn't make you smart .. I forgot that you can't just forget the past in fear of the FUTURE... I forgot that you can't control falling in .:.LoVe.:.<3.. And that you can't make yourself fall in *LoVe*<3.... I learned that I can LOVE... I learned that it's okay to MEsS UP.... And it's okay to ask for HELP!!!.. And it's okay to feel like crap... I learned it's okay to cOmPLaiN and wHINe to all your friends for a whole day........ I learned that sometimes the things you want most you just can't have. I learned that the greatest thing about HiGh ScHOoL and CoLLeGe and the working world isn't the parties or the DRiNKiNG or the hookups... (even though it sure is fun) It's the *FrIeNdShIpS*, which means taking chances. I learned that sometimes the things we want to forget are the things which we most need to talk about... I learned that time and can heal all things... I learned that just when you think it can't get worse- it does... but w/ the love and support of friends-you survive... I've learned that when you start feeling BaD about L O S I N ! G touch - those that you've lost touch w/ are feeling the same way...I learned that letters from friends are the most important things.And that sending cards to your friends makes you feel better. But, basically, I just learned that my friends......... Both o l d and new..... Are the most important people to me in the world. AND.......without them, I wouldn't be who I am today..... So this is a thank you to all of my friends. . For always being there. And even if we're not on good terms or we have lost touch... I will always have an unconditional love for you.. ~Always and forever~

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