Parols like the one’s up there in the photo can get pretty dangerous. See the parol on top of the kids? It fell after the photo was taken and picked a fight with my cousin. Just kidding. I was about to spread some tsismis! What does tsismis mean? It means rumor: it’s the gift that… Read more.

Whew, Rota wheels being “made in the Philippines” doesn’t mean “made by 10 year old slave laborers.” If anything, 10 year olds in the PI drive on them, which is just as bad. Anyway, if you know anyone who owns a slave-driver company in the Philippines or anywhere else, kill them.

Forget Bill Gates, ask the Balbutins or Tita Loly for business advice. Go to the Philippines and you’ll find a whole bunch of sari-sari stores on one block, selling everything from soap to airplane engines (sari-sari means ‘alota-different-stuff’). If you give them a certain password, the owners will add your name to their store signs…. Read more.

My dad and his brother arrived in the US around 1925, working in California’s farmlands along side Mexican and Japanese farmworkers. Back then when discriminated, Filipinos roasted their tormentors lechon style in front of their families! Good times, good times.

“Broken Promises” is a 12 minute documentary on the Fil-Am veteran battle for equity for their part in World War II. You can watch the video here. Brought to you by KmB. The guy rapping halfway through the video is Filipino.

Once upon a time Jollibee and I hung out and had our photo taken. In the photo, I noticed a Filipino man behind Jollibee posing with us. I suddenly felt worried. Not because the man was wearing the same fake Louie Vuitton sunglasses I got from Greenhills in Manila, but because the man himself was… Read more.

Popular Filipino pastries are baked like bibingka, or steamed like puto. But I like Filipino pastries that are deep fried in that used cooking oil found inside the old “I can’t believe it’s not butter” container by the kitchen sink. Binangkal should be deep fried in that same oil. I called lola for her special… Read more.

The Philippine government started the “WOW Philippines” campaign in 2002 to attract more tourism to the islands. The website is complete with cute palm trees and animated scuba divers but the negative affects of tourism on the Philippine environment can get pretty ugly. Just look at the poor snake for goodness sake.