Contributed by Shobee Dayrit It has been 17 years since I came to the United States and now I am a mom of two. My eldest just left for college and the other is in 8th grade. I work full time in a neurosurgery center while balancing being a mom and wife and blogging while…
“A useless life is an early death.” —Goethe There are countless things to be grateful for this year. If we are blessed with a grateful heart, we will see beauty and light amid darkness. A grateful heart is one that is mindful of the abundant blessings of family, friends, and other people who orbit our…
IN February 2018, the IRS started certification of individuals with delinquent tax debt to the State Department. How will the IRS certification impact you? • Upon receipt of certification. The State Department will either deny application or revoke current passport or both. • You are overseas. Limited validity passport for direct return to the US…
A FIL-AM high school student in Seattle, Washington has been named the final recipient of the 2018 Seahawks Athlete of the Week award which is given to student-athletes that display leadership, passion, and dedication both on and off the field or court. Joshua Villarino, a junior football kicker at Ballard High School, was selected for…
by Anna B. Ibarra SACRAMENTO, Calif. — What do hip-hop dancing and health insurance have in common? For one, you sure do hope that the break dancer busting backflips is covered. Beyond that, Covered California, the state’s Obamacare health insurance exchange, is betting that one will bring attention to the other. So, on a stage…
Tips on how we can stay married to our New Year resolutions and the importance of being gentle with yourself and your goals As 2018 wraps up, the age-old adage “new year, new me” makes its yearly spike across social media. It’s a time of self-reflection and taking stock of what we’ve achieved and what…
Fitness and health trends and tips for the New Year “New Year, new me,” is a saying we’ll most likely be hearing or saying as 2019 comes around, and chances are we’ll also be searching for some new ways to get where we want to be. Just like in all things, how we approach fitness…
The New Year has always been a countrywide celebration that is nothing short of fun, dynamic, and loud. Filipinos love to welcome the new year with as much fanfare as they can, partaking in traditions they believe will help in making the new year better, happier, and more bountiful for them. Here are some of…
An exhibit of the artworks by Dr. Yuhua Shouzhi Wang was held at the Dapeng Painting Academy of Shenzhen from December 15 to December 17, 2018. Dr. Yuhua Wang was a professor of the College of Liberal Arts of Auburn University in the USA. She is now the Lifetime Honorary Chairwoman of the International Art…
Appellate attorney Audra Ibarra becomes the first Filipina to serve as a Bay Area superior court judge After the historic 2018 midterm election in which a record number of women and people of color were elected to office across the country, the California superior courts just got a little more diverse as well. Before he…
“Life is a battle – you must enter into it fully, and do what needs to be done. You cannot shrink from your duty. Life presents difficult, sometimes horrendous situations, unwelcome tasks, and obstacles of every sort. Despite this harsh reality, you must resolutely go forward.” - Pierro Ferrucci I have wrongly believed life for…
Jessica Arong O’Brien had made history for being first Filipina judge in Cook County, Illinois A former Filipina-American judge in Cook County, Illinois this week has been sentenced to jail for one year for her involvement in a $1.4 million mortgage fraud scam. Jessica Arong O’Brien — who made history when she was elected as…
AMID all the negative vibes from transgressions made by elected and appointed officials — despite being accorded the public trust through their post in public service — it sure feels good to read a story so close to home about the goodness of people. This holiday season, one of those stories that I have posted…
Simbang Gabi (dawn mass) has always been a popular tradition during Christmas in the Philippines, but it is now getting popular in other countries as well — enough that Filipino priests are being requested to celebrate the mass abroad during the Yuletide season. According to Archdiocese of Manila Office of Communications head Fr. Roy Belen,…
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday, December 19, said that close to 29,000 suspected human trafficking victims were stopped from leaving the country in the first 10 months of this year. According to BI Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina, a total of 28,467 people, including 151 minors, were prevented from boarding their flights….
A document released on Thursday, December 20 named at least 41 members of the Philippine Congress as proponents of projects under the allegedly graft-ridden Road Board. According to House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara were allegedly identified by Road Board Executive Director Luisito “Chito”…
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday, December 20 called for the review the 1951 Philippines’ Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States amid conflict between China and the U.S. in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). “Since we have a Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S. we might get involved in their…
GMA Network recently hosted a successful immersion tour for the 2018 Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPro) delegates which consisted of ten outstanding young U.S.-based professionals. The immersion tour, led by GMA’s global arm GMA International, gave the delegates an overview of GMA’s programs as well as its contribution to the broadcast industry in the Philippines….
THE holiday spirit comes to us wrapped, not in tissues and ribbons, but in cherished events of ceremony, celebration and connections, and parties that constellate about the holiday seasons. Guests who trooped in all sizes and shapes — of race, color and creed — display effulgence that intoxicates, sizzles and electrifies the holiday revelers. It…
GIVE back to the Los Angeles community by volunteering with Search Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) and #HashtagLunchbag on Sunday, December 30 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as we spread love by making sandwiches for those who need it the most! Join us as we assemble sandwiches, create notes of encouragement, decorate bags, and ensure…
by Ana B. Ibarra Kaiser Health News ’Tis the season to be a little too merry, and law enforcement officials across the country are once again reminding revelers not to drive if they’ve been drinking. Along with those warnings comes a bit of good news: Deaths involving drunken driving are only about half of what…
by Julie Rovner Kaiser Health News If Friday night’s district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law’s most high-profile provisions would be at stake . In fact, canceling the law in full — as Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, ordered in his…
THERE wouldn’t Christmas without Mary. There wouldn’t be Christmas without her fiat—her absolute “yes” to be the Mother of God so that Jesus, the Son of God, would be born to bring salvation to the whole humankind and the world. It was in in God’s plan that His Son Jesus would be born…
(Part 1 of 4) LISTEN to friends and neighbors: Your friend had just hit the big time with a red-hot stock tip. This is big money. Mucho dinero. You follow suit and buy this random stock on impulse. There are some problems here. First, your friend is probably not telling you the whole story. Yes,…
THE client is 65. She still works middle management and earns $37,000 yearly. Although she is married, I would say that she has some kind of money agreement with her beloved husband that arrangement works well for one side only, and that’s not her side. She herself owes $24,000 of credit cards. She needs to…
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A priority date is a person’s “place in line” for a visa, meaning immigrant visas (or green cards) would be available for persons whose priority date…
TO many people, the New Year signifies a chance to have a fresh beginning. People dispose of old personal items and clean out the closet in order to make room for the new. This is also the time of the year many people realize when a marriage is not working out and it may be…
WITH credit card debt approaching $1 trillion according to the Federal Reserve, there is no doubt that thousands and thousands of families who can’t pay their credit card debts are struggling financially. The average family now carries a balance of a little more than $16,000. I see people all the time who owe 2-5 times…
A Filipino priest in Michigan has been suspended by the Archdiocese of Detroit from speaking at funerals after he upset the family of a teenager who killed himself by including in the homily, questions of whether those who die by suicide can be forgiven by God. Father Don LaCuesta of Our Lady of Mount Carmel…
