Check out page xi of The Onion Book of Known Knowledge, which features a Tagalog translation by yours truly. xoxo

My people are so innovative.

theparisreview:

“As a book caretaker, you become a full man.”

A retired bibliophile in Manila has turned his home into a public library.

(via nyupsa)

The many layers of the Filipino treat halo halo by artist Michael DeForge in Saveur

Monstress by Lysley Tenorio

“In the title story [of Monstress], a Filipino actress and her director boyfriend follow an American DIY film buff to California in search of fame: She’s romanced by the glamour of Hollywood’s leading ladies, but he wants her to play lovingly crafted freaks, such as “Squid Mother” and “Bat-winged Pygmy Queen.” The questions that surface here—about intersections between apartness, belonging, monstrosity, and beauty—reverberate in different forms throughout the book.” (via Slate)

Filipino fruit salad (via Saveur)

(via BuzzFeed)

In your face, India and China!

theatlantic:

Humanity Greets the Symbolic 7th Billion Person 

Last night, humanity greeted—by some calculations—its 7 billionth inhabitant, and one of the babies that the United Nations chose to represent the milestone was in Manila, Philippines. Read more.

villagevoice:

Unusual Brunch Options, like garlic rice and sunny-side-up eggs from Maharlika

Jose Antonio Vargas’s American dream

This week’s New York Times Magazine features a fascinating essay by award-winning reporter and fellow Filipino Jose Antonio Vargas on being an undocumented immigrant:

It was an odd sort of dance: I was trying to stand out in a highly competitive newsroom, yet I was terrified that if I stood out too much, I’d invite unwanted scrutiny. I tried to compartmentalize my fears, distract myself by reporting on the lives of other people, but there was no escaping the central conflict in my life. Maintaining a deception for so long distorts your sense of self. You start wondering who you’ve become, and why.