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The Filipinos of Fleet Week
By Elton Lugay Times Square was a sea of white this week as about 6,000 sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen flocked town for the annual Fleet Week tradition. The FilAm spoke to some of the Filipino servicemen. One of them was Eileen Dueno, a hospital corpsman in the Navy. “For me Fleet Week is celebrating […]
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Hello Kitty goes sexy; will her Baby Boomer cult follow?
By Elton Lugay There is a Filipina in D.C. whose home is almost a shrine to Hello Kitty. One room in her house is devoted entirely to her obsessive collection of stuffed dolls and pillows, a pink Kitty phone and a Kitty chair – all stamped with the face of the red-ribboned feline. Even her […]
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Military wife is this year’s Mrs. Kalayaan
By Elton Lugay The Palawan-born wife of a retired Marine officer was crowned Mrs. Kalayaan in a beauty pageant for married women organized by Pidci. Unlike most pageant contenders, Margie Wisotsky, 39, didn’t go bare in a swimsuit, didn’t dance and didn’t have to sweat bullets to answer a silly question. All she had to […]
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Vancouver student wins award for her fur-free Fendi
Johana Zara has been sketching cartoon characters at a young age, but did not imagine that such creative expression would earn her The Humane Society’s Cool vs. Cruel Fashion Design top prize. The competition challenges fashion students throughout the United States and Canada to reinterpret and replace animal fur on runway looks by famous designers. […]
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Facebook is boring
By Jean Charisse Arboleda I don’t like Facebook. Ok, ok, I can feel your collective gasps of disbelief and looks of disapproval as I say or write the unspeakable. My dilemma is being oblivious or simply not caring that I’m in a dilemma by not having an FB account. I just spent less than 10 […]
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A hoarder in the family, a collector of fraying memories
By Cristina DC Pastor I’ve been spending a bit of time with my elderly aunt who lives in the Upper West Side. Tita Emma is neighbors with the Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School of Music, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Opera. The Central Park is a hundred or so steps away. She is […]
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There’s no FilAm organization advocating for transgender women
By Elton Lugay Part 2 Prostitution brings in easy cash — anywhere from $150 to $300 an hour, according to the transgender women. There are many ways to reach a potential client but “Craigslist still tops them all,” said dancer Bonita Isla. As law enforcement continues to monitor personals sites like Craigslist, the women know […]
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Transgender Filipinos confront the stigma of prostitution
By Elton Lugay Part 1 At the recent Miss Asia NYC; pageant for transgender women, contestant Priscilla To Wong Fu was asked: Why is prostitution prevalent among Asian transgender women? Flustered, but not totally unprepared, she replied, “We are known to be amiable and hardworking people, thank you!” It was a cheeky reply which the […]
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Salut to Renee
By Elton Lugay Whoever said Renee Salud is as dated as AOL hasn’t seen the latest from the seasoned couture designer. At a March 9 “In Focus” fashion show-dinner dance, Salud’s collection showed intricate embroidery, brilliant color blends and new ways of wearing the traditional terno and barong Tagalog. “His creations are ageless,” Deputy Consul […]