There are a number of vintage photographs, mostly of people. There’s even one of a pair of conjoined twins from the 1940s (I don’t know for what purpose that would be sold/bought). There aren’t any bids for photos, though, as far as I can make out.

Another group of  items frequently put up for sale are stamps. Some of these are over-priced, in my opinion, seeing that they’re not too rare. But they might be valuable to some stamp collectors.

Old paper money and a few coins seem to be selling well. The more popular coins are those from the Spanish era. But as of today, the highest bid for a coin is for a 1999 P5000 Gold Central Bank Anniversary coin (“one of the first 400 strikes, flawless”, and apparently includes a certificate of authenticity). That one has a bid of $499.99. The next highest price ($227.50), after 8 bids,  is for a 4-peso 1868 gold coin.

Cellphone loads, biological specimens (don’t know if these are legal), and various other knickknacks also make their way to eBay, with varying levels of interest from buyers.

So if you have a possible treasure that you’ve inherited from your great-grandfather, you might want to do a little investigating on eBay on your own. Who knows, you might have yourself a little bit of history that is worth quite a bit on the auction block.

– Feature Length (runtime of more than 61 minutes)
– Shorts (runtime of under 60 minutes)
– Documentary (feature-length and short); Music Video

Eligibility requirements: “In order to qualify as an Official Selection at the 2009 Chicago Filipino American Film Festival, all entries must have a theme related to Filipino or Filipino American culture, or must have been created, acted, written, directed, or produced by Filipino or Filipino American artists or performers.”

There is no submission fee for the festival, which will be held at the Portage Theater, Chicago on November 6-8, 2009.

You can download the entry form here and send it to:

CFAFF
516 N. Ogden #151
Chicago, IL 60622

via DIYFilm Club

Here’s a heads-up for Kobe Bryant fans! Better cancel any plans you may have for this Saturday, July 18, 2009, unless it’s to try and grab a ticket for Bryant’s visit on Tuesday, July 21.

The NBA most valuable player for the 2007-2008 season will make Manila the first stop of his 2009 Asia Tour, which is sponsored by Nike. The tour will also cover Singapore, Taipei, Hongkong, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Kobe Bryant will only be in Manila for one day. Here are the details:

July 21, 2009
Kobe Bryant Manila Tour

Nike Park, The Fort
(to be broadcast live over W.N.I.K.E. Radio on 89.9 DWTM)

2:00 p.m. – Bryant meets young basketball players from select Gawad Kalinga communities

The ULTRA

3:00 p.m. – gates open to the public

4:00 p.m. – show and basketball camp with the Nike Elite Campers

A highlight of the tour will be the unveiling of Nike’s new Dream Season shoe, which is specifically designed for playing basketball outdoors (think Filipino-style basketball on concrete, asphalt and dirt road).

Now, here’s where you have to pay attention. Tickets for the show and basketball camp at the ULTRA are limited (only 3,000 tickets). They are free of charge but will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. The official start of the ticket distribution is at 12 noon on Saturday, July 18 at the Nike Park, The Fort. Be there early for the best chance to snag one of these tickets!

via A Bugged Life

Those summer weeks were the times when we forged friendships with our cousins, relationships which thrive until now. Relationships which I hope my kids will have when they grow up. If the past week or so is any indication, I am assured that they are well on their way.

We had just returned from a wonderful week with my sister and her family in Maryland. Grace and I wanted to start a tradition much like what we enjoyed as kids. Our time together was pretty much unstructured, with bonding as the only agenda. The kids hit it off and were playing (and bickering!) like old friends in no time at all. We did go to one touristy site, just to be able to say that we did see a bit of Maryland during our visit. But the best times were when we were simply together as a family.

It was a good visit, tiring but also very refreshing to the soul and spirit.

I hope you get to spend quality time with your family, no matter where they may be.

image from personal collection, M. Macalincag © 2009

I stumbled upon a new-to-me blog that I am starting to absolutely love. Fil Am I Am is a fresh, and occasionally funny, spin on Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham. I was drawn to the blog by its tagline: “I do so like balut and Spam! Fil Am I am”.

From moseying around on the site, I gathered that the author’s name is Angel. From the section “Balut and Spam” is this information about the blog:

I’ve always been struck by the similarity between balut and spam and green eggs and ham. Even more so is the similar responses that they seem the elicit from people – mostly, digust. For me, the attitudes of the protagonist of Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham represent a mainstream disdain for anything foreign and new, especially when it comes to food.

So you could say that Sam-I-am is kind of a hero for me. Instead of being discouraged by the protagonist’s close-minded bias, he asserts that trying new things in different contexts (over there, in a car, or in a train) might actually teach you something about yourself. He’s somewhat of an activist really (or maybe an excellent salesman) – an advocate for new ideas through food.

Food topics regularly make an appearance on Fil Am I am. But there are also the occasional anecdotes about work, family and life in general.

image: Fil Am I am

Though chemotherapy has been part of Cory’s treatment since her diagnosis, her spokeswoman Deedee Sytangco has said that the icon of democracy has stopped receiving medical intervention for her cancer and is "fighting the hardest battle of her life".

Cory rose to prominence and the Philippine presidency in 1986 after her husband, opposition leader and former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was murdered on the  tarmac of the then-named Manila International Airport (MIA). The airport was renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in his honor. Cory, who was always dressed in yellow at the time, ignited the original People Power revolution that brought down the Marcos dictatorship.

The special places that Ninoy and his widow Cory hold in the hearts of the Filipino people are very evident in the public response to Cory’s illness. Prayer vigils and other expressions of support have been taking place all over the Philippines. In the city of Makati, for instance, several churches and villages have announced schedules for such prayer ceremonies.

Television personality Kris Aquino, Cory’s youngest daughter, has said that though her mother will remain in the hospital indefinitely, the former president is comfortable and not in pain. The latest report says that Cory is improving and trying hard to eat.

Filipina Soul has nothing but the best wishes for Mrs. Aquino’s recovery. Cory has brought such hope to the Philippines as the lady in yellow. May God be her source of hope in this difficult time.

image: sxc.hu

We got the sidewalk chalk out, and I remembered drawing in similar ways on concrete surfaces to play piko those many years ago. Piko is hopscotch in English. It’s a familiar game to many little girls. The rules are basically the same, though I’ve seen many variations throughout the years. There’s even a flower-shaped piko that my classmates and I used to play.

Of course, once the discussion on childhood games started, it went on to patintero, tumbang preso, luksong-tinik, etc. I plan to start teaching these games to my kids. These are great neighborhood games that continue to keep many Filipino kids fit and tan and smelling like sun-browned earth (amoy araw, in other words). Ah, the happy memories of hours spent outside running in thin-soled flip-flops.

Did you have fun with these games when you were a kid? Which is your favorite? Mine are patintero and moro-moro.

According to this article in the Inquirer, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has a target of one million OAV’s. So far, only about 118,000 have registered.

The main requirement for OAV registration is Filipino citizenship (including dual citizenship). Filipinos who became naturalized U.S. citizens before 1991 may vote after they apply for (and obtain) dual citizenship and a Philippine passport.

For more information, visit the Comelec website.

Are you registered to vote in 2010?

1. Tangan-tangan sa umaga, Galaw ng bansa ay nakikita. (It’s carried around in the morning; the movement of the country can be seen.)

2. Paruparo nang bata, naging ahas nang tumanda. (It’s a butterfly when young, a snake when it’s older.)

3. Nagbahay si Meling, walang haliging itinanim, sinulid lang ang dingding. (Meling built a house; no columns were planted; thread is the only wall).

4. Sinusuotang pitong lungga ng pito-pito ring daga. (Seven little caves entered by seven mice each).

5. Kapag nag-iisa ay tamad, kapag marami ay masipag. (Alone, it is lazy; when in a group, it is hard-working.)

Answers below!

1. Pahayagan (newspaper)

2. Sitaw (long bean)

3. Gagamba (spider)

4. Sungkaan (a type of wooden board used for a Filipino game called ‘sungka’)

5. Walis (a broom made of thin coconut sticks/midribs bound together)

***

Did you guess all of the riddles? For more, visit our compilation of Bugtong/Filipino riddles.

Yes, it’s Fame!

Anna Marie joins Kherington Payne, Paul McGill, Asher Book and Kelsey Grammer in an completely updated made-for-our-times version which comes to theaters on September 25, 2009. Watch the trailer below:

“FAME! I’m gonna live forever… I’m gonna learn how to fly! High!”

:) Can’t wait.