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In the Philippines, I learned to blend in with the crowd because no one wants to be that “walang hiya” who stands out and becomes the subject of everyone’s tsismis (gossip). And since the adults around me didn’t (or couldn’t) talk about what was really on their mind, despite the hardships I could see they experienced - that culture of never losing face runs deep - I got to believing that what I felt and what was on my mind didn’t really matter, either.
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To continue sharing Pasko (Christmas) joy to our community, we are sharing our complete tutorial on how to create a Paper Parol. A Parol is a star-shaped traditional Filipino Christmas decoration, traditionally built with bamboo sticks and tissue paper. This Paper Parol tutorial is made easier, requiring only the following materials:
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My kakanin cravings become extra real as the holidays approach, and while I don't put up Christmas decorations in September (anymore), admittedly I start thinking about different kinds of kakanin I want to eat: the classic baked bibingka, steamed puto bumbong, colourful sapin-sapin, homey palitaw. I can hear the shuffle of people leaving the church after midnight mass, and smell the scent of burnt coconut husks and strong salabat (ginger tea) wafting in the air.
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