Gusto mo bang matuto?

The above question means “Do you want to learn?”

Conversational Filipino classes will be held at Kapisanan beginning June 3rd.  You can sign up for either Tuesday sessions from 7p-9p (for all the 9-5ers) or Saturday sessions from 2p-4p.  We’re starting from the very basics.  Kaya huwag ka nang mahiya!

Session fees are $75 for 6 classes and $15/drop in.

University and High School Students with valid ID can register for 6 classes for as low as $60.00 or $12/drop in.

Kids under 14 are free!

All course materials will be provided by the instructors.  You will not be required to buy a course text.

Kitakits tayo dun ha?

E-mail info@kapisanancentre.com or find our facebook group “Kapisanan Philippine Centre” to sign up.

Salamat!

Leaving Lola - Part 1: Staying Up

Part 1 of 3

by Leonard

Reese said, “When you are there, you should blog about funerals in the Philippines” and I first thought, “Wow, that’s sort of a morbid subject”. Little did I know that funerals in the Philippines can be emotionally lush and symbolic celebrations, especially if the person lived a long life — like my Lola did.

Eden Bicomong Punzalan
1919-2008

When I heard the news, I was doing my share of door duty at People Power and in the blink of an eye I was packing my things - my Lola - the matriarch and our last link to her generation -had passed away. My whirlwind trip ended 40 hours later at my family’s ancestral house in Alaminos, Laguna Province — amidst a flurry of tears and painful embraces.

Charice Pempengco on Oprah - Good? Or a Good Imitation?

by Leonard

By now, you’ve already heard of the pint-sized powerhouse singer who guested on Oprah Winfrey. Charice Pempengco travelled all the way from the ‘Pines to perform on the world’s powerful woman’s TV show. She was already getting buzz in different countries and most recently on Ellen when she got the call from “Stedman’s boss” to come on the show.

Undoubtedly, she’s a powerful performer. She’s got the pipes of a Whitney or a Mariah for sure and at times sounds exactly like them. She’s got the diction, no trace of a Filipino accent and even the vocal acrobatics that call to mind church on Sunday — well, an African-American church on Sunday.

May is Asian Heritage Month

I bet most of us didn’t know or must have forgotten that this month, it’s all about celebrating our Asian-ness. If my speculation is spot on I wouldn’t even be surprised since the only way I found out was through a little poster stuck on a Toronto Sun vending box at the corner of Victoria Park and Sheppard where I get off to walk to work.

Today I came across a US-based blog Angry Asian Man and saw a video created by the Asia Society which asked stalwart figures in the Asian-American community: “What does being Asian-American mean to you?” Although they did not feature Filipino-Americans in their 5-minute short clip, Asia Society president Vishakha Desai challenges Asian-Americans of all nationalities (including Filipinos) to let the virtual world know their thoughts on their heritage.

For Asian-Canadians, specifically Filipino-Canadians, we want to turn that question back to you - What does being Asian-Canadian mean to you? We would love to hear your opinions in the “comments” section below.

People Power - Last 3 shows!

Buy your tickets now, because the last three shows are selling fast! Check out the last video by CBT videographer extrodinaire, Vincent Galvez. An up-close and personal look at the production crew behind “People Power”.

Musings of a Visitor

If you are to sum up the Philippines in one phrase, the best one would be “a place of contradictions”.

In Canada, we seem to wear our ‘Filipino-ness’ like a shirt. We have the luxury of taking it off and putting it on, depending on where we are or who we are with. That’s not an option here in the Philippines. For a Canadian-born Filipino like me, the stone-cold reality is that the Philippines is a place that I’ll never truly be a part of.

Arden Reviews “People Power”: A 4-Year-Old’s Viewpoint

KPC Child-in-residence, Arden, redefines “cute”.  I guarantee you’ll watch this at least 5 times.

Welcome spring at High Park this Sunday

If you’re truly Filipino, like 99.9% of us, you look forward to warmer weather. Back in the Philippines, people never make a big deal out of weather unless there’s a bagyo (typhoon) as it is perpetually summer all year round. People in Manila start wearing their jackets at 24C! But living in Canada the simplest signs that winter is officially over makes people dance and bring the barbeque out: birds chirping, squirrels running about and of course, flowers blooming!

This Sunday May 4, the Toronto-based Pinoygraphers are having a picnic-slash-informal shoot at High Park to take advantage of the once-a-year appearance of the Park’s cherry blossoms. We encourage our fellow Pinoy photoenthusiasts and friends to join us for an afternoon of pretty flowers and photo fun. We also need models so who knows? You might just get your own glamour headshot for Facebook! We are meeting 3:00 pm at the Grenadier Restaurant in the middle of the park.

Laban: An Arden Series

Arden is our unofficial KPC child-in-residence, so it’s a natural fit that

Get to Know the “People Power” Cast!

Check out this video promoting the Carlos Bulosan Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of “People Power”.

Go catch People Power at Theatre Passe Muraille from now until May 11th!