Category: Writings and Musings
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Filipino Consciousness at Work
The Stimulant: August 28, 2003 marked the first day I started working at Northside Community Center in San Jose, California, with the staff, headed by Ben Menor, President & CEO of the Filipino American Community Development Council, Inc., giving me a warm welcome during their weekly meeting that morning. My entry was perfectly timed to…
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Going Beyond The Customer Service Complaint
Initial Caveat: The names of the city and the hotel are not important in this story. The Stimulant: In December of 2003, I made an unexpected trip to the Philippines. My beloved dad had passed away, finally at peace after four years of round-the-clock assisted living care under the careful supervision of my doctor-sister, Belen…
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Stepping Out of the Shadows
The Stimulant: On December 16 to 18, 2003, I was one of the Filipino Americans who went to the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila, Philippines to participate in the Second Global Filipino Networking Convention. During the closing session, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, the National Chair of NaFFAA (National Federation of Filipino American Associations), announced that the…
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My Virtual Office
I’ve been procrastinating about writing this essay. Here I am, preparing for the 3rd Global Filipino Networking Convention in my hometown, Cebu City, Philippines. The event’s dates feel like an imprinted brand on my forehead: January 20 to 22, 2005 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. Yes, I accepted the responsibility of being the USA…
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Henry Manayan: Tangible Proof of Vital Leadership
As one drives along the Calaveras Boulevard corridor in Milpitas, California, a sparkling, brand-new, architectural jewel looms into view — a 57,000 square-foot building that the city’s political decision makers call “home†and the residents proudly display as the hub of a community’s social, cultural, and economic power base. This is the Milpitas City Hall,…