Check out this essay by Grace Talusan here. It mentions the passing of Miss Philippines 1980 who was a finalist in the Miss Universe Pageant. I'd written about Miss Philippines in my solo show "Master of the (miss) Universe." What is a common theme in my show and the essay that Grace wrote was the need for familiar faces, especially on TV.
Um, I'm actually quite sad at hearing the news of the death of Miss Philippines Chat Silayan. She probably didn't know it, but she inspired Filipino kids in America like Grace and myself.
2 comments:
Aw! Thanks, Noel.
I love having a post named after me.
This photo you've dug up is fabulous. The women appear so wholesome and healthy.
It was too late to tell Miss Philippines how much that moment meant to me until it was too late. . .
What a wonderful, beautifully written essay! Thank you so much for sharing that.
I love the idea of the Filipino Magnet, and the definite patterns and inter-woven meanings we can see in our own lives.
I was born in California, but I lived in Japan for a while, during grade school years. It had been nineteen years for me, too, between leaving Japan as a child and returning as an adult.
I did not feel empowered as an Asian American until after my return trip. It makes me wish every Asian American had the opportunity to spend some time in the country of their heritage.
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