Happy Birthday Lola Amparo!

-

Flashback to November 1999 when Tess and I stayed in Malate, Manila with my mom's family

I'm not sure if this were before or after Tess and I got married in Bukidnon on November 16. But I know I asked Lola Amparo to walk me down the aisle at our church wedding in Vallejo, California that coming April.

Rest in peace, Auntie Baby.

Happy Hearts Day everyone.




Location: Malate, Manila, 1004 Metro Manila, Philippines

Comments

Post a Comment

Hi! Thank you for dropping by. Please leave us a comment. Sige na!

Popular posts from this blog

Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo

-
Image
Vallejo, California • March 2026. Mel Orpilla: Historian, Martial Artist, and Keeper of Vallejo's Filipino Memory. mel orpilla, vallejo filipino history, filipinos in vallejo, balintawak arnis, island warrior fighting sticks, manong generation, mare island naval shipyard, fil-am history, ifugao, ilocano heritage, pamana, filipino american history month. Vallejo, CA • Filipino American History Month 2026 Marks of the Ancestors: Mel Orpilla and the Filipino Story of Vallejo Historian, martial artist, and cultural keeper Mel Orpilla has spent decades ensuring that the Filipino presence in Vallejo—one of the oldest in Northern California—is documented, honored, and passed on. Mel Orpilla — historian, Balintawak Arnis master, and keeper of Vallejo's Filipino memory. 📍 Vallejo, California In the city of Vallejo, history lives in unexpected places. It lives in faded photographs tucked into family albums, in stor...
Read more

5 Years Later: Wrestling, Resilience, and a Fil-Am Journey

-
Image
Fremont, CA • January 31, 2026. Half a Decade of Growth: A Senior Year Reflection: Five years after the Mission San Jose Invitational, we reflect on the grit of the Fil-Am journey and building a future on Turtle Island. wrestling, benicia, high school, student-athlete, turtle island, fil-am, heritage, january 31 Fremont, CA • January 31, 2026 Half a Decade of Growth: A Senior Year Reflection Five years after the Mission San Jose Invitational: Building grit on the mat and a future on Turtle Island. Looking at this photo now, I don't just see a wrestling match; I see a pivotal moment in the journey from student-athlete to adulthood. In the Filipino-American experience, we often talk about "building"—building a life, building a legacy, and building a future on Turtle Island . "Wrestling is a metaphor for our collective experience. It’s about finding your footing, staying grounded, and facing ev...
Read more

San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know

-
Image
San Diego, California • April 2026. San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know. sdsu admissions 2026, ab samahan, filipino american college, san diego state university, california university admissions, fil-am students sdsu, socal, national city filipino community. EDUCATION • CALIFORNIA • APRIL 2026 San Diego State, A.B. Samahan, and Fall 2026: What Filipino-American Families Need to Know SDSU is not a backup. It is home to one of the oldest and largest Filipino-American student organizations in the country — and for many Fil-Am families, it is the right school for reasons the rankings will never capture. April 2018: Nica's senior year in high school. My kids Francesca, JianCarlo & Veronica pose in front of Hepner Hall with Diego, an SDSU student (and son of my next door neighbor in the Philippines). Every spring, Filipino-American families in Califor...
Read more

Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down

-
Image
Learn Filipino • April 2026. Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down. tadhana, tagalog, opm, up dharma down, armi millare, destiny, filipino values, learn tagalog, grammar, linkers, markers, fil-am. Learn Filipino • April 2026 Learn Tagalog: Exploring the Soul of Destiny with "Tadhana" by Up Dharma Down From indie breakout to pambansang anthem: how one OPM song became the gateway for Filipino Americans rediscovering their roots—and what the word tadhana reveals about our deepest values. Now with three grammar lessons for Fil-Am kids and adults who never had formal Pilipino classes. Tadhana — the Filipino concept of destiny — captured in one of OPM's most enduring songs. I was driving on I-80 through Vallejo with my bunso when I first really heard it—not as background noise, but as a full reckoning. She was playing DJ from her iPhone, tapping through Spotify, which I love for h...
Read more

Daku kaayo ang kalipay: Reunited in Valencia, Bukidnon (April 1, 2005)

-
Image
April 2, 2026 at 01:17PM by pinoybuilt ​The April 1, 2005 Archive: Valencia, Bukidnon ​On March 25, 2005, the distance finally ended. After being separated since December 2004, I reunited with Tess and our girls in the cooler, quieter highlands of Bukidnon. ​This is a 30-second raw window into that afternoon, captured on an Olympus C3000z in the Barangay of Poblacion. You can hear the unedited "hiss" of 2005 technology, but more importantly, you hear my late wife, Tess. In the last third of the video, her laughter cuts through the decades—a reminder of the joy that anchored our diaspora journey. (I'll have to find video of her speaking fluent Bisaya). ​At PinoyBuilt.com, we analyze the news of today through the lens of where we’ve been. Sometimes, the most important "data" isn't a statistic, but a voice from 21 years ago. ​#PinoyBuilt #Bukidnon #Bisaya #FilAm #Diaspora #Legacy #2005Archive via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQZR7qkJx20
Read more

The BSN Playbook (2026): The Definitive Guide to Elite Nursing Programs in America and California

-
Image
USA • March 2026. The BSN Playbook 2026: The Definitive Guide to Elite Nursing Programs in America and California. BSN nursing schools 2026, Filipino American nurses, direct entry BSN programs, California nursing admissions, best nursing schools USA, Samuel Merritt accelerated BSN, Dominican University nursing, fil-am healthcare careers. HEALTHCARE & EDUCATION • MARCH 2026 The BSN Playbook (2026): The Definitive Guide to Elite Nursing Programs in America and California From the nation's top nursing schools to California's brutal admissions battlefield — a complete, evergreen guide for ambitious students, Filipino-American families, and anyone serious about building a career in nursing. For decades, nursing was seen as a stable, respectable — but secondary — career path. Something practical rather than prestigious. A "backup plan" for students who didn't make it into medical school. That p...
Read more

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Kalea! | Vallejo Fil-Am Milestones | PinoyBuilt

-
Image
Happy Sweet Sixteen, Kalea! By J.F.R. Perseveranda | February 28, 2026 | Gear: Sony a7III + Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Kalea, Paul & Keona at the Perseveranda Birthday Party © J.F.R. Perseveranda Event Highlights 📍 Location: Vallejo, California 📅 Date: February 28, 2026 📷 Photography: @PinoyBuilt Update : Proud to share that this story was featured on NewsBreak ! Explore More View related event photos — February 28 Archives More with the Sony a7III — Sony Alpha Collection J.F.R. Perseveranda Founder of PinoyBuilt. A Filipino-American writer and photographer documenting heritage and grit in Northern California. The Story Behind the Lens → Mabuhay! Join the Conversation. PinoyBuilt is more than a blog—it’s a living a...
Read more