PinoyBuilt — Stories of Filipino America

Marikina • June 2013. Maligayang Bati, Karl! A Vikings Buffet Flashback From Marikina, 2013. karl perseveranda birthday, vikings luxury buffet marikina, sm city marikina, perseveranda family archive, balikbayan titas, marikenyo, filipino american family, kapamilya. MARIKINA • JUNE 2013 Maligayang Bati, Karl! A Vikings Buffet Flashback From Marikina, 2013 Karl turns 29 today. Before the happy birthday, a flashback to the one afternoon the balikbayan side and the Marikenyo side of this family shared the same table — and the same all-you-can-eat spread. Vikings Luxury Buffet, SM City Marikina — June 28, 2013. The balikbayan titas and the Marikenyo Perseverandas, together for a treat. Today, Angelo turns 29 — Karl Perseveranda to the rest of the world, but he's been Angelo to this family since before he could walk. He's my first cousin Michelle's eldest, and as far as the Perseveranda family tree goes, h...

Pasadena, CA • January 2004. Kapamilya in Pasadena Before the Long Drive Home. family archive, fil-am, filipino, pasadena, california, vallejo, kapamilya, perseveranda, cervantes, tess, road trip, throwback, pinoybuilt. Family Archive • January 2004 Kapamilya in Pasadena Before the Long Drive Home One last family photo at the titas' house in Pasadena before the Perseverandas pile into the van for the long drive back to Vallejo. Pasadena, CA — January 4, 2004. At the titas' house before the drive back to Vallejo. Pasadena, California. January 4, 2004. Tess, Nica, Jian, and I had spent the Christmas holidays in Arizona. We dropped off my mother-in-law and Tess's niece Reah at Tess's ate's house in Glendale, AZ — they'd be flying back to the Philippines from there. Then we drove to the titas' house here in Pasadena for a few nights. My cousin Kristine Cervantes, her daughter, and her sister Rosanne had been o...

Maligayang Pasko Kapamilya at Kababayan! 🎄 2025 December 25: Vallejo, California. Family photo. I took 679 photos at our family Christmas party with lots of burst photos from our parlor games. It's going to take me time to cull and edit. Thank you for your patience.  If I post to @Pinoybuilt on Instagram , the photo will post to the facebook.com/pinoybuilt . You can download the photo from there. Otherwise, I will post the other photos here on pinoybuilt.com. (That's the purpose of this blog. Plus I'm backlogged for 2025 as well as previous years). 😉 Thank you Melvin & Melissa for hosting the party. Thank you everyone for the delicious food, as well as the games and entertainment. Maraming salamat, kapamilya! 💛 Explore Filipino American heritage, culture, and stories! Join our Fil-Am community to connect, comment, celebrate, and share experiences. Mabuhay! 📌 Follow PinoyBuilt Instagram 👍 Like PinoyBuilt Facebook ✍️ Follow P...

Some are goofier than others! So thankful for my family. 2025 November 27: Benicia, California. Missing some peeps. Maraming salamat Joy & Vince for hosting. Thank you Tita Nene and everyone for the food. Thanks Glenn & Chanylle for more Bingo fun. We hope to see you at our Christmas gathering. Thanks Bino! To those "missing in action" you were all in our thoughts. Perseveranda & Putong families 💛 Explore Filipino American heritage, culture, and stories! Join our Fil-Am community to connect, comment, celebrate, and share experiences. Mabuhay! 📌 Follow PinoyBuilt Instagram 👍 Like PinoyBuilt Facebook ✍️ Follow PinoyBuilt Blog 📺 Follow PinoyBuilt YouTube 🎓 Interested in helping us create content? Apply as a college intern and join our team! #PinoyPride #PinoyCommunity #FilAm #FilipinoAmerican #PilipinoAmerican #kaibigan

Family Time on Turkey Day 2025 November 27: California. Photo from the second group of shots with my two Godox flashes. Does it look it was shot outdoors, or in a photo studio? Thank you everyone! Perseveranda & Putong families 💛 Explore Filipino American heritage, culture, and stories! Join our Fil-Am community to connect, comment, celebrate, and share experiences. Mabuhay! 📌 Follow PinoyBuilt Instagram 👍 Like PinoyBuilt Facebook ✍️ Follow PinoyBuilt Blog 📺 Follow PinoyBuilt YouTube 🎓 Interested in helping us create content? Apply as a college intern and join our team! #PinoyPride #PinoyCommunity #FilAm #FilipinoAmerican #PilipinoAmerican #kaibigan

🇦🇺 Australia Flashback The 3 Sisters with the Newlyweds, Missy & Ren April 3, 2013 — Edithvale, Melbourne, Australia. Celebrating the bagong kasal (newlyweds). Diana, Renee, Missy, Luz & Grace. Throwback to our unforgettable trip Down Under 🇦🇺✨ . My wife Tess, my titas, my cousin, and I traveled to Australia to attend my cousin’s wedding—a beautiful celebration of love, culture, and family. 🛡️ Family is Forever For Filipinos, family is the heart of everything we do. Whether we are in the Philippines, the U.S., or Australia, our bonds remain unbreakable. No distance can sever the roots that tie us together. Special Access for the Titas: DIANA GRACE LUZ Click your name above to see more photos! Labels: australia, family, wedding, titas, jf, perseveranda

It really is very safe to walk at night in Dubai! But it really is very hottt!!! August 25. Al Muraqqabat Diera

Deira, Dubai • August 2021. We Met Tintin's Friend Grace for Dinner at Chibugan in Dubai. chibugan dubai, filipino restaurant deira, ofw dubai, filipino food uae, pinoy restaurant dubai, fil-am travel dubai. DUBAI • AUGUST 2021 Chibugan na! Dinner with Tintin and Grace at a Filipino Restaurant in Deira, Dubai A plate of home thousands of miles away — J.F. joins friends for a late-night Filipino feast inside the vibrant OFW community of Al Muraqqabat, Deira. August 25, 2021. Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was a Wednesday night in Al Muraqqabat — one of those pockets of Dubai that feels unmistakably, undeniably Filipino. The signs are in Tagalog. The aromas spilling out of the restaurants are adobo and sinigang. And the laughter coming from inside Chibugan? Pure Pinoy. My friend Tintin had arranged for us to meet her friend Grace for dinner, and Chibugan was the obvious choice. It's exactly the kind o...

Flashback: Tita Lila's Birthday in Las Vegas Family is forever.  August 11, 2001. Tess, Baby Nica and I met the titas in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the second year Tess & Tita Lila had an August celebration together in Vegas. The first one was 1999.  My dad drove Nica & her parents to Oakland Airport. Nica's First Time in Las Vegas We stayed in Monte Carlo Hotel (?) The titas were the first ones to find out that Baby Jian was on his way I think one of them made a comment that Tess looked a little heavy (they might've been wondering already).  I'll post our photos from 8/12 and 8/13 in the next couple days. Please come back. 💬 Your Turn! Do you have a favorite family flashback? Share it with us in the comments! Better yet — if you’d like to guest blog your own memories here on Pinoybuilt.com , send us your story and a photo. Let’s keep our history alive together! 📧 Submit your fl...