SENTRO OF ATTENTION

Our Consulate officially just got its own Sentro Rizal set up and branding, which will help us better promote and be a center for cultural activities, research and other Pinoy cool stuff. It's a pretty big deal - not all Foreign Service Posts have a Sentro yet - and deserved a proper launch with all the ceremonies and pageantry. Which it got! So we witnessed the Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement...  

pictured: some damn good witnessing

...a Ribbon-Cutting to open the revamped Sentro venue

(nee the Consulate's old, reportedly haunted library)

...a Consular Corps Reception where some sweet Filipino dishes were chased down by some smooth calamansi and mango liqueurs...     

followed by some sweet, smooth emcee stylings

...and the staging of a special PETA "Lecture-Performance" on Philippine History which, just to be kapitan obvious here, was the creative interweaving of straight-up lectures...

real talk

...with some, shall we say, more interpretative performance lessons (like a firing squad transitioning into Ariana's "Bang Bang" kind of interpretative)... 

the carabao meme was a nice touch

...but if they were being really honest they should have called the thing a "Lecture-Performance-SURPRISE Audience Participation" because oh god they're now quizzing us on history and facts like we're at school and I'm not ready and I didn't know our island count was over 7,600 already and i'm not finished with my paper and please don't call on me please don't call on me... 

they called on me

So, kids! Learn your lesson here! Keep on reading and learning and studying up on your country and avoid the recitation stress! 

 and head to your Consulate's new Sentro 
 

AWWWW...YOU GUIDES

Travel Guides is a popular Australian road-trip reality series that follows the hijinks of a bunch of Aussies as they travel around the world. This season, after extensive collaboration with our DOT office in Sydney and some advance consular work by the Consulate, the show swung by the Philippines and shot a whole episode in Bohol and Palawan.  Fun and hilarity ensued.

Heaps more fun in the Philippines, mates!

FALL/FIL FASHION

Late summer / early autumn in Sydney appears to be the season for showcasing diverse fashionalism, with a flurry of events in the city bringing out legions of artistes, rails of haute couture, and one LLDD-Hyphen-L 

Get the FOMA again

Last year's first ever Fashions Of Multicultural Australia saw a Philippine designer win big. This year's FOMA saw everything go HUGE.  Gigantic venue, more participants, and pieces specifically set up to break the 'Gram  

if only i had an account

Stiletto Slay

From the mind of NB, dancer/director/choreographer of Paskombalong's avant garde Opening Ceremonies, came a spectacular Stilletto Exhibit like no other. To say the shoes were cutting edge would be so on the nose they'd cut it right off   

even Single White Female had nothing these fierce

From 'Taso to Terno

This was so cool.  Ahead of International Women's Day, the Consulate had a gathering where ladies were invited to bring an old garment that held special meaning to them, share the story behind their piece, then help make the retaso part of a terno to be modeled at an upcoming gala.  The event turned out as stylish as it was substantial, mod as it was memorable.   

"How to Make a Philippine Quilt" reboot, if you will.       

Ten-Ten-TENNNNNNNNNN!!!!

A Decade this Day! This wasn't a challenge at all -- I've loved every minute of it! Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

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(meanwhile over on the LLDD-Hyphen-L's FB page)

the comments section consensus was that the marriage was strong and secure as evidenced by the LLDD-Hyphen- L's willingness to put up with me trying to rock the tight red jeans