Just a quick note to let you know that I have updated all my Australian Filipina articles to include the entire content, not just a link to the archive, because the archive links were incorrect. Also, just in case!
The editor of the Australian Filipina magazine asked if I would write an obituary for RJ Rosales. I only had his CV up to 2007, so you may notice that it’s light on the details after that. I hope I did him justice. You can find the original article here.
RJ Rosales, who has died aged 37, was one of the Australian Filipino communitys favourite sons. Best known for his stint as co-host of ABS-CBN Philippines variety show ASAP, he was a critically acclaimed actor and musical theatre performer, receiving a Helpmann Award nomination for his role in the 2007-08 Australian season of Miss Saigon. His smooth but strong balladeers voice, equally suited to popular music as show tunes, found fans across generations from all over the world. Continue reading
I’ve previously posted this article, but now it’s up at the Australian Filipina.
‘When are you having kids?’ Its a refrain that many Filipinas are familiar with. Before the ink dries on your marriage contract, family and friends are already anticipating the most rewarding and most difficult time in your life. But having children in Australia today is a different experience to what our mothers and grandmothers went through in the Philippines.
Read this article at the Australian Filipina.
(If you’re wondering, that’s not my picture. It’s been a while since I was preggers.)
This post was completed approximately two years after I was asked to write it. I was complimented on my use of the semi-colon. Thrills.
If theres one thing Australia has failed to wean out of me, its my inability to be on time. Filipinos call this Filipino time; Aussies call it being late.
I try my best. My clocks and watches are set at least fifteen minutes ahead. I put things in my calendar half an hour before they start. But nothing has worked. My husband has resorted to scheduling activities an hour ahead, just to ensure Ill be ready on time.
My chronic lateness is a running joke with my Aussie friends. What they dont seem to understand is that I regard the clock, with its authoritarian precision and merciless advance, as a mere guide to life rather than its master. Continue reading
The Australian Filipina went on hiatus in late 2007 and was resurrected as an online magazine. I wrote this piece in 2007 and it was finally published early this year.
When I was pregnant with my first child, many women were quick to reassure me that labour will be just like a very bad stomach cramp. ‘And don’t worry,’ they said, ‘you’ll forget the pain soon after.’ I believed them. Three children later, I know for a fact that they lied. If there’s anything I’ve learned about having children, it’s that it hurts. A lot. Continue reading
This article was part of a feature on blogging.
Forget hand-written letters, long-distance calls and e-mail. When it comes to keeping in touch with family and friends, you cant beat the convenience of blogging. A blog from the term Web log is basically an online journal. You write something new, which shows up at the top of a webpage so readers can easily find it. Depending on how youve set up your blog, people can respond to and comment on what youve written.
But what if youre someone who still struggles to program the video recorder? Dont worry setting up a blog is a piece of cake. Continue reading
This has been the most time-consuming article I’ve written thus far. I had to compile the list, research the bloggers’ bios, contact them for photos and verify all the links before the article went to print.
If youve spent any time at all on the Internet during the past few years, youve probably heard of the blogging phenomenon. Whether youre visiting an online news source or Lindsay Lohans website, theres a good chance youll stumble upon a blog or two along the way.
Blogs evolved from simple online journals on personal websites into political, social and marketing tools incorporating text, pictures, sound and video. Unlike traditional forms of media and journalism, blogs reflect peoples thoughts and opinions. Theyre also interactive, allowing readers to comment on whats been written and bloggers to respond and update their blog entries as needed. Technorati, arguably the most popular blog index on the Internet, estimates that a staggering 175,000 new blogs are created every day. With blogging platforms more accessible and easier to use than ever before, it seems that every woman and her cat has one—yes, even the cat. Continue reading
This is a revised version of Tales of the Travelling Tabo, which I adapted for the Australian Filipina, and it always gets people talking.
Source: Helga Weber
Theres one thing I never leave home without, and it’s not my American Express. On a recent trip to Melbourne, disaster struck. I stared at my open suitcase in horror. I looked at my husband. ‘Oh, my god!’ I panicked, ‘WHERE IS MY TABO?’ The prospect of cleaning my bum with nothing but a flimsy bit of paper leaves me insecure.
For many Filipino expats and travellers, the tabo is taboo—a secret tucked in the corner of the bathroom—but nevertheless essential. Worried about being caught out when youre away from home? Fear not. There are alternatives. Continue reading
See the photo? It was taken six years before the article was written—before we were married.
If theres anything worse that spending Valentines Day alone, its waking up the next day to the realisation that, well, you missed it. Welcome to marriage. Oh, it doesnt happen every year, but between paying off the mortgage, managing a household, and staying one step ahead of the kids, many couples find romance taking a backseat to everyday life. Continue reading
This filler was included in the Miss Saigon issue of the Australian Filipina, which coincided with the Sydney production of the musical. At the time, the magazine only profiled Filipinas, so I couldn’t do a feature on RJ.
RJ Rosales broke into the gruelling profession of musical theatre when he was cast in the 1996 Sydney production of Miss Saigon. Since then, this former bank employee from St Clair, NSW has carved a name for himself, performing the title role in Chang and Eng – The Musical to critical acclaim in Singapore, and appearing on ASAP as part of a two-year contract with ABS-CBN Philippines. RJ’s performance in the MMFF Best Movie for 2005, Blue Moon, earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. The physical demands of his profession and jet setting lifestyle haven’t held RJ back. No longer just a local heartthrob, RJ was one of Cleo’s 50 Most Eligible Bachelors and Female’s 50 Most Gorgeous People in Singapore — and its not difficult to see why! RJ comes full circle when he returns home to perform the role of ‘Thuy’ in the 2007 Australian production of Miss Saigon.
This piece was first published in the February/March 2007 issue of the Australian Filipina. The photo was provided by RJ Rosales.
Words by Kat 