June Tsismis Tuesday Spotlight
Summer has officially arrived at Stanford, bringing longer days, graduation celebrations, and a strong sense of community. This June, our Tsismis Tuesday threads were packed with amazing stories, deep cultural reflections, and plenty of chika.
From mapping our roots on the Philippine flag to swapping summer reading lists and honoring our LGBTQ+ community, here is a look back at what our vibrant community shared this month.
📚 The FACS Summer Reading List
We kicked off the month by pulling up a chair to tackle our "to-be-read" piles. Our history started with a book. Did you know Jose Rizal was just 26 when he borrowed 300 pesos to print Noli Me Tangere, a banned novel that accidentally sparked the Philippine Revolution?
Our community dropped some incredible recommendations to build the ultimate summer reading list:
- The Classics: Diving straight into Rizal’s historical masterpiece, Noli Me Tangere itself!
- AAPI Multi-Generational Stories: Recommendations included Banyan Moon, a beautiful AAPI Heritage Month read focused on Vietnamese mother-daughter relationships; Wildflowers, a collection of short stories written by a former Stanford Faculty Affairs staff member; and Monstress, a collection of short stories by a former Stanford Stegner Fellow.
- Deeply Moving Memoirs: A highly recommended share was The Body Papers, a hauntingly powerful memoir covering identity, racism, and resilience as a Filipina in America.
- Pinay Activism: A shadow was given to Closer to Liberation, a groundbreaking anthology exploring Pin[a/x]yist theory and activism.
- History & Sci-Fi: Diving deep into the authoritative medieval history of The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge, alongside the classic sci-fi route with Frank Herbert’s Dune, exploring humanity's complicated relationship with "Abominable Intelligence."
- YA & Modern Fiction: Another highly recommended pick was the gripping YA novel The Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay, following a Fil-Am teen tracking down family secrets in the Philippines.
🇵🇭 Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan! (Happy Independence Day)
On June 12, we celebrated 127 years since the Philippine flag was first unfurled in 1898. We looked back at our roots and mapped out our ancestral connections to the 8 original rays of the flag's sun:
- Mapping Our Roots: Our community's heritage spans across the islands! Members traced their roots to La Union, Batangas, Bicol, Ilocos, Pampanga, Visayas, Mindoro, Pangasinan, Isabela, Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Siquijor, Zamboanga del Norte, and Iloilo.
- The Ultimate Kamayan/Boodle Fight Spread: When asked about non-negotiable dishes, the verdict was unanimous. Lechon is absolutely mandatory (paired with plenty of Mang Tomas sarsa)! Other community favorites included kare-kare, crispy lumpia, pancit palabok, pork sisig, grilled bangus, green mango with bagoong, and unlimited rice.
- Fun High School Memories: One member shared a nostalgic memory of taking 3 years of Filipino language classes in high school, where a major assignment involved standing up to sing Lupang Hinirang directly to the class next door!
🎓 Graduation Season: A Collective Family Victory
In Filipino culture, when one person crosses the stage, the entire extended family crosses with them. We celebrated the massive milestones of our loved ones:
- High School to College: Celebrating a nephew who just graduated high school and is heading to UCLA to major in Statistics and Data Science.
- Stanford Milestones: Cheering on a sister who completed her coterm Master’s degree in Earth Systems right here on the Farm, bringing family all the way from Iloilo to celebrate.
- Generational Dreams: Honoring a nephew who became his family's first grandchild to earn a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, a deeply meaningful milestone that fulfilled the uncompleted educational dream of a grandfather who immigrated to the U.S.
🏳️🌈 Maligayang Pride Month!
We closed out our discussions by honoring our LGBTQ+ community, highlighting that queerness has always been part of our heritage, from our gender-neutral pronoun "siya" to Manila hosting Asia’s very first Pride March in 1994.
- Reflections on Visibility: Members shared their love for annual features tracking queer Pinoy icons and connected over being fans of Drag Race Philippines.
- Unconditional Family Love: A beautiful perspective on true unconditional love was shared by a proud mom of a transgender daughter: "It’s not making gender identity or sexual orientation a thing; treat people with the same humanity equally." She also shared how her own traditional father surprised them by becoming one of her daughter's biggest allies, proving that showing up and trying matters most.
- Words of Encouragement: A simple, universal message of validation was offered for younger generations finding their voice: "Just love yourself and know that God loves you too."
🎨 Stanford Arts & Local Spotlights
- Campus Events: Keep an eye out for local Bay Area Pilipinx soundscapes and art! The Cantor Arts Center hosted amazing local showcases this month, including outdoor music by Kelady (BABAE) and the stunning photography/VR museum exhibition by Manila-born artist Miljohn Ruperto.
- Local Grocery Win: A sharp-eyed community member spotted our beloved Datu Puti vinegar and soy sauce proudly representing on the shelves of the massive new T&T Asian Supermarket in West San Jose!
💬 Join the Chika!
Missed out on these threads? Don't worry! You can always share your thoughts, book recommendations, or life updates anytime.
Connect, laugh, and share stories with the Filipino American community at Stanford! Join our Slack workspace for Tsismis Tuesday Talks—a weekly space for fun questions and cultural conversations. Whether you want to lurk, laugh, or share some friendly tea, we’d love to have you. 🇵🇭💬✨