Philippines — Sarahlynn Pablo, Writer

Firefly Watching on Palawan's Iwahig River, Philippines

Everything about this place -- the calm and quiet, the water, the moonlight, the fireflies -- tipped my mind over, poured out my cares and spilled away the needless worries, and emptied me so completely that good things could find their way inside my heart again.

Asia, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloAugust 25, 2013Bioluminescence, firefly, firefly watching, insect, Iwahig, mangrove, Palawan, Philippines, Puerto Princesa, river, travel

A Pasalubong of Sorsogon's Pili Nut Panutsa (Panocha) or Conserva

These gifts - they're called 'pasalubong,' loosely translated to 'souvenir': Something delicious to share from faraway with your welcoming hosts or with friends and family back home.

Asia, Food and Booze, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloJuly 22, 2013Bicol, conserva, food, molasses, panocha, pasalubong, Philippines, pili leaf, pili nut, pili panutsa, souvenir

Fourth of July: An Immigrant Celebration of Home

Complete this sentence: "Give me your tired, your poor,..."

Asia, Chicago, Places to Explore, USASarahlynn PabloJuly 4, 2013Chinese Exclusion Act, Ellis Island, Emma Lazarus, Filipino American Friendship Day, Fourth of July, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Independence Day, July 4, New Colossus, Philippine Republic Day, Philippines, Statue of Liberty, Third Culture Kid, United States

Halo-halo, mix-mix and dreaming of summer

It's damn near the kitchen sink of delicious things you can find in the PI.

Asia, Food and Booze, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloApril 21, 2013Anthony Bourdain, Chow King, CNN, cuisine, dessert, Filipino food, food, halo-halo, Jollibee, Philippines, Razon's, Shaved ice

Balut, a new kind of Easter egg

Can I ask some fun-loving Filipino or Filipino American parents, in the spirit of tomorrow's April Fools' Day, to please hide a lavender- or pink-dyed balut in their Easter egg hunts today?

Asia, Food and Booze, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloMarch 31, 2013balut, duck embryo, Easter, Filipino food, food, Philippines, Street food

I have no idea what's in season.

But this is Chicago in the middle of winter. There's fucking nothing in season. Without modern highways, air freight, railroads, canning and other industrialized food processing techniques, refridgeration and chemical preservatives, no one could live here between September and May. I paid a little visit today to the Fulton Market, Chicago's meatpacking district of old - from Upton Sinclair days - till now.

Chicago, Food and BoozeSarahlynn PabloMarch 6, 2013chicago, cook, Filipino food, Philippines, reverse culture shock, travel, Upton Sinclair

Onward Ticket Required: You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

Asia, Places to Explore, Practical TravelSarahlynn PabloJanuary 10, 2013balikbayan, Manila, onward ticket, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Tourism, tourist visas, travel, US citizen, visa, visit

Happy New Year! 2013 Philippines edition. Or, why I will always try to take pictures of fireworks even though it never turns out as awesome.

I feel like a kid again, and isn't that the right way to feel on New Years?

Asia, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloDecember 31, 2012Filipino, Fireworks, New Year, New Year's Day, New Years Eve, Philippines

What's on your Christmas tree, Philippines?

Asia, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloDecember 24, 2012Baby Jesus, Christmas, Christmas tree, Lechon, Pasko, Philippines

How to Cook Ginataan Bilo-bilo, a Filipino sweet soup snack

In the spirit of the cold, Christmas-y season, I'd like to share one of my favorite Filipino late-evening snacks: ginataan bilo-bilo, or coconut milk and rice flour balls - a sweet, hot dessert-y soup perfect for when the mercury dips low.

Asia, Food and Booze, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloDecember 2, 2012bilo bilo, coconut, Coconut milk, Filipino, food, ginataan, how to cook ginataan, how to make ginataan, Philippines

Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. Who do you remember and how do you keep their spirits alive?

Asia, Europe, Places to ExploreSarahlynn PabloOctober 31, 2012All Souls Day, Cemeteries, Cemetery, Day of the Dead, Death, Doors, Halloween, Jim Morrison, Manila, Paris, Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Philippines

Still haven't requested that absentee ballot? You can still vote.

Two weeks and one day to the US Election Day, November 6. Monday night in the U.S. of A. is the third and final Presidential debate between President Barack Obama and opponent former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney... But have you requested your absentee ballot?