Introducing Maria Rosana Cruz-Lee

Maria Rosana Cruz-Lee @ Michael Rubens Bloomberg

Maria Rosana Cruz of Katamisan recently wed Roger Lee, an electrician with City contracts.

Maria Rosana Cruz-Lee: I’m also the crazy bride who made her own wedding cake. I told you – I love this! I’m thankful this moment was captured - Thanks Sunny Kam Photography!

The FilAm: The Cruzes were the typical Filipino family who loves to eat, and cooking was an integral part of that ritual. Her father, who worked for top hotels, specialized in French-style cooking noted for its freshest flavors and artful presentations. Her mother, on the other hand, was always ready with home-cooked Philippine dishes like ‘tortang talong.’ 

“I grew up with French everything. My dad was into showing me and my brothers how to act in a restaurant, how to order, and we’d always come home to a wonderful spread of food (courtesy of mom),” she said. “It was the best of both worlds.” 

Her father’s culinary skills paved the way for an “intensive” cake design course at the French Culinary Institute (now known as International Culinary Center). There, Maria learned how to craft pretty flowers. Thus was born Katamisan Cakes, a home-based enterprise for now which she hopes to grow into a cake studio known for French-style patisserie in the flavors of the tropics. Mango-filled white cake is just one of her creations. Tamarind-flavored ‘dacquoise’? That can be arranged. (‘Katamisan’ is Tagalog word for ‘sweetness.’)

"Devarim - Song and Prayer of Redemption"

"And the Lord said to me, Do not distress the Moabites, and do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land [as] an inheritance, because I have given Ar to the children of Lot [as] an inheritance. And when you approach opposite the children of Ammon, neither distress them, nor provoke them, for I will not give you of the land of the children of Ammon as an inheritance, because I have given it to the children of Lot as an inheritance." ~ Devarim 2:9,19

"Regarding the children of Ammon, however, it says (verse 19), 'Do not provoke them'-with any kind of provocation, as a reward for the modesty shown by their ancestress [Lot’s younger daughter], who did not publicize her father’s conduct" ~ Rashi

"In this week's Parsha Podcast, we study together the secret of the joy of Moshiach (Messiah) that is all about the revelation of God in the world, and how it is awakened through the female aspect, as is represented by King David, the great grandfather of Moshiach. We also explore the aspect of song and prayer as that which transforms the anguish and sadness inherent in the female aspect, which is separation, into the joy of Moshiach." ~ Ari Goldwag

"When the Redemption comes out, so to speak, it's going to be through a taste of the joy of true recognition of Godliness in the world. Because of this open revelation of God, there is going to be a tremendous amount of joy in the future Messianic Age. 'Let the heavens rejoice; let the earth sing glad songs.' Through this will come the main redemption. The hills and the valleys will burst out in song. The concept of joy is the world of freedom."  ~ Ari Goldwag

"There were two wonderful people that would come out of the land of Moav and the land of Ammon: one was Ruth the Moabite Princess; one of them was Na'amah the Ammonite Princess. These two people, Ruth and Na'amah, were the two people that would be the progenitors of King David and his children (David's son Shlomo married Na'amah) from whom Moshiach is going to come. The aspect, therefore, of the Messiah is going to come from them." ~ Ari Goldwag

"Where does Moshiach come from? Moshiach comes from a strange place: he comes from Moav; he comes from Ammon. The idea is that he comes from a place of darkness. The Messiah comes from a place which is not the most likely place: from Lot and his daughters. They had a relationship because they thought the world had been destroyed and that produced these children: Moav and Ammon. These two nations came from them. From Moav comes Rus. From Rus comes David. From David comes Moshiach; from King David comes the Messiah. And the idea is: from that darkness comes this incredible light." ~ Ari Goldwag

"The soul of Moshiach of the Messiah is drawn down to the world specifically through an awakening from the side of the female. In the concept of the Moshiach: where does the awakening come from? Where does the desire for the relationship come from? It comes from the aspect of the female. As we find in the Torah in regards to the daughters of Lot, when it came to those daughters, as we mentioned, so they were the ones who are the great, great, grandmothers of David ha'Melekh, from Rus, from Moav, and Moshiach, who is from Na'amah, from Ammon. And our sages tell us (this is the very important focal point): the daughters were the ones who saw that they believed that the world had been destroyed; therefore, it came from the side of the female; it came from their awakening; their desire to do what they perceived as the correct thing. And also regards to Y'hudah and Tamar: those two came together and had a child, twins, and who was the one who awakened it? It was Tamar. It came from the side of the female. She was the one who created the potential for Moshiach; Ruth, the Moabite Princess, married David ha'Melekh's great-great grandfather Boaz, so that came through her. What's the idea of the awakening coming from the female side? That concept is a transformation of anguish and groaning in joy. This is the main aspect of the Messiah. God is going to transform the mourning into rejoicing. And so, the idea of the female, the concept of the female (we're speaking of the female concept of anguish, of groaning, of separation, of lack of a relationship): when the female aspect, on its own, says, 'I want to have a relationship,' so that's the transformation of anguish and groaning into rejoicing; and transformation of exile into redemption. And so, the soul of David, of King David, and, therefore Moshiach, as well, the Messiah, as well comes from the female side of receiving. And all of the drawing down of this soul into the world is through that awakening; the female awakening: this is the power of King David is the aspect of the Messiah. He has the power through his inspired written prayers and through his singing and through his songs to transform everything into joy: he brings God into his life and into the world. This is the perfection and the magnification of joy. That's the main rectification in the time of the Messiah: the redemption is going to happen through this aspect of joy. King David merited to be included in life. 'Make known to me the ways of life.' He's asking for life. 'Fill me up with the joy of being in Your presence.' We refer to David as the King of Israel: he who lives forever... and the idea is that he transforms death into life. The Job of Moshiach is to revive the dead; to bring those who are dead back to life, not just physically, but even spiritually: those who seem the farthest from G-d. Moshiach will come and bring 'em all back into a relationship with G-d. And that's the ultimate simcha." ~ Ari Goldwag

"The clash"

Chopin Chopstixxx

"passionate @ energetic || shy e dreamy"

"The clash between the passionate and energetic on one hand and the shy and dreamy on the other/Please like (if you like), comment (if you wish), and subscribe (if you haven't already)./ Thank you,/Ariel Lanyi"

"iron mining in the philippines"

IVAN DA HORROR

"Filipino wins in Kaspersky Lab contest"

"Ivan Dominic Baguio"

"New infrastructure and establishments in Cebu"

INQUIRER

"apl.de.ap joins efforts to build more schools"

INQUIRER

"Lions trip Generals"

INQUIRER

Red Lions

How to Make a Red Velvet Cake

"Drink until the kitchen blurs. Recall the paper-maché volcano you made. Lean over the counter. Cry into the batter. My precious vial of red, when you are making this cake, you are blood and bones—red blood, white bones, grease the pan, beware." ~ Alicia Jo Rabins

"Philippines set for rating upgrade boost"

"Viet Nam, Philippines, Indonesia (Future economic powers?)"

ASEAN

HAR PINATUBO

"A UNIQUE SPA ADVENTURE"

Rabbi Lazer Brody: An hour of personal prayer is like a spa for the soul.

"PINATUBO VOLCANIC ASH SPA, MUD SPA AND MASSAGE TOUR PACKAGE"

Rabbi Lazer Brody: In the hot summer months, we surely cleanse our bodies daily; does a soul deserve any less?

The Businessmen V. The Scholars

CultureStr/ke
The Dream is Now
Dream Activist

The Businessman scoffed and cursed a scholar. The following day the scholar went to the courts to sue. The Businessman's Friends asked the scholar to forgive, but the scholar refused.

Businessman's Peacemakers: You have already renounced your claim against him three times.

Scholar: When did I renounce my claim and before whom?

Businessman's Peacemakers: Before God, in the morning, midday, and evening prayers, which you prayed since yesterday's unfortunate incident. At The End you said, "To those who curse me, my soul will be silent". After such a declaration how can you speak in court against someone who cursed you?

Scholar: You have spoken well, but allow me to explain the true meaning of this prayer. There are two ways to lodge a complaint: Either the soul can speak in the Heavenly Court when it ascends each night, or the body can speak in the earthly court. The prayer says "To those who curse me, my soul will be silent". I am still entitled to lodge a complaint in the earthly court. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your fellow man. And do not bear sin on his account" [Leviticus 19:17]. Brethren, I did not dispense judicial rebuke. I pursued justice:

"Philippine Airlines will fly to Moscow, Russia"

"Flights will commence September 2013" ~ Jose Farrugia

Philippine Airlines

Bammbammbooboo: "Killer Queen"

B'nei Menashe

Stephen Epstein: Some went down the Mekong River into Vietnam, the Philippines, Siam, Thailand and Malaysia

"Howard Stern Rob Schneider"

Rob Schneider at John Schneider

Howard Stern

PIN'HAS POWER

Hailee Steinfeld at Griffin Steinfeld

"@adamjacobsnyc sang his face off tnite @ #CarnegieHall. Good job!" ~ ariellejac

"Requisite red carpet shot." ~ Adam Jacobs

"So great seeing @iJasonAlexander tonight :)" ~ ariellejac

"Pinoy power." ~ Adam Jacobs

"Sephardic Jews"

Rhesus Negative (Where Two Negatives Make a Negative): 

A Sephardi Jew is a Jew descended from, or who follows the customs and traditions followed by, Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) before their expulsion in the late 15th century. This includes both the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain under the Alhambra decree of 1492, or from Portugal by order of King Manuel I in 1497, and the descendants of crypto-Jews who left the Peninsula in later centuries to North Africa, Asia Minor, the Philippines and elsewhere around the world, and the descendants of crypto-Jews who remained in Iberia. In modern times, the term has also been applied to Jews who may not have been born Sephardi (or even Jewish) but attend Sephardic synagogues and practice Sephardic traditions. Today there are around 12,000 Jews in Spain and 2,500 in Portugal (although it must be taken account that, when expelled from Portugal, Jews were allowed to stay if they converted to Christianity, resulting in a high percentage being assimilated in the Portuguese population. See: History of the Jews in Portugal). There is also a community of 600 in Gibraltar. These are not necessarily Sephardi as defined above. 

The name comes from Sepharad, a Biblical location. This was probably the “Saparda” mentioned in Persian inscriptions: the location of that is disputed, but may have been Sardis in Asia Minor. “Sepharad” was identified by later Jews as the Iberian Peninsula, and still means “Spain” in modern Hebrew. 

For religious purposes, and in modern Israel, “Sephardim” is often used in a wider sense to include most Jews of Asian and African origin, who use a Sephardic style of liturgy. This article is mostly concerned with Sephardim in the narrower ethnic sense, rather than in this broader Modern Israeli Hebrew definition. See also: Jewish ethnic divisions. 

The term Sephardi can also describe the nusach (Hebrew language, “liturgical tradition”) used by Sephardi Jews in their Siddur (prayer book). A nusach is defined by a liturgical tradition’s choice of prayers, order of prayers, text of prayers and melodies used in the singing of prayers. Sephardim traditionally pray using Minhag Sefarad, which is quite similar to Nusach Edot haMizrach (liturgy of the Eastern Congregations). For more details of the Sephardic liturgy see Sephardic Judaism. 

Note that the term Nusach Sefard or Nusach Sfarad does not refer to the liturgy generally recited by Sephardim, but rather to an alternative Eastern European liturgy used by many Hasidim.

"RESCUE IN THE PHILIPPINES" PART ONE OF SCRIPT;.

Terry Irving: “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.” — Allen Ginsberg

Felix & Jordan:

Our personal connection to Manila goes back to 1945, when Felix’s grandfather, who was stationed there as a soldier in the US Army, helped to rebuild the Jewish community and found a Jewish youth group. Naturally, we were excited to visit this community so many years later. Thinking we would make it to the JAP (Jewish Association of the Philippines) Synagogue a little faster in a taxi, we called down to the front desk and asked them to find one. 

Once inside, the mood and pace changed and we felt the calm of Shabbat. We found our host, Chip, an old friend of Felix’s parents, who had been living and working in Manila for the past 10 months and was celebrating his final Shabbat there. We enjoyed the festive and relaxing Shabbat meal, which was a nice change of pace from the other Shabbat meals on our trip, and appreciated the quality time with Chip. Absolutely stuffed (we’re talking appetizers, soup, salads, two kinds of meat with sides, and dessert), we walked the 25 minutes back to our hotel through a maze of interconnected walkways and air conditioned malls. The next morning we retraced our steps back to the synagogue for services and a lovely Shabbat lunch, with both Israeli and US Ambassadors present as guests of honor. We felt well represented. Back at our hotel, Jordan took a long nap, and Felix went back to the synagogue for the end of Shabbat.

Months ago, when planning our trip, we learned of another crazy family connection to the Philippines. Felix’s great aunt and uncle (for whom he is named) sponsored the college education of a young Filipina back in the 1970s. Their daughter, Deena, who now lives in LA with her family (with whom we are very close) still keeps in touch with this “adopted sister”, Felicidad. We promised Deena that we would meet Felicidad and take her to brunch on her behalf. At noon on Sunday, we met Felicidad along with her two sisters and her son. It was a very emotional meeting for Felicidad, who was meeting a member of the family in person for the first time. We were astounded by the magnitude of the impact that the sponsorship had had on her life, and she continuously thanked us and expressed her love and gratitude for us and our family. It was a truly remarkable experience, and although the cultural gap was evident, it was a very rewarding for us. The live Skype call with Deena over dessert was the highlight, although (hey, you know us) the food was pretty good too (Jordan had the French Breakfast of truffle omelet with french pancakes; Felix had the smoked salmon omelet)! After a emotional goodbye with Felicidad and her family, we headed back to our room to pack up and prepare ourselves for that evening’s journey. We took full advantage of our late checkout and just after 4pm, we headed back into the mall to find dinner and pass the time. Dinner was a veggie open faced quesadilla and a veggie burrito ($10) at ArmyNavy, a Filipino fast food chain.

"Philippine Madrigal Singers - SEMPURNA (solo: Kitbielle Pasagui)"

"'Sempurna' is one of Indonesian Pop song, sung by MADZ.. Sempurna means PERFECT! and MADZ sang it very SEMPURNA.. Anyway, sorry for bad visual for this Video.. :)" ~ billnahuway