It looks like CFA is off to a great start this semester! We’ve had tons of awesome activities that have gone on, and here are some pictures of them.

~Lauren

Pictures from the Ninja tournament that we had during the First G-body

CFA’s annual Welcome Picnic

Lauren

Why hello there CFAers! Ramos here reporting on a very awesome CFA in the City (the New York City edition). On July 21st, a group of CFAers volunteered at the Bayanihan Center’s first annual festival. The festival consisted of performances (ranging from traditional Filipino dances to ballroom dancing), community outreach (legal and medical consultations), and FOOD (obvs). The voluteers helped with running the booths and though there was a 90% chance of rain that day, hundreds showed up to the festival.

Major props to those who volunteered: Marissa, Sabrina, Chris P (+Francelly), Kevin, David, Yang, Greg, Joanne, Dan, and Lauren. Thanks for your service and I look forward to continuing this Bayanihan spirit throughout the next year!

After months of practicing choreo and perfecting menu items, Sama-Sama was a huge success! Great job everyone!

Here’s a message from CFA President, Christian Cerrada:

Hey Sama Sama’ers!

I hope that you are now all well-rested and back to doing your homework and going to class–I took a really long weekend:) I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you and acknowledge all the hard work ya’ll have put in for CFA over the past couple of months. A super long email ensues!

Casto: You’ve gone above and beyond your job description, driving around in Rach’s car, picking up food/programs/pitchers–you name it. Without you, many things would have fallen through the cracks. The food was a hit and despite any glitches, they got onto the tables in a timely manner. Congrats on your first time cooking for 200+ people!
Mike: We all know those videos took up a lot of your time. Thanks for carrying around that big video recorder box to every practice and staying up til 6am to finish them. The videos added so much to the show. Great job with the boys’ solo and Magla!!
Yang: Pandapands! Amazing job on all of our publicity materials–they were really eye catching (and matched my hat). I’m sure I’ll see our t-shirts all around campus now–and also on Bing’s. The programs were informative and well-put together–thank you for staying up to finish them. Thanks for taking charge with the tickets, even if you had to whisper to people…
Earl: Great job with handlng all of our funds and helping us to get enough money to rent out such a beautiful place like Sage. Thanks for keeping me on track with SAFC! Mad props for coming with me to take on Erwin and Elise– the married ISPB couple with the hard questions.
Laurie: Many thanks for keeping track of everything we talk about at E-board! Great job with the choreo for Singkil–so sorry we couldn”t show off the fan girls—there will be a chance though!
Tita Czora: Thank you Thank you for the pasta the day of, your help with cooking, and steering us in the right direction during Eboard meetings. I love the sodas! Logistics-wise, thanks for manning the ticket booth and setting up the raffle!
BJ: We would not have tables and chairs without you driving the U-haul! Go go mini-mover! Many thanks for the logistical support and for handling the awkward situation with the cops…
David: Thank you for stepping up to be the emcee of the evening and conducting the raffle!
Erwin: Thank you for taking up the A/V position and for your help throughout set up. You’re super!

Choreographers: Mike, ChrisP, Laurie, Yang, Casto—thank you for stepping up and choreographing dances when many of you did not have any experience. The crowd really enjoyed all of them. Thank you for being the first to show up to practice and the last to leave, for making sure everyone got the moves down, and for making practices a fun experience (even on nights before prelims).

14 Strings! Rondalla: Excellent job with your pieces–it was a pleasure to watch and listen to! The performance added another dimension to the show by showcasing traditional Filipino music. I know last week was a busy one for you–We  are very grateful for your support!

Cooks: The food was excellent and we owe it to your meticulous measuring skills, dish-washing abilities, and knack for cutting/julienne-ing/stir frying food. Without all of you, Sama Sama would not have happened!

Tita Jane: Many thanks for the suggestions you gave to our fan girls on how to improve their style and for your general support–we appreciated it!

Chef Ryan/Sage Facilities: Thank you for dealing with Casto and I the day of and the days leading up to Sama Sama. There was no way we would have been able to bring the food over in perfect condition with our U-haul or know how to play video and music in Sage without you guys.

Tita Mimi and Tita Eden: Special thanks for helping us to set up the anthems last minute. It was great to hear you sing–hopefully we can get the chance again! Thank you Tita Mimi for the wonderful breakfast that prepared everyone for the long day ahead!

Tita Thess and Tito Dito: Thank you for your advice and help whenever I drop by. We appreciate the parking permit–it saved us a lot of headaches.

Kuya Apol: Many thanks for helping me with the flags and setting up the tables and chairs. The room was set up quickly and efficiently with your help!

The Barrameda Family: Many thanks for purchasing our souvenirs/fruit cocktail all the way from NJ and for helping with last minute details such as the flags and bagging the polvoron and pastillas!

Optix Productions: Thanks for staying overtime to cover our impromptu line dancing session! We look forward to the video!

A final thanks to our financial supporters: SAFC, ISPB, and SEAP. Thank you to all those who sent in program ads and boosters. Special thanks to CVA for their help with serving the food. We owe you! Thank you to our last year’s President, Jackie Perez, for making her way up to cheer us on. Special thanks to Rachelle–who even though she couldn’t be there, still supported us. To the staff at the Kahin Center for accommodating our practices and hosting many of our events–thanks!. Thank you to all our guests, friends, and families–with you, we were able to celebrate the spirit of Sama Sama.

It’s been a pleasure working with all of you to make such a big event happen. I’ve only heard good words about Sama Sama–you all should be proud! Thank you for making this a memorable PCN. Much CFA love.

“All I wanted from ya’ll was to bring it, and y’all buhringed it” As always—C-C-C-C-C…!

This past Saturday, CFA members participated in the Public Service Center’s Into the Streets program, Cornell’s largest day of service! Ten bright-eyed CFAers joined 1000+ other volunteers in Barton on Saturday to prep for the day and listen to a speech made by President Skorton, the keynote speaker for the event.

CFA volunteers went to Ithaca Community Recovery, an agency that provides a meeting place for local AA and other recovery-related groups. The building was in dire need of cleaning and by the end of the day was sparkling! Good job guys!

See more pictures from Into the Streets.

Hey everyone!!

My name is Erwin Wang, and, along with Casto Unson, I will be co-directing this year’s Philippine Culture Night. As Christine mentioned, this year’s theme is Alamat at Sayaw (Legends and Dances).

Accordingly, PCN 2008 will touch upon a few traditional Filipino legends, most notably Ibong Adarna. This myth is about a prince, Don Juan, who embarks on a remarkable journey to capture a magical bird in an effort to help his ailing father. This tale and other Filipino legends serve as the backdrop to the central, modern storyline of this year’s PCN, which is about a young man, John, who realizes that the singular aspiration of chasing girls is certainly an immature one.

With regards to the second part of our subtitle, there will - as always - be a wide variety of dances in this year’s show. From our traditional performances of maglalatik, singkil, and tinikling to our modern dances of line-dancing and hip-hop, the many facets of Filipino and Filipino-American culture should be well-represented in PCN 2008. With mock-battles, such as Kali and Sakuting, to romantic pieces, such as Pandanggo sa Ilaw and vocal and musical performances from our Rondalla group, we hope that you will find our show both entertaining and educative.

So it is with great enthusiasm that we invite you to our show on March 8 at 7:00 PM at the Statler Auditorium. Tickets are available at $3 presale from general body members and $5 at the door. All of our members have invested a great amount of time and energy into PCN 2008, and we hope you come out to support our efforts, our group, and our culture.

Best,

Erwin Wang