Maniolas

SAN FRANCISCO — Standing at 5 feet 2 inches, Tasawan Kovitprakornkul packs a punch despite her petite frame. A jiu-jitsu world champion and personal trainer, the 25-year-old, Thailand-born Filipino American is also an officer of the San Francisco Police Department. Kovitprakornkul and Edgar Parker III, also a Fil-Am, are two of the 45 brave men and women who recently graduated from the San Francisco Police Academy. The ceremony was on January 2 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center on 19th Avenue. San Francisco is home to 2,209 sworn officers, according to Officer Albie Esparza, public information officer at the SFPD. Exacting training “The training [in Presidio] was no other experience that I’ve ever been through or [I don’t think] any other type of company can simulate this type of training,” Kovitprakornkul told Manila Mail in an interview right after their commencement ceremony. “It took a lot of dedication and a lot of perseverance, and you really had to have the will to want this—the will to achieve, to be a good officer.” Though the recruits went home every night during their eight-month training, Kovitprakornkul felt like they lived in the academy. “The hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but we do get there sometimes two hours early and a lot of times, we leave two to three hours late so there’s not much time sleeping,” she said. “For eight months, you’re pretty much sleeping, eating and breathing academy but as long as this is what you really want Read More …

Chess grandmaster Wesley So. PHOTO BY SUSAN POLGAR LAS VEGAS. Nevada — Wesley So defeated grandmaster Tsegmed Batchuluun of Mongolia in the ninth and final round Tuesday, December 30, to easily capture the $10,000 first prize in the 24th North American Open chess championships at Bally’s Casino Resort. With several hours rest, the fresh-looking So prevailed in 46 moves to score his seventh win against two draws to close out with eight points in the five-day tournament in which he was not threatened in any game. In the eighth round, he settled for a quick 18-move draw with grandmaster Julio Becerra, a Cuban defector now based in the United States, allowing him some rest in the hectic nine-round tournament in which two rounds were played each day Draws It was the second draw for the top-seeded So. In the seventh round, he also drew with Chinese GM Xiangzhi Bu after a marathon 89 moves. So was so dominating his closest pursuers, which included Bu, and Becerra only had 6.5 points. The victory capped a successful 2014 for the 21-year-old So, who won in three other prestigious tournaments, including the Millionaire Chess Open in the nearby Planet Hotel & Casino, in which the $100,000 first prize was the richest in chess history. He ended the year with a live rating of 2770.7, good for No. 10 best in the world. FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri. FACEBOOK Nouri keeps winning Eight-year-old Alekhine Nouri, meanwhile, continued his winning ways, emerging champion in the blitz Read More …

Yves Pierre is one of thousands of new immigrants to Germany, which is facing massive demographic shifts now reshaping the European nation. See a video of Pierre discussing his experiences in Berlin. BERLIN, Germany — Yves Pierre, 34, traveled around the world for over a decade looking for a land of opportunity — a place to live where he could have steady work in order to support his family back in Haiti. When he found a job with a multinational cruise line based in Berlin, he embraced Germany as his new home. BERLIN, Germany — Yves Pierre, 34, traveled around the world for over a decade looking for a land of opportunity — a place to live where he could have steady work in order to support his family back in Haiti. When he found a job with a multinational cruise line based in Berlin, he embraced Germany as his new home. He’s now been here for five years. He has an apartment in a neighborhood he loves, and German friends he hangs out with on weekends. “I really like it here – the social life, the arts,” says Pierre, who speaks five languages, including German. “I find it [very] international.” He also sees career opportunities. He just established a small fashion company, and he dreams of expanding to New York and Paris. But wherever his work may take him, he says, he knows that he wants Berlin to remain his home. Facing an enormous demographic shift, with an aging Read More …

Christmas lanterns at the Honolulu Museum of Art. HMA PHOTO HONOLULU– A Filipino Christmas Family Day called “Pasko! Sa Honolulu Museum of Art” on December 21 highlighted the festive and colorful Filipino-style Christmas season. The event was hosted by The Filipino Association of University Women (FAUW) and the Bank of Hawaii. The halls of the Honolulu Museum of Art were decked with Christmas lanterns or parol of various shapes, sizes, colors and materials. At the event’s art activity stations, visitors made parol, rice cakes, desserts, Christmas ornaments and learned to wrap gifts in coconut leaves and filigreed paper. Children were able to play traditional Filipino games such as sungka and sipa, try on Filipino costumes from different regions, and receive candies while learning how to do the “mano po” and respectfully greet elders like their “ninongs” and “ninangs” (godparents) who give presents during the holidays. The event also had display tables set for noche buena, a family feast held after midnight mass which were adorned with decorative shells, brass and hand-woven materials from the Philippines. A fashion show by Hilo-based Filipino designer Iris Viacrusis of traditional Filipiniana wear including ternos, María Clara dresses, Igorot and Muslim-inspired attires, was one of the highlights of the Pasko! event. Cultural presentations included folk dances and song numbers from the Filipino community, and performances from youth orchestra Banda Kawayan and the Tekniqlingz Dance Crew, which combine traditional and hip-hop styles in their unique rendition of the tinikling bamboo dance provided entertainment for the audience. Vice Consul Joyleen E. Santos represented the Philippine Consulate General Read More …