Below is a snippet from an article published on Inquirer Youngblood, written by one of my good friends from college, Dr. Che Zablan. I'm so proud of the Filipino that you are, Che! We definitely need more people like you.
"I AM a doctor to the barrio. For most people, I could not have made a better choice, but for a very few, I could not have made a worse or crazier one. In fact, the moment I utter those words, I see all sorts of reactions..."
This is my new favorite film. It says everything I've been saying about anyone whose ultimate dream was going abroad (particularly to the US). I love the script with characters portrayed by veteran actors, the pasyon choir and most importantly, the film's message which mirrors my exact same sentiments: is coming to America really worth every single sacrifice? "Pinag-iisipan pa ba ang pagpunta ng America?"
That's what I called my last birthday when I told co-workers that I just turned 21 (and they believe me). I had to follow up with the "7th annual" so they get that I'm not as young as they probably thought (the newbies still get shocked when I tell them I'm married). Sometimes I think I should've left them believing I was really JUST 21 (in a senior position, but that can either make me a genius or a kiss-as*).
I arrived to a decorated cube with purple and pink crepe paper wrapped over my monitor, around my little back-support pillow and all the candies they gave me as their gift -- labor of love from my dear thoughtful friends.
May "tiara" pa ko (that for some reason reminded me of Sailor Moon) that they made me wear because "birthday girls need to wear a tiara, or they're invisible." Sakay naman ako, so sige, suot ko sya buong hapon, hanggang sumakit na lang ang likod ng tenga ko (headband kasi siya).
The same friends treated me out to a nice Brazilian cafe for lunch (one of the best places on earth). Dito kasi, pag birthday mo, ikaw ang ililibre. Actually, I never really understood why sa atin, ikaw ang manlilibre. Then I remembered na dapat kasi may kapalit na gift ang libre mo - which hardly ever really happens... so bat nga ba tayo nanlilibre pag birthday natin? That was why I was always broke on Februarys when I was home (kasi di pa ko nakaka-recover from Christmas gastos pagdating ng birthday ko).
Dinner with Nino and Tito Ike followed after work at Marie Callender's with the best-tasting lemon-pepper salmon and cajun shrimp with mushroom sauce on rice pilaf and vegetables that I've ever had, complete with Banana Cream Pie for dessert which we had at home (we brought a whole pie home kasi sobrang busog na kami).
I'm surely gonna miss our annual Aquarians' birthday bash with my college friends and my family -- one of those things that I love and miss about February, as I told my co-worker -- but this will do for now. I still get the same love from family and great friends I've met here anyway (thank you po, Lord). Saka nakuha ko na ang gifts ko from our pre-aquarians' party before I left. Hehehe. Enjoyin ko na lang ang Nerds at Gobstoppers ko (at ang libre sa akin!) dito.
So to my fellow Feb celebrants, happy birthday to all of us!
It took me about 20 attempts to take a clear picture of a beautiful full moon from a car moving 80mph without flash (I tried to avoid the reflection of the flash on the windshield blinding the lens of my camera) and slow shutter speed before finally giving up. Obviously, wala akong nakuhang matino, except maybe for these two, which turned out to be a bit interesting.
Attempt# 1: Marunong palang sumulat ang mga ilaw.
Attempt #18: Try to figure this out. Can you see the moon?
After over 2 years of talking to Americans during most of my waking hours, I must say I’ve caught up with them when it comes to speaking conversational English. I’m sooo far from being able to articulate exactly what I want to say at the time I want or need to say it (lalo na pag mga punch line) but at least my slang/conversational English is getting better (by my standard of better). Here’s what I learned:
Retarded. Your shoelaces can be retarded, jackets can be retarded, hair can be retarded and of course YOU can be retarded. It’s like saying “parang ewan” – at least that’s how I interpret it when they say, “My jeans are just being retarded.”
Word up! Could mean, “great” or “woohoo!”
Tool. If that’s even the way it’s spelled (thanks to our PR manager who has mostly slang vocabulary when talking to us, that’s why I didn’t understand her half the time). Somebody’s a “tool” when he or she is worst than dumb or stupid. Something like, engot, I guess.
“Pang-ilan” has no direct translation. I asked my American friends about it, and even they couldn’t think of a single word to say it, or even a sentence without a follow-up question. She said something like this, “What number is President Bush as the president of America? Is he the 20th?” So don't think you're stupid when you can't think of the English translation of "Pang-ilang anak ka nila?"
Either and Neither. Because in Filipino, we say “din” whether we refer to something as positive or negative, we automatically translate it to “also” even if we refer to something negative. For example: A: I’m not going to the party. B: I’m not going also. – EEEE (buzzer sound). Wrong. “I’m not going either” is the correct way to say it or “Neither am I.” This took some time for me to absorb, and I still catch myself almost saying ALSO sometimes.
Ikaw talaga! This sentence in Filipino can mean so many things in different contexts, but again has no direct English translation. It won’t make any sense to anyone of them here if you say, “you really!” They’ll just look at you with a big H-U-H.
I bet there’s a lot more that I’ll remember over the next how many days, weeks and months, and I will try to be faithful to my blog again and share them with you. For now, this is all I can remember. Till our next lesson.
I read somewhere that full-time working people spend most of their waking hours with their co-workers. And because that is very true, I found that I had some realizations about the people with whom I spend my week.
There are a few people I can trust my life with: one Mexican-American, a couple Filipino-Americans, and an Irish who’s Indian-Chinese-Filipino-Korean-and-gay inside (she lived with these people all her childhood years). These are the people I can talk to about anything, and they’d never judge me or hate me – they’ll love me any way I am.
Then there are those who you just love to hate.
“Kung Ayaw Mo, Wag Mo!” What do you do to those who ignore you and pretend you don’t exist? a. throw them down the stairs b. hire somebody to kill them c. pull their nose hairs off one hair at a time d. all of the above
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do any of the above to that one person in my department who ignores me and is so rude to me, like I offended her in some way. I swear I never did anything to her. Nobody deserves to be treated like that – nobody like me who has gone out of my way to be nice and tolerant of everyone. She’s the fakest person I know, because in the presence of other people, she’s all sugary-nice to me, but when she’s alone and sees me along the hallways, she doesn’t even look at me or acknowledge my presence, the way any normal, civilized human being would. No look, much less a smile.
For the first few weeks that she was like that, I gave her the benefit of the doubt – that she didn’t know how to approach me because: 1. I’m a Filipino who didn’t grow up there, even if I speak perfect English, 2. I’m the new addition to their group, 3. she was insecure (because maybe I’m prettier and skinnier than her – and she has weight issues). But after giving it some time, she stayed the same rude way.
SO FREAKING WHAT?! I don’t care if she’s a racist (she only hung out with fellow white people who happen to be everyone else but another Mexican in the department – I’m the only Asian) or if she just made a decision not to be civil with me. My taray self that I have tried so long to suppress came out and ignored her right back. I didn’t give a sh*t whether she talked to me or not, looked at me or not, acknowledged me or not.
SO FREAKING WHAT?! I don’t care what you think, bit*h. I am a bit*h, too, even if most of you think I’m nice and “really sweet.” Don’t you dare provoke me because I can @$%@#$ fight you and I won’t @$%#$ back out!!!!
Buti na lang din, she left after a few months. Ayaw siguro ng Diyos na magtatalak ako in Tagalog. Hehehe.
I’ve always been lucky to work at unconventional corporations, even while I was still in the Philippines. When I found 1-800-DENTIST, a marketing company for dentists, I realized I brought that luck with me. Their culture is so much like that of GASSO (the agency I used to work for in the PI) – very casual, flexible and laid-back, even with the same pressures of a typical marketing/advertising company. So though I’m not exactly paid right (about 50% less than what other copywriters here with my experience are paid), it’s not so bad, considering everything I’ve experienced in this company in less than a year.
Over the Roof June 2006 I didn’t believe my now co-workers when they told me in my “grilling” (panel interview where ALL of the people from the marketing department “grills” the applicant before they get accepted - some form of initiation) that they all witnessed somebody having sex at the rooftop of the parking garage across the street from our office in broad daylight. Not until I saw an episode myself – one that lasted over 35 minutes.
Somebody screamed, “sex at the parking garage!!!” and brought the entire 7th floor to that part of the building, spreading into about 10 offices with that particular view so we can all see what went on (we were surprised the building didn’t lean over). Those idiots probably thought nobody can see them because they were at the rooftop of a 5-storey parking garage and nobody else was there. They obviously weren’t thinking that about four other buildings that were taller than five floors surrounded that place and had a very clear view of what they were doing.
I couldn’t believe what I saw. I’ve never seen an actual live show like that my whole entire life! What was more unbelievable was the fact that I sat there – I had a good spot along with about 10 other people in our PR Manager’s office, which, by the way, included our CEO and two other officers – and STAYED there even if my conservative self was scandalized by what was happening.
That day, the company had about an hour of unproductive time – 35 minutes of watching two underage kids having sex at the rooftop of a parking garage (they were on their 5th round before security got to them) and the rest of the time chatting about that highlight of our day. They were confirmed underage by two of my co-workers who walked there to tell them that ALL OF US saw them, which kind of brought a sigh of relief to my male co-workers who said this guy made them look bad after the 4th round – because he was still going (well, he still has raging hormones).
That day also happened to be my 2nd week at work. Talk about an, eventful warm welcome.
Afternoon Delight July 2006 Patron Tequila at 4 in the afternoon, poured in shot glasses by our CEO, President and CMO. That’s what we had when management made the tough decision to cancel one of our major events that was the marketing department’s baby. Right after that consolation toast, we were treated to more drinks at a restaurant across the street (there was a mall across the street from our office) complete with pulutan. That’s what I call pampalubag-loob.
Crazy Hair Day July 2006 It’s one of those days when we didn’t have to worry about bad hair days, because bad hair day was very welcome – as bad, or rather as CRAZY as crazy can be. We were to wear red wigs, afros, even tin foil with ribbons (that’s what I had AS my hair) all day and go around the office in that. If you didn’t join in, you’re the outcast. They take “school spirit” seriously.
Little Shop of Horrors October 2006 Costume parties in any other company won’t compare to what we have in this office – the whole place turns into a theme park – that’s the best way I can describe how the whole office transforms itself into whatever the department says it is. Each department competes with another department (or teams of departments) for the $2,000 price. This Halloween, as I was told, was the most intense, because decorating cubes didn’t begin the day before the event, but a full week BEFORE – and everyone was just so competitive, nobody will settle for 3rd place – so we prepare skits and song-and-dance numbers where even managers and ALL officers participate in.
Our department won for the first time in the company’s history, as the “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Over the Roof Part II November 2006 Yes, it happened again. This time, it was a different couple and they may have been trying to put on some show, and they probably knew they were being watched. It didn’t last nearly as long as the first one, however, probably because somebody in the other floors/buildings didn’t find that funny and called security right away. We doubt they even got to do anything but grope each other and display the girls bu*t as he hiked up her skirt in our plain view. That 10-minute show was again, of course, the highlight of the office’s day.
Flexi-Month-and-a-Half November 2006 I was prepared to quit my job if they didn’t let me to come home for our wedding, because I was just with the company for barely five months, and I was asking to leave for a month and a half. That could have been an unreasonable request with any other company, that’s why I didn’t really expect them to let me leave. But they did. Maybe it’s because I’ve proven to them that they needed me (our CMO said he’ll hunt me down in the PI if I didn’t come back), or because they’re just really awesome like that (our CEO/owner was also a copywriter in advertising for a while, hence the company culture he cultivated) or I’m just really lucky. Whatever. I’m so not complaining.
It’s been almost a year since my last blog entry and needless to say, so much has happened. I’m just glad I have a full day to stay home and do nothing (on a Friday! Thank God for birthday holidays). Yes, I can finally bring back blog-loving-feelin (whoow blog-lovin’ feeling – sing it with me!) and share blog-worthy thoughts from over 9 months of hiatus.
Mamang Sorberterow May 2006 I didn’t think I can find a Mexican sorbeterow (spoken with an LA accent) here in LA. We were on our way to pick up second-hand furniture for our apartment when we found mamang sorbetero under the shade of a tree. Of course I was curious to know what he sold – could there be a pinipig crunch? To my surprise, there was - $1. Now if can only find a dirty ice cream cart around here…
Wow Asia July 2006 One of my Italian-American co-workers came back from a vacation in HongKong with “the most enriching experience” of her life. She raved about the food, the “sights”, the cheap shopping and how she had boobs over there compared to all the other female Asians. That broke my heart a bit (not the boob-comment, tanggap ko na yun eh), because she had no idea that there is more to “Asia” than HK, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and all our other neighboring countries – there’s this little group of islands called the Philippines, too. I thought about how much richer my own country is – of nature, people, food and culture – and yet nobody here seems to know about us, until I tell them about it from my own personal stories. It crushed me that our tourism promotions are just not strong enough to encourage these foreigners to go and explore our beautiful country which I am so damn proud of. I honestly hope that someday, we can put ourselves on the same map of what people here call “Asia.”
Pronounciation Lessons July 2006 I was in Disneyland with Nino and Gena, my dear ex-officemate who was then vacationing in LA. We were lined-up at the haunted house when we saw the “graveyard” with really funny names, like this:
I laughed out loud, because I thought only a Filipino must have come up with the name of a Filipino hairdresser. Only later on did I realize that it was supposed to be said in English: “reincarnation.” Malay ko ba.
Las Vegas Oven July 2006 I thought summer in the PI was the worst kind of heat you can put yourself through – that was my definition of hot, until I spent summer in NY. 40-degree-celcius weather?! That I thought was the worst. Until I went to Vegas in the summer. 55-degree-celcius weather, baby. While we were driving to vegas, I touched the window and got burned. Joke. It wasn’t THAT hot, but the windows were really hot enough to burn me if I kept my hand there. We could probably fry an egg on the street concrete if we wanted to, but of course we didn’t because we’d have to stay outside and clean it up. Now I know when NOT to go to Vegas – it is the desert after all.
Weird and Loving It September 2006 I brought fresh lychee to the office one day and my co-workers were intrigued. “What the heck is that?” “It’s lychee, it’s like a fruit.” “It smells weird…” “…like a flower or something…” “Wanna try one?”
And they agreed. I show them how to peel one and took a bite. They did the same.
“This tastes like flowery-soap.”
Their lychee ended up in the trash can. Only my co-copywriter who’s Asian-inside and very familiar with lychee enjoyed it with me and only a few of them even attempted to try it – the “flower smell” was too strong for them, they said. They thought I was weird because I liked to eat flowery-soap and because of a lot of other things in their long list of “Mel’s Weirdness.”
I love ketchup with pizza (Somebody asked, “is that a Filipino thing?” I just said, “No, it’s a Mel thing.”).
I love ketchup with spaghetti (now that is a Filipino thing).
I love ketchup with corned beef and egg (yummy!!!)
I put salt on cherries (and they hated me for convincing them to try it)
I love cantaloupe melon and chocolate
I eat squid flakes (they said it tasted like fish food)
I love my Filipino weirdness (and my Mel-weirdness, too). It just means I won’t need to share goodies with them – they’re all mine!
STRAWBERRY (deep voice) January 2007
I just had the freakiest strawberry I’ve ever seen.
LA VISA LOCA
